My family made a impromptu decision yesterday to share in another Holiday Champagne Brunch at El Torito. After a wonderful waterside-brunch at Thanksgiving, we followed up with a Christmas El Torito Brunch. The buffet spread is abundantly furnished with great eats. They have a full omelette bar with made- to- order omelettes. Omelettes are fluffy and prepared to your liking. I'm a big fan of their taco bar with strips of grilled marinated meats (carne asada, pork and chicken), fresh-made tortillas and a colorful salsa bar. The tostada and salad bar are brimming with beautiful greens, Mexican shrimp cocktails and fresh hot soups. Housemade tamales, enchiladas, pasta, chile verde, tomatilla, rice, beans, mashed potatoes n much more will delight all your senses. The beverage bar comes with a host of drinks, including fresh orange juice and wonderful horchata drinks. Don't forget to cash in on your complimentary champagne and brunch-time drink specials (in our excitement and haste to dive in to our plates, we almost forgot to ask for our champagne). I like to add a splash of orange juice with my champagne for a nice mimosa. The dessert section is comprised of a vast array of delicious treats, including churros, brownies, flan, waffles, macaroons, bread pudding and tapioca pudding. For $16.99, it's really a wonderful deal. If you factor in the price of your drinks and dessert, your meal really turns out to be around $5!! Oceanside mimosas and brimming colorful plates was a great way to spend the day with my family. Complete with a Mexican tableside "Feliz Navidad" serenade by a sweet family. read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

I've been to Monterey Bay numerous times and always parked near this restaurant. I never wanted to eat there because it seemed like the food wasn't going to "meet my standards" I guess. Well I gave in yesterday and decided to have lunch there. Let me start of by saying that they have an amazing view! I was in surprised! It was beautiful! I couldn't stop staring at the water. Truly beautiful! There wasn't a big selection of food but what they did have on the menu looked really good. I ordered the enchiladas with rice and mixed fruit. I also ordered a michelada which was pretty good. Surprisingly the food was delicious! Everything was perfect! I love this place! I totally recommended! read more

El Torito - Michelada! - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

Horrible service, long wait, no refills, cold food, overpriced. Will NEVER go back there.

Not so FABULOSO! I don't generally Yelp chain restaurants, but this is really more of a warning than an otherwise 2.5-star review. I'll skip all of the details and cut to the chase...9 o'clock on the dot, restaurant still half full, someone started mopping the main entry floor with Fabuloso. I can't think of anything more insulting to my senses than a eye-watering, nose-burning, mouthful of cat-litter-scented, subpar, overpriced, lukewarm "Mexican" fare that arrived late. Some restaurants, even chains, have a no scent policy. That's food service 101 if not basic commonsense and respect for diners. Who is steering this ship? Is there anyone at the helm? Hungry as I was I couldn't take another bite and had to box it up. read more

El Torito's Happy Hour is great. They serve cheap margaritas ($3 and $4) and beer, and the bar menu they have is pretty extensive and the prices are significantly reduced. I went with some friends last night and we ordered the steak quesadilla and the shredded chicken nachos. The steak quesadilla was stuffed with jack cheese, onions and bell peppers and was served with sour cream and guacamole on the side. The nachos had melted jack cheese, sour cream, guacamole, chicken, jalapeños, and beans. Both were very large portions and easily served 4 people. The food was good, but it is definitely not the best Mexican food in the area. I recommend upgrading to the $4 margarita over the $3 one, the $4 margarita is made at the bar where as the $3 one comes out of a premixed bottle. It is worth the extra buck. read more

El Torito - Shredded chicken nachos - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

Great food, even when it is buffet style. Even greater service from our waitress Rose; she was really kind and quick to tend to us. Even had a sense of humor! Loved it here. read more

