I was overdue for another visit at Madre. I kept thinking about mole three times during the week…read morethat's when I know. Seating: usually like to decide beforehand if I want to sit on the patio or inside. Most of the time, I prefer the patio, and that's what we ended up with. Service: Staff immediately offered the heater, which I readily agreed to. Two people spoke and helped us out outside of the waitress, meaning they were constantly checking in on us. This checks out similar to the service I received last time I was here. Food: We had nachos. I had mole and the chido way cocktail. My boyfriend had dark Mexican lager and cochinitta pork dish. I was really happy with our The food was excellent, and my cocktail was truly exceptional. It was on par with some of the best fancy cocktail bars I've visited, yet prices were more reasonable, typical of a restaurant. The mezcal was smoky and delicious. I also noticed that most of their cocktails are tequila and mezcal based. You should get a cocktail if it's your first visit. Vibes: It's always loud, especially at its peak on a Saturday evening. I can overhear bits and pieces of conversations from three tables next to me, but somehow it all fits perfectly. Suddenly, a live mariachi band started playing an emotional Ballad. It's always cool when I run into live music when I'm here. I like it here! Wanted to let you know that they seem to have slightly increased the prices vs the menu? It wasn't updated on the menu, but for example my Mole Negro was $1.50 higher at checkout mentioning so others are aware.

We went to Madre on a Sunday. It wasn't really planned, but we were walking in Old Torrance, saw…read morethe place and decided to go in and try it out. We weren't really starving, just wanted to check the vibes, try the food and see how it was. Unfortunately, things just weren't how we were expecting. We love mexican food and we are used to the food trucks that we can find everywhere in LA. I used to have tacos from the taco truck across the street from me when I lived in San Pedro and they were just perfect, simple and on point. I think I had that idea when I ordered the taco, but it wasn't really what I expected. It was bigger and looked beautiful, but the amount of spice was extremely high, which didn't even let me taste the flavor. And on top of it, the salt felt off too. Too much spice, not enough salt. My fiance ordered tamales, and the mole was more on the chocolate side than anything. The flavors just didn't match. Service wise we have nothing to complain about. They were nice and helpful! It's just the food that wasn't good for us.

We ate at Maderos yesterday and I honestly can't stop thinking about the food! It's in such a cute…read morespot right on PCH in Redondo Beach, which already makes it a great place to stop, but the food completely exceeded our expectations. Everything tasted incredibly fresh and perfectly seasoned. We ordered the carne asada and carnitas, and both were amazing. The meat was tender, flavorful, and not fatty at all just perfectly cooked and packed with flavor. My daughter had the bean and cheese burrito with rice and beans and loved it too. They bring out three different salsas with the chips, and each one had its own unique flavor. You can tell the chips are house-made because they're fresh, crisp, and just really good. Some Mexican restaurants can make things overly salty, but everything here tasted balanced and fresh. I also had a Paloma and it was made perfectly. Before we left we decided to try the churros and I'm so glad we did. They were filled with this amazing cream and came with a caramel sauce for dipping. I'm not usually a big dessert person, but these were seriously incredible. Great location, great service, amazing food, and everything tasted fresh and well made. We will definitely be back!

I don't usually write reviews like this because I'd consider myself someone with a lot of patience…read more But my partner and I came to Maderos tonight after looking around Yelp and seeing how many great reviews it had. When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised by the ambiance and decided to sit outside, which felt perfect for a Sunday evening. We each ordered Orden De Tacos -- which is two tacos with rice and beans -- which seems simple enough. But after a while, we started noticing that people who arrived after us were ordering, getting their food, eating, paying, and leaving while we were still waiting. Again, all we had ordered was four tacos total, plus rice and beans. About 50 minutes after we placed our order, I finally got up to ask our waiter if he could check on our food because it had been such a long wait. If they were too busy (there were a lot of people, but not absurdly so), that's where communication could have gone a long way. Even just stopping by to acknowledge the delay or apologize for the wait would have made the experience feel very different. In the end, it took nearly an hour to get our four tacos from the time we ordered it, and the wait wasn't mentioned by staff at all. The food was okay in the end, but the experience definitely left us disappointed.

