Mario is amazing! His attention to detail is superb. I'm coming back just for Mario at the bar! read more

Great Drinks and Great Foods. Our server Juan was amazing, kind, and attentive. We will come again for brunch!!!

I never thought I would leave an El Torito a 5-star review, but here I am. Parking was easy. Being seating was quick. Staff was amazing. Our guy was outgoing and fun. He remembered everything and was very attentive. The food was pretty good, and I felt it matched the level of pricing. I found it better than I remembered it being. I ordered a trio combo, with a chicken taco, cheese enchilada and chile relleno. My only complaint was that the chile relleno still had a lot of seeds and part of the stem inside. But flavor wise, it was good. I would come back again. Probably just get the taco and enchilada this time. read more

The Bottom Line 3 stars: Not to sound cliché, but the food used to be better :D Venue is aging, ambiance not vibrant anymore, and the service is server-dependent. I also have a major issue with their recent surcharge practices (read on for details). Recommended with some reservations as noted below. Location 4 stars: On Tampa in Northridge across the street from Costco. Plenty of free parking on the lot. Venue 3 stars: Aging standalone building that has been an El Torito since the 80's! This location used to be a bustling watering hole for the locals. The bar and the restaurant used to be packed on Friday nights and the weekends and wait times were long. However, recently every time we go there the restaurant and the bar are not that busy and there is no wait. The ambiance is not vibrant and lively like it used to be. You can still make reservations on Open Table if you want. Service 3 stars: Absolutely server dependent. Billing and Management 1 star: They have just started adding a 5% SURCHARGE to all the checks. So in fact you get billed 5% more than what you thought you were going to pay when you ordered your food!!! I asked our server what this was for and he simply stated that it was mandated by corporate and I should contact them if I had an issue... My question is why not be upfront with your customers and add this to your prices rather than surprising them? Drinks 3.5 stars: Huge list of specialty drinks, full bar and soft drinks. Drinks taste OK but are quite reasonably priced. Food 3 stars: They used to have a much larger menu and food used to be better. It is just OK now. My favorite is the Carnitas Chile Verde style. They do have a brunch buffet on Sundays but I have not tried it. read more

Father's Day was so busy, had reservations for 11a they sat us at 11:20 not to bad. The food was cold, they need to use warmers. This was our 2nd time at the buffet. The buffet is really good but cold. They have a nice spread. Plenty of parking. They didn't think it was going to be as busy like mother's Day. They added extra white plastic folding tables and covered them with black table cloths. They also added tables outside in the front. read more

The El Torito AYCE Easter Brunch sounded like a great idea when we planned it. We attended the sunrise service at church so the timing for breakfast/early brunch at 8am was perfect. Although we were seated immediately when we arrived at 8:15am, it was obvious that they were not fully set-up. The cold seafood, soup, salad, dessert and breakfast were ready, but we weren't really interested in those. We waited for the carving section to be ready and the warm meat dishes to come out. The taco section took the longest, fully setting up almost at the end of our time there. Our server Jose was fantastic -- attentive and courteous. He came around often to refill drinks, clear dirty plates and ask how everything was going. The highlights for us were the tacos (al pastor and carnitas), tri-tip, birria, Chile Colorado, flan and plantains. We both loved the cilantro pepita sauce -- it was perfect on almost everything! A couple lowlights -- the churros were stale and although the tri-tip was flavorful it was a bit hard to eat since it wasn't cut against the grain. Needless to say, we were quite full when we were done. AYCE brunch happens every weekend. If we do return, we will reserve for mid-morning to avoid waiting for full-set-up. Parking is very easy in the large lot. read more

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I ate here yesterday afternoon, the reservation was at 11 am. Mexican music plays through the speakers. Windows were a third of the size of the room I think. I ate a bunch of food. Papas rancheras were delicious because it was seasoned pretty well. I don't think I've had the machaca casera before yesterday. There are at least 7 TVs showing sports games. I loved the pozole which was at the soup station. You could add chili flakes to make it spicier or add onions or other toppings or ingredients. I got one taco from the taco station. The woman that worked there asked me what I wanted because I didn't tell her at first. I was deciding among chicken or carnitas or asada if I remember the options correctly. It was pretty good, I added cheese, onion, lettuce. The chicken was tender and juicy. The taco station was my favorite station. The waitress that served us was so attentive and polite. She asked us how we were doing every 10 or 15 minutes. She got us refills for our drinks, water and napkins. read more

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Great food and service! The food is always fresh and tasty. If you're lucky you will get to be served by Mario. He is attentive and always makes sure we have what we need. Try the grilled tostada salad it's so good! read more

El Torito - Grilled chicken tostada salad - Mexican Near Me - Northridge, California

Maria is amazing super attentive she makes the dinning experience fun and enjoyable. My family and I come here often after work and on the weekends she makes the experience extra special read more

El toritos is always amazing! Their happy hour menu, Never disappointed me not once! It's good that all of their locations are very consistent in service, food and drinks. I loved the layout at this location. They have outside seating as well if you would like to people watch. Their cantina is very spacious and intimate. Plenty of seating at the bar as well. I will forever love el toritos. If I'm around thjs location again, I will definitely come back during happy hour. read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Northridge, California

