My girlfriend and I decided to have a Valentines Getaway for the weekend. We were hungry. We looked all over, and she wanted me to surprise her. So I combed over the different restaurants and thought "Hmm, El Torito sounds good" so I moseyed on over there it was pretty close distance 0.4 miles from where we were staying. I had brought some herbal essence (420) with me because I knew it was about dinner time and I had to wait to I would indulge while I was waiting. I was greeted by the man in reception and I asked him "What is good for two people to share?" He knew exactly what to get, he recommended the Ignited Fajitas which had Steak, chicken, shrimp, rice, salsa, tortillas, the sweet corn masa cake which was to die for!! He noticed my paper airplane (420) in my ear and gave me a complimentary glass of water for my dry mouth afterwards which was nice. The wait wasnt too long. After I indulged in my extra curricular activity. I went inside and the food was ready the man I wish I remembered his name, knew that I would probably be really hungry told me that he threw in some free refried beans with our meal which was super cool. The inside of the restaurant was Spanish style with the dining area to the left and the cantina to the right which had music playing and it was really lively. The food was so delicious when I arrived at our hotel room and was the perfect amount which made us full. The meal was so good in fact that for Valentine's Day. My girlfriend, her step dad and I went the next day. We got the same exact order the fajitas, the sizzling chicken enchiladas that comes on a steaming skillet, nachos supreme, more of those sweet corn cake, and the guy from the day before who saw me remembered me which was cool.. I know he wears glasses. But anyways, if you want some good food, good vibes, and friendly staff go to El Torito in Pasadena off Foothill!! read more

El Torito - FAJITAS COMBO - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

See all

We are very happy that we decided to eat dinner at this restaurant. The food was great! We ordered the family fajitas for four people, and it was less than $80--an excellent value for the amount of food we received. The portions were generous, and we left with very happy, full stomachs. Our waiter, Sebastian, was amazing and very attentive. There is plenty of parking, and the restaurant was clean and well kept. read more

I always make it a point to stop by El Torito, and honestly, it's all because of Nestor. He is hands down the best bartender ever! His service is unmatched friendly, attentive, and he always makes you feel welcome the second you sit down. The drinks are always perfect, and his energy just makes the whole experience better. I literally come back just for his service. If you're here,make sure to sit at the bar and ask for Nestor, you won't regret it! read more

Great service from the staff all around!! Even though it was for take out, they took care of it with courtesy and awesome service. Looking forward to visiting again! read more

Our server Beto was the best best brunch buffet in town. Mexican food is So good. i will definetly be back

Our server was Maria S. and she's was informative about our brunch options, mimosas are included with our brunch, so we didn't want to miss out on that. Maria has been very attentive with all her tables. There are so many food options. All Mexican themed food options along with your traditional breakfast omelettes, waffle, bacon and pancakes. All very delicious and worth the brunch cost. There is also live mariachi. I would consider coming here again with family. read more

El Torito - This is the taco station the al pastor so delicious with the fresh grilled onions - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

Great restaurant that has ample space to eat and drink. Beautiful inside and hadn't been to El Torito in years. Came out here to hang out with a buddy, who I hadn't seen in twenty years. The service was great, prices super affordable for happy hour. read more

El Torito - Coors light - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

See all

We stop in for lunch when we are nearby. Good margaritas, cocktails, chili rellanos, tamales, taquitos. All good. Friendly service. Music is a little loud but sweet. read more

Went for brunch today and had a 10/10 experience. Such great service! Our server Carlos was very attentive. Food was constantly being cooked for the brunch buffet. I had a great time! Will definitely be back in the weeks to come. Thank you so much Carlos! read more

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

El Torito, this location in particular, is just one of those places that does restaurant sit down well. They are so attentive! As soon as we got seated chips and salsa were served to our table. Note: Happy hour is only on the Cantina side and available until 9 pm. They have plenty of TVs to catch a game. Good ambiance! Happy hour is very generous! I recommend the sopes which are served with a very tasty salsa and of course the guacamole. Their happy hour deals can't be beat. Great value for great tasting options. Shout out to Richard for his amazing service! We really appreciated him! read more

