I have twins, so it's always great when we get little birthday freebie meals. They're 4 now, so I know the drill: call the restaurant that I plan to go to, tell them I received an email regarding free bday meals for the little ones, ask if it'll be okay to use them, ask if there are any stipulations or regulations, and make sure it's approved by the manager if the host doesn't know.
After getting all my information, and getting an approval, I still want to make sure everything is okie dokie. We get there and I ask the host when we walk in if we can use the email, she says sure. We get seated (my two kids, two other paying adults, and myself), and I ask our server if these are valid, as I hand her the printout. She checks with her manager, who must have been a different one than the one that assured me I could use them about less than an hour before, and now they're saying that I cannot because it's one coupon per table.
I guess that makes sense, but then how would I have used the second "coupon" that printed out right along with the first one in the same friggin' email? Oh, and did I mention that a couple years earlier, I had my own bday Sunday brunch with 20 other people at the El Torito in Westminster and the manager was kind enough to let us use two $5 coupons, even though we were also at the same table? I guess it depends on how much money you'll make off the group? Was I supposed to have one of my friends take one of my kids to the next table over in order to get his bday meal free? Or was I supposed to take two separate trips, one day with one kid, and the next day with the other?
Whatever, at this point, my kids were starving, and I had two other people with me, and at least one of the meals was free. Food was good (you get one star for that), service was ok, I wasn't even indifferent to our server, I just accepted what she told me the manager said, it wasn't even her fault, but her service really wasn't that great, so my tip reflected that.
We get home and I decide to call El Torito customer service, to NOT lodge a complaint, but to ask what I should do in the future in order to be able to use both coupons that are sent to me in one email. I get a person who logs my information and tells me that someone with get back to me soon. Yeah...that was 3 months ago. Your customer service sucks, both at the restaurant level and the corporate level.
I know that one person doesn't make any difference to a national chain, but I have a big mouth, and, no, I don't hold grudges, I just remember the truth, forever. Guess we'll just be eating at Acapulco or Chevy's from now on :)
This review is for champagne brunch only. Its pretty cheap but you get what you pay for. Its buffet style which is nice but they are really inconsistent there. Some days you will get a pretty good spread, other days its just crap. I like to sit at the bar so I get my champagne glass attended to on the regular!! The bartender is pretty damn good at that.
Review Source:Haven't been to this place in awhile but glad I did! They changed their menu and it's for the better.
Poc-Chuc chicken tacos: they give you 3 tacos in a wavy taco holder plate and underneath is a leaf lining the metal holder which I thought was neat! The Chicken was very flavorful, seasoned well and nice and juicy, but the taco on the outside was very greasy. I would ask them to not fry it next time. The slaw was good and the lime rice was perfect.
The chips and salsa at the table was fresh and hot and salsa was good too. Our waiter was very nice and attentive.
My husband and I went to this location hoping to receive a nice dinner and have a good time. However when we first arrived, we saw a large party (15+) waiting, no host in sight...because we were really in the mood for some Mexican food we decided to wait around to at least how long the wait would be, so after about 10 minutes a female hostess comes running from the back with a manager only to answer the phone that had been ringing for about 1-2 minutes, no acknowledgment of us standing there from either the hostess or the manager. The manager was literally just standing near the hostess booth (with about 20 people waiting at this point) holding a personal conversation from some random guy with a tire shop uniform on. So my husband says, "let's just go to the bar" once we reached the bar area we noticed that it was crammed, no server or bartender in sight, and all the surrounding tables were filthy and needed to be bussed! I got so frustrated that we just walked out  and we have no plans of ever returning to this location again.
Review Source:For a chain, I typically enjoy El Torito's food & service. Â However, we came here for lunch on a Sunday and had horrible service and even worse food. Â I ordered tacos and instead of beef, they were filled with chunks of fat. Â I would have sent them back, but our server was nowhere to be seen until she came back with the bill. Â Will never be coming back!
Review Source:This place is gross! Not only did I find a dead fly on my plate, but then the kitchen manager was talking openly to the manager about finding a rat in one of the rat traps. The lady who was the manager on duty actually told me that they have a lot of fly traps in the back kitchen, which is probably why I had a dead fly in my food. Okay, so the fly traps filled with dead flies are near the place where people prepare meals????? Someone needs to call the health department on this place!
