Love their breakfast but today was not special. Alejandra was a okay server but was not very attentive, she never even brought us chips & salsa. Requested medium steak & eggs, both eggs and steak were over cooked and my eggs did not have runny yoke. My wife ordered the breakfast combo with sausage but received bacon, after requesting for the exchange the sausage was pink inside and undercooked, pink pork def inedible. A bigger party came in the middle of us getting our check so we had to wait a little longer than usual to get our check and pay. Sad way to start the day. read more

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Our server, Connie , was just fantastic. This is a perfect location for a All you can eat Brunch on Sundays From appetizers to meals great food and drinks. Our server was very attentive. read more

I told the waiter a huge roach was crawling around on my table and showed him the roach on the wall. I told the waiter and it looked like he was pretending to try to catch it. I said I'd like to go because I'm not comfortable finishing my meal, and they didn't offer to discount the meal or anything. I'm 99% sure there was a cooked roach in a chimichanga - I spit it out while eating but didn't realize what it was until after I was scared off by another roach crawling around. Avoiding this place like the plague. read more

Roberto Martinez went above and beyond to make sure we had everything we needed. He was kind and very attentive. I look forward to seeing him next Sunday for our weekly brunch. read more

We came for Sunday brunch because of an old tradition of coming to El Torito after Easter church service with the kids. It's been at least 10 since I've experienced it. I chose this Irvine location because it was closer than the Tustin location, hoping that it would be newer or better maintained. The restaurant itself is pretty dated and not particularly clean. I and other noticed how sticky the floor felt when we were seated. The men's restroom door handle had been smashed at some point. While we were dining, a cockroach crawled by on the wall of our booth. I killed it and gave it to a server to dispose of. The variety of food for the buffet was good but in general, things seemed over cooked or overdone. We were seated at around 9:30 am which is fairly early in the day. For me, the highlights are the made to order omelette bar and the seafood bar. There were 2 types of ceviche but in both dishes, there was a lack of seafood. I enjoyed several of the cooked Mexican hot dishes but there were several dishes that were overcooked. For example, the huervos rancheros were dry as were the chicken enchiladas. There is an area towards the top where they carve beef and ham. The beef was cooked well for most parts. Service was very good and the servers came back frequently to take away dishes and offer champagne refills. The price was about $38 when I came to check about a month ago and it was $42 today which is not great value considering other ways I could have spent my money for AYCE. We came for nostalgic reasons as I said but I would not be back simply because of so many subpar aspects of the experience. read more

I wish I could leave zero stars. I have never felt the need to leave a review until now, please don't make the mistake of going here! The worst food I've had in years! DO NOT GO HERE! I ordered the combo fajitas and what I received was burnt chicken that had actual charcoal on it. Raw onions and bell peppers that looked visibly raw and tasted as if they were meant to be dipped in dressing as a vegetable assortment. The steak was not only burnt but had a gas taste to it. (Maybe a poor working gas grill?) To top it all off the tortillas were severely burnt on one side and the other had never seen the top of a stove. Don't waste your time and money by stepping foot into this establishment. read more

Disappointing. Lives across the street from John Wayne airport. Does a busy lunch business since corporate Irvine buildings in walking distance and who doesn't need a drink? (Kidding.) The food has zero taste. Zero flavor?! It's supposed to be Mexican. My east coast great grandmother would ask for more or any spice/flavoring. The salsa is sad, the chicken street tacos were the most tasteless entree in memory. Had two bites and zero offer to remove from bill. Ordered a tortilla soup since still hungry. Stuffed with "toppings" (cheese/tortillas/too little cilantro) but no flavor? Mind blown. Best thing (or the most ingested) was the queso dip. That said, arrives with the most unappetizing layer of oil that took three paper napkins to sop up before edible. The service was mediocre. Christop did drop by but I had to wait forever before he returned for refill of drinks. This is memorable for awful reasons and will not happen again. Assuredly more affordable choices that are actually very delicious. read more

El Torito - Tasteless TORTILLA SOUP; do not recommend! - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

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Went here for Christmas dinner because we only cook at home for brunch. Arrived just after 7. Not really sure where to start but our food was really late to arrive and it arrived with no sides! They ran out of rice, beans, and corn cakes! Do better El Torito. The only thing that saved our dining experience was the manager Aurelia. She came by our table multiple times to apologize and help out with our meal. She was extremely kind and tried to rectify the situation the best she could. Hope this doesn't happen again in the future. read more