We came here to celebrate my brother's birthday, and Sherie made the entire experience unforgettable. From the moment she introduced herself as our server, she greeted us with a genuine smile and such a warm, welcoming energy. Throughout the meal, she was attentive, constantly checking in on us, refilling our drinks before we even had to ask, and making sure everything was perfect. What truly stood out, though, was her attitude. Sherie made us feel like family. She seemed genuinely happy to be there and happy to serve others, and that kind of hospitality is rare these days. Her positive energy, kindness, and professionalism elevated our entire dining Thank you, Sherie, for helping make my brother's birthday so special. We will definitely be back! read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Northridge, California

The best time to go to El Torito is right now. Been going for years but now feels like one of the best dining experiences you can have for a good price. Shootout to Jose and Eduardo! Great staff read more

El Torito - Sweet Corn - Mexican Near Me - Northridge, California

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Food is always decent here . They get substitutions right and i never have to send anything back . The shrimp bacon was a bit overdone and service can be sketchy they don't staff enough people . It's not the servers fault . read more

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Roberto is a friendly fun full of life waiter!! He's always so happy and super funny. Thank you for your service because your amazing!! Muchas Gracias Tocayo read more

The service was great. We got seated and served right away. The manager went around checking on the tables. The food was yummy and it's always consistent. They have a great happy hour (3-9pm). One of my favorite spots. read more

El Torito - My fav. - Mexican Near Me - Northridge, California

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Maria was very friendly and helpful with the new menu. Service was great will be back soon.

Came to El Torito in Northridge with a few friends for happy hour, and it ended up being a really good deal. The drinks were strong and tasty -- not watered down at all. Happy hour has good food and drink specials starting at $4, including draft beers, well drinks, and their signature margaritas. For food, there are options like $4 street corn and queso dip, up to about $8 for beef birria tacos and carne asada fries. I ordered a drink flight, carne asada fries, and a tamale and my total was around $47, which felt very reasonable for everything I got. The appetizers were inexpensive and hit the spot. Overall, the food was decent, but the real star here is the value during happy hour. If you're looking for a chill spot to grab affordable drinks and snacks with friends, the happy hour at this El Torito is definitely worth it. read more

El Torito - A Margarita flight - Mexican Near Me - Northridge, California

HAPPY HOUR IS CLUTCH 3-9 SUPER SIMPLE! Great Vibes inside. Calm. Food is GREAT! The Drinks can get you right too. All of the workers are attentive and friendly. Love the service. read more

El Torito - Happy Hour Menu Food Carne Asada Fries Wings Floutas - Mexican Near Me - Northridge, California

Maria's service was amazing. She is very attentive and friendly. Will definitely be coming back in hopes that she is my server. 10/10

If you haven't been here lately, it's time to give it a try. The new and improved El Torito is 3/4 restaurant and 1/4 sports bar with more than a few strategically placed flat screen TVs. My husband and I watched opening night of the Dodger's game and what fun! Happy hour is now daily from 3 pm - 9 pm! Margaritas start at $8, wings for $10 (small but you get 9), Mexican Caesar salad for $5. As always, chips and salsa are free. And our waitress, Kat, and the manager, Moises, kept them coming. There are new, on trend offerings on the menu such as beef birria tacos and ribeye tacos. My husband had ribeye tacos and liked them but didn't love them (not enough meat). I had my usual shrimp fajitas and enjoyed them. read more

El Torito - Chips and salsa! - Mexican Near Me - Northridge, California

Do yourself a favor and go to the Sherman Oaks location instead. I went on a Saturday night and it was empty (red flag). I ordered the chicken flautas combo and the tortillas weren't crispy at all...almost as if they had been reheated in a microwave instead of fried when ordered. Also, the rice and beans were TERRIBLE. When the bill came, the server shorted me $30 and some coins in change. He ran off quickly and it took forever to flag him down. Luckily, I was seated in clear view of a security camera so there was no chance I could be accused of lying. The only good thing about the meal was dessert. I can say with confidence that I won't ever be returning to that location. read more

El Torito - Chicken flautas combo - Mexican Near Me - Northridge, California

Horrible. Not organized. Pushy folks with no reservation get helped first. Had a reservation for 12:45. Drive for an hour. Line does not move, waited for 20 minutes or more. Daughter goes to ask. Manager says to go to the guy with glasses to check in. He helps the two in front of her and one behind her. Completely ignores her. I told the manager. He does not care. Maxwell and him still did not take my name to check in. I said we were leaving. Does not care. Will not go to El Torito after decades of business. Went up the street. Welcomed us with open arms at Wood Ranch with no reservation. No organization whatsoever. read more

Maria she's a very good service and she is friendly and very nice person I like her muy buena persona y nos da muy bien servicio yo siempre pregunto por ella por q nos da buen servicio read more

I went to have lunch. The hostess at the counter took me to a table and handed me the menu. 15 minutes had passed and still no one showed up to take my order. I left without having lunch. Another thing, the menu in Yelp is an old version with pricing less than their actual menu at the restaurant. read more

Yummy! The food is so food, authentic and great service is great! Nice authentic Mexican ambiance and music!

