Hubby and I almost come by here after our scuba dive trip when we are starving. The food has always been above par and same as the customer service from our server. The price is decent... Not too expensive and also not too cheap. The weight line was average especially with the tourist coming by to this location. I do miss coming by here. We don't come by here as often as we used to. Definitely a recommendation if you want to Mexican food when visiting Monterey. Quality: A+ Service: A+ Price: $$ read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

The food was really good they have a really good happy hour the view is amazing we had pretty good service tonight the ambiance was casual upbeat and trendy read more

Funky old building with fishy smell outside. Food was very good. I had enchiladas. The skinny margaritas were also very good. Service was very quick and our waitress was friendly and efficient. read more

I usually go to El Torito in Monterey when I visit for dinner. The main reason I dine there is for the spectacular view of Monterey Bay if you reserve a window seat. Depending on what you order the food is OK but not spectacular & the prices are reasonable. The service can range from excellent to terrible depending on who serves you on that particular occasion. El Torito does have an excellent Happy Hour with drink specials & appetizers. It's worth a try on your next visit to Monterey. read more

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We came here for a celebratory group dinner and was seated right away, with an ocean view (spectacular). We had two toddlers with us, and both were given high chairs. This is a very kid friendly place. The restrooms are clean. Please note, there is validated free parking here. As for the food itself, I ordered the guacamole (made at the table) which was good, and I had the cheese enchiladas w/ rice and beans. The meal was ok, not as flavorful as I was expecting. Price: ($190 - dinner & drinks for 6... tip was included) read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

What a treat! My boyfriend and i stumbled upon this mexican food restaurant while looking for a bite in Monterey. With little knowledge of the restaurant, we were pleasantly surprised to know it was buffet style brunch every Sunday. At $45 per adult, you get bottomless mimosas, churro pancakes and access to a taco bar, empanada bar, dessert bar etc. It's a good date spot if you can snag an ocean view booth! The food is tasty with an authentic feel, but definitely not grandma's cooking. It was a 35 minute wait but the waiting service was good overall. read more

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We came for Taco Tuesday and Happy Hour and it did not disappoint. The taco bar features made-to-order tacos with the option of chicken, al pastor, carnitas, and asada on handmade tortillas. They were delicious and extremely affordable at $3 each. Service is great and all around - an outstanding experience. This location also comes with an amazing view!! read more

This is purely based on service (or lack thereof.) The restaurant was slammed with Labor Day holiday crowds and my partner and I were waiting at the host stand to see how long the wait would be. After about 10-15 minutes of waiting (it wasn't too long considering the length of the line), we made it to the front and the hostess seemed to be checking stuff on the iPad and just dealing with other work matters in general so she didn't greet or acknowledge us - this was all understandable to us at first. We figured she needed a moments to catch her breath and get things situated. It only became an issue when this dragged on for about 15 minutes. She never once looked at us or acknowledged us, nothing. In fact, it seemed like she was actively avoiding our presence. After a few more minutes of this, she was replaced by another host who was able to give us an estimated time to wait. The wait was too long for what we had planned to do with our day so we declined but honestly the hostess completely ignoring and avoiding us was such a massive turn off from this restaurant. It takes about two seconds to say "one moment and we'll be right with you." I get it's a busy day and she was likely tired but Y-I-K-E-S. That isn't the first and only impression you want to leave people with. read more

Just no. Over seasoning and it was like Italian seasoning on enchiladas. Just no. The manager was kind, and also busy, fixing someone else's order too. We were initially attracted to the ambiance, but it's a tourist trap. Terrible food. read more

Front desk lady with blonde hair was disrespectful, didn't say a word to me or my partner as we walked inside and got seated, once she sat us down at the table she then proceeded to throw the menu on the table in a irritated manner. Once we sat down a waiter came to ask for our order which was "2 sprites 1 appetizer, fajitas , and sizzling enchiladas" From our five items we only got our sprite and appetizer after an hour of wait. Our waiter then comes by to drop off our check and we still hadn't even received our dinner plates " the fajitas and enchiladas". There were multiple people who got seated before us who had gotten their food. Me and my partner both work in the food industry and have never seen no service like this. DO NOT GO HERE. read more

Food was great Service at the table was amazing but I almost made the decision to leave because the hostess made us wait for a table when they had plenty of tables empty I'm glad we stayed our server Emilio made the difference Ambiance was nice read more

Great food and awesome with kids. The service isn't super fast, but it is worth it. I miss the old decor, but the food is still excellent.

