Went for a family birthday here. I'm not sure if this place is understaffed, but a lot of our food was not delivered to us, or was delivered incorrectly. We had a big party and were in a room with 2 other big parties, while the rest of the restaurant was also quite full, so I have a feeling there was just a lot going on for everyone working there. I never got my water, my husband got a Diet Coke instead of a regular coke, my brother in law was given enchiladas instead of a quesadilla, and my sister in law was given an incorrect drink order and had to order another one. Just a lot of little mistakes that were odd. Food was decent, but we probably won't be back. read more

This place is not worth it. Very poor quality mexican food for high prices. The waitress working the 2 tables next to us said a very rude comment to me as well about the way I was biting into my food - maybe the fajita steak was overdone and chewy? I had the margarita flight which tasted like juice and had zero alcohol in it. We then ordered the queso dip and it tasted like microwaved velveeta cheese with some tomatoes thrown on it. The chips are NOT FRESH. Very stale and probably store bought. We then had the carne asada burrito as a chimichanga. It was very soggy. Stuffed with pinto beans. Tasted more like a soggy bean burrito with few pieces of meat. I had the steak fajitas - sour cream was $2 extra and didn't come with cheese. The steak was over cooked and chewy. Bell peppers weren't fully cooked. The plate wasn't even steaming when coming out. We then had the fried ice cream which was still frozen solid in the center we had to wait for it to soften more. It was covered in nasty corn flakes instead of graham cracker crust. Kids quesadilla was just a tortilla with cheese and zero flavor. Paid $136 for horrible food. read more

We cane in just for drinks. Took a minute to be seated but the bartender made up for it with the drinks. Strong and well made. I had my usual tequila( reposado) don julio with ginger beer. Wife and brother/ sister guava margaritas. Good service at the bar read more

Service was horrible. Food was disgusting. Ordered some drinks and never received them, apparently she "forgot" to place the order. Ridiculous. Don't waste your time or money here!!!! read more

Disappointed with El Torito Monterey 10-6,2026, bad service & two stars on food plus we had to paid a service charge of 5% just to walk in and seat down at the restaurant. Draft Beer was flat as a pancake read more

Cres did a great job and the service was excellent and genuine. Easter brunch was quite the spread. read more

Had the most amazing lunch at El Torito in Monterey! Great views, amazing service by Aliana, and super tasty on fire fajitas! The strawberry margarita was just what I needed! Such a great place to come and have a nice business lunch! Lesly the assistant manager, was checking on all the tables and offering amazing customer service also! Looking forward to coming back soon! read more

El Torito - FAJITAS COMBO - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

I came here for dinner on a Saturday night and it was SO busy. We were told it would be a 45-minute wait for 2 people around 7pm, however the bar area was available first come, first serve if space was open. Luckily, we snagged two stools and enjoyed our meal there. The bartender was excellent- very attentive and quick to wait on us. He warned us there was going to be a wait for food. It ended up taking an hour to get our meal. We finally asked about our food and by some miracle, the bartender went to check and returned about 10 minutes later with our meal. It felt like our food had been forgotten about. The food was excellent, though. I loved their spicy skinny margaritas. The chips and salsa were great. My only complaint is how long our food took without any update while waiting. This is an established restaurant- they should have their rush times figured out with the kitchen to avoid further delays. Great location on the water and parking available right on site. read more

El Torito - SIZZLING ENCHILADAS - GRILLED CHICKEN - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

Service is super slow . With some waiters . Chicken tacos. When I received them they were cold. The food sucked . Service sucked . Don't recommend this place . A homeless man would love it but a food connoisseur thinks it's shit . read more

The only good thing about this restaurant is the view. Service was awful and everything took forever. I had ordered fajitas and my food was cold before I was finally able to get my tortillas to eat it. I also ordered guacamole as an appetizer and they only brought it to me after I got my food. I have been here before and we got told they had plenty of space over the phone, and then when we got there, they told us we had to wait half an hour for a table even though the restaurant was empty. Don't go here there are better options across the street. read more

I have eaten here several times before, but not for some time. I am sad to say that the food was okay, but the building needs TLC and the staff needs training. Maybe they were short staffed, but we had to ask for almost everything, including silverware after the food arrived. Management must get it together. We were disappointed. read more