This is one of our usual spots whenever in Monterey, so as always we stopped here for our trip. It was lunchtime and we weren't too hungry, so we decided to just get guacamole, nachos and beer. We were seated immediately which was nice, our waiter was friendly, and the food was served rather quickly. The nachos wasn't as fresh as it usually is, though. Then later that evening my husband and I both were feeling sick. I can't be 100% sure if it was the food here, but since we hadn't had anything else to eat at that time yet, and both were feeling sick, I think it's safe to assume that it was the food at El Torito. I did have a weird feeling when I didn't like the nachos. We will probably be back, as this was the first time ever we experienced something like this throughout the years and the many times we have been here. read more

This review makes me so sad. I spent so much time and food money back here when I was a college student 10 years ago. But, sadly, it's gone seriously down hill. Still a great location, but the food was far less than good. Maybe I was just so buzzed by the time I got my food back when I was a student at CSUMB, that it didn't matter, but I swore it actually tasted good back then. My husbands fajitas were more onions than anything, and my shrimp were way overcooked. It was bad enough that we wished we had gone and spent more money at Bubba Gumps instead. Chips and salsa were ok. I guess this place is still all about the drinks, and since we don't drink anymore, the magic was lost for us. Still got a great view during the day, and free parking allowed us to wander around the row a little more. It earned them that extra star too. read more

Sunday Buffet is delicious! Love all the choices and food is authentic Mexican food. The tortillas are made fresh ( both maíz and harina). We hoy a view of the ocean and although it was foggy it was still beautiful. Like how they too off your glass with champagne and you decide the amount of orange juice. Came with the kids and in laws and everyone left happy. read more

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absolute worst service and food i've ever experienced. we waited an hour and a half for two meals just for them to be brought out completely wrong and in to go containers instead of a plate. we sat down as a table for two and watched a table of 8 sit down after us and eat way before us. do not waste your time coming to this place. not authentic at all highly highly disappointed. if I could give this place a negative review i would read more

Dirty slow, not good service and all the young managers were more worried about their looks than running a successful business. Felt sorry for the hard working bus boys. read more

The view is amazing but unfortunately that is all! We came here last night for my sister's birthday. The food took over an hour to hit the table and was salty with no flavor. They were offering a valentines day special for two for $55. This included soup or salad, entre, and dessert. The salad was okay the soup was too salty to eat. The entre I got was fajitas and it just has no flavor. The shrimp was rubbery and steak had lots of gristle. I asked for a mud pie as listed on the menu for dessert. The waiter told us they were out. 15 minutes after he left I saw two of them go by our table to another table (maybe they got the last two and ordered before me but seemed strange). We had to beg for the check at 2 hours into this experience. We will not be back. I really wish Cannery Row would do something better with this great piece of real estate. read more

Had a good breakfast dine in experience in October 2020. Would not recommend takeout after my experience in December 2020.

Great happy hour! I gotta say the prices for food can be a little steep but your paying the view. Everyone is friendly and you get your food quick. It's a great place for friends and family! Also Margs are on point as well as the chips and salsa. The salsa can make your booty tingle a little the next day but all in all I enjoyed my experience! Keep doing what you do El Torito I appreciate you guys! read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

So we have been here before, for dinner, and it was pretty good. Decent service and the food was good. We went yesterday for some breakfast and it was honestly one of the worst things. Our server took a long time to get to us and we asked if they were busy, cause then we'd understand why they took so long to ask for our drinks, food, etc., but she told us that today was really slow and that it didn't get busy until around 12/1. So the service wasn't too good. Then when we got the food we had undercooked, pale pancakes, with only one golden one on top, there was literally 4 slices of strawberries on the pancakes, and it was supposedly "churro pancakes" but they didn't taste cinnamon-sugar like at all. My mother ordered chilaquiles which were actually good but the eggs were over cooked and tasted like plastic. My brother got a breakfast combo and they didn't give him his bacon that her ordered, just one pancake and some eggs. And lastly, my father got a carne asada plate and the meat was pretty low quality, it was mostly fat and didn't taste good. We were expecting it to be much better since everyone goes around saying their brunch is good but we left disappointed. Hopefully whoever visits next gets a better experience read more