It's a pretty good place if you are looking for a good spot in Monterey that is family friendly, by the ocean. We got a table by the window and we could spot otters and seals all the time! My daughter loved it. The food is very avg and is expensive! I paid 115 for two of us and they included 18% gratuity even tho it was a buffet. I'd go here for the view only. read more

Friends from overseas wanted to eat tacos. Since we visited Monterey Bay, we made a reservation to have the group lunch there. Here are the verdicts: Ocean view - Yes; Free parking(w/ gate) - Yes; Foods - ordinary. I had the Fajitas Duo(steak/shrimp), which was not that impressive. Plain and simple, no flavors. The flower tortillas should be kept in the warm box instead of the paper wraps. The green salads was difficult to be wrong as long as it's fresh. The nachos, tacos, and burritos could be juicier and flavorful. Finally, the Arnold Palmer was rich in lemonade but less in ice tea. Bottom line, the location is impeccable and ambience was nice. The shortage is the tasty authentic Mexican cuisines. read more

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My family and I are not at all the type to make a fuss about food or waiting limits, we hate to seem like "Karens". But the service was, with no exaggeration, exhausting, unfavorable, unpleasant, and regrettable. Of course, we came to the restaurant with a desire to eat, wait about 20-30 minutes (at most), and leave satisfied with full stomachs. Keep in mind, the restaurant had a fair amount of people, not so busy, but not so slow. We walked in and reserved a spot, the lady at the front seemed very sassy and unfriendly, especially with her tone of voice, my mother and her locked eyes, and the lady said, "What's your name?" in an agitated tone, as if she didn't want to work there. We got our drinks about 6-8 minutes after we were seated and shortly after we were asked what food we wanted. This is where it went downhill, we got our chips and sauce (which had no flavor), and we ordered guacamole (also had no flavor, we even had to ask for lemon and salt, and even after applying it, it still had no flavor). We waited and waited, after about 1 hour and 15 minutes, our food arrived. The food was extremely cold, the chicken and steak were dry, and the orange rice was dry. I let the waiter know it was cold and they reheated it in the microwave (the plate was given to us cold, after we got it reheated, the plate was hot). We asked for a refund on one of the Beef Birria Tacos which was $18 for rice and 3 tacos. Seems a little extreme. The food was cold, unseasoned, and unappetizing, there were few options for non-alcoholic drinks, the costumer service was horrible, but, the only good thing I can say was that there were few spots with good views of the beach, but we were given a spot FAR away from the beach. Don't waste your time here, go somewhere else. - The video shows only DRINKS and APPETIZERS after waiting more than an HOUR!! - The screenshot of the location and 1hr and 5mins shows how long we were there before served our cold food - The photo of the beans shows how the food was cold (the cheese was NOT at ALL melted) read more

El Torito - How long it took for our food - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

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Crescencio was a great waiter. He was so polite and kind. Thank you for such a great service! read more

El Torito - Huevos rancheros - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

We visited tonight for dinner and the food was pretty good. Marcus was our server. They were understaffed but he was just so polite and very professional about the wait times. He even shook our hands at the end of the night and thanked us. We were happy to wait because he was so respectful . We will be back for sure. read more