We sat at the bar on a Friday night for happy hour. They have great drink and food specials. The service was very slow. They give you free chips and salsa. We ordered the steak tacos and the MAHI tacos. The steak tacos are 4 mini hard shell tacos. The MAHI are three soft shell tacos with slaw with a heavy mayo flavor sauce. Many tables have window views. Happy hour is only in the cantina, which does include some high top bar tables and the bar. You get a ticket when you enter parking lot. They validate 2 hours of parking. read more

See all

This was the first time we visited El Torito... we made a reservation beforehand through opentable, and the pictures there were quite compelling. But as soon as we got there, we understood that it was not what we imagined... unfortunately, we did not like ANYTHING in this place ... First of all, we requested a specific seating when we made a reservation and even called once again to confirm that we would get that seating, but upon arrival we were told we should wait.. and after waiting they put us in a wrong place.. The inside was old and worn out.. it was very noisy as well. The food was not impressive at all. It was quite greasy... overall, we had bad experience and even left without finishing our food. read more

See all

What an amazing find!!! A local treasure! We've been coming to Monterey for years and finally decided to try this restaurant!!! From the minute we were seated to finishing the meal - everything went so well! Our server was quite hospitable offering drinks, appetizer and anything else we needed! So accommodating! After being served the salsa and chips - We went straight to the meals ! Two meals - the 3 meat fajita dish ( steak, shrimp and chicken) and the 3 steak soft tacos! The meat were cooked right, tasty, well sautéed! The bowl of beans and the corn cake were so delicious - I ate both orders of these side dishes! The tortillas were soft and warm - perfect for wrapping the meat with! Then we were served ice cream for our birthday celebration! This has now become an easy winner for Monterey dinners! read more

See all

We went for a Sunday brunch. The food was delicious. There were so many options. Mimosas are included in the price. There are reviews saying the food wasn't good but I wad pleasantly surprised at the food being flavorful and well seasoned. I would absolutely go back when I am in Monterey. read more

So sad this restaurant seems to be getting worse every year... Servers are not trained in hospitality nor customer service. Don't expect good service when eating there. read more

This place deserves a way higher rating because it has the best happy hour in Monterey and probably the most affordable sit-down ocean-front view you can find in the area. I usually get the carne asada fries or the tacos. My best tip is to get the margarita flight- especially during happy hour!!! You get 3 drinks and they're all soo good. I think it's like $10 or something during happy hour. You could definitely just get that + appetizers and share it, their portions are big. If you sign up for the Xperience rewards you can get super good rewards too, like a free entree for your bday month. When I came in for my birthday reward, they also brought out complimentary flan, and I don't always like flan but this one was super good. read more

El Torito - Margarita flight - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

Isabel the server very attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable about her duties and the food was good will definitely return her as our server read more

Without fail the hostess makes a mistake. I said 3 at the bar, she peaks at the bar area and tells us 10-15min. Then when it's to be seated she tells a server to seat us in the restaurant area so as I was watching two different groups are seated at the bar. No reason to make a fuss because this happens all the time but for some reason the husband loves this place rather than local Mexican restaurants and it's his choice for dinner. So I opted for happy hour. Pretty good deals for the price for mediocre Mexican food. It's a tourist trap since it's along cannery row with the view of the ocean, but at night what view is there? read more

Do not come here during holidays/events. Gets very messy, people waiting outside in parking lot for hrs. Peoples reservations being cancelled or pushed back by an hr plus. Unorganized, poorly managed. Food is good (7/10) but definitely not worth the wait. read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

See all

Beautiful view, unfortunately ordered chicken nachos, but apparently they forgot the chicken. I would think twice before eating here again.

The food, service, ambiance and waiting time could be improved. It took nearly an hour to receive food that didn't meet my expectations. The cleanliness and upkeep of bathroom/tables should be taken into consideration. I think this place with the right management has the potential to be a great restaurant. read more

Right on the water with its own parking lot.. no need to search for street parking. Sits this delicious Mexican place. I absolutely loved their food it was so delicious. Everyone was friendly and food came out super quick. I loved their seating by the windows with amazing sea views you can even spot some otters. I know there's lots of places to eat around this area but give them a try. read more

