We had a great experience here! Despite the restaurant being packed, everything went smoothly. The food was delicious and arrived surprisingly fast. Huge shoutout to our server, Elvira--she was attentive, friendly, and completely on top of her game despite how busy it was. Great service all around! read more

El Torito - IGNITED FAJITAS SUPREMAS - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

Maria our server was lovely and attentive! Food was as expected. Love the unlimited chips!!

Had a beautiful time with my family after a long day at universal! The service was amazing, especialmente jackson es muy amable con toda la gente! La niña, el muñeco y la mamá vamos a regresar! read more

We had such a great experience at El Torito that we had to come back--and it did not disappoint. We first came about two weeks ago and were so impressed that we made it a point to return today. Everything was just as good (if not better). The food, the spread, the freshness--top notch across the board. Shoutout to Beto, our server, who provided amazing service from start to finish. Attentive, friendly, and really helped make the experience even better. Highlights for us: * The carnitas -- absolutely fire ! * Fresh, handmade tortillas -- you can taste the difference * The omelet station -- cooked perfectly and super fresh * Chocolate fondue -- my daughter LOVED it * Fried plantains -- my wife was all about these Overall, just a fantastic experience. Great food, great service, great vibe. We'll definitely be back again. Highly recommend! read more

El Torito, Alcapulco...tomato, tomahto. Went on a Friday afternoon, place was packed in the cantina. Difficult to a server. Otherwise, fame was on TV. Eventually, server came and we ordered. No mistake on the orders, no issues. read more

This place has changed over the last couple weeks. We used to come here weekly for happy hour, as it was the best happy hour in town. It was daily "including weekends", and the prices were phenomenal. Now they changed it....its now only on weekdays only, and the happy hour food menu has changed to higher prices and less food. You used to be able to get a 3 mini tacos happy hour for $6,....now its a single mini taco for $4. Oh well, on to the next place, this one isn't a deal anymore. They are inflarion and shrinkflation to the highest degree. read more

1 star for total rip off $12 tacos that are only worth $2. Sat at the Bar 8:30 pm. Lousy Beef Birria Tacos. Not worth $12. So Tiny, beef was very dry, hard and tasteless. Hardly any cheese, only like 4 pieces of chopped onion & cilantro. The Consommé was a tiny teaspoon amount in a tiny cup that the taco actually fit because itself was so tiny. Kind of a joke, right guys? Am I supposed to laugh? I'm being filmed to get my reaction, right? Taco was 3 inches long and a piece of my shell was missing. For a $6 taco, the missing shell was about 50 cents worth missing. You can see it in the picture. The top taco looks like someone bit off the shell. I was starving so I ate it. Wanted to ask for another consommé, but thought they'd charge me for it. Why couldn't they give it in the same size little dish as the Salsa? Wish I took a picture of both consommé cup and salsa dish so you can see how tiny. Just imagine 4 little white consommé cups sitting inside the salsa dish and there's still room to add another. The spoon in the taco picture is a tiny teaspoon like the kind you stir coffee with. It's not a big soup spoon, folks. You can see in the picture the amount of consommé would barely fill the teaspoon. 5 stars for drinks., but pissed off about the lousy tacos. I had the Margarita flight which was yummy. $10 for 3 small glasses: regular, mango, blackberry. All were delicious but amazingly surprised by how good blackberry was. The guy next to me had the same tacos. He said same thing I said, so tiny, not worth 12 bucks, but he was starving also, so he just ate it, like I did. read more

El Torito - Margarita Flight - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

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One of my favorite places to go for Mexican food! The food feels authentic and so delicious. Personally think the happy hour menu is so worth it and a great place to come to when you want to save a bit of money. read more