Review Source:I've been here several times, the last time I went was for taco tuesday...the tacos were too small and the condiment bar was a bit limited. Â Our waitress was friendly, but very busy. Â It was a good experience, but it's never been a great one.
Lunch is nice and affordable, usually not too crowded.
Some of the worst service I have ever had in my life. Â Sat in the bar area on a Thursday night. Â I go to El Torito for Happy Hour often and I know it's going to be busy and packed but our server was so slammed that he could barely even look over at our table of 10, let alone come over to take an order or ask if we needed anything. Â Sat there forever to put in an order, then the food took an eternity to come out. Â Then, my order was forgotten and had to wait even longer to get it. Â Server never came back after taking our order, except to give us our bill. Â No refills, no silverware, no napkins, couldn't place additional orders, nothing. Â Once we paid the bill, which was part cash and part credit card, he came back and started arguing with us, telling us we needed to leave extra tip on the cards even though we were leaving cash tip. Â He demanded we fill in the tip lines. Â
For a corporate restaurant, this was absolutely horrendous service. Â I would never expect to have an experience like this at an El Torrito. Â I'd never come here again.
TACO TUESDAY! This is where you'll find me... $1 tacos and happy hours to die for! Mon-Fri 2-8pm is happy hour. You get $3 margarittas, domestic drafts, well drinks, or wine. And that's on Taco Tuesday too! We go, get Tacos and a bunch of margarittas for 20 bucks! You have to sit in the cantina/bar for the special prices but at this specific El Torito, that's not an issue b/c it's a huge area.. there's even an outdoor patio that seems like it's indoors/outdoors... it's part of an indoor mall area. Love it!
As for the rest of the menu, I find alot of their "mexican" food to be subpar. Â There are so many hispanic resturaunts in the area that have way better food. Â If we ever go on a random day, I'll just eat chips and salsa and a bowl of chicken tortilla soup. Â They offer a healthy chicken tortilla soup which is great when you have to go to a mexican restaurant but don't want to eat 5000 calories :)
Ok so our church does a dinner here after the Rite of Election every year. Some years the service is hit and miss, but the food is always crap! Last year we had about 30 people, 3 servers and a load of busboys and the service was HORRIBLE! Last year, I had excruciating stomach pains afterward and was nauseated into the next day- don't remember what I had eaten, though.
This year, we had one server and three busboys, 40+ people and the service was actually quite good. Our waiter was awesome! The food, however, was guh-NASTY! My hubby had the Burrito Especial and when I tasted the meat inside it TASTED LIKE ALPO DOG FOOD SMELLS! DISGUSTING!!!!
I had the Mexican Chicken Caesar Salad. It wasn't bad but the chicken was rather stingy for $11- it wasn't even 1/2 of a chicken breast! Anyhow, 2 margaritas, a chicken salad, 1 beer, a tequila shot and an Alpo Burrito later, our bill was over $100!!! WT? Yes, that's right. . .OVER $100!
THE FALLOUT: that night I had really bad stomach pain AGAIN! My hubby was up at 2a.m. on the toilet and nauseated and I had the hot runnies the next morning.
CONCLUSION: EIther next year our church does not use them for our dinner or we're bringing in-n-out to eat!
Came here for Sunday Champagne Brunch this past weekend. It was okay....
PRO'S:
-unlimited champagne/mimosas
-taco bar/omelette bar
CON'S:
-food didn't wow me too much as the one in Brea did for some reason.
-service was a little slow in getting our drinks (but then again it was busy too so i'll give them some credit)
it's a okay place if you want somewhere to have sunday brunch with unlimited champagne for $17.
You get a 3!
Decided to do girl's night here because we all love El Torito... This location, however, was very awkward! (no background music, can you believe that?)
Of course, it's a plus to be a group of young, good-looking girls, we got the best service (sad but true).
We were seated promptly and attended to frequently (maybe a little too much?) Of course, for drinks, we were carded but, for some reason, the waiter kept looking at our IDs then at us, then our IDs then at us, coyly asking, "Are you girls suuure you're 21?!"
Then, he'd come back a couple minutes later, "Are you suuure? I'll let it slide this time!" Uh ok, thanks! Â Our drinks came, and seemed like the waiter couldn't find enough reasons to stick around and chat! So awkward! This was girl talk, let us talk!
Then he came back again to ask ME,
Waiter, "Don't I know you from somewhere?" Me, "I don't think so!" Waiter, "Well, where did you go to school?" Me, "High school or college?" Waiter, "Both." Me, "Ganesha and University of La Verne." Waiter, "No, I guess I don't know you! Ooops! Well, don't drink too much!" Me, "Ok!"
