First time visiting this location and it was great. Serena behind the bar was wonderful and was able to chat with the manager, Karla, who was very personable. Great team and location read more

Excellent experience! The food was amazing, the service was top-notch, and Beto provided extraordinary attention and hospitality. Highly recommend!" read more

Christopher is a wonderful manager who truly goes above and beyond. During our visit, he personally checked in to make sure everything was perfect and promptly resolved a small issue with genuine care and professionalism. The restaurant is well-run, the service is consistently pleasant, and the food is excellent. His positive leadership truly enhances the overall dining experience. read more

They will straight up ignore you when busy. Have had several delivery orders cancelled out of the blue. Wish they liked customers. read more

Maria S. was very friendly and attentive. She provided great service and made sure we had everything we needed. The buffet had lots of tasty options. Overall, a great experience! read more

We don't have an El Torito close to where I live, so anytime we're in Pasadena we come here. Great food and thank you Oscar C for great service! read more

Writing on behalf of my mom: great experience. Special recognition goes to Richard, very friendly and attentive, particularly with the table side guac. read more

This is my first review, although I've been coming to this El Torito for years since it's quite close to home. For a chain restaurant, the food is decent and authentic-ish, and in the past they've often had deals or coupons that would entice me. Such was the case for this visit. My go-to Mexican restaurant in the past was La Fiesta Grande in So. Pasadena or Pasadena. When they closed, I migrated to Cabrera's on Lake, even after La Fiesta finally reopened on Glenarm. For this visit, I took advantage of Happy Hour deals as well as a Rams football deal. I sat in the Cantina/bar. The server Randy was great. The strawberry margarita was fine, as were the chicken flautas served with a sweet jalapeno jelly and a red pepper dip with a kick. The Rampage nachos (an ode to the Rams), however, were inferior. El Torito has had nacho specials in the past that were far better than these. In the past, I remember the grated cheese was melted over the chips, so the dish was warm and then topped with pickled jalapenos, pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole. Now the chips are not warmed, but a liquified processed nacho cheese concoction (like what you'd buy in a can at Smart and Final) is poured over them. Without the toppings, the dish was akin to what you'd get out of a pump dispenser at a gas station minimart. And the portion size was also smaller than in the past. Granted, inflation is cruel, and the price of these nachos (free) was still right, but I'd be hesitant to order nachos off the regular menu. Will return if more deals are offered, but with lowered expectations. As an aside, I'm on the fence about the (fairly) newly redone men's restroom. It lost all of its Mexican character (lovely tiled counters and floors), but did gain an additional stall. read more

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Our group came back to celebrate the new school year and we are happy to share that the restaurant staff was excellent! The manager was super accommodating and gave us a large room. The service and food was great too. Glad to be back! read more

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

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Unfortunately terrible customer service. I believe the servers don't care to be friendly since they automatically charge us a tip on the bill. The food was as if it was microwaved. Unfortunately I will not be coming back. Pasadena has a lot of restaurants I shall take my business elsewhere. If I was able to give no stars I would. read more

Good service and ambiance. Carlos provided good service. The food and proportions were fair.

Yesterday I took my father and step mother out for Father's Day.... And it was a great experience! We got sat right away and we had an amazing server named Richard that was on top of everything! Top tier customer service! Shout out to the great managers too!! Sebastian and Karla! Highly recommend coming to el torito for great food and drinks. And just to have a fun time! read more

Last Sunday was Mother's Day. My sweet husband and our two daughters, took me to El Torito for dinner. We asked to be seated in an area where there are numerous booths. It was our good fortune to be assigned to a fabulous server, "RICHARD." (He is a tall, slender, dark-haired man and he wears eyeglasses). Despite being very busy, and attending to several tables simultaneously, Richard gave us excellent, prompt service. He didn't miss a beat, "he was really on the ball." Besides our delicious meals, the excellent service we received from RICHARD, made for a very happy evening out. read more

Beto provided great service and the food was great! Thank you and we will return again, very soon. read more

El Torito - Churro Pancakes were amazing! - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

Maria is a fabulous waitress, very caring. We had a fabulous experience for my husband's birthday.. thank you

Terrible service! Every step of our dining experience took an extra 20 minutes. Sat down, no menus, finally got menus, asked for water and didn't receive it until about 30 minutes later. When they brought our food out, we still didn't have any utensils, plates, and the fajitas were missing tortillas. We finally had to talk to our server about our experience and instead of apologizing, the manager decided to haggle with us on a discount. Shame, it used to a nice location but I don't know if we'll come back to this one. read more

We came in for Sunday brunch and had a wonderful experience. Our server Carlos was excellent and gave us great service. The food is amazing and so fresh. The best Mexican brunch I've had in a long time. My daughter loved the crepes and ice cream. read more

Food is always good here! My favorite are the chicken flautas...I've been eating these since I was a kid and I don't plan on stopping! Ramona C also provided amazing service. Honestly, the service here can be hit or miss but with Ramona, you're in good hands. Can't wait to come again! read more

