Had brunch today, food was great. Our server Gilberto was amazing. The ambience was great. Will be bringing family back again. read more

Gilberto strikes again, great food and great service, nice to see Parker training to be a server as well, he made sure we were taken care of. The vibe was vibing, music was bumping and food was great! read more

We have been going to Taco Tuesday for the past 2 months, our server Gilbert, we ask for his area every single time! He is so professional, courteous and goes well OVER AND BEYOND for All of his customers. We love his attitude and always a pleasure to see. read more

We came in with a party of 20, and Gilberto provided outstanding service from beginning to end. Managing a group that size isn't easy, but he stayed organized, friendly, and attentive the entire time. He made sure everyone's orders were correct, kept our drinks refilled, and checked in regularly without making us feel rushed. Gilberto's positive attitude and professionalism made our experience even more enjoyable. He handled everything with patience and efficiency, and our entire group left impressed. If you're dining here, we highly recommend asking for Gilberto--you won't be disappointed! read more

The family came in for Sunday brunch. Brunch is all-you-can-eat, with bottomless coffee, sodas, and mimosas. Yes, bottomless mimosa are included regardless if you want them or not. That makes this a hard deal to beat, especially with all the delicious food available (it was $176, with tip, for three adults and one kiddo). Unfortunately, other diners can make the experience less-than ideal. One group was enjoying themselves, which was fine. I can deal with loud and boisterous, but when kids are around, the language should have been checked. I didn't say anything to the staff, that's on me, but clearly people leaving the section should be a hint. Otherwise, the carnitas at the taco station were a hit with our group. Throw in the dessert bar (covered my churros with the strawberry reduction, highly recommend) and the normal breakfast items (I.e. sausage, bacon, eggs and potatoes), we all left very satisfied. Our server Pedro was great, and checked in on us multiple times. I don't blame him for the group, it puts the server in an awkward situation when they have to ask a guest to quiet down/watch their language, but hopefully management can check in next time. We'll definitely be back and I'd recommend this place for a Sunday brunch. read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

We haven't been to El Torito in such a long time. So we decided to go because we know they had a great happy hour. They changed the happy hour menu so much we had the queso dip and the birria tacos. The price went up on the tacos but they now give less tacos. The queso dip, I have no idea what they but it changed the queso was super thick like and tasted like cheese wiz. Same cost but now they put it in a small little cup instead of the cast iron. We also got the I think it's the supreme fajitas. So upsetting chicken was not seasoned, shrimp over salted, meat was rubbery and fatty. I'm so sad ... I probably won't be back. read more

I can't comment on the food as I didn't get any at this time. The complimentary chips and salsa were great. The salsa tasted fresh. We came only for a drink so we ordered a cucumber jalapeño margarita and Jamaica. The margarita was refreshing with some kicks. The Jamaica was bland and even more so with ice. I told the waiter about it and he was very nice to switch it for me. He brought another glass from a new batch and it tasted much better. I liked the ambience and it's spacious. I'd come back to try their food next time. read more

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My overall experience was okay. The reason why I give the 3 stars was mainly because of the amazing service of Stephanie. Stephanie was able to serve us and she did a GREAT job. She was super nice and helpful. Stephanie provided a comfortable service without constantly coming over to the table. She made sure our drinks were always topped off. Despite her being busy, she took care of us and did a great job! As for the food... it was very mediocre. The food was pricey for quality... the food was also SWEET! They have no spicy salsa its all relatively sweet. The tortillas all either have no taste or overly sweet. Also the food taste like its all been pre-made and in a oven rather than made to order. It was disappointing to get this quality of food when the restaurant overall was not busy. It seems to be ok in there not super clean/up kept or modern. Overall, I was not satisfied with our meals. But the customer service was great from Stephanie! Thank you... read more

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Come and sit in Gilberto's section! He is a fantastic server! The menu has so many fantastic food choices! The drinks are amazing! Come and share a deep fried ice cream! Best place for Sunday brunch! read more

Hard to write a review when you can't even be seated. Brought my wife's sister and our niece to try this restaurant as they love Mexican food and we hadn't been here in years but saw the great reviews. There was a family ahead of us who ended up leaving because they said they'd been waiting a very long time without being spoken to. We stayed a few minutes more while one worker just sat in the adjacent room and just looked at us. Then a man came in and ran back to the back of the restaurant also ignoring us. Oh a nice touch was the vacuum out in the open with cleaning products with it. Needless to say we left and went to Casa de Pico for a very good meal. It was embarrassing to have our family see such a sad and rude display of such a poorly run establishment. We won't be returning. read more