I'm local and thought "what the hell I hear they have a good taco Tuesday special"....mistake! We were confused from the moment we walked in. The greater asked "you want happy hour, taco Tuesday, or menus?" I replied we want taco Tuesday but would like a booth. We were then seated in a booth with a beautiful ocean view(one of the stars). After 10 mins or more(we should of left) the waitress finally came to get the drink order she insisted on taking are food order as well. I'm culturally sensitive but the language barrier was awful! I was trying to order the taco Tuesday buffet for my daughter and I and the waitress kept asking what meat we wanted on our tacos even after I showed her the taco Tuesday buffet flyer on our table. The food came out and was the 3 taco meal not the buffet. The tacos were pretty good(2nd star). But we ate them with a view of everyone else enjoying the buffet that we attempted to order. Summary; good tacos, a staff that doesn't give a shit, tourist trap, order in Spanish if you can even though the foods gringofied. read more

I have been a fan of El Torito for almost 20 yrs from the Bay Area to MONTEREY Bay. We have enjoyed several good meals there and will share our most recent experience yesterday. Great service starting with Nick ( Mgr ) who greeted us and showed up at our table and other guests on a really busy ( Memorial Day ) afternoon to make sure we were taken care of to our main waiter, Paul who made sure we had our drinks and tortilla with salsa ( my favorite ) quickly while we figured out what we wanted to eat ( we couldn't make up our mind ). In the end, I picked a delicious chicken taco salad ( that was way too big to finish ) while hubby got the shrimp/steak fajitas that he polished off with a classic Cadillac Margarita. Thank you Nick and Paul for making this a memorable Memorial Day for us!! read more

Rose was amazing, she was on top of everything and never once did we need anything while having her around.

very unorganized. super rude and unfriendly hostess . And very long wait times . the buffet has been significantly downsized and the options are slim. The foods just ok . on top of that parking is $30 overall do not recommend would not come again. read more

Well, thought we would try it out, hoping the reviews of bad service and dirty restaurant were being taken seriously and it would have improved. Not at all. This restaurant is dirty. The windows had food wiped all over them. Our table had sticky rings on it. I know with the pandemic places have been short staffed(very understanding of this) but we had reservations at 5:30 and ordered at 5:45- food took 48 minutes to Arrive and this is microwaved quality food, Not prepared fresh so there's that. Our waiter never asked us how we were doing, how the food was, and if we wanted another margarita which we did but never got a chance to order. Bathrooms were disgusting to put it nicely. We waited to get back to our hotel rather than use them. Unless your desperate, really desperate, skip this place. So much potential, but no pride in their fantastic location! read more

Pretty good Mexican food. They give you complementary chips and salsa. Food portions are huge for the price you pay. Definitely bring your stomach to this restaurant. Service was great. And the best part is that this restaurant has its own parking lot! It is free of charge and huge. Free Parking is very hard to find for restaurants in general on Cannery Row. They have plenty of seat options. Try to get a seat by the window! The view is great, and if you get lucky like I did, you might be able to spot some whales! read more

This place is great. I love El Torito food and this location has the best view of Monterey Bay! Margaritas on the rocks are amazing! Mexican caesar salad is fresh and delicious. The table side guacamole is sooo fresh and tasty! I usually order the same thing but this last visit I ordered the Sizzling enchiladas! Chicken Smoothered in green chile poblano sauce and served on a hot skillet served with rice and beans and fresh guacamole. My husband always orders the 1800 fajita and are sizzling when you get them at your table. And for desert don't forget the molten chocolate cake! It has warm chocolate cake with a warm center served with dulce de leche ice cream! Soooooo yummmmmy! Service is ok. If you come on a Friday night expect to wait for a table and food. Other thank that I LOVE el Torito! Nom nom read more

