El Torito

I think this location is now closed.

If anyone reads my reviews with semi-​regularity, then you know I think all Mexican food is 3-​star cuisine. Unless it’s a burrito from A’s, but I digress. I met a friend here for dinner, even knowing full-​well the horror stories my family has told me after eating here.
The place is dead on Sunday nights, but I think a bad economy, high prices and caloric levels are to blame. El Torito must hate CA health laws. I think the only thing under 1000 calories is the menu itself.
We started off with a couple house margaritas. I’m not a fan, but, hey, he was buying. If it weren’t for the salt I might’ve gone into a sugar coma. They’re overly sweet and taste like I drank a gallon of high fructose corn syrup. Naturally, I had 2 more.
I ordered the chicken fajitas, but I paid the extra $ 2 for their tableside flamer version, or whatever it was called. They never even lit it on fire when the lady delivered it. Weak sauce. It’s hard to fuck up fajitas; these were no exception. The tortillas were a little tough, but the chicken was good and the veggies weren’t all limp and wilted. I wish they’d given me some more fixings to fancy up my fajita, but I’m not fussy enough to let it detract from the meal.
The service was good, not great. The girl kept messing up which one of us liked salt on the glass and which didn’t. After the third time I could’ve sworn she was doing it just to screw with a couple gringos. I can’t see myself coming back here. The food is too pricey for the quality you’re receiving. It’s good, but not «let’s drop $ 50 on food & drinks» good.

I have been here a couple of time and the food is not that good. The meat is grissley and the cheese is scarce. I ordered nachos with the meat on the side and my nachos came with a ton on beans and red sauce on top and chicken on the side (I ordered steak). My margarita was watery and lacking flavor.

Had an end of the day Mararita and steak quesadea.
Marg’s were great. Staff was very nice and friendly.
Highly remend stopping by.

Food was cold and instead of chicken breast meat it was shredded chicken parts.

I went expecting the El Torito Grill, but surprised to find it was now a regular El Torito. I went for Sunday Brunch. It wasn’t bad. However, El Torito Grill has a slightly better quality brunch. This location wasn’t overly busy so it was a nice environment. All the servers (including the buffet staff) were very prompt and helpful.

El Torito Grill is now just El Torito, and we like it much better than when it was the «Grill».
We go for lunch once or twice a week. The servers are great for the most part — very enthusiastic and really want to please. And the food is very good.

I’d like to say this place is a hot mess, but I wouldn’t want to even imply something here was actually hot, particularly the food. Which was all but absent at this particular brunch.
Went here with the family expecting some decent Americanized Mexican food and of course, lots of free champagne. Believe me, expectations were not high. But the only things we came away with were a really bad attitude and too much cheap champagne.
The food was so picked over it was worse than the salad bar at Sizzler 15 minutes before closing. For the food that was actually there, the hot food was cold and the cold food was room temperature.
The whole thing was shameful. The only good thing was the waiter. Nice guy who felt bad about the whole thing. But alas, we were at a brunch. Not much he could do.
Never again. Never again.