See all

10:38 9:32 norcal food reviews Message pretty sure this place is a chain so was really surprised to find actually good chain mexican food. the chips and salsa were fire. i feel like this was a really good salsa with a good little kick to it. not overwhelmingly spicy. my mom got the chicken tacos with beans, rice, and cornbread. most meals come with the cornbread which is really good. i wish there weren't such big corn pieces but flavor was great. nice and sweet. the tacos themselves were good and even better with a spicy salsa. the chicken was cooked well, juicy, and full of flavor. she asked for refried beans and was given whole beans which are just never all that. the rice also had flavor that we all enjoyed. could balance of tomato flavor and chicken bouillon. the enchilada and tamale plate is a lot better than it looks. the tamale had a salsa that was really yummy and unique. if it didn't have the salsa the tamale would be so dry and lacking flavor because it's mostly masa and barely any filling. the salsa saves it. i can't even describe the flavor. it's somewhat sweet but just so subtly and not in a disgusting way. th enchilada sauce was also good and my favorite thing we tried. it just hit the spot and was a well done enchilada. the refried beans were good and had good flavor that i really enjoyed. andy wasn't a huge fan of the birria tacos. i didn't try them so can't give my thoughts but he thought flavor was SERIOUSLY lacking. the kids pizza didn't look amazing, but my nephew really liked it. the fries were good and were seasoned well and perfectly crispy on the outside while still being soft on the inside. i'm glad they weren't the typical plain fry. the chicken tenders were so dense, hard, and solid. seriously not good and soo dry. my daughter kept choking trying to eat the tiny bites. she loves the broccoli on the other hand even though it could've been cooked a little longer. the staff was friendly and attentive. it was really busy on a saturday and the employees were going back and forth to makes sure the guests were enjoying everything. read more

El Torito - chicken tacos - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

My husband and I visited El Torito in Monterey, since we were vacationing there. I called the restaurant at 8:45 P.M. and asked if they were open. I was told they were. We were not sure if the parking lot was open and we were told they could give us complimentary parking. We went in and were told they were closed and then they let us in when we told them we were told that we could get served. The ambiance was comfortable and nice looking. Our waiter brought us the guacamole bowl, where it is made at the table. We asked why it was not made at the table and were told that they ran out of avocados. We mentioned that we did not want to pay for something that we did not receive, which he did not say anything about. My husband enjoyed the large chicken salad but my spinach enchiladas were not tasty and I did not like them. We also did not receive our corn fritters and he said they were out of them. I asked to see if he could ask the chef. He came back with two of them, which we thanked him for. We did not enjoy the service and did not enjoy my dish. The waiter charged us for a small guacamole, which we thought was fair. We won't be going back. read more

Great views and a great price for the Cannery Row area of Monterey. Our server was kind but they were really busy so we didn't get a ton of attention. The food was fine but not my top for Mexican food. Great drinks though (we tried the Mojito sampler and liked that). Cool old building as well. I'd go back. read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

I felt the buffet had limited options and wasn't super friendly for non-fluent Spanish speakers as the folks you order the tacos from speak mostly Spanish and everyone else in line is speaking Spanish. Otherwise, the beans were really salty and were not too fun to eat but I did enjoy the yogurt and the waffles. Not worth the price point for the buffet though as again, limited options for what there is. The tables were a tad sticky as well but service was nice. read more

We've walked past this place for years, never peaking inside because we assumed it would be too crowded for our little one with ASD. We finally had a huge craving for Mexican food yesterday, and wow! We're so glad we went in. The staff were so sweet, kind, and understanding of kids with special needs. They sat us at a window with a beautiful view of the bay, but with lots of open space for baby bear to feel safe. The food was amazing! We ordered birria tacos, shrimp enchiladas, the two item combo, and the "autism special" aka "chicken nuggets asap." Everyone loved their food, especially dad. The green sauce on the enchiladas is to die for! We would like to thank our server, and the hostesses especially, for going the extra mile and really taking care of us. Definitely coming back. This place is one hundred percent good vibes in every possible way. read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

See all

The best service. Thank you Carlos for the birthday wishes. Drinks and apps were so filling. read more

El Torito - Bartender Carlos!!! - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

