3 stars, for the food, it was good. The service was good but the resturant was a filthy mess? The window's INSIDE were a mess and we visited the place on March 10 about 12pm? Lots of trash out the front door too? Yucky! read more

So I normally don't write bad reviews, but I just really feel the need to express my experience at this restaurant. My husband and I came here for lunch because we each had a taste for Mexican. We showed up around 1pm in which we waited a good 5mins for the hostess to acknowledge us as she was having a conversation with one of her coworkers while another group just stood in front of the podium doing and saying nothing. Finally they let us know they had just finished up brunch and let us know that regular lunch would be another 30min wait. We decided to leave for the 30mins and come back. Once we got back the hostess tells us there's a 20min wait for a table and proceeds to put our name on the list. We ended up going down to the bar which was pretty much open with no wait which I wish the hostess would have told us from the beginning. We ordered a few drinks which were pretty good, but once the chips and salsa came out there was sticker label in the actual salsa...gross! We let the bartender know and he just grabs it and brings out a new one without really acknowledging that this is completely unsanitary and unacceptable. The food was okay, but definitely overpriced for what we got and the lack of decent customer service. I give the two stars because like I said, the drinks were good and the parking was easy. However, I don't think I'll be back and would recommend checking out other places if you're in the area. read more

Ordered pickup. Waited 25 minutes past the pickup time. They were out of guacamole and said to call the website to get a credit on my credit card. We got back to the room and found we had a cold soggy plain cheese quesadilla instead of a chicken quesadilla. We called the phone number on the website and the mailbox is full and nobody answers. read more

We always come here when we're in Monterey! This time you could tell they had made improvements to their food chain quality. The ingredients were fresher - like noticeably fresher like they changed food suppliers! It was really really good food! Really fresh ingredients! I had the tortilla soup and I loved it! I rarely eat meat, maybe a nibble here or there so I just left the chicken in the bowl My diet is vegan 90% of the time and 10% of it is wild card. Again, everything was insanely fresh. They free chips and salsa were overflowing and you can tell that they're made in house fresh fresh fresh! My hubby had some sort of fajitas nachos or something which he said were amazing and they had some fancy ingredients like pickeled jalapeño etc they were not basic. The server was super friendly and was cool with my son ordering a custom dish and still only charged him a kids meal price! (He wanted chips with cheese and sour cream ) Is like to see them have some more vegetarian based dishes - like a vegetarian taco I couldn't find any on the menu. I can't get over their fun blended margarita flavors! The blackberry tasted so yummy and contrasted the spicy well! I actually only started drinking again last fall and aside from the empty bad calories I'm consuming and the known fact that alcohol lowers your vibration / the flavors of enjoying a fun bev are enticing! It tastes so yummy I don't care - I've had the pomegranate margarita previously and it was like candy for me! Addictive. I want to give them an extra star just because the views! We requested an over water window booth and wow! We saw sail boats and sea lions playing in the water, starfish on the rocks! It was so beautiful, kayakers and kelp - seagulls and sea waves - well, except the fire across the bay - but it looked like they were putting it out ‍ it is fire season after all. We did not have to wait long and they had coloring stuff for the kids and did not hate on my toddler who was particularly excited about the views - like screaming from excitement they didn't judge when he felt the need to run some wiggles out either. Love this place and that is why we come every single time we visit Monterey! The only negative would be the bathroom was yucky, it had a wait as they only had one single all gender and family restroom for everyone... that was odd and they could do a really deep deep deep clean of the restaurant- lighten it up a bit and bring in that bright fun Oceanside feelings indoors! read more