This review and 1 star rating is for the brunch this past Sunday. Goodness gracious sakes alive! What has happened to El Torito Grille?
In need of an inexpensive, free flowing champagne brunch we chose this Grille. The one we used to frequent at the Kaleidoscope, was very good, but alas, is now closed.
This one looked promising and upon entering the location we found it not overly busy and were seated quickly. I was hungry so I took my daughter and headed for the buffet while the wife ordered champagne.
Now this is where the story goes pear shaped. We get to the table with the plates and there are 2 plates on it. So we grab the last 2. Next I look over at the agua fresca jugs and there are no glasses to be seen– Nada! Next I look at the soup area– no bowls, spoons and both soup kettles are nearly out. The soups by the way were a weak looking veggie stew and menudo. What happened to the roasted tomato and pepper bisque and the awesome posole? I asked the manager this and he asked me what posole was? I’ll get to that latter. My daughter wanted waffles, found that area but there were only 3 left– THREE!!! I’m not talking the big ones either, but the little dinky ones. I grabbed two for her, put some syrup on it and sent her on her way.
After that I headed to the hot entrée section — they were out of cheese enchiladas, veggie enchiladas, corn cake, beans almost gone, ribs gone, and they were out of even the basic elements of food– «you drank all the soy sauce and ate all the tarragon.» j/​k. It’s like a pack of jackals had descended on the carrion and stripped it to the bone. I know buffets get rushes where everyone descends at once and takes all the food, but this had been picked over for awhile. Since there was nothing to eat and what was there looked like crap thrown into a bin, I moved over to the salad section and had salad with pepita dressing. The pepita dressing is still good by the way. However there were no pepita nuts or queso fresco to sprinkle. What’s going on in the cost cutting corporate restaurant world? Oh by the way, they don’t do Eggs Benedict any longer either. I went back to my table with a salad and chips. Later, I saw a big baron of beef and went back for that. It was tasty but cold. The gal cutting the meat had it under heat lamps but didn’t turn them on for some reason. My wife’s carnitas tacos were bad, salty and inedible. I went back again to see what was left and they had 5 plates now to use, a couple of bowls, the soups were available, but not appealing. The hot entrée section still looked like a war zone. Just then I saw a chef coming with a tray– great! the cavalry is here with new food! He puts down a tray of FOUR veggie enchiladas! That’s the reserves?!? WOW! On a positive, the tortillas are still good.
I flagged down the manager and told him everything I just said above. He hurried off to remedy the issue. A positive, the waiter we had, George, was very good. Attentive, cleared plates promptly, brought us copious amounts of champs and did a great job on a day that I know all waiters hate to work.
When the manager came back, he asked how things were going, he comped our kids meals and asked if we wanted anything made from the kitchen. He was trying to make amends and I appreciate that. However, if you’re not going to put your best foot forward on the buffet, they would be better off doing their regular menu with a few egg additions than a lackluster buffet.
I remember when you would go to El Torito Grille to get your Sunday grub on and drink some cheap champagne. You weren’t asking for 5 star, but you do expect some level of pride and unfortunately it was lacking here.

WOW. Came on a Friday night. Walked in, décor: beautiful. Sat down. Service: impeccable. Very prompt, almost begging us to give us refills and more HOMEMADE tortillas, which I would come back for in an instant. So delicious. Then I open the menu and realize pretty much everything is unique and exciting. I ordered the Tequila-​Cured Organic Salmon and the salty salmon was a perfect complement to the sweet dressing on the spicy arugula. My boyfriend got the carnitas and said it was delicious. I can’t wait to come here again, and I will be bringing my family as well. Amazing service, amazing food, amazing atmosphere. 5 stars all the way.

Had a birthday brunch here on Sunday and I must say, service was not like it used to be. The hostess was no where to be seen and a waitress checked us in for our reservation at 11am. The waitress was about as lifeless as a rock and not all that pleasant. Plus, throughout our meal, I would see the hostess everywhere except at the front desk. Odd, since all the other times, the staff was always lively and friendly.
Luckily, our waitress ended her «dreaded» shift and a new waitress served us. She was what saved this from being a 1 star review. Very cool girl. The food was slightly a letdown this visit also. The roast was WAY overcooked and I could barely get the whole piece down. The omelet cook/​taco guy was more interested in getting side work from one of the customers soliciting it, with a line of people starting to build. Some people are just purely inconsiderate. When he was finally done with his transaction with the inconsiderate lady, he gave me 2 carnitas tacos that had the tiniest pinch of meat in it with cold tortillas… sucked.
I felt like I was a bother to him. What a jerk. How people like this stay employed is a mystery to me. Solid hiring El Torito management!!!
So, to sum it up, average food that used to be great and crappy hit or miss service that used to be fun and friendly. If there is new management here, you better get control of your staff and food quality or this regular customer is gonna say adiós to El Torito Grill.