Chips and salsa was really good! The rest of the meal absolutely sucked, thermostat set at 82 degrees (sat right next to it), took forever for someone to come to the counter to seat us, rest of the staff was inattentive as well, the music was extremely loud and had to keep swating a couple flies away from our meal. Basically it took forever for a subpar meal. PS kind of tacky to have the Sunday brunch set up sitting all week long, along with a vacuum sitting im the middle of the front dining area plus other random cleaning supplies (like a bucket full of water/rags on the front counter when you walk in). read more

Would like to compliment my server today Juan! Went in for lunch and that man was single handedly running the front of the house! The section was full and he was the only server, in between orders he was checking on everyone repeatedly, between that bussing the tables, between that checking in the kitchen and between that was bartending on the other side! He also went down and worked the host stand when he saw guest's enter as the hostess wasn't there. Even in doing all of this he was the most polite, sincere friendliest person with all of the guests...never too busy to check on you or see what you needed immediately. The servers at El Torito have always been exceptional in my opinion. Also my food was delicious. read more

El Torito - FAJITAS DUO steak and shrimp - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

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I'm happy that we still have the 1 location left in San Diego, because after that I think the closest one is Irvine. I'm not here that often, I usually come when they offer me something. My favorite thing is the corn pudding that comes with some of the entrees. It's like cornbread that wasn't cooked the whole way. I remember they came out with a bagged mix you could get at grocery stores, and we used to get that. This time I ordered the queso for $4 on happy hour, and a 2 item combo with a barbacoa taco and a chicken enchilada. It was really good, and I ended up taking half of it home. I ate it a few days later, and it still tasted good. Service was pretty fast, and Rachel my waitress was nice. They weren't super busy because it was a little before 5 on a Friday. read more

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Sunday brunch for $40 with all you can drink memosa's? Say less! This is absolutely thee best bang for your buck. We recently came for brunch and I was highly impressed by what they had to offer. They had soups, ceviche, aguachille, shrimp pasta, gourmet salads, homemade tacos, signature Mexican dishes like mole, enchiladas, tamales, their famous corn cake, made to order custom omelets, a dessert bar, cereal and chicken tenders, waffles, French toast, etc. There was so so much variety, I wish I had two stomachs. If you don't drink alcohol they had Fresca's and coffee available. There's literally something for everyone. Food was delicious! I wish I took more pics. Ample seating and football was on the TV, can't beat that. We had such a great time. The service was OUTSTANDING! Sergio our server was on it. 10/10 service from him, friendly, attentive, and overall made you feel at home. Highly recommend! read more

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El Torito was an interesting experience. The restaurant its self is an old Mexican architecture that was cool to look at. The food was overall sweet I don't think I'll be back here again. The food was not horrible but too sweet for my liking to be honest. Our server Stephanie was awesome. Stephanie is a great server she was not overwhelming nice and she was very kind. The overall service was fast and good. The food in the other hand I would say way too sweet! read more

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I have been to other EL Torito and this one was the worst. It was not busy on a Saturday night. There was no one at the host stand. So we waited a while. Finally got seated. Took a while for anyone to get our drink order. Got chips in a paper tray, while other people got baskets. Had the tvs turned up very loud. Employees were on their phones sitting at the bar, and screaming when a baseball game was on. The tables were cleaned, but the floor had food all over. Instead of being on their phones employees should have been cleaning. Even the manager or supervisor was just sitting at the bar watching tv. The refried beans taste like it came from a can. The food wasn't that great. I have been to other El Torito's and never had this experience at any other one. I will not be coming back even if I was offered free food. read more