Came in to El Torito for a last minute date night! We knew there was happy hour, but we didn't know…read moreabout the $2.99 margaritas!! Hubby was so happy. Food 9.5/10 - Queso Dip 9.5/10 (i like my queso a little thicker) - Birria Tacos 10/10 (sooooo good! Especially for the happy hour price) - Guac 10/10 (I love me so guac, and this one was bomb!) - Carne Asada fries 10/10 - 3 margaritas 10/10 Everything was so good. We both hadn't been here for quite a few years and we were really blown away by the great food, great drinks, and great service! Our servers Memo and Brian were so attentive and really made us feel welcome. We will definitely be back for an other date night!

Came to this location yesterday by myself as I was having one of those days where I felt I needed…read moreto treat myself. The staff from the moment I walked in lifted my spirits and made me feel welcome everybody was so nice and very thoughtful I can say they actually care about their guests. From the host down to my server and as well as the manager. I ordered the sizzling fajitas , flautas , and I ordered some stuff to go and everything was delicious and well portioned. I asked to be seated somewhere I could enjoy my food without feeling the weight of everyone else around me and they exceeded my expectations . I also want to thank the gentleman who made my night (I believe the manager), "no such thing as a bad day" it brought tears to my eyes because you are right ! Thank you to everyone as well as my server Higinio. I'll be back :)

I met my son for drinks and appetizers here, and let me tell you--the service was amazing. The…read moreambiance was nice, the drinks were great... but the appetizers just didn't quite hit the mark. One of those places where everything starts off strong--you just wish the food matched the rest of the experience.

I visited Frida at Del Amo Mall for a birthday celebration. We were seated at a round table with…read moreplenty of space between us, which made for a comfortable setup. I've been to other Frida locations, such as the one in Glendale, and the food here is decent. Think of it as a slightly pricier, upscale El Torito. The guac is served in a clay pot, though they don't make it tableside like El Torito does. Overall, the food is okay, though not particularly memorable - I probably wouldn't come this location again, given the many Mexican restaurants nearby. That said, it's a fun place for celebrations (beside some safety concerns, keep reading); they do offer a free slice of cake with a candle that shoots fireworks, which is a nice touch for birthdays. The main issue for me, and the reason I cannot give a higher rating, was the customer service and safety. While we were comfortably seated, a server accidentally burned my fingers while carrying a hot plate of sizzling fajitas. I understand serving hot dishes can be challenging, but he was carrying one plate in each hand, and one of them was a cast-iron sizzling plate with hot oil. The oil splashed on my hand, causing a burn that immediately turned my skin pink. What concerned me most was how the situation was handled. I had to track down the floor manager to report the incident, and the response was not proactive or apologetic. The manager even made a sarcastic comment about whether he should call an ambulance. This left me feeling that proper training on handling hot plates and customer service may be lacking. As I mentioned, it is a competitive market and neighborhood for good Mexican restaurants, and given their poor quality in service and safety, you can be sure I will never return to eat here. I share this not to be harsh, but as constructive feedback. The food itself is fine, and the setting works for celebrations, but safety and respectful, professional service should come first, especially in a busy restaurant environment.

When the craving hits, it's always tacos!…read more I stopped by Tacos El Goloso on PCH and ordered a mix of street tacos (carnitas and al pastor) along with the tacos dorados de birria. I've been here before, and the birria tacos were exactly what I needed for a late-night craving. Crispy on the outside with a good amount of filling and strong flavor - they really hit the spot. I ended up having four of them. The consomé on the side was really good too - rich and flavorful, almost something I could've just had on its own. The street tacos were solid. The carnitas had that tender, slightly crisp texture, and the al pastor added a bit more seasoning and contrast. Nothing overcomplicated, just straightforward and satisfying. Service was friendly, and the setup is quick and casual. In the South Bay where places tend to close early, it was nice that they were open until around 10pm. Overall, this is a no-frills taco spot where the focus is on the food. Easy choice when you're in the mood for tacos.

I'm Mexican with family from Michoacán, so I don't say this lightly -- this place is legit. You…read morewalk in and the smell alone tells you everything. I got the birria plate (3 tacos with cheese, consomé, chips, salsas, etc.) and it was a full 10/10. Everything was balanced, flavorful, and authentic. Horchata was on point too. My girl got asada tacos -- super clean and really good. Only thing is there's no toppings bar, but they give you everything you need and the portions are dialed in. If I'm ever in the area craving Mexican food, I'm coming straight here -- no question. And they had the basketball game on, perfect. Super fast service by the way!

Service was excellent. Food was fantastic…read more Atmosphere was loud, (which was fine). And prices are reasonable. Especially considering the quality of the food. Was a very nice evening.