Yuck.
I went twice. Got the chicken fajitas both times. Both times inedible.
Why get them twice then? I like fajitas, and I was hoping the first time was a fluke. They tasted like… I don’t know how to explain it, like they’d been soaked in something inedible, like cleanser or soap or something. I don’t know, I thought I was crazy the first time, and then the second time they were the same. Something is very VERY off with the taste.
The service, as other reviewers noted, is terrible. It’s inconsistant, it’s not timely, it’s not even friendly. We asked for the manager one of the times (after being ignored by our server for half an hour), and he didn’t care. It was like «Sorry, we’re busy.»
The tortillas that come to the table (their version of the ‘bread while you wait’), however, were delicious, as well as the trio of dips (the butter is soooo good). Wish I could just eat those.
This place is seriously disappointing.

I live just down the street from this El Torito Grill. My wife and I sometimes take a stroll down the block and come here for dinner. I usually get the Carne Asada y Camarones. My wife goes nuts for the homemade tortillas they serve in lieu of chips and salsa. The food is always great. The service, however, is hit or miss.
The staff is always very friendly, but can sometimes leave you waiting. The only other negative I can think of is that some of the booths are somewhat small and awkward to sit in, especially if you have a group, but I still recommend the restaurant as a great dinner place for two.

Who knew painting could make you hungry? Good thing El Torito Grill was right next door.
I prefer El Torito Grill to the original El Torito locations. There’s just something about these restaurants. They’re always classy and the food is usually better.
These restaurants don’t serve the usual chips and salsa. Instead they bring out warm tortillas with a side of roasted tomato salsa, regular salsa, and butter. The trio makes a mean little appetizer.
We went for the table-​side guacamole that came with a nice touch of cojita cheese and also a round of blackberry Cadillac margaritas. Wow, that was one yummy margarita. I’m always skeptical of the fruity drinks but my friend swore it was tasty and she was spot on! We drowned those like there was no tomorrow.
Our lunch consisted of an enchilada platter for me, chile rellano for my friend, and the grilled chicken caesar for my other friend. The chile rellano was breaded with spices which made it extra spicy. The lettuce was crisp and prepared in front of us. Gotta love all the extra incentives and little side shows. My enchilada was ok. The tortillas were a little hard. I think I might try something else next time.
We sat outside on their patio. It’s a great big patio with a fire place and a mister. It’s the perfect seating and I bet it’s great to sit out there in the winter. I would love to come back and check out fireplace dining.
Service was ok. Our waitress was good in the beginning and forgot about us towards the end of the meal. We probably would have had another round of margaritas if she had come back but we only saw her for the bill. Oh well. It won’t stop me from coming back.

It’s Sunday funday and I suggested to my mama that we needed to get some brunch. Actually, I just needed some mimosas and an omelet, but didn’t have the proper fixin’s at home.
The service here was beyond outstanding. Not only did our waitress (Monica) deliver on spectacular, friendly service, but the whole restaurant pulled together to assist each other. It was pretty awesome. I haven’t really seen that at other chain restaurants.
After checking out the reviews on here last night, we almost opted for the older, uglier El Torito in Laguna Hills. But, I am SO happy we didn’t listen to angry reviews from people with shittier attitudes than my upbeat, sparkly, glittery, rainbow shining personality… (if you know me personally, I want you to stop lookin at me like that, I AM a bundle of sunshine, fuck you naysayers!)
This place is less than a block from my mom’s place and… did we drive here? Yes, yes we did. In the end, we were glad we drove, as I would have passed out in the heat on the walk home from being so full. I wore a baggy top, but you could still see my fat assed muffin top when it was all over.
It sucked man, but it was worth it. every freakin bite!
I started with an omelet made by a man who was a magical egg man.
The I had a waffle, then some crepes, then some ribs, carnitas, potatoes, salad and a piece of carrot cake. oh, and some roast beef and chips and salsa.
Yea, I know. what a hefer.
But, it was all delicious and I’d do it again! Not any time soon but, I will definitely come back for brunch, as it was everything I wanted and needed all at my fingertips… and I’m drunk from the bottomless mimosas. Bonus!