Anywho, we ordered our food and yes, the waiter kept coming back (periodically now) with "funny" little comments. By this time, we were laughing so hard and have a great ole time, so the waiter knew better than to try and interrupt (or else there would be trouble!)
The food was A-OK, could have been a little warmer but the alcohol sure made it taste great!
We were there around 3 hours and never felt rushed, which is always a plus. Overall a great night! Great friends, great laughs, free round of drinks from the bar!
I definitely will NOT BE COMING BACK TO THIS LOCATION, but will keep visiting the ones in other cities!
I dont like the dinner selection because it's too much for a small portion. I have my usual mexican place that I go too.
I do go to the little Catina inside. Have a nice blended strawberry margarita. It's Not pre-made, but actually the bartender uses a blender. Not a lot of places have blended margaritas. Prices on drinks are average. Beer $5.00 and a mix drink between 6.50 to 8.00.
Happy hour you can save alot!
I went here once many years ago, and I remember having chicken enchiladas, which were very delicious.
Recently, I returned, and I am once again very pleased with the overall experience.
I came here on a Wednesday evening for my Mother's birthday, and it was a very nice place to be. It wasn't too busy, and the atmosphere was very calm and quiet; a nice change from some of the nosier restaurants.
They offer you chips and salsa to indulge on once you're seated, and they are extremely fresh. The chips are not too salty or greasy, and have a nice, warm, subtle flavor. The salsa is a tad bit spicy for those not use to some Mexican flavor, but it is not overwhelming, and very flavorful.
I ordered a Salad combo, which came with a Mexican Caesar Salad and your choice of tortilla soup, chicken/cheese/steak quesadilla.
I chose the chicken quesadilla to accompany my salad, and it was very delicious.
The Mexican Caesar Salad is a nicely portioned salad with crisp greens, tomatoes, tortilla strips, and their very own cilantro-caesar dressing. It's very appetizing, and the cilantro dressing is by no means overwhelming. I'd even consider ordering an entree sized salad the next time I visit.
My quesadilla was absolutely superb! By far the best I've ever had to date. The tortilla was nice and thick, flaky, and crispy, and wasn't too greasy at all. every bite was loaded with chicken and other scrumptious ingredients, and it comes with a side of guacamole and sour cream, which help add a nice kick to every bite. I was very satisfied at the end of my meal, and would most certainly return for their food.
My father had the tortilla soup, and said it was extremely generous. Every bite was full of meat and zest, and he was very pleased with the amount of spice to it.
My mother ordered a taco meal, and said that the tacos were a bit spicy for her, but she enjoyed the meal none-the-less. She said the beans that came with her meal were her favorite.
My sister had a chicken tamale, and enjoyed every bite of it. She said the sauce was a bit spicy for her, but it complemented the refried beans and rice very well.
Overall, my family and I were very satisfied with food here, and this restaurant had very nice service to accompany it.
They were very accommodating and helpful, and offered us a very nice meal for my mothers birthday.
For birthday guests, they sing happy birthday, and even give the birthday guy/girl a complementary dessert. Which is always a nice treat to have.
The only reason I gave this place 4 stars instead of a full 5, is that, while I am very pleased with the service and food, there wasn't anything that really blew me away that would make this place stand out from any other really delicious Mexican restaurant.
I will definitely return someday, though.
OK, I usually visit this establishment for Taco Tuesday. With that said you need to get to this place before 5:00pm to avoid the crowd and to most importantly, grab a seat. As far as service, it's sub-par. Once when I didn't get here before the rush I had to yell my drinks to the bartender which he completely ignored my request. So with that said you know service is terrible at best.
The place can be some what of a meat market with a pretty good sampling, but be careful there is a lot of rotten meat at this establishment. Trolls (not winning!) Also, beware of women who claim to be single only later to find out not! Thirsty women will say anything when a guy offers to buy them a drink! Loooosing! I'd say look but don't touch. Although, my cousin did meet a great girl here on Tuesday, but some people just have a lot of good luck.
Been coming here for years. Its good for happy hour as far as prices but it gets so crowded especially on Taco Tuesdays & can be very hard to get a table at the bar & drink orders take too long. Sucks because this El Torito has such a big bar area, and its still super hectic. I wonder what ever happened to that Elvis impersonator they used to have...
tip- come for lunch, they have an affordable buffet
tip- try the mexican Cesar salad- the green dressing is Deelish!