If you're looking for a good brunch with lots of options and bottomless mimosas... look no further. My husband and I had a solid hour without the kids and we stopped here spur of the moment. I'm so glad we did! The chips were hot n crispy and the salsa was cold and sweet! Maria S. Served us in the cantina and kept the mimosas flowing. 60 minutes later we're happy and full! 10/10!!!!! read more

One of the worst experiences ever. Granted we came on Mother's Day, but they gave us a reservation. We did not get seated until an hour and a half later and again an hour later no food was arriving. The waiters were dismissive and condescending. Clearly they did not care about the comfort of their clients at the very least they could've brought out an extra water is even a guacamole and reassuring, but instead, it was clear that they just did not care. when walking to Albertson. We were just exhausted, fed up awake any longer. read more

Wow so packed ont he weekend they do buffet and happy hour as well. We have been coming here for years. Only strange thing they keep taking and adding the wings back in the menus. It's back now but with so many good items in the menu it's hard to pick just one. We get the fiesta grande platter to share a few margaritas and and entree to share. It's amazing read more

honestly like u can never go wrong with a taco tuesday deal like trust im always sat. the service is nice but sometimes the taco lady jus tryna get thru the line if ykwim but shes a queen. my fav meats for the tacos is carnintas and chicken like so yum. and its so like worth the price. i wish i can grab a whole pot of dat corn dessert thing LOVE THIS PLACE IM SAT EVERY TUESDAY FOR DAT TACO TUESDAY DEAL read more

El Torito - taco line - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

Celebrated my grammas 90th birthday. Elvira was our server. She did amazing taking care of us, my party was happy. Our food and drinks came out at a timely matter. Great service. Thank you Elvira read more

Good size portions of tasty dishes we ordered: grilled chicken enchilada and beef burrito. At 5 PM on a Tuesday, we were seated in the bar area. A server brought quickly a basket of hot crunchy tortilla chips with red salsa. We ate all the chips and another basket of chips was brought to our table by our server. The restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere. I noticed diners were single, couples, families and large groups. My next visit will be to try the Happy Hour offerings. read more

El Torito - Grill chicken enchilada - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

Decided to come by tonight since I was in the area. It still amazes me to see how far Christopher as grown in this restaurant. I was actually greeted by him and the tall host Jason. Who was very respectful welcoming my wife , mother in law, and myself. Even our server Sebastian was phenomenal. Having a wonderful team makes a great experience. Finished our meal with the home style fan a must when coming to el toritos. Keep up the great work young men read more

Was there last night with friends having few drinks. Very unpleasant experience when bartender and what i believe the manager had a huge argument. So unprofessional. Felt so uncomfortable listening to there work problems and made this whole night a very bad one... I believe Veronica was the manager we asked our server read more

Another great menu at el torrito, Beto is amazing. Cold schooners and chicken fajitas are amazing. Beto makes incredible table side guacamole and get the chilli relleno read more

My friends and I love celebrating the holidays and our friendship at this El Torito. The Sunday brunch is delicious and affordable. Beto was an amazing server and especially thoughtful! read more

El Torito - Bottomless mimosas - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

Absolutely fantastic experience! Serena behind the bar was AMAZING--so friendly, attentive, and genuinely made brunch better with her great energy and service. She really knows how to take care of guests. Huge shoutout as well to Karla, the manager, who was just as wonderful. She was welcoming, professional, and clearly runs a great team. You can tell this place is well-managed and cares about its customers. Will definitely be back! read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

We used to love going to the Sunday brunch, the food was plentiful and it's always festive. However last visit there was a cockroach on the table and since then it's hard to go back. I'm sure all restaurants have to deal with it but it just made all of my guests lose appetite. Hoping the inspectors will come again and check this place so I can come back, for now, no thanks I did give a star at least the taco lady was generous giving out food, and the manager was really nice about everything... but man, it's hard to shake the idea of cockroaches read more

We had a great experience for Sunday Brunch! Food is delicious, we had an early reservation and were sited promptly, service was great and the mimosas kept getting refilled lol! The tacos with fresh made tortillas were excellent and the pancakes that magically appeared in the table were delicious! read more

El Torito - Magical pancakes that appear in the table, butter in the center is churro butter! - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

Elvira was fantastic! Very attentive and kind. We will definitely be back. Plus happy hour in the bar is an amazing deal

