I didn't want to leave this review but I'm hoping the owners will take heed. We've been dining here for many years. It was a destination spot for us on our way up to the Rancheria. Our last visit to this restaurant was dismal at best. Yes, covid hit and everything went down the tubes. I get it. But wouldn't you, as owners and operators of this restaurant try harder? The food was not as good as it used to be. And the cheerful atmosphere that was there is gone and has been replaced with sub-standard service and all around depressing. read more

Staying a few nights in Jackson for a girls trip with my momma. We've eaten several places in town as well as Sutter Creek. El Torero is by far HANDS DOWN the best Mexican food I've had since I moved to Sacramento from LA as well as the best food we've had here. Great portions, clean, casual inviting atmosphere, great waitresses. Everything is authentic (just like your favorite abuelita's kitchen) with several freshly made items - Tamales, rice, chips, guacamole, and salsa. I'm sure there's more but those are the ones I had and took note of. The masa on the tamales was SO light and fluffy, pork perfectly seasoned and cooked inside. My mom had the tortilla soup, AMAZING. Really light broth with fresh tomatoes, onions, cilantro, jalapeños, and juicy chicken. It was both rich and fresh tasting. I'd assume just about anything on the menu is fantastic. Big bonus - they aren't closed Monday-Wednesday like 65% of both towns. We were kind of bummed that so many places were closed, we had hoped to go out to a fancy dinner this evening...but we didn't miss a darn thing once we tasted the food. To put it very simply, I ate well after I felt enormously full and brought leftovers back to our bnb (which I never do). Thank you all for a fantastic dinner!!! We will most certainly be back read more

Consistently good! The food is always great and the service is friendly. The family makes you feel welcome and appreciated. My favorite dishes are the carnitas and the tamales. Best of all, they have the best margaritas in town. I suggest the top shelf made by Laura, one of the bartenders there. read more

Came here with a very large group after a funeral (25 people) and they handled it really well. First the chips and salsa...they do a combo of flour and corn chips and it's hands down one of the best chip baskets I have ever had at a mexican restaurant. Like most places, you have to ask for "special hot salsa" which was fantastic. The house salsa wasn't bad, but it is bland. The food was excellent...(I had the chimi). Again, I applied the special "extra hot" salsa to the food to bring it up to par. If this place was back in my home state of Florida, I'd be there all the time! read more

This restaurant is very good. My favorite worker is alex gomez he is a great server. 10/10 recommend:)

PART 1 Okay so far not starting off well. Just made a reservation and had to Change the number of people. Both times I called ( once to make the reservation and once to change the number of people) the person who answered the phone was a bit rude and quick with me. I can understand being busy. But you could take a little time to be nice when you're on phone with a potential customer. I will update this review and update the number of stars once at the restaurant. Part 2 So far at the restaurant the waitress has only asked what we wanted to drink. Not one of them has stopped to ask if we were ready to order or even ask if we wanted any appetizers read more

This place used to have the best Mexican food around! That was 15 years ago or so. It is slowly declined and sadly after this last time I will not be returning. The floors are dirty the food was very disappointing. The service was terrible, never checked in on us. Had asked for silverware twice after we received her food and for other things that have been ordered with the meal. And the stuff is dropped off with attitude. I am really hoping that the owners read this and change some things because it is sad to see such a wonderful restaurant decline so badly. read more

We brought our friends who had never been to the restaurant before, to place our order to go. Walking in I noticed people dining at tables clustered close together and the tables did not appear to be spaced appropriately for COVID restrictions. The staff people were all wearing masks except the owner/manager. When asked why he wasn't wearing a mask he said it made it too difficult for him to breathe. Well sorry but if he doesn't care about the health and safety of his customers, I don't care about spending my money to support his business. I/we will not be back. read more

Came in on Valentine's Day and it was dead inside. There was no music playing and the ground was filthy. We ordered margaritas and they were big but I could not taste or feel any alcohol. My burrito was just eh. Service was eh. Everything was just eh. The best thing about this place is the chips and salsa. I usually don't come here for these reasons but thought I would give it another try and I'll just stick to my other local spots. read more

The tacos and nachos off of the cantina bar menu are some of the best I've ever had! Delicious! Also amazing cheese enchiladas!!!