El torito has the best taco Tuesday, great happy hour and services so friendly and they always make you feel like so welcome .....

Our server Mario was fabulous and working so hard running around and still taking his time to talk with us and make sure we had a great experience. Thank you for being so sweet to our kiddo! Cheers to Mario read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Northridge, California

Everything needs to improve the server Maria B. and management does not care for there customers. We waited for more than 2 hours to get served and she was rude to me and my boyfriend. Worst food to eat especially the street tacos I ended up getting a stomach ache and got sick from it. The food was cold, Everyone was drunk so they did not care but we do not drink so our food tasted bad. Worst place to go eat they ded not give us our chips we had to ask for it. It does not feel good to be ignored. E don't recommend it . read more

Food and service was amazing. Juan took good care of us and kept our mimosas coming. Great service!!

Today was Father's Day, you make a reservation at certain time & they make you wait more than an hour regardless of the reservation, frustrating. The food quality is definitely getting too commercial, no quality food. Very disappointing I would not recommend them, it's getting trashy. I almost forgot to mention that the floors are extremely disgusting, the floors are sticky & the food doesn't get replaced often where the containers are empty when they still have customers, read more

My experience here was absolutely amazing! The food was great. We came here on Saturday and they had bottomless mimosa and Bloody Marys! You didn't even need to get the buffet. You can order off the regular menu. The food was delicious. Everything came out right. What made it an especially pleasant experience was our server/ bartender, Mario! He was extremely attentive and made sure everything was perfect. This is how a restaurant experience should be. You never had to wait for what you needed cause he was there making sure you were taken care of. I recommend going here when he is serving/bartending. Thank you for giving us a memorable time, Mario. We will definitely be back! read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Northridge, California

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Dropped by for a happy hour and was pleasantly surprised! The $10 HH margarita flight was sweet, cute, and tasty - highly recommend drinking in order of least to most sweet (though they're all sweet enough for me to enjoy): classic, blackberry, and then mango. Honestly, they were all pretty good, but if I had to just pick one, I'd probably go with the mango. The chips and salsa they bring to the table are solid, and they did refill it for us. It did take a while for the HH crispy flautas we ordered to arrive, so we did have to ask a couple times to remind them that we hadn't gotten our order yet. We ended up just eating more of the chips and chatting while we waited. The flautas were ok - lightly crispy on the outside, but overall a bit thick with chicken on the inside. I'd opt to try something different next time, but it was alright. The vibe of the seating area around the bar, the noise level, the friendliness of the staff, and the HH menu made it a nice place to have happy hour, so I would definitely keep it in mind for the next one. My only note would be to not hesitate to ask and check on any orders that take a while. They're nice about it, but they just get pretty busy. Overall, I'm happy with this spot and would come back, particularly for the margaritas! read more

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we cannot say enough about Mario, the staff at El Torito! His attention to us is remarkable him for his time that he takes with us as a family each time we come to the read more

El Torito has one of the best happy hours to still exist. The drinks are reasonably priced and taste good. Well, they taste good if you like sugary alcoholic beverages. The happy hour food is also filling and tasty. My go to HH good item is the queso dip. It pairs so well with a margarita. The staff at this location are so kind and attentive. They look overworked, so a huge shout out to them. read more

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Roberto provided excellent service from start to finish. He was attentive, friendly, and made sure everything was perfect throughout my visit. Great experience--thank you, Roberto! read more

Jose was an amazing waiter and food is always satisfying. Jose is very attentive, patient and attentive.

We had such a great experience at El Torrito and a big part of that was our waiter Mario. He was incredibly attentive, friendly, and made sure everything came out perfectly. Our drinks stayed full, the food arrived hot and fresh, and he checked on us just the right amount without ever being overbearing. Thank you for the amazing service, we'll definitely be back! read more

Rogelio was amazing with us. Very attentive and great bartender The drinks are really good. read more

We always love coming to el Torito. Jose is always our waiter. He knows our orders. We have been coming here for decades and have never been disappointed. Thanks again. read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Northridge, California

I visited El Torito in Northridge with my 13-year-old child to use my advertised birthday free entrée offer. From the beginning, I clearly explained that my entrée should be complimentary and that I would pay only for my child's meal. However, I was initially charged for both myself and my child. I do not understand why I was being charged for my meal when I had a valid free entrée offer, or why my child was being charged an adult price. His meal was originally listed at $13.50, but the manager repeatedly changed it to $29, then $17, and then back to $29. The manager, Eduardo, was dismissive and told me I did not have to pay anything. That was not the point. I was not asking for free food. I simply wanted to be charged correctly for my child's meal and have my birthday offer applied properly. We barely ate because the food was disappointing, and the confusing billing situation ruined what was supposed to be a nice birthday meal with my child. I hope management reviews the billing procedures and staff training at this location. read more