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El Torito

4.2 (1.6k reviews)
Closed 9:00 am - 11:00 pm

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EL TORITO ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Dogs allowed
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - El Torito

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Reviews With Photos

Al Pastor Tacos, Rice and Beans
Vivian

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.

Maya H.

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

Chips, salsa and Fresh Guacamole
Christopher C.

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.

Steak
Hanafi M.

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

Mexican food for dinner!!!
Alice M.

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!

Fernanda M.

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!

Steak and chorizo tacos, queso, and nachos supremes
Jordyn S.

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.

Margaritas
Melanie M.

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.

Post demolish soup. Hearty with veggies.
K B.

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.

Watermelon mimosa
vadis m.

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

Carne asada fries, elote
Michaela I.

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.

Matthew M.

I can't say enough good things about this place. The all you can eat brunch is absolutely amazing. If you are lucky enough to have Gilberto as your waiter you are in for an absolute treat, he is super attentive and a pleasure to be around 10/10 recommend brunch with Gilberto!

Interior
Adam S.

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.

GILBERTO GAVE ME 10 MIMOSAS BOIIIIIIIII

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7 months ago

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5 months ago

Gilbert was the best server always attentive and really funny making the whole table laugh I really recommend him!!!

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5 months ago

The food was delicious and our server Gilberto was great. I really enjoyed it I would back again.

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Janelle O.

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4 years ago

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1 year ago

Had a great dinner with friends and a wonderful waiter, Gilberto took excellent care of us. He was very attentive and making us laugh.

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7 months ago

Food prices are way overpriced. Service very slow. Waiter was terrible. Was not attentive to my table.

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1 year ago

Wonderful place for happy hour, phenomenal prices on drinks and food is awesome. Rolling now.

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7 months ago

Loved the Sunday brunch! Gilberto was our waiter and he was so great and full of energy!

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El Torito Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - El Torito

What is the 2026 Sunday Brunch price?

39.50 for the full brunch sunday

Sunday brunch price?

We went on Sunday, Sept 29, 2024 and the brunch price was $37.50 for adults and I think it was $13.00 for kids.

Does the staff still serve the food for the all-you-can-eat brunch or are patrons able to serve themselves now? Last time I went, the staff served the food for brunch but that was not long after COVID dine-in restrictions were implemented.

You serve yourself. Go It's a good brunch. You'll like it

Has the La Mesa CA location closed permanently?😳?

It was open as of last week so it should be!

Is the Buffet only on the Weekend or is it on Fridays too?

Only on Sundays

Do you allow dogs in the outdoor area?

Yes

Can reservations be made for the Sunday brunch or first come first serve? Is there a bottomless…

Yes. Reservations. Yes Bottomless mimosas

Is Brunch on Sat and Sun?

Yes, both brunch are on the weekend. The only thing about Sunday's brunch is that it's all you can eat.

Do they have a bar? Or place for dancing?

tHE BAR IS TO THE LEFT OF THE ENTRANCE. hOWEVER, THERE IS NO DANCING.

How much is the Sunday Brunch Buffet?

As of March 2022, about $30.

Do you serve menudo?

Hi Fred. We do have Menudo available on our Sunday Brunch.

Is the Brunch open?

Yes

Is one in la Puente california?

No, this one is in La Mesa California (East San Diego area) There is one at 3133 E Garvey Ave N,… Read more

Is there happy hour? Also, I'm disappoinment to see the Plaza Bonita location closed. Even though it's been years, I still miss it. It was so near my house😕

Yes they have happy hour. And when I went a couple months ago they had happy hour on Sunday as well, 3-7 I believe. But of course call to check for current deals.

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Lemon City Taphouse - Inside

Lemon City Taphouse

4.9(24 reviews)
2.1 mi

The old Good Guys tavern was sold and morphed into this new place. Let's just say I miss Good Guys…read moregreatly. When they first opened under the new name, the place had super bright lighting. Really it was weird, like medical operating room brightness...They ended up shading the lights and painted the walls dark?? Better, appropriate ambience. It's a lot more modern and cleaner than ever though. Well, so they call it a taphouse now. Which means they are a craft beer bar. With less than average beer selection on tap for a taphouse in my opinion. They do have a large can selection that pushes them up a star. Many one-off beers and smoothie styles which can be difficult to obtain. There's only one person working the bar, which has always been a friendly female. Which is appropriate for the 90% male clientele. You gotta figure this works everywhere. Take it from someone who knows, as I worked as a bartender and barback for many years. Serving beer is one thing, but it's tough getting a male bartending job in general. The selection could be better. However, the problem I have with this place is the exorbitant prices of the draft beers. This is considering the area, which is on Broadway in Lemon Grove. I mean we are talking 9 and 10$ beers here. For example, Frank the Dank- a double IPA is 10$ here. And I know where I can get these for $5 a pint... and I'm not telling where either! Actually if you do really read my reviews, this information will be eventually leaked out if it already hasn't been.. But yeah I'm sorry, but this why you are empty 80% of the time. Who can afford this in this permanently depressed area/neighborhood? The working men of course, who aren't ready to go home and deal with that nagging significant other..