I’ve been here a few times. Before it was an El Torito it was a place called Agave and back then it was excellent.
The bottom line here is that the food and drinks are always good but the service here is always the worst you can expect. It’s so bad that it’s comical. For instance… we’ve had appetizers brought out at the EXACT same time as entrees. We’ve been ignored for twenty minutes at a time (hadn’t even ordered a drink yet).
But the best was this time when we ordered an appetizer — tacquitos. We specified the appetizer. It came out with all the sides so we knew it was the entrée. We asked the waiter (who’s English left a little to be desired) if it was the appetizer. He insisted that yes it was. We ordered another appetizer (something else). Once again he brought the entrée size. Once again he insisted it was the appetizer. Then came the bill… you guessed it! We got charged for two entrees! When we confronted him he acted dumb and attempted to refuse to change it. He tried to bargain with us and give us a free dessert. A conversation with the manager yielded a changed bill and 0 tip for this horrible excuse for a waiter.
These are just a few examples of how horrible this place is. On more than one occasion I’ve asked aloud, «where are the hidden cameras — is somebody trying to punk me?»
Stay away and save yourself the grief.

This is our first visit to an El Torito Grill since we found out that the one in the kaleidoscope plaza closed down. Monday night and this place was totally empty! So sad, especially since I think that their food is quite (though Wood Ranch in the same plaza was as busy as usual).
They have the best sweet butter to go with the fresh warm tortillas. Today I tried their new fried shrimp quesadilla, seemed more like an sweet fried chicken eggroll to me, was so tasty — I tasted the calories felt guilty and stopped eating. Husband had some carne asada. Even with the slowness they aren’t skimping on the quality or the taste of their food. We would come here more often if it didn’t feel so sinful to eat here… carbs…sodium…fat…maybe once in a while as a treat, yeah? Hopefully this one won’t be closed when that once in a while comes around again.
They were so slow though that we had too much attention, there were 3 different people asking how we were throughout the dinner…

Don’t visit if you are with a large group with reservations as they will force a 18% tip, and will not allow separate checks for those that are on business travel.
Came here on a business trip, and had dinner with my cousin and her friends. Ordered the B-​Back Ribs with corn for $ 17.99 and iced tea for $ 2.55. It’s the worse ribs that I’ve ever had, worse then Costco/​Safeway premade ones.
The free tortillia (I think it’s free) and salsa was very good, and perhaps the few things that is edible here.
The ribs, however, were cold, not room temperature, but cold inside the meat. It’s almost as if it came out of the fridge.
The grill corn was raw and cold inside, and totaly charred out side. I guess I should have known not to order non-​mexican food in a mexican establishement.
The saving grace is that their «corn bread» (I think its corn bread), although its a tiny bite/​spoon size portion, it was moist and pretty good.
One of the guys that ordered some type of grill shrimp soup, must’ve only had a few tiny shrimpletts, and he apparently didn’t enjoy the food either.
P. S. I can understand the force tip as it took a long time for them to serve the food, they must be so busy working hard on preparing and thawing our food.
P. P. S. Wait staffs did have a good attitude.

I must say, I am really not an American-​Mexican food connoisseur. However, since some of my friends invited me to eat the new All-​You-​Can-​Eat brunch for $ 14.99, I couldn’t resist (because I am definitely an AYCE-​connoisseur :)). There were made-​to-​order omelets, banana-​ice cream bar, and a whole lot more! My one food suggestion is to give the Corn Cake a try. Pretty much everything was simply tasty. The AYCE special also includes free drinks (orange juice, champagne, soda, etc.) The AYCE Brunch special goes from 10am-​2pm on Sundays. We got there at 10am and stuffed our faces til 12:30pm. Sitting out side is very relaxing on a nice chilly Sunday afternoon (their outdoor heaters are amazing).
The wait-​staff were all very polite and tended to our every need. I will definitely come back for more!

Excellent service and super friendly servers!
I really enjoy the table side fresh guacamole and hot tortillas with sweet apple butter. The entrees are filling and very good. I always get the entrees from the special menu. I’ve always had great service !