A great Mexican spot for a big group, or date night. They have a good Sunday brunch, and Taco Tuesday deal. On Tuesdays from 3pm to close they serve Carne Asada, chicken, carnitas, and Al Pastor street tacos for $3 each at the taco station. All of the meats are really good. Oh and if you sign up online you get a free entree, and weekly emails with discounts and promos. Definitely a fan of it all! read more

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Loved my soup and salad . I came in on a Friday for lunch. I was all alone so I sat up at the bar. The bartender was friendly and nice had great service. My soup was delicious and salad was on point. read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

The day after Christmas, we had a reservation for a private group of 14, for a small memorial for a family member, and then lunch and after Christmas visiting. Liz the manager was so accommodating, and really helped us to have the perfect quiet location in the back of the restaurant. Janet our waitress was superb, and met all our needs. I hear they have a great Sunday brunch as well. The food was fresh and hot. Again, thank you El Torrito in Irvine for making our day special. read more

My experience here at El torito was phenomenal. The food was amazing but not as outstanding as our server Roberto Martinez. He made us feel welcomed and constantly checked up on our table. We came to celebrate our friends birthday- which Roberto Martinez made the celebration extra special by presenting a slice of pumpkin pie with a birthday candle. Definitely will be coming back because of the awesome service received by Roberto Martinez. read more

Excellent enchiladas, burritos, and margaritas. Super friendly service. Great value for the price and portion sizes. read more

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Connie was amazing, she made our experience spectacular and the food was delicious. Highly recommend the bacon wrapped jalapeńo poppers.

A great date night spot with an incredible happy hour menu. We split the fajitas supremas (sirloin steak, chicken and sautéed shrimp) full of flavor and paired with delicious grilled onions/peppers. We especially loved the steak and shrimp. Before our main entree we enjoyed the happy hour ($4) queso dip that's served warm & is absolutely delicious, with signature blended strawberry margaritas! Our waitress was super friendly & attentive. We'll be visiting El Torito again soon! read more

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I unfortunately chose to dine here for Christmas dinner. We had a reservation, party for 6, and after waiting a 10 minutes for any hostess to appear, we were finally seated and handed the menus. A short while later the waiter came by and told us they're completely out of all sides (rice, frijoles, burgers, salad, etc.). That wouldn't be an issue until we received our orders to find skimpy portions, tough and inedible fish tacos, and birria tacos only had meat in ONE taco, 4 pieces of 1/4 inch cubes . Our drinks were refilled once, and only half of my party. They didn't offer any sort of substitutions for the sides, no form of reimbursement for the rations they were trying to serve. The waiter had a shred of dignity and took our sodas off the bills. It was a terrible experience, but that's the option we were offered on Christmas. read more

We've always enjoyed coming here for brunch, but this visit was disappointing. We arrived at 9 AM, which is the listed opening time on the website, but only the egg station, bacon, and sausage were available. After being here for an hour, the rest of the food still isn't ready. It would be helpful if the posted opening time reflected when the full buffet is actually available. We were really looking forward to our meal, but unfortunately, this experience fell short. read more

We came for Sunday brunch arrived at 10:14 am and the ambience is amazing! The food is always perfectly restocked! The omelets are deliciously made to your choice of toppings! The red enchilads are a must try, and overall there's plenty of choices for everyone in the family. Not to mention that once we were seated our Server Connie was welcoming and always attentive. What a special treat to be treated like family. Highly recommend this place! read more

El Torito - Food buffet - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

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Food took over 30 mins to get to us and once it was here I was told they didn't have the toppings that go on the crispy floutas so I was served marginally cold dry floutas. No cheese, no jalapeño pepper jelly. Nothing. And wasn't even given corn cakes till I asked if they were supposed to come on my plate. Wish I had taken a picture I was to upset. Ate my rice and packed up the rest. read more

All of their locations are extremely consistent. They provide generous portions in a wide variety of different options. There's something available for everyone. I ended up getting the carne asada and shrimp. read more