El Torito - happy hour menu - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Amazing experience. Came for the all you can eat Sunday buffet. They have lots of variety like pozole, ceviche, rice, beans, omelette, street tacos, birrie, desserts, fruits, agua frescas, coffee, and MIMOSAs. Carlos was our amazing server, anything we asked for he told us " I'll bring it" such a nice guy. He kept making sure we were ok. Definitely would recommend for a wide variety of food and awesome Mexican food. read more

El Torito - Rice, pudding, Mexican bread, fruit, mimosa, and coffee - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

Me and my family came here to eat the Sunday all you can eat buffet/ brunch, the food was so good and we ate till we could not eat anymore. Our waiter Carlos was amazing, anytime we needed anything he was there to help us, could not ask for a better waiter, 5 star experience! read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

Came in Mother's Day for brunch , we had our reservations for 9:45 . We arrived on time and were seated immediately. Even though it was busy the service was good. The server was attentive with our drinks and getting empty plates out of the way. The food at the buffet was good. I enjoyed some Tri Tip , Chile Relleno , Chile Colorado , Rice , Salad , etc. My daughter enjoyed the pancakes and sausages too. They also had Mac & cheese , chicken tenders and corn dogs for the little ones. Overall I was glad with the buffet experience and glad we came early ! read more

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Yes amazing food and staff specially Kenia fast service and very nice. love karaoke fridays read more

El Torito - My drinks lol - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Went to a hosted meeting luncheon. We had a private room that held 30. Chios and salsa were delicious. I ordered a rootbeer. Lunch was buffet style right outside the room. I started with build my own salad. Then rice and beans, cheese enchiladas and steak or chicken fajitas. The meats seems overcooked and i think could be sliced cut smaller. There was a bowl of soft cornbread and salsas, sour cream, grated cheese, tomatoes. The dessert table had individual flan and basket of individual wrapped chocolate chip cookies. There was plenty leftover but we weren't allowed to take leftovers. I need to remeber that El Torito is good for large parties with plenty of free parking. read more

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Our waiter, Oscar, was so fast he refilled my water before I knew I was thirsty. Someone should study this man for evidence of teleportation. Every time we needed something, he somehow already had it on the way. He checked on us the perfect amount too--attentive without making me answer "how's everything tasting?" with my mouth full every five minutes. Give that man a raise because he was MOVING. read more

El Torito - NACHOS SUPREMOS - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

I was craving Mexican food and I haven't been here besides for the breakfast buffet. It was good and it's been years since I've been back and we got to have it so dinner. I definitely like the vibe being inside the restaurant and it was nice it was during happy hour. Service was really quick and they were very attentive and always making sure we were good. I got the 3 piece combo which I chose 1crunchy taco and 2 enchiladas. It was so good and this was what I've been craving. The chips and salsa were very good and we got the guacamole and chip which was also good. And since it was happy hour we were able to get a margarita flight and a sangria which were both good! I'd definitely come back! That happy hour is worth! read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

Carlos was our server. We came in for the Sunday brunch and we had bottomless mimosas. We will definitely be coming back! read more

El Torito - HOME-STYLE FLAN - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

Had a great experience. Great food, great vibes and most importantly great hospitality. Our server Maria was truly amazing and exceeded our expectations!!!! Our glass was never empty with her!!!!! Great experience, definitely recommend this place for a great breakfast buffet and very good reasonable prices!!! read more

El Torito - Pozole 10/10 - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

I really enjoy eating at El Torito! As soon as we arrived, the waiter gave us chips and salsa. Yum! I always look forward to this. We ordered birria tacos, ignited fajitas supreme which has beef, chicken and shrimp, and a three item combo, which we decided to choose a beef taco, chicken flauta, and a beef enchilada. You'll get rice, beans, guacamole, sweet corn cake, and different spicy sauces, too. You can always ask for more tortillas (corn or flour) when you need it. Everything was packed with flavor! I always come back to El Torito because we get good service, good food, serving size is just right, and the ambiance is nice. It brings me back to Mexico. read more

