El Torito

Restaurant needs remodel. Margarita was good but they’re open until 11 but they were vacuuming at 10pm. Very un inviting!

The service on taco Tuesday is good, I ordered the unlimited tacos with rice and beans for $ 10.00 and it was ok The tacos weren’t the taco truck tacos if that’s what you looking for No heat on the salsa, chicken tacos were ok, carnitas was ok, Disappointed in the Asada tacos the meat was kind of weird for me but to each their own .The waiter was very tentative so when you were out of tacos he was there to replate … My son ordered the fajita player that was good and My wife ordered the chili verde carnitas plater and that plater is huge it’s would be best to share that plater, maybe even be used as a appetizer… Big warning bottle corona is close to $ 7.00

For slow service come here, over an hour to get my food when I had pre-​order it over the phone. The restaurant wasn’t even busy

First things first, sign up online for el torito membership! And receive a free appetizer with a purchase of an entrée.
Depending on your choice of free appetizer, those two dishes can fill two people up very quickly!
We went and ordered a fresh guacamole ($ 7.99) as our free appetizer and macho combo ($ 14.99), with two orders of drinks.
They gave you unlimited chips and salsa… so that went very well with our free guacamole.
Their macho combo was pretty delish! It had four popular choices on one dish… Tamale, chili relleno, enchilada, taco… With rice and beans on the side and a small scoop of corn bread. I really enjoyed this especially with the chips and salsa to eat with!
Disappointments: there was one server… And it took a while to get more chips and salsa. So it didn’t feel unlimited LOL.
Their fresh guacamole was not really quite fresh. The menu explained the fresh guacamole as freshly made to order… But what we received were five small scoops of pre made guacamole… At least it was free… I would definitely not spend $ 7.99 on it.

Guess it’s true. Most reviews are written after a bad experience. We’ve frequented this place, for Happy Hour, for many years. It’s always a good value, with pretty good service. Not yesterday. The trouble was that the waiter misunderstood what we ordered (language barrier?), it came down to the manager not taking care of his customers. He made me feel as if I was trying to get away with getting a free taco, instead of just comping it, for the sake of customer service. I came away angry, so here’s my review. I feel better!
Changed my review from Ney, to Yay!
Follow up! Two managers got back to me, to apologize. One offering a free entrée for our next visit. Now THIS is good customer service. Thank you! We appreciate it, and will be back.

When you walk in, the hostess will ask if you want to sit in the Restaurant side or the Cantina side. The restaurant side has booths and more seats, while the Cantina side has regular tables, a bar, and most importantly Happy Hour!
HAPPY HOUR:
Monday — Friday, 2pm — 7pm
$ 5 Signature Margaritas, $ 4 Draft Beer, $ 4 Well & Wine HH Drinks, and $ 3 off appetizers (excluding street tacos and guacamole)
The portions are quite big here, so be mindful of that when you order. My husband and I only ordered 1 appetizer and 1 entrée, but we still had leftovers! The food and drinks were good overall. A bit salty, but still pretty good~
** Sign up for El Torito’s E-​Club and receive a coupon for one free appetizer with the purchase of one entrée! (1 large appetizer and 1 large entrée will feed 2 – 3 people)
** Special shoutout to our awesome waiter: ANTHONY!!! He was so kind and helpful. I pretty much ordered everything according to his recommendations and our meal turned out great!

We have been coming here for over 20 years! We absolutely love Ernesto as he always takes great care of us! The food is fantastic!

This place needs live music or something but other than that it was a pleasant Friday dinner.
I went with a friend kind of late and they did not rush us out of there-​greatly appreciated.
I ordered the chicken Mexican Caesar Salad (decent dinner salad) with a Michelada.
The waiter was courteous and patient, which is huge since people may either need more time ordering.
I am definitely going back to this location.

This last Saturday I held my daughters baptism dinner gathering here! We had a great experience from arranging it to when we showed up. They have great service and the food was really good to! I would definitely choose then again for an event in the future. Really nice service.

One really interesting thing about this place is that the kitchen is located right in the middle of the restaurant so it’s possible to see the cooks work their magic while you wait for your food. The food itself was alright; I gotta say that my favorite was the free salsa that comes with the chips. You’ll be paying $ 14-​$ 16 for your meal here. I think the beef in the tacos could be better. Besides the salsa, the only other thing that was above-​average was the very attentive waiter service.

This place never disappoints. I’ve been coming here for years and I love their chicken Cesar salad. The waiters are great too! You never have to ask for refills of your drinks or chips and salsa. They are always on top of their game. Great job you guys!

All El Torito’s are just okay as far as food goes. The bar is small and has 3 small TV’s. The bartender was waiting tables and making drinks. Luckily she was able to juggle both. The bathrooms in the foyer are a bad idea. The unpleasant smell floats in the walkway and makes your stomach turn.

Haven’t been a fan of El Torito for awhile, came here on a last minute whim, and the place was empty. We sat in the cantina bar area, a little small, couple TV’s, bar seating, and a limited amount of tables. Service was good considering it was the bar area. I ordered the nachos and they were surprisingly very good, especially the beans. The chips and salsa were also very fresh. If in the mood I will return here, as other locations have just been mediocre with their food.