See all

I haven't been here in about 10 years. I remember the food being so good! But I went there last week and the food was nasty. The salsa that came with "chips and salsa" was salty. My husband ordered chiles verde enchiladas the salsa on the outside of the enchiladas was super spicy, the chicken that was inside the enchiladas was the cube kind you buy a Walmart frozen section and they had red Salsa in them... come on!!! Green enchiladas with red chile chicken filling? That's a no no. I got the shrimp Enchiladas Soo salty couldn't even eat them. The waiter was no where To be found. I had to ask the bartender if he can ask the waiter for my check. He was so nice. Even bought us to go boxes and a bag but we weren't taking nothing to go LOL! But that was nice of him. I don't know if there was a new management that Took over but this el toritos that I know before is no longer. The menu is so simple yet nothing looks or sounds good. Sorry but I will no longer come here anymore. read more

Pancho was amazing, outstanding service ,very meticulous, friendly and I don't know what else to say. He is amazing.

The food is not that appealing to me..this restaurant used to be good so I don't know what happened since the dishes do not look fresh to me. read more

I felt like i came at a bad time. I food was mediocre. After what took 15 minutes I ordered the queso dip and it has no flavor. The mini tacos were suppose to be steak and chicken more like beans and ground beef. The waiter was trying to be nice but the service lacked. I complained but it did me no good. Just don't go alone on a Friday night read more

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

See all

Food was delicious and Daniels service was wonderful! We stop here every time we are in town. Great margaritas! View isn't bad either!

Lots of options everything was delicious. Besides the food the best part is the ocean view. Comes with unlimited mimosas, our server just kept on refilling our glass. Good service. read more

See all

Disgusting. Rice was crunchy. Sizzling enchiladas disgusting. The only good thing was the tiny piece of sweet corn cake on the plate. Service; not attentive. read more

The place was busy and it had an awesome view, but we had a table in the middle of the room so couldn't take advantage of it. The server was nice but she didn't get much help, so we had to wait a long awhile for our food and drinks. Felt really bad for her bc there were 3 young guys standing around at the hostess area talking and hanging out while only 2 servers running around getting orders and food for our bar area. The prices for the happy hour were great, the food looked good, but unfortunately it didn't taste good. The fish tacos were rubbery and the birria tacos were bland. The carne asada fries were soggy and the wings were overly smothered with sauce. My kids didn't like it except for the chips and guacamole. Had to pack most of it up to take home and fix it to make it edible. The margaritas were a good deal tho. It's definitely a good place to go for 2 ppl sitting at the window spot looking out at the waters drinking cheap margaritas! Just don't eat anything, maybe just the chip and guacamole ;) Be warned that they add on a 4% charge for being there! It's on the menu but written very small and the place is so dark you want even see it!! read more

See all

Walking in the host was nowhere to be found, after she came out (maybe 3 mins) she sat us down and everything went fine. Our server was not attentive at all. I think we seen the food runner more times than we seen our server. While we waiting for a refill on our drink we seen her at the host stand, standing there talking to the host before she came over. 6-7 mins without a refill. Besides that, the food was delicious! Everything was good from beginning to end. The margaritas also very good. The views from the tables by the window are immaculate. Another thing when I made my reservation on OpenTable I put in the notes I was celebrating a birthday. There was no acknowledgment from any staff about it so I just didn't mention it, what's the point of the notes if the staff doesn't care? read more

El Torito - Window view - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

Came here on a whim and the food was delicious! Wait staff was kind and attentive. We would definitely come back! read more

El Torito - Chicken street tacos, sizzling enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

I'm not sure why all the negative reviews but I had a good dinner here with my family. Reservation was easily done same day on their website. We showed up and were seated promptly. I made a note requesting a table by the window but was prepared to not get one since it was a Saturday night and lots of people were out. We were in luck with and got a great booth by the window and got to watch seals swimming throughout dinner. The staff were very kind in grabbing a high chair for my baby and we got drinks quickly. My husband enjoyed his margarita. For entrees I got the chicken fajitas and my husband got a burrito. The chicken was cooked a little on the dry side but the marinade was tasty. I like the corn tortillas they use and the beans and rice were flavorful. The portion size was generous and I ended up taking leftovers home. This place is very kids friendly as there were lots of tables with small children. I didn't see a kids menu though. They have their own parking lot here and lots of indoor seating for groups. I would consider the food here more tex mex. Tasty, but not authentic Mexican. It was a really convenient dinner spot as we were staying on cannery row. Service was great, thank you! read more

El Torito - Chicken fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California