This place is SO GOOD!!! The combination plates are HUGE! The home made chips are excellent. The service is top notch! You should always ask for Eddy! He's the best. Great service, better food. Best Mexican food in Amador County! I always look forward to coming here. :) read more

Right when we walked in we were greeted and seated on a boot. The service was very good. Was a little odd that they would constantly were watching us. Maybe they saw me taking some pictures and thought that it was odd. the prices weren't too bad. Was only $16 for both my daughter and I to eat. She got a bean and cheese kids burrito, but it was open on both ends, so when she picked it up, the beans came out the bottom. But she ate it all up. I had the Chile Verde, is was alright, a lot of fat though. The chips was a combination of flour and corn tortilla chips. We gobbled up the flour ones. There was a guy at the next booth, I figure that his dog was a service dog but he didn't have the marking/labels that they normally do though. But as we were walking out the guy said that my daughter could pet his dog. HE noticed her looking at it. Such a nice guy and a sweet dog. read more

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I gave it another try and it was much better this time. I'll start with what's good: the service, the chips (includes flour and corn), rice and beans. However, my main dish, chili rellano, was so tiny. It was about 3 inches long. Not sure what type of chili they use, but it was tiny. It was also smothered about 8 oz cheese, way too much! I would have liked just a nice green sauce. The menu says "ranchero sauce" but I didn't see or taste any sauce. Just cheese, chili and more cheese. Greasy. I have to mention that the place was a mess. Looks like they just had a party of 75 in the dining room. Tables and floors covered in garbage and chips. I gave it another shot, but I don't think I will return. I also stopped eating at a sister restaurant of theirs, but I won't give details about that experience where since that wouldn't be fair. Hope they revamp menu soon. Or get a new chef... someone a little more detail oriented. I took a picture of my food BEFORE I TOUCHED IT. Plating is an art... read more

El Torero - Pic BEFORE I touched my plate. Chef has no passion. Sad. 3 inch (max) chili rellano. - Mexican Near Me - Jackson, California

Friday night, 1/14, after a very stressful day, decided on Mexican food cause I wanted a margarita! Off to El Torero in Jackson - eaten here a lot but it had been a month or so. Wait staff rude, gal cleaning table never made eye contact - when she tossed menus on table and said here and walked away. Brought chips and young man came and I ordered a drink - a margarita that came in a beer stein. Ordered appetizers which came - he never came back except to toss bill on table as he walked by - a bill for $37 - but no breakdown - our appetizers came to $18 so I asked him to break down the bill - he jabbed his finger on the bill and said this appetizer was $8.99, this was $9.99 and the margarita was $15! And walked away - he was rude and I was stunned to find our my margarita was that much money! Will be a while before I go back there - always had great service in the past but will drink at home prior to going! read more

YUCK!!!! The food is probably great to those who have never eaten outside of Jackson. The variety of tequilas may also be impressive but order a shot and see what you get. Be it a shot or margarita one has to wonder how much is tequila and how much is water. read more

This restaurant used to be so good. The chips & salsa are still really good, but everything else we had was really pretty bland. Good service though. I hope they improve soon - don't really want to try other Mexican restaurants in this area read more

We are visiting from San Diego Ca had the best meal EVER The service was great food came out fast everything was made correctly to how we ordered Wish we had you guys in San Diego :) read more

One of my favorite mexican restaurants. I always get the fajitas. And the jalapeno poppers are amazing. Good flour chips and salsa.

Came here with my husband a while ago & did not like it. The flautas were extremely greasy, I had a oil on my plate from them. The rice was very dry with no flavor. Will not be coming back. read more

One star for the chips and salsa, cause you cant mess those up...which btw was served to us by what looked like a 6-7 year old kid. His mom or sister yelled at him to clean the tables. Poor kid looked miserable. Just thought there seemed to be plenty of staff in the back to serve us our drinks, chips, and clear our table then a sad looking child. Never again. read more

My favorite place to eat in Jackson! I always make sure to stop here when I go back to the county to visit. It is family owned and the staff is the best! The bar is great and there is plenty of room for parties and get togethers. I love everything on the menu, I have never been disappointed! They have the best chips, the flour are my favorite! I am of course partial to the enchiladas! read more