Waiter Jackson was extremely helpful on a busy Easter Sunday. Service was attentive and exemplary. read more

No taco Tuesday, but definitely happy hour time! This is our go to restaurant after our medical appointment at Kaiser. First time here for a happy hour and we loved it! We enjoyed good food with a flight of margaritas! read more

See all

Found this place going back to Phoenix from our trip to six flags. It was a Sunday and they had an all you can eat brunch buffet. So many options to choose from and they were all good! I tried most of them. Even options for picky kids and some dessert options. Our waiter was Beto and he was great! Attentive and quick service, always ready to get what we needed. We will definitely come back to this place. Best Mexican food we've had in a while! read more

I had a great experience at El Torito thanks to our waitress, Caridad. She was very nice, attentive, and made sure everything was taken care of. Our drinks came out quickly and our table was kept clean the whole time. Her service really made the visit enjoyable. Thank you, Caridad! read more

The food here is amazing especially Sunday brunch. Randy is our favorite server he's the best! Looking forward to coming back again!

On an Easter Sunday morning at 8:30am, I came here for $42 brunch with hubby. We were 2nd family arrived and got a table in the back. The ambiance was nice and quiet. They had variety of Juices, Mexican bread, beans, tamales, soups. Shrimp, Chilaquiles, bacon, sausages, salsas, mall waffles, fruit, bread pudding, churros, tacos in the bar area, ham and tri tip in the bar area. Lots of service people walking around and they are nice when I had a question. Pancakes request by the waiter. I didn't see the eggs or guacamole. The end piece of tri tip was kinda dry and ham was fine. The carnitas tacos taste good with salsas. I was so full after 45 minutes. It got really busy by 9am-9:30am. read more

See all

The food was really good and tasty - everything tasted good quality and fresh. Maria S's service was superb, very friendly and attentive. We will definitely be back soon and recommend this place to our friends and family. read more

This used to be my families favorite place to eat for a celebration or just because. Today we went to dinner and it was poor service, I know it was busy but we waited forever to get our food. There was other people that got there after us and got there food before us. Once, our food came to our table, it was cold. I'm never the type of person to complain about anything but this was extremely disappointing. read more

Our family have been here for the Sunday all you can eat brunch so many many times. So many options for food and it's so good And another the reason that always bring us back is the service. Mr. BETO is our family all time favorite server, we love him and really appreciated for his hospitality and services. Really recommend this place!!! read more

Went for Sunday all you can eat brunch and the experience was amazing! Maria S was a great waitress

Karaoke was a hit!! They were great a proving encore and service was amazing. DJ Jim is fantastic. Thanks Karla for letting us keep the party going! read more

Great service, the manager Karla is great and so is her staff. Karaoke on Friday night with DJ Jim is a good time!

Maria was very attentive and fast. She smiled and refilled drinks when needed. We had ignited fajitas that we loved. Definitely returning. 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

Great Service from Beto! He made sure my mimosa was never empty. Friendly and always smiling. You can try all Mexican dishes, which are also on their full menu. The coffee bar catches your eye when you're checking in with the host. Loved the whole experience! We will be back soon. read more

Went for a Sunday Brunch with my family what a time.. The service was Great Randy is the man he was very efficient when he does his rounds. They had a live Mariachi band the buffet was delicious from the fresh made Omelets to the Tacos and Chilaquiles are money. Bring your appetite cause there is a lot of food to choose from. Definitely coming back soon good place for a family Sunday Funday... read more

I never go to El Torito because I am not really a fan, but when I do come the service is never good! The bartender at happy hour was rude to us and felt like he was in a rush. Our orders were not really hot or made correctly. I ordered the Mexican Caesar and it was actually good! However, the service supersedes the food. The ambiance is good for happy hour in the bar room. However, it's not to live inside. It had been remodeled so it looks at bit better! It's decent inside but Ntn too crazy. Lots of parking! read more

