El Torito

I love coming here for taco Tuesday! Great food, service and atmosphere. Danira takes good care of us! Chips and salsa are great and the sizzling enchiladas are the best.

Great Service. The staff is friendly and very attentive. The carne asada with enchilada is delicious.

It’s been a few months since my last review but this establishment and the generous attitude and attention from one of the best bartenders I’ve had in a while compelled me to do so again. Donna was not only friendly but even as the bar got busier and busier she never forgot to check back and make sure everyone was happy. Carlitos was amazing with his 007 action on bringing chips and salsa without ever having to ask. With drink specials and $ 2 tacos this is one of the best happy hours around. By the way those are not just average run of the mill tacos instead you get homemade on the spot fresh tortillas with an all you desire toppings bar. Your choice of carnitas, chicken, carne asada or fish (with no extra charge) and unlimited cheese sets this happy hour apart from all the others. Let’s not forget Nayeli and her sweet demeanor. Although she wasn’t my bartender she was always willing to help Donna make this a perfect experience. Donna even has a secret stash of candy if you need a quick chocolate fix on your way out.

Came to El torito tonight and it was such a pleasure dining with Donna the bartender. I had one of her fabulous Cadillac Margys first. It’s taco Tuesday but I didn’t feel like tacos so she suggested the Steak fajita salad… oh my so delicious. But besides the drink and the food Donna is just a treat to have take care of u. Thank you Donna and I will be back to enjoy your company

El torito. good service and good food.

Should be completely redone. Loooong in the tooth. Bar too loud and shabby. They want this review longer. I have nothing more to add.

I have never been here for brunch, but after my birthday party a few weeks ago, all that they have to offer her was needed.
They have mimosas and wayyyy to many dishes. Although I did enjoy myself and stuffed my tummy beyond oblivion, this is not the place to come if you are looking for a intimate and casual brunch. One thing I did notice was that there was way too much going on food wise and a lot of people. I will come back when I am with a larger group of people!

I come here with a group of girls to see Donna the bartender! She is the greatest and really is the reason we keep going every week.

Staff was nice I really wish I had gotten my waiters name but he was super nice and attentive. At the time the food was good but it made my coworker and I nauseous while it was digesting. We both had the chicken/​steak fajita lunch meal.

I’ve gone to many El Toritos, and I am by far amazed by this locations because of Donna! She is by far the main reason we would come back to Irvine! Our bartender, Donna, makes a mean margarita and Michelada! We will be coming back to see her soon!

I highly recommend the bar at this location, especially Donna. She is very social and quick to provide service, and remembers the preferences of the regulars like a good bartender should. Corporate has raised prices as of late which is a bummer, but the staff at this location ensure that I will keep coming back.

Open from 11 AM until 11 PM 6 days a week (10 to 10 on Sundays) — this is the better version (and the I really want to get drunk version) of Chilies’.
Orange County is certainly not famous for its rebellion against food-​chains — as we can see here.
Good things at El T in the OC are — a good happy hour for drinks and food — a decent Sunday brunch — and enough OC locations that you can find one just about anywhere down here you go.
Bad things — it’s El Torito.

Unilocal challenege 2016: ⁰³⁰⁄₃₆₅
Food is whatever. Its processed stuff. This is also boss’ spot to buy us lunch.
Service was really good but the firm i represent frequents all too much so im sure they wont provide crappy service to regulars.
The loc is convenient in the food deprived irvine/​newport border. And the area is confusing.