The view on Monterrey Bay is stunning from inside El Torito, chk that, majestic; perched right off a rocky shoal, the combination of wind, waves, colors and the sheer expanse both excite and thrill, but there's more, something dangerous, something primordial abt the hidden deepness and churning surface... For El Torito all of this is a gift that keeps on giving, it enjoys a prime location and there isn't a whole lot immediately around. Logistics and pragmatism fill parking spots as much as a hankering for quesadillas, that and prices here are affordable. | I had hoped this location would step it up a notch. It does not, but that should not detur you. The view is guaranteed, maybe that's the lift you need. Like a hotdog at the ballpark, sometimes its just better because its here. The wrap around wall of windows is a priceless asset. Otherwise, the inside is very much like every other El Torito - weathered wood decorated with the occassional spanish accent, splashes of Corona and Cuervo on the walls. WIN - prompt service, drinks, chips and salsa came quickly (warm fresh chips/delicious), our waiter Sergio was friendly to a fault, and that alone made up for the other service shortcomings. Manager also checked in to make sure we were happy. LOSE - long wait...30 minutes...my fajita came missing the signature sizzeling steam...just a hot plate, tortillas came 3 minutes later, veggies were over sizzled, sides of rice and beans were good, overall tasted good. VIEW: 5/5 - one of California's most spectacular views - crashing waves, diving cormorants, dueling seagulls, the occasional sea otter, seal, whale - endless sea fulk of mystery braced by an pearl blue sky, white beaches hover on the horizon... AMBIANCE: 3/5 - View aside, the indoors comes together well; comfortable, a number of rooms so to speak - booths are of good size, wonderfully tall/wide windows - people all around have that vacation sensibility, positive vibes - decor is typical welcoming, if typical worn Mexican flare...could use updating WHAT DID YOU HAVE: 3/5 Chips and Salsa - Delicious, chips were served warm, salsa was fresh Chicken Fajita w/green peppers, onions, sides of re-fried beans and Mexican rice 3/5 - very tasty, nice large pieces of chicken, vegetables were a little over done but still flavorful - negative, warm, not steaming, not sizzling, neighbor received two steaming/sizzling fajitas SERVICE: 4/5 - Wait time - Can't complain, they said 45 minutes and it was exactly that - Server - Sergio was super kind and very accommodating, smiled the whole way, he basically saved it, so going 4 starz - Server - delivered my non-sizzling fajita, I called her out when my neighbor's rec. theirz 2 seconds later all steaming and sizzeling, made mine look bad. SUMMARY: The view of Monterery Bay from El Torito is second to none, makes it all good. El Torito should step it up though in terms of service. read more

El Torito - Dude's hairy bagel photobombs my chip pic. - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

See all

Worst dinner I have had in years !!! Had reservations and got in on time. Once we were sat at our table we were told they are short on silverware and they would hunt some down. Ordered drinks and chips & salsa to start, wife's drink didn't resemble anything near the description in the menu and chips were a basket of crumbs no way possible to eat with salsa. Placed our order with our waiter 20 minutes later he came back and told us he went to check on the food and the kitchen lost the order so he placed it again and would comp my wife's chicken Cesar salad for the wait. Both dinners arrived and NO chicken on the wife's Cesar and my steak fajita tacos were mostly onions both cooked & raw. When the waiter finally brought us the check the Cesar salad we were told that would be comped was on the check. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR $$$, a lot better places in town to eat. read more

Doordash and UberEats already charge an arm and a leg for all the extra fees on top of what we pay for the mediocre food. After waiting over an hour for an appetizer and two desserts, the real cherry on top was opening up the bag and realizing one of the desserts was missing and the one they were kind enough to send had literal trash baked into it. I wish this place actually cared about the food they serve to customers. read more

El Torito - Trash baked into the Cheesecake Banana Chimichanga that I took out of my mouth - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

Husband and I came in here for a margarita and some chips and salsa, they were super busy but we scored two open seats at the bar. Bartender seemed overwhelmed but after sitting and watching him a few moments, he was slinging drinks left and right and was totally badass. He gave us happy hour prices when we were a bit early, strong drinks, got refills coming, and a big basket of chips and salsa without us having to ask. We were pleasantly surprised at how little our bill was, we left a good tip and we definitely will be back. Cant rate on the food, but the cadillac margaritas were bomb. read more

You know your food is microwaved when the plate comes out hotter then the food. What's worse is they said, "it was under the heat lap" This came after making a mistake on one of our orders which they were very rude in correcting. There wouldn't be any mistakes on orders either if they wrote them down instead of going off memory. read more

Well we were thinking Mexican food and but I wasn't expecting to wait for 40 mins when there were seating and just an breakfast buffet only until 2pm and we were there at 1030 so yeah to be told we could only have buffet meh left us wanting more do better! read more

The food was great, the margaritas were super tasty, and the view of the bay was superb!

We had a wedding here in the party patio very nice! The service is very good, the people that work there treat you great and help you through the event. There is a host there the whole time. The food was very good, hand made tortillas . Have no words to explain how good everything is here! read more

While sitting at the bar, many Nats flying all around the food. Asked waiter, he just place the food across the table, still nates flying on and around the food. I Will not go back there. Nice people, under staff felt sorry for them. read more

this restaurant has been here for a long long time long time lol only the second time in 20 years i've eaten here, outside seating, ocean view that comes with a cold wind, they did have outside heaters and had some nice warm sunshine, be prepared to be cold, food was good our waitress was very nice, the view is what makes this place attractive, you can almost imagine your in cancun with some margaritas and some coronas read more

See all

Although the food has improved since the COVID hysteria of 2020, they are regularly and grossly understaffed. When a customer walks into a restaurant and sees empty booth after empty booth on the window wall (the most desired place to sit) and is told that there is a 45 minute wait, you have staffing problems. Such a shame! My wife and I have been to El Torito at least 6 times, but have only actually sat down to eat on three of those occasions. The rest of the time we have turned around and left for somewhere else. Waiting 45 mins is understandable in some instances, but not when your dining room clearly has 7 to 10 four tops empty. read more