Stephanie was rude, moody & obviously bothered by us asking her to fix our order after she got it wrong the 1st time. & I only got her name because I asked another waiter who brought back my plate, for her name tag was flipped over. But that's not enough, I feel like cause we sent it back she had something else wrong with our plate. The beans came back so salty, asking for a plate of salt would of been more appetizing. Her nasty attitude caused her a no tip all around. Totally calling her out on not being my party's waiter next time I show my guest a good time. read more

El Torito - SALTY BEANS. I had all my guest try how bad they were before I left them untouched. - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

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Saul and staff are outstanding hosts. Saul has created a phenomenal drink called 3x3. Can't explain it you just have to go have one and meet Saul! We live about 130 miles from here and he made us feel at home. Check it out! Thank you Saul and staff! read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

Best Mexican resteraunt EVER! amazing ocean views, and they hand mKe the guac right in front of you! Great for large groups, and great prices! read more

El Torito - Guac was unbelievable! - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

I noticed that some reviews are kinda negative. I had 14 people including me at a great table for Mother's Day. The hostess and manager (I think) made sure that we got a table. I had a last minute miscommunication from my sisters about not calling the restaurant to reserve a table. Lucky, my husband and I had come at very early time. The hospitality was calming and their environment was very visual. The server, Mary was wonderful for working so hard to make sure we enjoy our food and drinks Including bottomless mimosas. The buffet was so good! Cold? Nope! Keep it hot and warm too. I am a vegan. I love the options. My husband is a vegetarian but he ate everything except meats. He said he loved enchiladas and omelette because he said it tasted very authentic Mexican. He ate like 4-5 times. The flan was his Guilty pleasure. I forgot to take pictures of my full food. I loved eating rice and potatoes fajitas. The fruit was so yummy!! I have picture of me and my husband. Please see his food in picture. Also, I have a picture of the wonderful server. The server deserved our generous tips from me and my whole family. My mom kept praising that the people at her favorite restaurant did wonderful with us. Reason? My husband and I are Deaf. Mary used notes to communicate with us often. My parents and sisters who are also the mothers enjoyed the buffet too! The review is 5 stars!! I wish it could be 10 stars but that's fine! read more

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we've had the best breakfast this morning severed my the loveliest Lady Rose! Most Def visiting again from Kentucky!

Horribly understaffed, food was cold, crumbs for chips, plastic spoon was given for Luke warm soup. Enchiladas were overcooked, rice was undercooked and they were out of salsa. Just close this location if this is the quality and service you have to offer. read more

40 minute wait was actually 90, we got our chips and salsa pretty quickly but everything else took forever. 4+ hours from start to finish. I know it's a large restaurant and they were busy but they should have stopped seating people if they can't keep up. The food was good, service was ok, we would have had a lovely view of the water but by the time we were seated it was dark. Probably wouldn't come here again based solely on the amount of time it took. read more

Tonight at El Torito's not only did we have the best bartender, they had Karaoke and the employees rocked it!!!! read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

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My first one star. I tried I really did to give it two, but not worth it. Came in on Thursday afternoon at 2:00 pm. The place was not busy, yet there was a 25 minute wait for the restaurant side, so we went to the bar side- open seating. There were 6 tables with people at them, us being the 7th with 2 waiters, a bar tender, a bus lady and a food server. We ordered 2 waters, a tea, guac, queso, and a chicken enchilada meal. Order was taken at 2:17. Guac came out at 2:34, drinks at 2:37. The rest at 3:15!!! Our waitress was unprofessional talking about all the spring breakers are just keeping them way to busy. Well, mam, I'm one of those people who is bringing you business. To make matters worse she got into a verbal argument with the table behind us. The guac and chips were the ONLY good thing to come out of this experience. The queso was cold, and the chicken enchiladas were ice cold in the middle. Too many restaurants around to waste your time here... if you want Mexican go to peppers! read more