I have been to this resturant 3 times in the past year: Summer 2024- Me and my family of 6 came to the resturant after visiting the aquarium and walking around. It was really packed and we waited at least an hour to be seated (it was a weekend in the summer so this should be expected). The resturant is always busy and has a dated vibe and heavily used decor and seating. After being seated, it took at least an hour and a half to get all the food we ordered (all the plates and appetizers were sent at different times, not at the same time so my family members ate at different times). There were multiple errors to our orders. Despite the servicing being not on par, the food was very good (at least for me). Furthermore, because of our experience, the manager was very kind and apologetic then gave us a significant discount. I would give this visit 3 stars. December 2024- I came to Monterey on business and I wanted the food here specifically. I came on a Saturday night and was seated immediately without a reservation. The server was overwhelmed and gave me very basic service. Despite this, once again the food was very good and I left content. I would give this visit 4 stars. April 2025- This is the most recent visit here. Me and my family came for a getaway to Monterey and decided on El Torito because they were open late. We arrived and were seated immediately (with the help of a reservation placed 15 minutes prior). The resturant was not too busy but the server was not very attentive to us initially. After we ordered our food we were told that various items we ordered were out of stock and had to be substituted. Then we had to wait for a while to receive silverware because "there was no silverware in this whole resturant" apparently. After a 30 minute wait we received our food and again the food hit very well. The server was very attentive to us after we got our food. I would rate this visit 3 stars. Unfortunately my family has told me that they will not come here again so this was probably my last time coming. Conclusion: this restaurant is reasonably priced and delivers on great tasting food (assuming it is in stock). Just expect long waits if you come at a busy time and slow to poor service. read more

The only reason I'm giving a 2 is because the manager did not make us pay a dime and view was good. If they could get their ish together it would be a great restaurant. This experience was not good from start to finish. A man was vaping in the restaurant waiting to pay. I told the server, who said he would talk to him. I said I think he'll just go after he can pay. The sever said, well I'm giving you guys your drinks and can only do 1 thing at a time. We asked for tableside guac; sever said it's 45 min to get that but if you order prepared quac that's faster, so we ordered 3 at $15. It didn't show for an hour 24 minutes anyway. My kids ordered chicken tenders. 45 minutes in, they came back to tell us there were no chicken tenders, and my kids reordered pizza. At the same time I had to remind the server to check on my margarita which was waiting at the bar 45 min after I ordered it. An hour 20 minutes later, our food finally came (nothing complicated) except he forgot one kid's pizza and she had to wait another 10 minutes. We cancelled the guac since it was supposed to be an appetizer. The server gave it to the table next to us. The sever kept saying, I'm doing my best, I am sorry it's not good enough for you. By the time the food showed, my kids wouldn't eat it as they had filled up on chips after 1.5 hours. I was upset and lost my appetite and did not eat either. We did not stick around to wait on the ice creams that came with the kids meals as I didn't have another hour to waste, and opted to go to ghiradelli next door. On our way out, toilets were clogged and lacking toilet paper, leading to a very poor experience. I went back downstairs to wait with my kiddo for the lady that was servicing it for another 15 minutes, and several women followed to downstairs to wait in the same line for the 1 usable women's toilet. read more

I always love coming here, but today was miserable. It was extremely hot inside, usually it is warm which is understandable because the food warmers from the buffet. However, it was so unbearably hot in the restaurant there were multiple tables including myself using handheld fans. The food and drinks are great, but it's hard to enjoy when I'm sweating the whole time. I usually come in the fall so maybe that's why I've never felt this extreme, but it was ridiculous. Turns out they have AC, but don't use it. It was on for not even 5 minutes before it turned off and went back to being hot. I'm not even exaggerating when I say it's well over 80 degrees in here. The poor workers were complaining they were hot as well. read more

Exelente servicio de las meseras Lucero y Candy, comida deliciosa, ambiente familia y el personal muy atento.