One of the worst Mexifornia food places to eat… The salsa s weak, chips always cold, well drinks always water down, service under par y the over all food taste below average; in short, only at this location does it suck big time, I guess the peps in this community put up with it… Pass on this onjoint, I’d rather eat@ Taco Bell. Fin, el baños are nasty too y are in horrible condition.

Had the BEST experience I have ever had at el torito! The manager Kristin was very accommodating with making special veggie tacos during taco Tuesday. Very friendly and always smiling was a joy to deal with. We also had the best sever Anthony who rapped for us in FRENCH!!! Amazing still waiting on him to do the birthday song in French just my own personal suggestion. Will definitely come back again and again. Thank you so much for being so courteous and friendly. Good service is hard to find these day and I truly appreciate the good service!

Wow, something is happening at El Torito lately, and it’s all good! I just noticed that 5 of the last 6 reviews (including this one) are 5 stars! I had pretty much written off El Torito with all of the other chains in favor of my local independent Mexican restaurants. Was invited here on a Thursday night for the first time in a long time. Not crowded, so we were seated immediately. Cadillac Margaritas were good and just $ 6 on Thursdays.
There are a lot of innovative choices on the new menu along side of the old favorites. Wife and I shared the delicious Mexican Caesar salad with romaine, cotija cheese, tomatoes, roasted pepitas and tortilla strips tossed with Cilantro-​Pepita dressing. We also shared the Shrimp Fajitas with jalapeño-​garlic butter and guajillo chile sauce. This was seriously the best fajitas that I’ve ever had. Everything was well marinated, even the potatoes. The shrimp were good-​sized, very fresh, perfectly cooked and «shrimpy» tasting. Plenty of onions, some even carmelized a bit. Frijoles de la olla (pintos) were delicious and a bit spicy. Extra corn tortillas were no problem. Daughter enjoyed her kids steak fajita, complete with guacamole!
Best service I’ve had in a long time from Ernesto. Ask to be sat in his section. The décor seems largely original and dated, but I don’t care a bit. They win on food quality and service alone. Looking forward to our next trip!

We ordered the mexican burger, nachos, street tacos, crunchy tacos. Everything was good, service was great. I will be coming back. Oh and the mango margaritas are really yummy!

Taylor is the best! She always provides excellent service. We look forward to seeing her every Taco Tuesday!

I love El Toritos. I know it’s part of a chain, but this one feels like a family restaurant. The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming. I like the intetior, it has the feel of a Mexican Ranchero. With a big open kitchen, you can see your food being made. The restaurant is divided into two parts. One is a bar area with a TV. Usually the game is playing. This area is louder. They have a great happy hour. My friend loves their margaritas.
The other part, of the restaurant is the seating dining area. Part is in the patio. The patio is more brightly lite, but a little cooler, on colder days. The service is attentive and excellent. They serve free chips and salsa. I like the milder salsa, and they are always happy to accommodate this. My favorite is the Mexican Caesar salad. It’s worth trying, even if you don’t like salads. This one just might change your mind. It has lettuce topped with a dressing, tortillas, cheese and pepitos. Yum. The Fire Roasted Chili Rellenos are delish. It comes with rice and beans and a little corn cake. The Fajitas are great, and come with veggies and guacamole. If you are a serious guacamole lover, get the guacamole made at your table. They make it for you, with your preference in spice, lemon and texture. If you sign up for their email list, you get a coupon for the free gucamole. Can’t beat that. They also send a coupon for a free birthday meal. Lots of El Toritos love for just signing up. One of my favorites is the Cheese Enchiladas plate. It’s delicious. They keep adding new things to the menu and have some great seasonal dishes as well.
Tuesday nights is Taco Tuesdays. $ 1.50 each for a taco, your choice of meats. The tortillas are handmade in front of you. They have a nice salsa bar. Also you can go, all-​you-​can-​eat tacos for $ 10. They serve you chips and salsa, too. It’s fun.
Sunday brunch is wonderful. It’s not the usual, long wait to be seated for brunch. The atmosphere is festive. The food abundant and delicious. Lots of choices. The omelet station will happily make you a custom omelet. Great service, Great food.
After your meal, save room for the Fried Ice Cream. It is deep fried with a crunchy shell, and cold ice cream inside. Dusted with chocolate and whipped cream. You might just have to start with the Fried Ice Cream. The Flan is also delicious, with its caramel sauce. They also seem to have new options popping up all the time. Go hungry and leave happily satisfied.

$ 1.50 Taco Tuesdays, $ 10 all you can eat tacos [from the kitchen]
Chicken, Pork, Beef Tacos, unlimited chips and AMAZING fresh salsa
$ 5 most margaritas on Taco Tuesday
I live a block away from an El Torito Cantina and it’s suppose to be better than a regular El Torito but this El Torito exceeds expectations. Yes it is a little too americanized and yes the prices are just an ounce steeper but it’s worth it for my boyfriend and I who visits almost every Tuesday. I love watching and having same sweet lady hand make their tortillas. It is nothing like any other street taco styled tortilla and it’s the freshest you can get. The cooked meats sit in 3 containers all swimming in their meat juices, seasoned perfectly. Salsa bar is ok; not your typical Mexican restaurant salsa bar with your picked carrots but goes very well with the Tacos. This by no means take the place of my beloved taco places in Long Beach but it’s comfortable in a restaurant environment over a hole in a wall.
Overall, love it here.