My wife and I love good Mexican food and we are always looking for it when we travel. El Torero is NOT good Mexican food. Two words come to mind, "BLAND" and "UNINSPIRED." If you like nicely seasoned Mexican food, then, you'll have better luck at Taco Bell. This is the first time that Yelp let us down. 4-stars is not a valid rating. It must be due to locals promoting a friend's or family member's business. Or, maybe, Jacksonites just don't know how good Mexican food tastes. I have 3 criteria for Mexican restaurants. First is chips and salsa. El Torero ranks an OK here. Nothing special, just OK. Second is margaritas. We had the regular blended (frozen) margarita. I don't want to be mean; but, El Torero ranks a "Worst Margarita Ever to be Sucked Through a Straw" award. This is the first time we have ever left margaritas unfinished on the table when we left. They were soooo sour that we couldn't finish them. We couldn't taste any tequila. All we could taste was the margarita mix. I swear the bartender must have passed the tequila and triple sec bottles over the blender and forgot to pour any in. In a word "HORRIBLE." Seriously, who leaves an unfinished margarita on the table. They were so bad that I wouldn't cross the street on a hot summer day to get a free margarita from El Torero. Third and last, the food was very bland. I had a cup of tortilla soup and a chile relleno and shredded beef taco combo with rice and refried beans. The soup was unseasoned chicken broth with unseasoned, shredded chicken, unseasoned rice and raw pieces of zucchini mixed in. In a word "FLAVORLESS." The chile relleno was made with canned chiles. Why would any Mexican restaurant use canned chiles when fresh chiles are readily available (Hey, this is California where fresh chiles are bountiful). They just don't care, that's why. Also, there wasn't much cheese in them either and they were flatter than the pancakes I had for breakfast at Denny's this morning. Why, why why??? The taco and beans were just OK and the rice was absolutely flavorless. My wife had the pork tamale and chile relleno combo. She described the tamale as dry and flavorless and she agrees with my assessment of the chile relleno, rice and beans. My wife says I should give El Torero 1 star; but, I save that for restaurants with lousy service and/or miserable servers. El Torero doesn't fall in that category. read more

Been here twice this week. So far the best Mexican food in the Sutter Creek area. Chips and salsa are great. The refills on drinks are great. Good lunch portions. Tried the combo #5 today and was impressed as well. Glad to found a good spot! We will be back. Looking forward to trying their happy hour in the Cantina as well! read more

Normally, I don't rate places so harshly, but I've eaten here three times now and eaten three different meals and I won't be back. El Torero, you had your chance, and your food is not only less than mediocore, it is awful! I agree with Bill M. Taco Bell is a much tastier choice and it's cheaper too. The chicken in my chicken burrito tasted like old canned chicken. Tastless, dry rice and bland beans came with the awful chicken burrito with an equally bland green sauce over it. (I requested green sauce instead of the red sauce listed on the menu.) I usually don't salt food, this time I did after eating part of it, and that didn't help either! I simply cannot fathom why this place is still in business, it must be the bar? Even if mediocore food is what you desire, this place will disappoint! Many of the reviewers mention the bar, maybe you have to be drunk to enjoy the food? read more

Slow service. I ordered the Fajita Combo. The meat was very dry and flavorless. No sour cream or salsa. Not worth the money.

Bomb. The food was great and I love the style of the menu how they have a combination section. I am an indecisive person naturally so being able to have two menu items put into one entree is perfect for me. I got the #7 which I totally recommend. Chili verde with a pork tomale. The chili verde was cooked to perfection and very tender. The service was just as authentic as the restaurants atmosphere. The bathrooms were clean and a meal for my family- husband and mother-in-law was affordable. read more

I'm from Manteca so basically it's the land of taqueria's. The food was bland. No taste. Rice was dry. The people were nice but not the best place for Mexican at all. The hot sauce wasn't even hot or mild. Just highly disappointed read more

Am a bit upset at Yelp for filtering another locals review because it was 5 stars and said it was the best in the county, as another local I agree! Take the time to look at the filtered review, it's a correct review and El Torero doesn't need to ask us to write that we love them, cause we DO! Ok, I seem to always get the calamari because I just love how they prepare it, the guacamole, mushroom and bay shrimp on top, plus the melty chhese, yumm. Lots of other selections to choose from, all the enchiladas, carne asada, chimichanga's, etc, etc. you'd expect in a mexican restaurant. Plus specials that change... We've had the good fortune to eat here for over a decade and always have a great experience and service when we go there. They have a great selection of bar drinks, although I'm not a big drinker, but the rocks margarita, top shelf, was excellent, but I usually opt for a Negra Modelo, nice rich dark beer goes great with their meals. We try to get the young lady server, I think she does the best job, the guys can sometimes be more business, but I like to chat, so maybe that's not your forte'. The corn and flour tortilla chips, hot and fresh are the bomb, the salsa could be hotter, but I'm a chili head, so I understand the need to please the masses. Bottom line, you can't get better here in the sticks. Closed Sunday, made that mistake before, but our family loves this place and go at least a dozen times a year. I don't know why I've not written a review before, my bad, but I can't say enough nice things about this mom and pop, family run, small town gem. read more