Service was HORRIBLE server never once came back to ask how we were doing or even to bring us refills. Food took over an hour to come out and when it did, it was cold and the wrong order. Food was not flavorful at all. Tables around us got their food super fast and customers went and came. It was a horrible experience would NEVER come back when we visit Monterey. read more

Every time I visit here it seems a little less tidy but I love it! I love the menu, the frozen strawberry margaritas and of course the fabulous location. I wish they would serve Coke instead of Pepsi but hey, that's a small item. I've been coming here since 1985 and will keep coming! read more

Amazing food with incredible views Service was okay! Would definitely check it out again read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

Service was bad on my visit to this place. I waited for one hour and a half and still food was not ready. I decided it to walk out. Bad customer service. read more

We were so lucky to have Marcus today! He was attentive, friendly, and gave us great service! All other wait staff was very dismissive. Thank you, Marcus!! read more

Isabel was the greatest hostess ever. She took photos of me and my dinner guest. She took care of our every need and want. Please visit her and El Torito sometime! read more

El Torito - View from best table in Monterey' - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

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Visited for breakfast and overall pleasant experience! Our server Andres treated us well, provided good service and that made the experience that much better. The food was also good, we will definitely be going back soon to enjoy the breakfast and ocean view. read more

The food is decent. The views are perfect if you get an ocean view seat. The Sunday brunch used to be better, they kept the expensive price but lowered the quality a bit. The staff seem over worked but they do appear to be trying their best. read more

I came here a while ago and this experience still stays with me. I was in a party of 6 (me included) and we all came in to dine in. The food was mediocre but it was not the worst. What made the experience so bad was what happened after we asked for our bill. The manager came up to our table and said "Did our new server do good" and we were like "yeah of course". The manager then went "Good enough for a 20% tip?". HELLO??? WHAT ?? It made everyone so uncomfortable and we were already planning on tipping , but we all just sat there awkwardly. We were all like "we guess" and the manager WROTE IN the tip on our check. Absolutely terrible and embarrassing thing to do as a manager. We will never go here again, it is such a bad look for this place. read more

5-star view - We really enjoyed sitting in the booth by the windows. Gorgeous ocean views. I'll recommend coming in the day at lunch hour to see the clear water and birds flying nearby. 5-star location - on Cannery row itself, it's in a prime location with an added plus of having its own parking lot. 5-star service- very accommodating for making reservations on the phone. Waiter we had here was pleasant too. 4-star drinks - unique strawberry cilantro soda, star berry lemonade, and delightful mango lemonade. 3-star food - Large portions but mediocre mexican food. More of a Tex-Mex style. read more

My wife and I visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium yesterday morning. After a long couple hours with our toddler we were hungry and saw this location at a walking distance from the aquarium. My wife had visited this chain before and said the food was ok, not authentic Mexican food but not bad tasting either, so we decided to eat there. To begin, the parking lot entrance gives you a ticket (which you can validate inside of the restaurant) but the exit gate is completely open. Why have a ticketing system if it doesn't work as intended? We walked into the restaurant at exactly 1 pm, and although it was busy, it was nothing extraordinary. The hostess told us it would be a 25 minute wait so we decided to wait for a table (half the restaurant's tables were empty, but we thought perhaps they were short staffed). There's a restroom right next to the chairs they set up for waiting so make sure to not sit right next to the busy door. It was finally our turn to be seated (notified through a text message) but they make you get in line again as if you had just entered the restaurant. A couple of ladies cut off my wife while she was approaching the hostess and tried to get seated before us, even though we had been waiting 10 minutes longer than them (they also sat a group of 5 before us, even though we were also there before them). Once we were seated we noticed there were 3 empty tables in front of us and a high table behind us as well. All those 4 tables got filled within 5 minutes of us sitting down. We asked for a children's menu and after 15 minutes of waiting I had to stand up and ask the hostess, still standing at the front desk for that menu and some water for my 3 year old and my pregnant wife (considering the other tables had already placed their orders). The manager heard this and sent a waiter right away to help us. By this point we already knew what we wanted to order, since it was already 2 pm and we didn't even have water. Fast forward 30 minutes and we had finished the small basket of chips and salsa and our lemonades and nothing about our food. The manager kept circling around us, but never approached us to check in on us. The four tables that were empty when we entered were once again empty since they had all finished their meals and left, while we were still waiting for our food (the water cups never arrived). We were done with this, so I stood up and asked the waiter that was helping us (an older gentleman) to bring me my bill for the only thing we had received which was the drinks he didn't even pause to listen to me. As soon as he heard the word "bill" he walked away from me and went to the kitchen to check in on my food even though I had told him we wanted to leave. Again, the manager was standing nearby yet he never approached us during our 90 minute wait. The waiter then came out and the kitchen man brought our food to us and asked out loud if we still wanted our food, to which my wife said "I guess so" since we did not want it to be thrown away. We orderer two small dishes and my daughter's appetizers. No special requests. Afterwards, the waiter came to apologize and made up an excuse which I now realize made no sense, since all he said was "you know they're in there cooking food" and I sure hope they are, since that's what they're supposed to be doing right? He then brought the bill over, $76. I did leave a tip and did not ask for any discounts, or anything like that. When I took out my card to pay, the manager then approached me and in an odd tone asked if everything had been alright, as if he had not been standing there, looking at us wait for our order for over an hour and a half. I scoffed and said "sure, it was fine". When I looked up he was already gone walking around with his iPad. I cannot stress this enough, this was single handedly the worst experience at a restaurant I have ever had. If I would have known it would take them that long to help us, by the time our food arrived to our table we would have already been back home in San Jose and I could have cooked a meal for my family myself. I absolutely do not recommend this place to anyone. I will deter people from going here and I would gladly suggest stopping at a fast food chain on the highway or even getting a gas station hot dog over this business. read more