(Dined 12/14/22 WE, 12/21/22 WE, and 02/05/23 SU @ 4pm): Their happy hour was no bull! I came to learn about a wonderful happy hour (daily 3pm-7pm) at El Torito's Pasadena's location before an evening performance across the street at A Noise Within. Back in the day, I was a fan of El Torito, an affordable premium Mexican restaurant. However, the food landscape has changed dramatically, and their locations are now few and far between now. It has been many years since I last dined at one, and these recent visits were the first for this location. Did I have happy times hanging out at this bullish Mexican meal place!? PURCHASE Fresh Chips & Salsa (COMP): Always appreciated https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=Hh_3DIxF3xrcfnzkpjmUDg&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw! House Margarita ($6.00 HH): Tasty and on the rocks https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=F9rF5ooYLoiXsryrUU60Dw&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw! 3pc Beef Birria Tacos ($8.00 HH): Meaty, messy, and magnificent https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=Jn8M2LJCgwExfai7Cx4DmQ&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw! Mango Margarita ($6.00 HH): Fruity and fragrant https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=H5vifN9dJPhqtiSm70NlUg&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw! Modelo Especial Lager Beer 16floz Draft ($4.00 HH x3): A special cerveza that went down easily https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=YOj6nyQRjEr8on-8Nwio9A&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw! Pacifico Clara Lager Beer 16floz Draft ($4.00 HH): Crisp and clean https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=hkgIcTfK-GgwSmAoIzsTFg&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw! Dos Equis Ambar Lager Beer 16floz Draft ($4.00 HH x2): Sí, señor https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=QDkT6gta4tDjlZg1A6eoaA&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw! 3pc Salmon Tacos ($10.00 HH): Nothing fishy here https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=J57LTaPTMyoNCk0TCUQm9g&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw! 4pc Steak & Chorizo Mini Tacos ($6.00 HH): Crunchy shells stuffed with meat https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=qtYraanV-U4kgiMd-9yJsA&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw! Lagunitas IPA Beer 16floz Draft ($4.00 HH): One of my favorites https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=_BswDQx379gcKtckj0qu0Q&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw! 4pc Chicken Flautas ($8.00 HH): Marinated pollo galore https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=dc5c_THYo_eqGWQm5W8EmQ&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw! 3pc Sopes Grilled Chicken ($6.00 HH): Messy goodness https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=Pf2pllI-aClcSWSql5W3Sg&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw! SERVICE On each visit, I easily found a spot at the bar and was helped by the same friendly gentleman who quickly took my orders, delivered my drinks immediately, and the food came out from the kitchen no more than ten minutes each time. I was frequently checked on, my water glass filled, and chips & salsa freshened-up. All was good - gracias! PARKING (FREE) There were plenty of spots within the Hastings Village outdoor mall - 'nuff said! ATMOSPHERE, DÉCOR, AMBIENCE A spacious floorplan with an open lobby, multiple dining rooms, and a bar area https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=yu1BAlTAV7NfMxd4bTiPKw&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw where the happy hour applied, filled with plenty of chairs, tables, booths, and stools at the rectangular bar. The interior had a very hacienda motif. Plenty of natural lighting came through the many large glass windows and front doors while electric ceiling lights filled in the rest. There were muted TVs while rock music played in the background. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=ladqT81j5IdaeXkOcTyDuQ&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw ATTIRE Totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-shirt, boardshorts, and flip-flops. OVERALL I was highly impressed by Pasadena's El Torito location and especially their happy hour offerings of drinks https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=mILubuYLMa1zhm0Q2t9wdQ&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw and food https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=pPnTrTQrk5l-_Tm7gnZXAg&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw. I had no reservations to return for more even though I exhausted the entire menu. Maybe I'd try their regular menu next time. All of the food, prices, portions, and services exceeded my expectations. I found total value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (TOTAL paid experience was around $84.00 BEFORE any discounts and/or tip). And, they accepted my credit card of choice... AMEX! 5.0 STARS read more

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Hands down Christopher is the best!!! This is my go to spot for Los Angeles dodgers and Dallas cowboys. His team is awesome, they actually appreciate us watching sports and the happy hour is impeccable. 3:00 -9:00pm. Thank you Christopher and his crew for making the whole dodgers journey and experience. read more

I came here they sit me down no one came too get my Oder or offer me water nothing I had no problem with the lady that sit me down me in my baby but it's no one gonna come take my Oder I'm good won't come back thanks you too the lady who sit me down thank you again read more

Great food and service. Beto delivery an amazing service. Attentive and always making sure our glasses are never empty.

Came here for happy hour and it was OK. The bacon-wrapped shrimp were tasty and the dipping sauce was good, too. The sirloin quesadilla is huge and the meat is on the chewy side, but overall OK as well. The chips and salsa are not very good but you'll eat a bunch anyway. The room is loud and the service can be kind of slow, too. There are better Mexican restaurants in Pasadena than El Torito, but if you want some cheap-ish Mex that's not too too bad feel free to hit them up for happy hour. read more

Love the tacos and live music! Our servers Maria S. Was super nice and attentive during our Sunday brunch :)

El torito is still the best family restaurant since I was a kid. Our server Beto was very attentive and friendly. He made us feel like home and made my family smile. I'm so happy to have come here for family brunch and will be coming back again soon. The ambience was lovely and the mariachi was super fun. The food was delicious and tasted just the same as I was a kid. Thank you !! read more

Thank you Maria for great service. Always nice to come here and enjoy brunch with the family