I'm a regular customer because they are that good. Love the margaritas especially the GRANDE. Wow so big you need a designated driver.... and a truely good classic margarita. A favorite is the combo plate with the chile relleno. I happen to like their salsa as it doesn't leave your mouth on fire but does have a little kick. The chips are a mix of flour and corn. Flour chips are great. I grew up in San Diego where there's better mexican but for this area it's good. read more

This was the worst Mexican food I've ever had. We went there for lunch and I ordered the tostada grande. It was supposed to have tomatoes and olives. It arrived with neither, just beef, beans and some sliced iceberg lettuce. When I told the waiter he said they were out of olives but he would bring me some tomatoes if I wanted them. There is a grocery store two door away so I don't understand how they could be out of olives. But on top of that, the beans tasted like they were straight out of a can, and they were watery. What little shredded beef there was, and it was very little, tasted like it had been boiled. No flavor at all. This is not a place I will ever go back to. read more

It's a small town restaurant with good food and an excellent reputation. If you're expecting a big city restaurant with flash and waiters who will kiss your butt for a tip, this isn't the place for you. But if you're looking for a relaxing and fun meal...you got it! read more

Passable food but the worst flan I have ever tasted! Really would like them to succeed but the owners haven't done their homework. Each dish I ate was just not up to the competition in the area. read more

Stopped in on the way home from skiing. I've been to many Mexican restaurants and this restaurant is definitely a solid place to eat. Nice room dining room, friendly service. The menu has some good variety beyond the standard tacos and burritos. I had the enchiladas suizas (green sauce) and the flavor was delicious. I'd return again when in the area. read more

Alot people don't know the different taste between good mexican food and bad mexican food. So far this place is the worse I ever eat. Not flavor at all. Not recommended. Take advice from a Mexican who knows what a real mexican food taste like. read more

From a locals perspective, this is the best Mexican place in the county, hands down. The employees are friendly and the owners are awesome. The food is delicious and authentic. I love the enchiladas, the salsa is fantastic, and I can't say enough about their carnitas! Laura is one of the best bartenders in the county and her special Cadillac margarita on the rocks is the best I have ever had! The ambiance in the bar is awesome and they have a great tequila selection for those that appreciate tequilas beyond nasty Jose Quervo!!! Give it a go, you won't go away disappointed! read more

We were staying at the Jackson Ranchiero RV park and not being a fan of casinos we ventured out for a nice dinner....we were greeted at the door by a very friendly waitress. The menu is very large with a nice variety of items. We both ordered a cocktail which was very yummy and our meals from the combination section. We both truly enjoyed our dinners and had plenty to take back to the RV for lunch the next day. We will be bringing our family here on our next camping trip in July for some yummy Mexican food that's for sure!!! read more

The salsa was too spicy for my wife, but the chips were pretty good. They had the audacity to serve me the chicken fajitas on plate rather than in a sizzling platter. I rejected the dish and they brought it back a minute later on the platter. It still was not hot enough and their excuse was pretty lame. Not much ambiance in their booths. It would be better to go on a diet than to eat at this restaurant. read more

Both mine and my husband's favorite Mexican food in the region. They provide a mix of fresh corn/flour tortilla chips & salsa to hold you over while you await the delicious meals you ordered. We are an odd couple with one meat eater & one vegetarian, but this is one of the few restaurants at which both of us have several menu favorites, not to mention our favorite desserts including the fried ice cream and flan. The staff is always very friendly and the service they provide is always excellent or better. Great location with ample parking, pleasant atmosphere and good prices too. And if you tell them it's your birthday, you get to wear the sombrero while staff & other customers sing along with your family & friends to the BD song, while you blow out the candle on your gratis BD dessert!! Lol read more

My go to for Mexican comfort food! Always consistent with great service. Have Laura's Special margarita it'll knock your socks off!

I've been here several more times since my initial review, and the place has grown on me. Good food, and I have yet to take advantage of the full bar! read more