A perfectly mediocre large chain Mexican culinary experience with a notable bar area next to JWA.
This El Torito location has been a Mexican themed stalwart in the area for what seems to be as long as next door (and slowly decaying) Gulliver’s. I am certain their largest draw is the bar and happy hour specials as they are always packed around quitting time for the nearby Irvine business center and it can’t hurt to be literally across the street from John Wayne Airport and several hotels. As a bar experience alone, El Torito is a great spot to meet with friends and enjoy libations. Particularly on Taco Tuesday thanks to the incredibly inexpensive tacos and drinks.
Although my last visit was actually to meet with OC Unilocaler Joe P. for a beer, I had been to El Torito a few weeks earlier to meet a client regarding business over lunch and decided upon the old soup & salad standby. The interior is oddly dark for a Mexican themed chain, especially in Irvine but it offers a nice cozy feel and they keep the restaurant very clean.
As for the cuisine? It was a modest affair at best. The Mexican Cesar Salad consisted of romaine, cotija cheese, tomatoes, pepitas and tortilla strips all tossed with a hybrid Cesar Dressing laced with Cilantro. The freshness of the ingredients was on par, but nowhere near impressive.
The Tortilla Soup fared about the same. The base of the soup is Chicken broth along with chicken meat thrown in for good measure, and handful of root vegetables and then jack cheese and sliced avocado round out the supporting cast. Again, good, not great.
There is without question going to be a return trip to this location of El Torito thanks to its centralized location, thoughtful bartenders and happy hour values but it is not a «must try» in the culinary world by any stretch.

Great food and service. Consistently tasty entrees especially the all you can eat fish tacos on Fridays.

I came here for a holiday lunch party with a group of 28 co-​workers. Reservations had been made 2 weeks in advance, including a $ 200 deposit. When we arrived the host said that there were no reservations. We waited for about half an hour until the person from our group arrived who had given a deposit. The manager at El Torito apologized and seated us right away, although not in the private room we had reserved. He took 10% off our bill due to this error. There was a set menu of appetizer, entrée (3 choices), flan for dessert, along with drinks. The appetizer was freshly made guacamole. The entrée choices were fajitas, some carnitas dish, and another combination item. Pretty much everyone ordered the fajitas (choice of chicken, steak, or shrimp). While we waited for our food to be prepared, we ate the complimentary chips and salsa.
While the freshly prepared guacamole with onions and tomatoes tasted good, I had expected there to be something of more substance for the appetizer.
The fajitas came with sweet corn cake, flour or corn tortillas, stir fried veggies (onions, green bell peppers, and potatoes), Mexican rice, and beans. I went with the shrimp fajitas and while the quantity was plentiful, they tasted rather bland. Some of my co-​workers went with steak and they said it was chewy. My boss went with the chicken, and while it wasn’t over cooked, he said it was bland as well. The flour tortillas didn’t taste very fresh and seemed a little stale.
When it came time for the flan dessert, we were told that would be extra, even though the menu said it was on there. I was a little disappointed as I was hoping the dessert would salvage this sub-​par food.
The price for this holiday lunch was a little south of our $ 25 budget per person (before the 10% discount). That is too much to pay for the food and service that we received. I was extremely disappointed with the reservation fiasco, the sub-​par food, and no dessert. This was my first and last time that I will be visiting this place. The quality and variety of food, service, and similar pricing is so much better at El Torito’s sister location; El Torito Grill. And to top it off it is only a mile away from this location.