I've been to Lemon City Taphouse three times now and it's just fine. The selection is the best…read morepart, by far. There is definitely something for everyone, including non-alcoholic options. My biggest complaint would be the prices. I paid $10 for a pint of Two Towns cider, and $15 for a 19oz can of Boochcraft. The staff is always very friendly, and happy to help with beverage selection. With this being the only real craft beer option in Lemon Grove, it's a good stop, it's just going to cost you a little more.

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Lemon City Taphouse
Lemon City Taphouse
Lemon City Taphouse - The bar.

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The bar.

Clem’s Station - Pizaahhh! Just a tad over, but I did enjoy the crunch on the bottom.

Clem’s Station

4.8(109 reviews)
3.9 mi
$$

Now that's what I'm talking about! 4.5/5!…read more Ended up coming back out to Clem's to give it another shot. Although my last visit wasn't bad, it was just middle of the road and left me wanting more-especially in regards to the Wagyu burger and the bacon. This time around, I decided to switch it up a bit. As we arrived, I ordered my current favorite beer on tap, Coco Ono, from Bay City Brewing. It's a piña coloda IPA that's not too sweet, and has great coconut flavor. Moments later I realized that there was a Taco Tuesday special that was $15 for 2 tacos a draft beer of your choosing. Since the Coco Ono is $9 alone (ouch!), I realized it was a better deal to get the Taco Tuesday special. I asked Karina if I could turn that draft I ordered into the special, and they kindly obliged...nice! The last time I was here, I noticed some wings coming out of the kitchen and they looked awesome. So this time I knew I had to get the wings, $16. I ordered a 9 piece of Buffalo wings, per staff recommendation, and they did not disappoint. We actually got 10 piping hot wings served with stacks of baby carrots, fresh cut celery, and both ranch and blue cheese. I'd love to see them do a homemade ranch because it would better compliment the wings than that Hidden Valley stuff. Wings were a 5/5!!! I forgot to even mention the tacos. That's probably because I forgot about them...lol. While the small TJ tacos had some solid carne with onions and cilantro, they were a bit plain. Served on two tortillas with 2 salsas, and 2 limes, a little bit of guac would have livened them up. I probably wouldn't order them on their own at $3 each, but as part of the $15 deal, it was all good. 4/5 for the deal. Lastlly, we ordered the BBQ chicken pizza, which was a HITT!. I had previously tried a few slices of pepperoni pizza last time, and it was a good snack to have with some brews, but nothing memorable. However this time, the BBQ Chicken pizza was up there with my favorite one in town. It was covered with loads of chicken, which they stated was cooked in-house, cilantro and BBQ sauce. The crust did look like it was a little over baked, but it ended up having a perfect under crust with zero burnt flavor. Only the outer crust was ultimately effected and got a bit crackery. All in all it was a really delicious pie. All the while Karina and Emma were answering my many questions, tapping off our drinks, and providing pretty much anything we asked for. The food presentation was great, the restaurant was immaculate, and the service was friendly, all giving an overall 5 stars. Thanks to Emma, Karina, Paul, and the kitchen staff for making this a delicious evening. I'll definitely be back for the pizza and the wings.

What a great find. Service was freakin amazing. Our female bartender was so attentive and made the…read morebest paloma. Fresh squeezed juices. They had an amazing selection of alcohol. The food was okay, the kitchen seemed tiny so maybe thats it. But we would definitely be back for cocktails.

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Clem’s Station
Clem’s Station - Bon appetit baby

Bon appetit baby

Clem’s Station - Chicken wings are juicy

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Chicken wings are juicy

Dirty Birds

Dirty Birds

3.7(883 reviews)
2.0 miRolando
$$

This location is by far the best Dirty Birds location- their wings are always juicy and to the…read moreperfect cooked. I've tried some of the other locations (liberty station especially can sometimes overcook their wings) but this location always gets it right. The location is fairly large- many tables and a bar area but it does fill up on nights where there are games being shown. There is sometimes a bit of a wait but always a good vibe here. The servers are friendly and check in throughout the meal.

First time coming to this iconic San Diego wing spot/sports bar. The interior wasn't very bright…read morebut you could see and there were a good amount of TVs to watch the games they were playing. I was seated quickly on this bar table thing (not the actual bar) and it was high up. The prices were pretty expensive at $12.50 for five wings, not including any sides/sauces. I came here on a Monday and got the Monday AYCE wing special. The AYCE made it more worth it but still a bit pricy at $31 per person. For AYCE, it comes with fries or tater tots, a sauce, 10 wings, and some carrots and celery for your first order. After that, you get 5 wings per refill. The wings were a good size though the skin wasn't really crispy or anything. I tried buffalo, lemon pepper, and flaming honey mustard. Buffalo and lemon pepper are my go to flavors but I didn't really enjoy any of the flavors I tried. There were an overwhelming amount of flavors so it was a bit hard to choose on the spot with AYCE but now I wish I tried some different ones. Our waitress was pretty nice and checked in on us a good amount. Overall, I felt like the food was just okay, and for the value made it less good. My rating is a bit higher because of the service. I might come back to try some other flavors since this is such an iconic San Diego chain.

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Dirty Birds
Dirty Birds
Dirty Birds - Flaming Honey Mustard

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Flaming Honey Mustard

El Torito - mexican - Updated May 2026

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