This review reflects their Sunday Brunch. For $45 per person, you get to experience El Torito's Sunday buffet brunch from 9AM to 2PM. We got there around 10AM. Upon walking in, we kind of played eye tag with a male host or manager who didn't acknowledge us right away. It wasn't until a female host, who was clearly busy running around, came over and found us a table. The layout of this place honestly feels like a maze. There are ramps, stairs, arches. It almost felt like a fever dream walking through it. There's a ton of seating though. Booths, tables, patio seating, bar seating, and it definitely looks like they can host large parties or corporate events. The brunch is all you can eat buffet style with different sections throughout the restaurant. In the main middle area, there's a taco station with meats like birria, carnitas, pastor, and pollo. There are trays of breakfast items like waffles and bacon. Lunch options like mole, chile relleno, enchiladas, and more. In the back of that section is dessert with flan, ice cream, a chocolate fountain, rice pudding, and other sweets. There's also an omelette station where a chef makes it fresh based on your ingredient choices. That area gets crowded fast. There isn't really a clear place to stand and wait, so you end up kind of being in someone's way. Near the entrance, there are three additional tables. One is more kid friendly with mini corn dogs, macaroni and cheese, chicken tenders, cereal, milk, and yogurt. Another has drink dispensers with horchata, jamaica, and another agua fresca. The third has coffee and hot chocolate. On the left side near the bar, there are three more tables. One with pozole and menudo. One salad station with pre made salads and build your own options. The last one features seafood like shrimp ceviche, aguachile, seafood soup, chilled shrimp, and more. Drinks are included with the brunch. Our server was very kind and attentive. He cleared plates quickly and checked in throughout the meal. Most of what I ate was actually really good. Standouts for me were the carnitas. Super flavorful and not dry. I made tacos with fresh onions, cilantro, and this orange crema based salsa that paired really well. The sweet cornbread was also a hit. Moist with real corn baked in. I went back for that. The salad station impressed me too. Their green, maybe cilantro lime salsa tasted so fresh I genuinely wondered if it was made in house. The waffle with honey butter was also a solid choice. Things that didn't hit the mark for me were the menudo, which felt bland and lacked depth. The chocolate fountain was fun but the chocolate itself wasn't great. The horchata tasted like sugar water. The al pastor meat was a little too salty for me. Overall, I think $45 is a bit steep for what you get. There's a lot of food and a good amount of variety, but the selection doesn't rotate much, so I could see getting tired of it. I might come back occasionally, but not often. read more

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Wow! I didn't last 10 minutes in this place. First of all the hostess that showed us our seat looked and acted like she totally hated her job. The seats had food shrapnel all over them. I had to wipe them off myself. When I placed my forearms on the table it was sticky. If this was like this at the table I could only imagine what the kitchen was like. What a shame how this place went downhill. Its filthy! Overpriced. We decided to leave and go to Casa de Pico. Night and day difference. read more

Wow! what a surprise! El Torito's in La Mesa was going off tonight. We showed up for dinner not expecting too much, and to our shock, happy hour was running from 3 PM to 9 PM. So of course, I had to start with a margarita flight and follow it up with a draft beer. So good. My chicken enchiladas with sour cream were delicious, and the music and ambience were upbeat and fun. Our server was super friendly, and the food came out hot, fresh, and honestly way better than my last visit. Huge difference this time around. I'm giving this place five stars for the lively atmosphere, friendly service from JORGE, excellent food, and great prices. If you're in the area and want something fun and a little different, definitely stop by El Torito's in La Mesa. read more

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Haven't been here for a while we came here for the dinner service around 6:30pm and surprisingly there was no wait in line with many parkings outside right in front on Sunday evening. The music was pretty good and loud. I used my Shazam a lot and saved it to my mexican playlist. Very good place for celebration. The decor was also nice. You can tell they are about to get ready for Cinco de Mayo. The restaurant was a little too cold for my liking. The presentation was cool for the flaming fajitas. The flames went up really high. The food portion here is very generous and it tasted freshly grilled. Our server was nice and since it was my birthday she removed the dessert from our bill. Thank you for the special evening El Torito! read more

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Gilberto was the best waiter ever! Very on top of all of our needs and very funny. I wish every waiter was like him.

El Torito Review (update 10/25) - solid 3.7 Although El Torito isn't traditional Mexican food, there's still a lot to like when you dine here. This visit, I came in for a light meal--chicken tortilla soup, bottomless chips and salsa, and of course, their signature margarita. I decided to switch things up and tried the Raspberry Lemon Drop, which was part of the happy hour special. Great choice! Heads up on the tortilla soup: It's actually a vegetable tortilla soup. The bowl includes potatoes, zucchini, and squash, giving it a thicker, more filling texture than I expected. The broth itself was rich and flavorful, though if you're not a fan of cheese, I recommend asking them to go easy. I arrived around 7:30 PM on a Saturday night and was pleasantly surprised, no wait time for bar or table seating. Overall, El Torito delivers solid flavors, generous portions, and good vibes for casual dining, especially if you catch happy hour. read more