Came here last weekend with the boyfriend after going to the aquarium and this place isn't that great. Pros: - Chips & salsa were delcious - Beautiful view - Good service Cons: - Tacos sucked ~ I had gotten carne asada tacos, it came out with a verde sauce that was kind of sweet and weird with grilled veggies on top (meh!) My boyfriend had gotten the chicken tacos which were spicy as hell (& I eat spicy). - VERY expensive (only because it's a tourist attraction spot) - The water tasted like the aquarium water (not that I know what it would taste like, I'm just assuming) Not coming back here again. read more

Decent food, though not a lot of variety. Good drinks. Reasonable prices. Probably not great for large groups. We had a group of 21 people. They told us they could not take phone reservations, but get there as soon as possible and the wait would be less than 30 minutes. We got there a few minutes later. We were told the wait would be about 45 minutes. We corralled 6 tables at the bar on our own while we waited. Service there was very good, however, our 6 tables were scattered throughout the bar, not together. Over an hour later, they finally sat us at our group table. It was another 15 plus minutes until someone other than the very good server from the bar who came over to continue to take drink orders (smart girl making that money) came to help us. Long story longer, we got there at 7:30 PM, and didn't get our food until after 9:30 PM read more

4 stars for our awesome VIEW!! The food and drinks were great, BUT, service really lacked. It took a looong time to get our food and our waiter was slammed and literally said 2 words to us. Other than that, we really enjoyed the food! read more

El Torito - Spinach enchilada and taco- yum! - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

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We like coming here for some good mexican and great service. While it is a little of a tourist trap, we do enjoy the great view of the bay, its proximity to Cannery Row (and its private parking lot), tasty (and BIG) margaritas, and a wide variety of quality food. Additionally, we fing that they can accompdate groups well with little or no warning, and while some of the entrees may not quite match up to their descriptions or pictures, the manager and chef are quick to resolve any issues. Big enough to not require a big wait, tasty enough for repeat business, and a location to make eating enjoyable. read more

El Torito - Great view of the bay - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

My husband and I came for relax lunch, the parking is free. We sat by the window and the view was amazing. We worked very hard and we requiere excellence when we are dining out. From our waiter Beto , bus person and Richard one of the managers they worked as a team. Very happy with our mealslll and drinks. You know not every Monday we could take a day off. But today we were please to be here if you like a peaceful setting come to El Torito Cannery Road Monterrey CA Jacqueline Fritz Listen Live Acento Sabroso RadioBilingue.org First Latino Bilingue Radio in the USA read more

I've come to the el torito brunch a couple of times now. Each time before has been an okay experience but this time has been extraordinary. Our server pancho has been nothing but excellent and provided us with top of the line service. He made sure our bottomless mimosas never reached their bottom. The next time you go there, make sure you get pancho as your server. He is great. Now as far as the food goes, it is great as well! Not only do they offer a traditional breakfast menu, they offer a Mexican style breakfast as well with chilaquiles, ceviche, and chile Verde. Just like any eating experience, the server can make or break the experience. With that in mind, please request pancho's section for his great service! read more

El Torito - Bottomless mimosas. - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

el. torrito graces por toda la. comida. que. gusta. las casdillacs. margritas curbside. the tikki. tacos. cantina style cerbeszas tacos burritos salads con granda nachos potaoes. skins. to go dine in seating in cantina. ocean views. limited but all can see. beatiful legacy flameing fiihtas. tostados mini tacos cantina open to 21 and up. find us on canery row. saluid read more

My friend and I went to El Torito on Wednesday for lunch. We waited outside for 25 minutes to get our table inside. We were at the table 1 hour and 15 minutes. The waiter rush back and forth so it was hard to get his attention. We were seated table to table about 4 feet apart. People at each table. The waiter came with the bill when my friend was still drinking coffee told us we had to go. I have never in my life been told to leave a restaurant before. I will never go back to this one again. read more

Service was ok. COVID precautions didn't seem to be fully in effect as the menus are user over and there was food on it from someone else before. We had 2 full drinks while waiting for our appetizer. Was here before some years ago and was good, this time is definitely fell well short just for a couple drinks with a appetizer. read more