Cres helped us out and he was very attentive. Enjoyed the food and atmosphere. Would come back again.

We enjoy coming here, the views are exceptional and the service is always great. Please be advised that the waiting time to get seated can often be lengthy, we waiting over 20 minutes, we were seated brought drinks and chips within seconds, however it has been 70 minutes and we are still waiting for our food. We asked for it to go and we are still waiting... read more

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Extra star for the beautiful view. The place has its own gated parking lot with validation. Our waitress was nice and checked on us often. The food quality was poor. The steak looks like it's from one of those premade individually wrapped pre sliced meat packages from the store. Otherwise it was old steak. read more

El Torito - View - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

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I love this place so much !!! The sizzling enchiladas and chili verde are second to none . The sauce should be outlawed !!! The service is always top notch !!! The drinks will never disappoint. It's always clean and the views are exceptional !!! read more

Big sign in parking lot saying pets welcome. Website says pets welcome. Went to restaurant and hostess said no they do not allow pets and have no patio or outside area to sit patrons with pets. At that point really doesn't matter if the food is decent or not. Was kind of dark and not inviting atmosphere. Was quite ok with leaving to find an actual pet friendly establishment. read more

Understaffed, unclean, and poor quality food. Do not eat here. Every surface is sticky and just entirely unappealing.

Stopped in for lunch. I had a Taco salad requested NO taco shell or strips. It still had taco strips mixed in so hard to remove. Had unusual ingredient of Pine Nuts. They were not mentioned on the menu or I missed them. I would have passed on them in this salad My usual taste test for a Mexican restaurant is a Chile Relleno. My sister had that and it was superb. Nicely done My wife had tortilla soup. It was thick and filling. It was a little sweet for my taste. Service was good by Omar. I would ask for him again Now the ambiance.... Their windows look out over Monterrey Bay. With this location it was hard to eat Great place to go for lunch read more

I hate writing bad reviews because of how much I love it here... Sadly my guests and I were disappointed.. Service was and excuse my French was a shit show.. I was a restaurant manager for 8 years and I haven't received service like this in a really long time.. I get it if our server was the only guy on the floor taking care of tables but that wasn't the case. They had a full serving staff and service was so poor. We had ordered our dinner and waited about 20-30 min for our food. Our food was brought to us with piping hot plates but everyone's food was lukewarm.. My dish was just stone cold. No one wanted to send there's back but I couldn't trust cold food. I tried flagging my server down and completely ignored me. Finally either a busser or another sever noticed I needed something and took my dish back.. Everyone else finished there food but I never got mine back till I had asked for it. My dish was still COLD and had no flower tortillas on it that I had asked for. I would greatly appreciate upper management to contact me. I don't think I will ever be back. This saddens me and was a true disappointment. Maybe in the near feature I will give this place another try but for right now they have lost a valuable guest... read more