El Torito - Post demolish soup. Hearty with veggies. - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

Came here on a Sunday evening and was seated right away. The vibe was cool and I liked the music but it was a little on the loud side. The salsa, guacamole and chips were on point. My main course was tasty but the crispy flautas weren't crispy. read more

El Torito - Chips, salsa and Fresh Guacamole - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

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This is a frustrating review to write, due to the fact that some attempt was made for us to have a nice visit. But, I still cannot bring myself to give more than one star. Was so extraordinarily disappointed in this place. Especially since I had had a craving for it for weeks! We finally get there and...well.. The hostess seats us, after seemingly being very pleasant and nice. This is where it just goes south. We sit and wait....there are four other tables in the room where three are being helped and waited on. The one across from us has a couple who look like they've been sitting for a while, patiently waiting. A waiter comes in, checks the other tables, looks at us and walks away. He does this over and over again for another five minutes. I get up and look at the hostess to get her attention two or three times. But, when I go to approach her? She retreats to another room with two of her coworkers to chat and ignore me. This is when a manager notices me and asks if he can help me. I let him know we have been sitting for a while along with another couple at another table and are being ignored. He jumps to it and makes sure to get a waitress. When she finally shows up, she tries to rush us with just a drink order, she didn't even bring chips and salsa with her. But, we have been sitting and waiting for so long we already have the menu memorized and know what we want. So we order, and then we wait, so does the other couple. We wait and finally get chips and drinks and we wait some more. The manager comes by with a card and apologizes saying we get a free appetizer with the purchase of an entree on our NEXT visit. Hmm...kay...finally our food arrives. My mom is missing her tortilla soup, my daughter is missing her extra side of fresh fruit. My habanero enchiladas are refrigerator cold. They are ENCHILADAS!! THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE BAKED!!! Mom's cheese enchilada has cheese that is still shredded, not melted!! SEE ABOVE THAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE BAKED. My daughter's Mac and cheese is from a box and looks old. The fajita skillet for my wife is so carbonized and unclean it is burning and smoking, not cleanly grilling her meal. We are all coughing at this point as the room fills with smoke. When my mom finally gets her soup, after we asked, it is subpar with no flavor. By the time we get my daughter's side of fruit, it looks like the left over rotten fruit from a margarita bar, and probably was! Soft mushy strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Just horrible all around. By the time we get the bill, the waitress comps us the soup since her "forgetting" it was her bad. So, the whole experience was a bust. We all had stomach issues from what we did eat. We all will never go back, no matter HOW many FREE appetizer are offered. This place has just absolutely turned to garbage. No wonder we hadn't been back for 17 years. Oh, and the fine print in the middle of the menu about it being a "Family owned and run establishment?" You should be ashamed about serving anything to anyone. The place is DIRTY!!! Your Air Conditioning is non functional and you have house fans pushing air around. Your bathroom is stinky, dirty and disgusting. No wonder we are all sick. Your BOH is probably even nastier!! I am going to call the health department on this place. This is incredibly disgusting and the place needs a full cleaning and delousing from top to bottom! If you are family run? Run it like you are proud of it! read more

Our waiter, Sergio, is amazing!! He's so attentive and give great recommendations!! We went during Happy Hour and the menu is great! We got a couple of drinks and some snacks!! I'm also addicted to their corn bread. I've been a fan for over 20 years!! I've taken my kids here since they are small and now they can drink. I haven't been to the weekend brunch in a while and need to come back to try it again. The place still looks the same with lively music. It's such a chill and fun place to go with your friends and family. Great happy hour prices and delicious margarita . Will come back again with my friends and family. I hope Sergio will be our server. He's the best server!! Great attitude and vibe!! Give him a raise, El Torito read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

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Always delicious, try the sweet corn, it's sure to put a smile on your face. Plenty of terrific parking. On Sunday, May 3rd, they are having an all-you-can-eat for Cinco de Mayo read more

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Sergio's the man behind the bar! Hit him up for happy hours. Best margaritas in San Diego. read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

This place had us skeptical walking in. It looked like a ghost town, not many people and then a waiter dropped a bunch of things on the floor and well we were regretting our choice. Then none of the beers my husband wanted they had since they ran out. At that point we were second guessing eating there at all but we chose to do the family fajitas and queso quemado and all the food was good! Really good! And service was really good too! The waiter was super nice. They had good music playing too! read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