Went here for the first time despite the scary reviews. Food was actually pretty tasty and flavorful. Service, however was not so good. I think this place is understaffed- and that's the root cause of the lack of customer service. Too bad...probably not coming back anytime soon. read more

We ate at the El Torito in Monterey and our server was Danitza. She was one of the best servers we've had in a long time. She was friendly, informative, and very nice. She served our food quickly and efficiently and chatted with us, Just long enough to make us feel very welcome. El Torito is lucky to have her. Thank you Danitza. read more

We stopped by on a Thursday for an early dinner and it was great! Our waiter was very nice and we got seated with an ocean view. The food were good portions and tasty. We will be back on our next trip to Monterey. read more

I have been going to El Torito for many years. Last time I was there, we waited about 1 hour before getting seated. Have not been back until today. Decided to give it another chance And definitely regret it. Waiting 45 minutes just to get acknowledged by a host and still had to wait 10 minutes for a "Table to be ready" Monday night, very slow. Server was ok. Our appetizer got there about 1 hour later. Our appetizer plates had old food stuck on there. The soda cups were sooooo old and scratched full of water stains. You would figure a high-end place like this would atleast have clean dishes and somewhat newer China! Our found came out about 20 minutes after our appetizer. My steak was so cold, it was white from the inside and barley even cooked from the outside. It's as if they reheated old meat. The rice was hard. Will not be going back. Definitely do NOT recommend. Take your business elsewhere like The fish hopper! read more

It took 1.5 hours for El Torito to make us tacos. We ordered drinks then immediately ordered tacos vampiros, hoping for a midday snack that could hold us over until dinner. That was at 1:35pm. We sat under a rickety canopy (on a very windy day), finished our drinks, and we waited...and waited. We saw table after table receive their food. Then we saw tables that had arrived an hour after us receive their food. Our original waiter had gone on break and his replacement reassured us 5 times that our food was on the way. It wasn't on the way...not until 3pm when we literally lost our appetite. No discount was offered to us and our bill was $65 for 3 drinks and 4 tacos. We asked to speak to the manager but no one ever came. We put our food in boxes and left. I will never eat here again, which is a shame considering the drinks and food were good. I suggest anyone looking for a good place in Monterey to look elsewhere. El Torito does not deserve your money or your company. read more

We were smart and made a reservation. However we had to wait a bit later than our reservation. I used the restroom while we waited. Be warned you must go up the stairs for the restroom unless you are unable to use stairs. The stall I used did not have toilet paper. I must have bad luck choosing the stalls with no toilet paper. I used seat covers. For dinner we shared the chicken fajitas. I found them a bit dry. I ordered a Cadillac margarita which was delicious. However my husband ordered a Modelo Chelada. He said it had a weird taste. He is a drinker so I believe him. Especially since he left half of it. The service was excellent, read more

Waited for over and hour for our food. Nobody came to check on us, explain that the kitchen was backed up or let us know when our food would be out. When they did bring our food, it was 2/3 meals, with no mention of the 3rd. 10 minutes later came back to tell us that she was still waiting on the third meal. Food we did get was nothing to write home about. The manager did come over and apologized profusely and did give us a discount when he heard what I experience was. read more

El torito's is your standard round of the mill chain Mexican restaurant. It took about 20 minutes to be seated, which was expected considering it's in a high tourist area of Monterey. The restaurant itself was pretty busy, but I never really felt like we were overcrowded. Once seated, we were putting a booth that had more than enough room. We were helped almost immediately by our waiter who brought us water and took our drink orders. By the time he got back with our cocktails we were ready to order our food. The waiter was extremely courteous and professional. The cocktails we had tasted really good and were definitely worth the price, which wasn't that bad considering where we were at. I had a margarita flight that had four different varieties of margaritas, my wife had a watermelon sour candy shot, my son had their top shelf margarita and his girlfriend had the margarita flight as well. All of us enjoyed those drinks as they were well made and not too sweet and not too strong. As far as the food is concerned, it was pretty typical Mexican food with nothing spectacular about it. The entire table ordered the sour cream chicken enchiladas. They tasted good but nothing to write home about. Overall this restaurant was pretty good. Given where it is situated, there's good views of the bay and plenty of natural light if you go during the day. I don't think it's someplace that I wouldn't come back to, but the experience wasn't bad. read more

Had lunch there on Wednesday February 15, the food was terrible I had the berria Tacos they looked delicious on the menu picture but the actual tacos did not look as tempting poor choices do not order my wife had the shrimp tacos also not worth it the ocean view was great do not recommend. read more