Tip- chicken quesidilla with ranch- yum yum yum
Pretty basic. Pretty standard.
I mean, really if you have tried one chevys or el toritos, you really have tried them all. I had the chili realleno and a mini carnitas chimichanga. And really, I actually was impressed a bit by both, as they were both well prepared and tasty. The chili realleno was a tad undercooked as the batter was goes inspots but no real harm. The chimichanga was cooked exactly right, and was very good when it was topped with its salsa, but there was only once splash of it.
But really, the food was just ok. I mean, there is a level of food that is good, and then there is food that is MMMM MM good,
(Note to cambells soup: despite your add campagin no this phrase does not apply to you. You are still just ok.) Anyway, with this place the food just seemed to lack any specialness and felt very rigid in both flavor and appearence. IT just looked pre packaged and tasted just unspecial. Dont get me wrong, I would probably go back, but really i does feel like assembly line food. ITs good assembly line food, but lets be honest about what it is and note that it is never going to be that special. Still tho, good easy place for dinner and a few drinks.
When I first moved to the area, I didn't realize El Torito was a restaurant chain. Â The waiters had so much personality that it seemed family-owned. Â Everyone was friendly and provided top notch customer service. Â I've never been dissatisfied by anything from their menu.
My visits to El Torito have tapered off since discovering other Mexican restaurants. Â In the last year, I've noticed a slight decline in their customer service, especially from one of the night managers (acting as host/greeter). Â Two weeks ago, I ate in their Cantina and although the service was decent, the atmosphere was lame and has definitely lost something.
Ok, lets begin my adventure.....Went to meet my girls, just to have a drink and do the Xmas gift exchange thing....WOW! at 1650 the place was full! I got lucky and got seats at the bar. What was the deal with so many people? Oh, "Taco Tuesday" maybe? The incredible "$3.00" menu? I don't know but the sign on the wall that read....."Max capacity 122".... was ignored by the way over 300 drinkers that were there.
We ordered some "Mexican boneless buffalo wings" & "Chicken Taquitos" and they were so so so goooooood ! Â
This place was too busy for me, it was more like a "nite club" than a bar to hang out during happy hour. People were dancing!!! Â We left around 9pm, got tired of people yelling drinks to the bartender over our heads.
Ok, went to this El Torito for Happy Hour and Happy Hour wasn't so happy that day. Â
I ordered a blended margarita and the waiter brought me on the rocks. Â We asked for green dos equis and they brought red. Â We went to the bar to order to get better service but the 3 bartenders would not look up around to any of their customers and they were so attentive. Â We ordered food and they brought everything out of sequence, rice, meat, then salad. Â Then our waiter would run away and hide for quite some time and we would have to wonder when we were going to order another beer. Â For a table like ours, we had about 12 people with us, we needed attention very frequently. Â But no, we would ask another waitress where our waiter was and then she would go look for him, instead of helping us and seeing what we needed (she was just standing around). Â
Then when it came time to pay, here's the kicker, we all shared the bill, I asked for $15 on my credit card, which was my portion and they charged, $50 on it! Â Wow, never going back, they can keep their watered down margaritas, they suck!
Did I mention it was horribly hot in there, save your money and go to ON THE BORDER instead.
This is a pretty large El Torito, I had some great, beautiful company so it made the experience a lot more enjoyable. The booths were also large enough to make some sweet love in, I didn't see a fireplace though, and my date would just allow me a little kiss that I actually had to work hard for. Had the Sizzling combo that came with grilled shrimp with peppers and onions, chicken breast enchilada, steak taco, beans, and tortillas corn or flour, it was around $13 good value. The food was actually pretty good, not very authentic but good.
The house margaritas were around $5, pretty good. They have a full bar at most locations. The service was great very friendly and quick. I will definitely be back at this location.
I went here last night with the girlz for Taco Tuesday and was disappointed =/ the Tacos were greasy and the Carne Asada was fatty... I did like the Carnitas that wasn't to bad but of course I paid for a side of Guac and Sour Cream and IMHO every taco is better with the essential sour cream, cilantro, onions and Guac :)
They do not have any micro-brew beers here it's South of the Border for ya or the lightest water down options of domestic beer BLAH! now I remember why I don't frequent El Torito (or the like) very often.