The happy hour menu had a great selection of items for reasonable prices. Got the steak and chorizo tacos and queso from the happy hour menu and then some nachos off the main menu. The service was great and they kept our free chips and salsa flowing. The free starter salsa was fresh, almost like a pico. They allow in kind for payments which is a win in my book. The food was your standard chain restaurant Mexican food, but great value overall. read more

El Torito - Steak and chorizo tacos, queso, and nachos supremes - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

My friend and I came here for the first time the other day. Happy hour is 3-9pm M-F. Everything is $10 or less & the food portions are huge. The chips & salsa are complimentary. The queso was good. I liked the mango & blackberry marg from the flight but the regular one was watered down. The jalapeño cucumber marg was strong but really delicious. The chicken flautas were good with the different sauces. One was a creamy chipotle sauce & the other was a sweet one. I had leftovers after eating lots of chips & dip. Service was ok. read more

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Been going to various El Toritos for 25+ years, this review is specifically for the 5% surcharge in San Diego. You are a restaurant, not a politician. This is inherently dishonest. Love the salsa and the new menu. The corporate shenanigans with prices SUCKS. read more

Best place for brunch. Maggie was a great manager. Gilberto always takes care of us! Thank your team!

We came for happy hour and only got the food from that menu. The restaurant wasn't busy by any means but it took longer than we would've liked for us to get our food. It felt like they only had one server working for the entire restaurant. When our food got here, the chicken wings were micro sized, maybe one bite off each wing. I got a horchata, carne asada fries, and elote. The horchata was the best part, the fries were kind of sad compared to other Mexican fast food places. Fries not crispy, and the topping relatively bland. The elote was incredibly oily, flavor was alright. My favorite part was the chips and salsa/guac. The guacamole tasted fresh and was very flavorful as was the salsa, chips perfectly crisp and salty. Restaurant itself is very cute and decorated nicely, however when we went the lights kept flickering, which was mildly annoying. read more

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Gilberto was absolutely AMAZING. Great attitude and made the experience wonderful. Food was good and the champagne was flowing. Will be back! read more

El Torito - Watermelon mimosa - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

Sergio in the bar always takes great care of us. Always has a great attitude and this is why this spot is my spot to hang out with my coworkers. read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

We went on Friday afternoon, I have been a long time fan of El Torito for years. I was excited to find out La Mesa has one since I've only lived in San Diego 3 years. First, unfortunately their AC was out and they had signs posted everywhere clearly apologizing for the inconvenience. We walked in and it was actually not that bad. Since they had ceiling fans on it was actually ok. Second thing I immediately noticed was the carpet felt so sticky!! So did the table! This felt gross but the host was so nice we gave it a chance anyway. I don't recall our waiters name but he was going back and forth between the bar and tables, older gentleman he was nice. The only thing is, service felt a little slow considering there was only two other tables in the area. We ordered quickly, got our chips and salsa which were delicious. Our food was delicious as well, everything was great. We ordered some margaritas and they were also yummy. To pay it felt like it took a while, we waited for our check and our server to bring back the receipt. Like I said kind of slow service but overall the food was very good. I just wish they would get rid of the carpet it definitely felt dirty and old. read more

Food and the vibe is amazing , and if you get Gilberto as a server he will definitely take care of you & he's funny he had me and my husband laughing the whole time Such great customer service , we will definitely be back! read more

We went here for Father's Day brunch recently after not having had an El Torito brunch experience in many many years. This day was not much different than what we remembered from our Rancho Bernardo days, plentiful food, great service and constant flow of champagne. Everyone was hustling including the leads of the team. For their brunch period, it does get awfully crowded and tight in the central serving area. Being a smaller footprint, this was to be expected. Everything was replenished promptly and the quality of the food was certainly acceptable. Our only surprise was the bill, which for four of us, exceeded two hundred dollars. A little bit of a sticker shock, but I was glad to have enjoyed the experience. A lot of reminiscing on this day. read more

El Torito - Interior - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

Arsha provided us with excellent service! The food was brought out right on time, and everything was handled smoothly. Great service, delicious food, and an overall wonderful experience. read more

Amazing service! Our waitress Destiny was great. Very attentive and friendly! Took extra steps to make our birthday dinner special.