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The restaurant is located in the Best Buy Plaza. Lots of parking. Came and tried the happy hour. Seating in the cantina. If you want to watch a game they have TV's around. They started us off with chips and salsa and we ordered the mini tacos, carne asada fries and mahi mahi tacos along with a Margarita flight. The salsa was delicious. The margaritas were beautiful and tasty. The menu has a good variety and all the food tasted great. The mahi mahi tacos were surprisingly juicy and tasty. Staff started off a delight...until they forgot about our mahi mahi tacos, which I didn't understand because the staff who brought the other 2 dishes said before leaving and one more dish mahi mahi tacos? Nothing ever came. Finally asked the waiter who then checked it was written down but was never made. Still don't understand this when the other person verified with us. Other than that the food was good. read more

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Came on a Thursday night, went to the bar and ordered fajitas and happy hour items. Our last visit was horrible. Staff was slow or didn't care. This visit was great. Our waitress in the bar, was amazing. She took our ordered correctly, she refilled drinks quickly, and chips. Food came out hot and tasted really good. The mini tacos and sopes had good flavor a nice hot sauce. They were presented well. Bill was about $60 for two people. We shared a lot of plates. Restaurant was clean and the bar was bright with basketball games on tv. That waitress definitely wed be back for. Manager with pony tail, was helpful and seated guests. Tonight won us back. read more

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Food and drinks were fine. They add extra charges to the bill and after long talk with mgr it was removed. read more

Came here on a Sunday for their buffet. The buffet price also includes drinks such as Jamaica, Horchata, Agua Frescas, Hot Chocolate, Coffee and more importantly Mimosas. The variety of the buffet exceeded my expectations. They had mole, chilaquiles, tacos, taquitos, chille relleno, rice, beans, ceviche, aguachile, salad, menudo and a full on dessert bar and a kids section with chicken tenders and fries. Overall, great meal and we enjoyed it. read more

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Enjoyed her customer service and her attention. I hope I get her as a waitress again. I hope this helps her gets.recognition. My waitress was Carina for Brunch today and was checking on us constantly Carina. read more

September 2025 Service/Ambiance - Worst service we have ever experienced in the years of coming here. In order to get anything from more water and even the bill, was such a chore. Our waiter had checked in with us once and appeared to avoid our table after that. Imagine having to march all the way across the restaurant to the bar area in order to find someone to pay our bill. Well that's what we had to do. We won't be coming back. read more

Just finished eating brunch for the first here. We had a great time. Are server Berto keep my mimosa glass filled almost the whole time making sure are table is happy. read more

At El Torito Pasadena on Foothill, bartender Nestor couldn't be bester. He lifted despair into delight with his supportive spirit and masterful elixirs. His skills create such comfort and cheer you won't want to leave the "nest." Heartfelt hero behind the bar! Stellar Frederico also checked in attentively. Exceptional team! read more

El Torito - Bar area - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

We've always past by this El Torito but never tried it so decided to give it a go. Walking in, there wasn't anyone to take you to your seat and servers didn't say anything, there was no signs either. We noticed there was a DJ (mind you this was a Thursday early night I recall) so it was surprising that they had a DJ on a weekday night. The DJ was the person who told us we can sit wherever so ok, we found an empty seat and sit down. A server came by and took our drinks order and then food order. All the food was fresh and tasted good. I love the fact El Torito gives complimentary chips and salsa which is an absolute hit when it comes to dining at mexican restaurants. I was fine waiting on food but our drinks took forever to come out and I noticed the bartender forgot to make one of our drinks that even when our food came out, our drinks did not. Our servers and manager did notice this and I do appreciate the attention to detail as I did not say anything. I know they mentioned a small discount as we have to endure the long wait unexpectedly. In the end, we did not receive the discount on the bill as promised, but I was fine without it. I just want to point this out so this restaurant knows where to improve. Their fajitas was good and fresh. I wish I could have got more tortillas. The drinks were alright and not as flavorful or strong as I expected. Thw salsa was great and I love the complement of beans, rice, and onions on the entree which was cooked well. We also got their 4 pcs taco dish from the happy hour menu which was delicious. There was plenty of parking and seating. It is a nice location on the corner of Foothill and Sierra Madre in Pasadena. read more