It was busy because it was 99 cents Taco night... and yes I took that into consideration regarding the quality of meat that was being served but STILL! plus for them was the homemade corn tortillas they sufficed. So ummmm I found were my "peeps" hang out... they are HERE by the droves this place would be happening if they threw in a DJ during Taco time as it was packed. Weird location looks like at some time it was connected to some sort of indoor mall???
Service was absolutely NOTHING to write home about but I guess if you are stuck with working "99 cents Taco Tuesday" your expectations on the tipping scale are low due to the sort of people typically hit up these promos. I used to work at Black Angus and we cringed when they had a promo running on TV we got all sorts of bad tippers in for the cheap specials... to eat but not enough money to tip =[
Respectfully Reviewed
Maybe my expectations for Mexican food in Southern CA are too high, maybe it is unreasonable to think it could be anywhere close to Taqueria Cancun in the Mission or Chuey's in Austin. Maybe my palate for Mexican food has become more refined since moving to SF. Maybe having everyone defaulting to Spanish had my expectations up. Or maybe this place isn't very good. Maybe the fact they have a buffet should have tipped me off.
The food is bland and clearly not much attention is paid to the preparation. Our lunch meals came out so fast they had to have been made ahead of time and sitting under heat lamps. Either that or they are psychic, which would be tough to believe. The chicken in my dish was barely cut and was so tough I actually had to pull it out and avoid eating it - it was clearly not choice product.
If for some reason you do stop here, be sure to ask for everything very spicy if you want to have any flavor. Apparently they consider jalapenos to be spicy, so spicy guac has little to no flavor. I know Mexican food is not all about being spicy, but with all the other great flavors missing, I would settle for some spice. Not even enough salt.
The pluses were pretty decent and attentive service and table side gauc, which while not very flavorful was fairly nicely done. They certainly offer some nice deals for happy hour - though that is often a clue the quality isn't there.
Even though the food is good, the location isn't all that great. The parking lot is completely packed all the time and you can hardly find a place at the bar during happy hour.
It really pissed me off when the waiter kept hitting on my wife, before we were married. I quickly took care of that action and let him know what where he could stick his enchilada... ah, that story is for another day!
Even though my wife likes El Torito in general, we never really hit this place up anymore simply because the cost of the food doesn't match the taste. Go somewhere else for Mexican cuisine.
This is a El Torito (not the better El Torito Grill)...there is a difference.
Food: Came here and had the $14 Chef Pepe's sizzling combo for lunch.
It was shrimps sauteed in jalapeno-garlic butter (rich) and  atop with sauteed fresh vegetables, one chicken  enchilada topped with creamy tomatillo sauce and a steak taco. Served with a bowl of beans, rice and warm tortillas. Tasted good, but not "wow".
They also have a sauteed fresh salmon plate for $16 that looked pretty good on the menu. Â They also have a lunch buffet for $8.99 but didn't get it.
Service: Â Waitress was too pretentious and wasn't too attentive. couldn't remember who had what. Drinks went empty.
Ambient: soft Spanish music on the background and staff had Spanish shirts on. Calm and relaxing atmosphere...where you want to take a siesta (nap) after lunch. ha ha.
Overall, average lunch with a little overpriced food. Service needs a little improvement.
Many years ago I went on a three week culinary tour of Mexico, tasting and learning how to prepare food from many different regions. It was only upon my return that I began to appreciate just how authentic El Torito is in their representation of the different regions.
Yes they are a chain, but they are a chain that is doing many things correctly when it comes to the food. I sure wish we would have one of these "chain" restaurants where I live now. They would shutter virtually all of the so-called Mexican places here.
Yummy yummy... they have a great champagne Sunday brunch which includes an all-you-can-eat affair along with an all-you-can-drink champagne serving. Â Who can possibly resist? Â The wait is a bit long though so you may want to call in for reservations (Yes, they do accept it). Â Their buffet line has a great array of foods, which include menudo and some other soupy thing, which I don't know the name of.
I've always loved their corn fritter casserole, which is soft & sweet. Â They also have good ol' tacos that they freshly make in front of you. Â The meats consist of chicken, carnitas or carne asada. Â Again, how can you resist?
For as busy as they were, their service is awesome. Â The waiter came by and refilled our champagne on several occasions, never leaving us dry.
To note: I've been here for lunch a few times a while ago and they have the buffet also.
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