I’m not sure what the regular menu is like, but to cut a long story short, we accidentally dropped in on a Sunday brunch buffet, and since my guests were on a tight schedule to catch a flight at SNA just across the road, we decided to stay.
It was only about 11.30am and the place was already busy… well duh, it’s Sunday brunch! Anyway, there were one or two tables still available and we were promptly seated at a booth. The place is not huge and it’s dimly lit with the typical El Torito restaurant décor… I used to go to the one in the SF south bay many years ago when I used to work up there. Anyway, our server came up to us and said that he’s sure we already knew how this brunch buffet worked! Eeerm, buffet we said… no ala carte menu? Nope, he replied. Okayyyy then… we said ok, we’ll do the buffet since we were already seated, and so our server took our drinks order… not sure if they’re included in the price of the $ 20+ per person brunch buffet though.
So up we got to explore the many food offerings which were all buzzing with crowds of people around each station… there were hot foods, salads, a taco station, an egg omelette station, a chips and salsa station, a dessert section, etc. My only problem here is that none of it is labelled so you have no idea whether it’s beef, pork, or chicken in each of the dishes.
To play safe, I went straight for the egg station and got myself a vegetable omelette made fresh by the egg chef. And to go with it I went to another station nearby with mini waffles and churros. It was good… not WOW good, but good as a fresh omelette breakfast. Once that was done, I came back to try the chicken tacos, a custom made taco salad… you choose your ingredients and the salad preparer mixes it up for you. Oh, one other problem here is that for some reason, some people thought that it was a self serve salad bar and started making their own salads till they realized people in line staring at them and that there was a guy behind the bar to mix the salads one at a time. Not too hygienic when a people start grabbing at ingredients and the taco shells with their bare hands. Otherwise, the salad with chicken and shrimp (beef also available) tasted quite decent.
The chicken tacos were ok… the flour tortillas were made fresh and tasted really good. However, the chicken pieces had obviously been sitting around a while and started getting hard and dry… this applied to the chicken pieces for the tostada salad too. They had all the condiments to go with the taco, but strangely, there was no sour cream or guacamole. This was when I learned that you have to order the guacamole separately from your server at an extra charge… huh? Really?
Ok, just for fun we tried some of the dessert items. The flan, bread pudding, and pecan pie. Yea, not typical Mexican fare, so don’t expect too much. It definitely didn’t look like it was made in-​house. I’m told the flan was quite good, but I only got to try the bread pudding and pecan pie, which we did not finish…’nuff said.
The other noticeable event happening here were the numerous birthdays. The servers would come over to the tables and sing a happy birthday in Spanish in a loud, out of tune, and raucous manner… it kind of sounded like the battle of the Alamo just broke out! But seriously, I guess it was all about the fun and entertainment for all. All in all, the atmosphere here was very upbeat and festive… especially when Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer in Spanish came on the overhead speakers!
Anyway, service was good, albeit a bit hectic considering the crowd here… hard to judge the quality of the food as I’m not really a buffet person and would have liked to have tried their regular menu. I guess I would come back to give this place another go now that I know to stay away on Sunday mornings. If you do come for this brunch buffet, please heed this warning:
Be hungry… be VERY hungry!

It’s been awhile since I’ve been to a El Torito. It’s my first time at this location. I came here with family for Thanksgiving brunch.
The good thing was the staff and service. It was friendly and prompt. There’s ample parking.
Unfortunately, the building looks worn down. There was a lack of upkeep in the flooded toilet upstairs. The carpet looked dingy. The space is far too big. The tables creaked if pressed on when getting up from the table.
The foods were salty. Very very salty, the beef and soups. I didn’t even bother with the ham or turkey.
The desserts looked sad. There was bread pudding, Mexican sweet bread, flan, and pumpkin pie.
I was disappointed since it was $ 20.99 for an adult. I don’t think I’ll be coming back any time soon.

My family and I come to this El Torito frequently for Sunday brunch this Sunday was the first new modern clean look to the way brunch was set up. Very clean and organize. All food was kept at the right temperature there was plenty of fresh food coming out. All the staff members were very nice and friendly. The omelette bar is the bomb!!!
I live about 15 – 20 minutes away from this El Torito definitely worth the drive. They also have a balloon man that makes really cool balloons on Sunday.

I came through with 9 of my coworkers just because we all were trying to watch the Thursday night football game since we all had money against each other lol. First off the staff here is absolutely wonderful and I found out one of my coworker is well known here (guess he likes to drink here ahaha). They were on point with all our orders.
I ordered the Mexican Buffalo Wings and gotdamn it was spicy as a motherf****. My stomach was on fire from the time I ate the first wing all the way to the weekend. Never again will I order em. I also had a margarita since they’re known for it and I just needed something to give me a good buzz plus I was getting tired of blue moon. It was good.
The place is really nice with a bar area as well as plenty of seats but the downside is that there isn’t an outdoor patio like the one at the Block has. Happy hour is pretty nice too. Overall I didn’t really pay that much for it since it was happy hour. It was a great after work gathering and helped team chemistry a lot which had been lacking for quite some time now.