El Torito - Berry martini - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Enjoyed the drinks and best friendly service by Maria S!! We sat in the restaurant away from the karaoke area and was pleasant. Fajitas were great as were the drinks! Try the margarita flight! read more

Had a great experience with brunch here at El Torito. Food was delicious and our server Randy, was on top of everything making the experience very enjoyable. The atmosphere was relaxing and the Dodger game was on! read more

My friends wanted to try the Karaoke here. Happy hour on Friday has great prices. The flautas are delicious & the guacamole is freshly made w/ chunks avacado. I was struck by the KJ Jim telling us to buy more or get out. I asked the manager Karla, she had time to listen & step in w/ care. Karla took care of it. Karla is being more than a manager; uplift my spirits, classy manners & makes changes when needed. Karla saved the day from us walking away. read more

Loved the service from Caridad she is the best!!!!!! Very good service everyone go to El Torito and ask for her.

We came on a Saturday and didnt expect them to have a brunch buffet! They have a parking lot that is NOT connected to the plaza! You must enter either on Foothill or the other cross street, I think its Madre St. We were greeted right away and was told of their special. On Saturdays, its a mini buffet. On Sundays, they have the full buffet with live music from a mariachi band. We could also order off of the regular menu too if we liked. They have an omelet station, waffle station, and menudo! So many options and they did not cheap out on the bacon! The bacon slices were thick and plentiful. We will be back for a Sunday brunch in the near future! read more

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On " Cinco de Mayo" afternoon, the place.was full, great ambiance, even greater service provided by staff which was all accomodating in our wait. I want to highlight the treatment and service provided by Jaxson. The food is always good here. read more

El Torito - Steak Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

Richard is the best waiter here Look for him when you come. The coolest guy ever get your food. Fast drinks are always on point. read more

El Torito - Richard - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Our waiter, Sebastian, was incredible! He was so kind, attentive, welcoming, and made sure we had everything we needed throughout our entire visit. His great personality and excellent service truly made the experience even better. I definitely recommend Sebastian to anyone looking for delicious food and amazing customer service. I'll absolutely be coming back! read more

Good food and service. The happy hour is excellent. Worth coming to with friends! Also love the fried ice cream. Food: 4/5 Price: 4/5 Experience: 4/5 read more

El Torito - IGNITED FAJITAS SUPREMAS + CRISPY FLAUTAS - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

Excellent customer service by Maria and great drinks. Very clean location. Definetly recommend the Birria Tacos

Good vibes & food Definitely recommend on Fridays Manager Karla awesome and bar tender Morena very good vibes Definitely coming back read more

Stopped by on Friday, 08/01/25 for Dine LA Restaurant Week. We ended up ordering drinks and food from the Happy Hour Menu (3pm-9pm everyday!!!) Ordered the following: - 1 street corn = $4 - 1 guacamole and chips = $6 - 1 carne asada fries = $8 - 1 draft beef = $4 - 1 margarita flight = $10 (amazing!!!!) OVERALL TOTAL WITH TAX = $41.37 We ended up having to take our food to go due to last-minute errands. We chugged our drinks - amazing and for a good price too!!! Overall this place has the best Happy Hour menu. read more

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We stopped at El Torito for Dine LA Week and had a great time! It was our first time visiting, so we weren't quite sure what to expect. The meal was definitely at a slower pace than I'm used to, but this may have just been because we visited at a weird time and they're not fully staffed at 3pm. There was so much food, at such a good price! I feel that the flavors were very Americanized Mexican food, you can definitely get more authentic flavors in the area, but it was all very savory and delicious. We'll be back next time we need a space for a larger group of people. read more

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