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I came here for a birthday brunch and was pleasantly surprised by the wide variety of food options. I lost count of how many dishes I tried because everything was delicious. It had been years since my last brunch experience at another location , which left me unimpressed with limited choices and mediocre flavors. This place has now earned a spot as one of my favorites! Our server, Connie, was outstanding--attentive and ensured we had everything we needed. She kept the mimosas flowing during Sunday brunch until we finally tapped out. Arriving early allowed us to choose our preferred spot, and as time passed, the place really came alive. read more

Roberto G. did a great job and really took care of us! He was very friendly and really worked hard to get us everything we needed. Food was great and had a great variety. read more

Took the family out for lunch. Yolanda was amazing! the food was amazing! we had the sizzling fajitas and chilaquiles. thank you so much for the great service. read more

Allways best server by Cesar Bartender always with happy smile great attitude, faster, excelente food and drinks suggestions wow wow because him does only reason my wife and I were here all the time Thank you Cesar! To bring the original el torito mentor founder Larry Cano !!! read more

Thank you Connie! We all had a great time and the service was fantastic! And of course the food was amazing as usual.

I ordered some fajitas to go steak and shrimp no fixing just dry fajitas. I cannot eat this crap so, I waste $35 c I had to throw this in the trash no cheese no sour cream nothing no salsa is dry meat. read more

Came here on a Friday night for a girls night out. Had a great time and our Hostess Astrid was very welcoming and greeted us in the friendliest way. Will definitely come back again. read more

Lovely brunch. Would come back only because our waiter Roberto Martinez was so attentive. Thank you!!!

Family enjoined our recent visit to El Torito. We stopped in for the Sunday Brunch event with mimosas and churro pancakes. Make sure you order the churro pancakes before you hit the buffet, since those are made to order. All the staff and service team were attentive and great throughout the time we were there, even with a very busy day. The only slight downside was how they packed in patrons, with tables in some place awkwardly positioned to walk past. One family was kind enough to rearrange their seat positions, putting small kids at the end so other patrons can walk past without much hassle. It is kind of pricy for a family but it is bottomless food and mimosas! read more

El Torito - Sunday Mimosa Brunch - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

Miguel was an amazing server for us! We sat at the bar for the time we were there! He handed us our drinks to us right away and we got the Rampage Nachos, they came right away! Really liked the ambiance and everything. The drinks were really good tooo! Definitely coming here again! read more

El Torito - Mangonada - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

It had been a while since we dined at El Torito's. However, we enjoyed our dining with our server Abelardo. He was very tentative and friendly. He was a great server and a pleasure yo have as our server. Our drinks were very delicious and well made. My only complaint was that the steak fajitas were not what I used to remember them to be. These were very tough and lacked a lot of flavor. read more

Came to happy hour for my cousins birthday and we had an amazing time here . We sat at the bar and Gerardo was amazing !!! He surprised my prima with a flan and a song read more

Came for the brunch buffet at El Torito and had a great time! Gerardo was super friendly and made sure we had everything we needed. Great service all around--definitely coming back! read more

The food and the service here was amazing! The mariachi brunch was excellent and very fun!

I have been coming here forever. Me and my friends always throw birthday parties here. I love the tacos and Enchiladas here. Maria was our waitress and she did a awesome job taking care of our table. We sat and ate outside since it was a little sun outside. Food was good and on point. Feels good to be eating here again. read more

Miguel V was a great server. He was very attentive and took great care of us. I will definitely be back! read more

El Torito - Signature margarita - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

Food & service was on point! Thank you to the bartender Miguel for a great night out! I forgot how much I love El Torito. I will be back soon! read more

I know El Torito has been around for a long time, I know because I used to eat there when I was a kid! I still do, just not so often. I need to change that! I forgot how wonderful the food is, the staff was very helpful and kind, and the restaurant was clean and very inviting! I don't know if it's only because it was the restaurant in Irvine, but I and my party enjoyed it very much!! And don't forget dessert!!! I highly recommend the Mexican Bread Pudding, and the Banana/Cheesecake Chimichanga!!!! Muy bueno!!! read more

You know when you get an angry / rude waiter, it ruins the taste& ambiance, Used to be one of our favorite spot for happy hour, not anymore, read more

Terrible Service! Went on our lunch hour and waited 25 minutes and not even our drink order was taken. No water was served. No one even greeted us. What a waste of our lunch time. read more