See all

Brunch here is absolutely fantastic, with many delicious offerings - from menudo and pozole to taco and omelette stands. The service is phenomenal as usual - Carlos took great care of us and provided ample mimosa. Same great food and warm ambience, with endless corn cake being the main attraction for me. read more

See all

Our recent visit with a party of eight on 12/2025 was unfortunately quite disappointing. While the ambiance and private table setups were appreciated, several significant issues impacted our experience. Our orders, particularly the fajitas, arrived incomplete with missing tortillas causing delays and food to become cold; My husbands dish notably had to be re-made. Additionally, our meals were not delivered simultaneously, leading to further waiting. The food quality was universally poor. Dishes like the shrimp tacos were notably bland and tasteless. The accompanying beans and rice also dry and lacked flavor. Overall our group was left dissatisfied with both the service and food quality offering. We hope this feedback can contribute to improvements. Thank you, Marina read more

I haven't gone in 5 months my family and I went back this weekend and we had dinner I remembered our server Jackson helped us out the last 2 times we went there so I requested him and wow we are always delighted when he attends our table he goes above and beyond for us, we wanted to try other stuff on the menu! And he knows exactly what to recommend never fails us!!! Thank you Jackson. read more

We went to brunch this past Sunday and, as expected, it was pretty busy. There was about a 25-minute wait, but it was worth it once we were seated. The food was really delicious, everything was fresh and flavorful. What really stood out, though, was the service. Randy took great care of us! He was friendly, attentive, and made sure we had everything we needed without feeling rushed. Overall, a great brunch experience. If you're planning to go, just be prepared for a bit of a wait, but it's definitely worth it! read more

Second time here and it's just as amazing as the first! Maria S. Was our waitress again and she gave super good service for our table. I appreciated how often she would check on us. Food was super fresh and meats were juicy. I would come again :) read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

See all

Horrible service. They do a decently priced happy hour but are extremely understaffed. The food wasn't great but I wasn't expecting to wait so long for cheap food. read more

Best Mexican food I've had in Pasadena so far. I tried Anayas and Mercado and they were so bad I thought there wasn't any good Mexican food in Pasadena. However I remember liking el Torito as a kid and they were still good 10 years later. Service was slow (I think that was because they were focused on the bar happy hour area) but food was so good. First salsa was spicy. The fajita duo was good though there could have been more protein and veggies. The fajita salad was way better than I thought it would be. read more

5 Stars for El Torito & Our Server Beto Had an amazing brunch at El Torito today! The food was fresh, delicious, and came out fast. Our server Beto was outstanding--super attentive, friendly, and really made the experience great. He kept our drinks full and made sure we had everything we needed. Highly recommend brunch here, and if you get Beto as your server, even better! read more

Ehhh used to really like this place but the last couple times the service is non existent, and food is just not good. The chicken on my Mexican ceasar was raw and the server only came to take our order after sitting there for 15 min despite only having our table and one other and they had just opened. No drink refills couldn't even tell her about the raw chicken on my salad because she literally was gone, I just paid and left and vowed to never come back . The chips and salsa are good but idk this place has gone downhill. NOTE: I am a server myself and this was just embarrassing and straight up rude. Also the table we were at at was dirty which is insane since they just opened, that should've been the first red flag to leave. read more

Food is great and service is quick and astute! Our server was Beto! Live music was nice and set the ambiance. Churro pancakes are a must have! read more

El Torito - Churro Pancakes - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

I love it here! And their Brunch is probably the best buffet brunch out there! Everything is cooked and seasoned to perfection and the staff is always nice. Jonathan was our server and he was so on top of everything! Constantly checking in on us and making sure that champagne was flowing! It doesn't matter what you're celebrating or if you're just hungry definitely come here and ask for Jonathan! read more

Pretty darn good. Ordered takeout & it was spectacular. Couldn't eat it all. It was delicious. I'm so happy I ordered from here. Top notch food, ordering process online & fantastic customer service for pick up. Great experience. I needed this tonight. Thank you!! read more

Delicious food and excellent service. Beto was super attentive and made sure we had everything we needed. We went with the buffet, which was perfect for trying a variety of dishes. Definitely worth checking out! read more