Forgot our chips. Drinks were okay but not strong. Food was served cold. Took a long time

The food was "ok". But the busboy was exceptional. When our soup was served, we were given plasticware, which is not what we expected. We had to ask our waitress to bring us real spoons. The busboy got them quickly; he worked very hard, bussing the tables near us as well as running around to get our spoons, water, etc. The waitress never asked if we would like additional margaritas when we were done. Oh well. read more

Mediocre service at best, paired with bland, disappointing food. I had to send back two dishes because of an unappetizing odor, and unfortunately, the food I did keep wasn't much better. Would not recommend. read more

Service and drinks were great! Poncho the bartender was spot on with drinks and very personable!

Me and my party had the worst experience Saturday night. First, The older waitress with curly hair, took 2 out of 6 orders and drinks, left and never came to ask for everyone else's order. Leaving 4 of us waiting for any type of service. We had to get up and search for someone to come take our drink order, and eventually the drinks came out. No one asked for our food order so we sat there and eventually ended up leaving to go somewhere else to eat. The manager was rude, un attentive wait staff. It was such an uncomfortable experience. Save your self the headache and find a better spot to eat at. You'll be waiting a long time and for rude service at that. read more

Amazing experience and ThE BEST VALUE in Monterey. My husband used to eat here long time ago and had happy memories of his time at El Torito. So on a recent trip he wondered whether the restaurant was still there. We looked online and we headed over. The restaurant has oceanfront dining and free validated parking on their lot right in front of the restaurant. On Sunday we had a wonderful and great value brunch for $40 per person that included all you can eat AND endless mimosas!!!!! The buffet had a very large selection of Mexican food, that included pozole, menudo, chilaquiles, tacos, gorditas, quesadillas fritas, flan, arroz, con leche, pastel de piña, pastel de zanahoria, enchiladas, verdes, rojas, machaca, mole, arroz, frijoles, agua, chile, cóctel de camarón, frutas, ensaladas, omelette, huevos, revueltos, pan francés, Waffles, café de olla, coffee, tea, and many more choices. We waited for 30 minutes to get seated. Regarding accessibility, the entrance to the restaurant is accessible, and they have an accesible bathroom by the entrance to the restaurant. Monday through Friday they also have happy hour and in their advertisement they showed 4 dollars for a glass of wine!!!! plus some very inexpensive appetizers. read more

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Disgusting place to eat at!! First off my daughter's lemonade tasted like tap water with lemonade syrup!! The salsa is super watery!!! They serve dirty plates!!! And the avocado was super Salty and so were the fajitas!!! I complained to the manager Rosalia! And all she could do was point fingers to the server! Never an apology or at least offer a discount! Unacceptable customer service! Do not eat here! read more

This restaurant was horrible. We waited 50 minutes to get a table and then had the waitress tells us she couldn't locate my name. They processed to give us an ugly table against the wall, I asked if we could sit by the window but was told they were reserved for others, and our food didn't arrive until we complained because 4 tables that came after got their food before us. read more

Isabel Greeting was with a big smile very nice was always on it to serve ya and still with a big smile read more

Customer service . Food ok but when I asked this waiter with Jesus Christ crucified tattoo, he was rude. Also the waitress tip herself 20%, people be aware of this. Not coming back read more

If you go here and see how dirty it is and after stay to eat your are nasty. This place was so dirty from the silverware to the table the waiter brought us some sauce spilled it on the table and didn't clean until we asked and even then used our own napkins to half ass clean it. read more

The food was overcooked, all dishes were like a Mexican goulash. We barely ate any of our platters, and walked away with acid indigestion for what we did eat. Removal of flies on the windows, and the price for such lousy food and a horrible ambiance is a joke. No doggie bags for us let alone our dogs. read more

This place is so filthy, it is decorated with bird poo on the windows and when we sat down there was a spider the size of my hand! There's grime on the window sills and the food has a frozen chemical taste. Would not come again. There were also bits of leftover food on the cups, plates, and silverware. My brother's eczema flared up after being in here for 10 minutes, and the place made me so sticky. read more

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This used to be one of our favorite spots (for a chain place to eat). We went there this past week and it was disgustingly dirty, sticky seats floors and the restrooms were as dirty as a construction site blue shitter. The first person to seat us was clueless, the second was quick and helpful. The food, simple chicken tacos tasted like they had an entire lime tree on them soaked in salt. Waiter was nice and prompt. Disappointed, not the El Torito's we used to know. Spend some money on the place and restore it back to what i once was. read more

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

The service was AMAZING!! Cres was very attentive and constantly checking in to make sure our experience was superb. By far the best server in the establishment. read more

Terrible service 40 min wait for cold food to be served to us. And lack of service. Wasn't crowded.

Pretty disappointing experience overall. The food was overly salty and not very enjoyable. Service was also lacking servers (Wendy T) seemed annoyed and unprofessional. We were told we couldn't split the bill, but apparently that has to be requested at the beginning, which no one told us. There was also a random surcharge on the receipt that wasn't explained. The biggest issue was cleanliness. The restroom had no soap, and we had to ask staff and wait for it to be refilled just so I could wash my hands. The only positive was the person who brought out our food, they were kind and polite. Overall, I wouldn't return or recommend this place. read more

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

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Service. We had to ask multiple times for multiple things while reminding the young man. The issue was that the food runner was asked to bring us something. The waitress was no where to be found. I had to get up myself and go into the kitchen to ask for what we needed. I think communication between wait staff and food runners could improve operation. 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

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

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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

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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

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

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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

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

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

I would say the food is not very good since the one near me is much better than this one. Another thing i was upset about was there was no buffet which i kind of feel disappointed about since many other toritos do have it. I have no problem with the staff since they were all nice but my experience with this place was not worth it. read more

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

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

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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

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

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 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

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

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So very disappointed in El Torito my husband and I have been coming here for years and unfortunately within the last year the service and quality has declined. The food used to be so good and as of late it's not at all. The restaurant used to be so enjoyable to sit in and enjoy the view but not anymore - there are flies inside along the windows, the floors are dirty and the waiters hardly acknowledge customers that's they've waited in several times before. So disappointing. read more