We are so glad we stopped here to have a drink at the bar.. The bartender, Saul, was amazing. He is a true mixologist. My skinny Cadillac margarita and skinny jalapeño margarita were super yummy. My husband's Long Island and mojito were also very good. We are picky about our cocktails, so this was a wonderful experience. I cannot rate the food as all we had was chips and salsa. read more

My husband and I showed up at 6:20 pm. We were told it would be a 1 hour, 15 minute wait. So we came back at the appointed time. We were seated in the bar area. Guy took our orders and we sat there for 50 minutes. No food. No refilled water. He did come give us fresh chips but seriously? We finally decided to get up and leave. It was ridiculous. We walked out at 8:30 having only eaten chips and drank water. They only had the upstairs bathroom open that only has 2-3 stalls for all the people that were there. They must be short staffed because lots of tables were empty but the wait was so long to get a table. Turns out one of the bartenders was our "waiter." He was tending bar instead of tending to us. Will not go back. read more

My friend and I decided to visit Monterey for the day, on the day of the car show they had on Cannery Row. At first we had our mind set on going to another restaurant for dinner, but we decided to choose El Torito since it was conveniently close by. Waited 45 minutes for 2 people, and I'm so glad we waited. We ended up getting a table with the view of the water, and we were right next to the bar so we can easily get our happy hour drinks right there. Mind you that happy hour is only served at the bar, but if you're not sitting at the bar you can still order drinks then bring them to your table. I never caught our servers name but she was super nice and sweet, and I could tell she was busy with other tables but she still made sure we had everything we needed. The food was also very tasty. I would most definitely come back here! read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

This is the dirtiest El Torito I have even been in. We were sat for lunch at a table with a view of the ocean, which was nice, but there was something that resembled beans smeared across the bottom of the window. There were other dried up unknown items in the window sill, not to mention some sort of small flies buzzing around. Absolutely disgusting. Our waitress was pleasant and I left her a generous tip, but I will never ever eat there again. read more

The only good thing about this place is the view other than that the service is extremely slow. We waited 30 minutes for them to take our order and another hour for them to bring us the food and it wasn't even busy. read more

This is my second chance giving el torito an opportunity. Honestly this place should not even be called a mexican restaurant. Sad thing is the cook is probably mexican. Who makes white enchiladas with sour cream. Its super sad and a disgrace to be called mexican when you dont put flavor to the food. Taco bell is more mexican than el torito. They need to up their game. Honestly if you want bland food come here. This place is definitely for someone trying mexican food for the first time. If you want to dive into the culture and be more open to mexican food this is not your spot. ;( read more

Great breakfast! Good service and nice views. Carne asada and eggs with bottomless blood mary and mimosas...bomb! read more

We gave this a second chance and we're blown away! My 16 year old daughter chose this as her restaurant of choice for her birthday dinner. We arrived on a Tuesday around 5:00pm and got seating directly in front of the picaresque bay windows. The tortilla chips were amazing. The waiter was extremely on top of things. The special was unlimited street tacos (which I partook! The carnitas was extra awesome!). We ordered a fried ice cream, and the waitstaff overheard us saying it was our daughters birthday, and came to sing and embarrass her! This was an amazing time and a much better experience from our first time!!! read more

Reviewed this restaurant a few weeks ago and goes a robot answer from corporate and tried calling several times and left a message but no response. Typical corporate office that doesn't give a crap about what is really going on with their place of business as they better take note and soon as it's going to close up soon! And please sanitizer is not that expensive! So clean up your restaurant! Not Covid compliance!!!! read more

WOWWW!!!! My family went for a girls day at the beach and popped in for Sunday Brunch. What a treat! Not just because the food was great and the buffet was ample, but because one of their staff members absolutely shined!!! Suzette, you are hands down the best waitress we have had in such a long time. This girl deserves a raise! She was thriving in pure chaos with a smile on her face. Keep on shining girl! Wish I had more cash on me for a bigger tip but we are coming back today! read more

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

Food was Delicious! Very clean and great customer service our waiter was Sergio. He was great Best view ever looking at the ocean!!!

Really pissed off. The parking lot at El toritos is charging $10 for every fraction of an hour... These prices are outrageous! Will definitely NOT be coming back anytime soon! Don't offer to validate for. The 2 hours and then neglect to mention the fact that your parking is the most expensive in the area per hour or fraction there of. $10 for 38 minutes!!!!!! read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

Rose was a great server food was tasty. Wait was a little longer than quoted. overall experience was great including the amazing view of seals and otters playing. read more

The window view is pretty much all this restaurant has going for it. One star for atmosphere, One star for the view, one star for the drink. No stars for food or service. Point taken away for stomach cramps from disgusting spinach enchiladas. The End! read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

See all

I came here for the drinks and let me tell you it was bomb okk!! The customer service was great too

The food was great and delicious different choices of food.Service was good everyone was nice. The place was clean and so much space to walk. read more