I have lived in Torrance for over 20 years and when I was a kid, people would rave about La…read moreCapilla. So one night I decided to try it with my husband. We were sorely disappointed. He ordered a wet burrito. His reaction was it was okay. That's his way of saying it was edible. I ordered a fish taco and a shrimp taco a la carte. The fish taco was so soggy I couldn't pick up the taco, it kept falling apart. Absolutely no flavor or salsa or anything on it. So it begs the question why was it soggy? The fish was off and it look like it had been boiled instead of grilled. The shrimp taco also contained fish that were boiled not grilled or pan fried, less soggy because shrimp doesn't retain water like white fish does. Yet again zero flavor, sauce, salsa or anything. I had to put the table salsa on it to get any flavor. Worst of all, I am 99% confident I got food poisoning. Service was okay. People were nice but food was a huge disappointment.

Finally made it back!!! And although I got the smaller tamer " original house taquitos"…read moreWith beef...Still so delicious and a great meal. As usual the place is run by a handful of very pretty and super nice latinas who wrangle orders and table delivery like pros... it's such a good place

I had been passing by this place for a while. The name is catchy. A colleague told me it was…read moretasty. Today, I decided to give it a try. This is an "order at the counter and they bring it out to you" type of place. The name "& cantina" makes me think you be sat down and someone takes your order. A tad confusing. Let me start with the service. The cashier was friendly but didn't give me any time to decide if I wanted a receipt before declining it on her end. It's a pet peeve. The place was empty. The menu is hard to read and the printed/laminated menus are poorly printed making them difficult to read. They seem to be promoting rolled tacos (aka taquitos) but this says "Blue Burro Burritos." I went with a burrito. It just contained carne asada, guac and pico. No rice. No beans. No cheese. All are extra. It's served with chips and a drink if you get the combo. They do give tiny portions of salsa on the side. The burrito itself looked like it had been on Ozempic for a few months. It tasted fine but just didn't seem plump. The chips were crispy, salty (in a good way) and tasted fresh but there wasn't anything to really dip them in. The salsa they served are in tiny cups so you can't get the chip in it. Honestly, they felt more like hot sauces. The habanero was okay, not really that spicy. The green one was too vinegary for my taste. The place was clean and they had loud music playing in the background. It was empty when I got there and considering all the ingredients in my burrito seemed precooked (like Chipotle), it took a while for the food to come. I went to the beverage bar and the different flavors of the non-soda beverage options had unnatural colors. The horchata looked like got into a fight with a Smurf and lost. The strawberry aquafresca was an unnatural milky opaque red. The cucumber seemed just a bit too neon green. The first two were not to my liking. The cucumber was refreshing but tasted like it contained a LOT of sugar. It was also annoying they didn't have any signs what was what. Back to the service. I had some chips left but went to get a refill on my beverage and the worker there took my food away assuming I was done. I caught her just before she left the dining area and asked her to return the food. She apologized. I think they can/should wait until someone leaves the establishment or at least ask. The combo was about $17. Bottom line: will I return? I would not come here on my own. I think the food is pricey for what it is. However, if I was with others who wanted to come here, I wouldn't say no. There are just better Mexican food restaurants in the area.

Fair prices for Incredibly good food. Lots of variety. Clean. Efficient. Pleasant staff. Family…read morefriendly. Good parking.

We've been going to this place for awhile now. The food is always fresh and service is pretty fast!…read moreThe restaturant space is a bit tiny but know that they are fast in bussing the tables. Highly recommend!

Great atmosphere, good for groups, friendly staff. Got the chicken mole enchiladas which was a big…read moreserving with rice and beans and it was very good!! No complaints here. Complimentary chips and salsa was also delicious. They have a lot of things to choose from on the menu! Bathrooms available.

Delicious food and aguas! Came during the lunch hour and the service was still great! Such a cute…read morerestaurant too great for my team lunch!

I was not expecting such a great experience here. We came on a Monday afternoon for happy hour…read more(they also have daily specials, but I think that we preferred the happy hour specials). They told us we could sit anywhere. It has a modern feel, plus lots of TVs, so maybe also a sports bar-vibe? They had the Olympics on, so I'm not complaining. They provide complimentary chips and salsa. I actually really liked the seasoning on the chips. Salsa was pretty good as well. We ordered a few tacos off the happy hour menu: fish taco, fried shrimp taco, chicken mole, and asada. Did not expect them to be as big as they were! Between two of us, we were stuffed from 4 tacos and could barely finish them. I really liked the chicken mole. I thought that the addition of the slivered almonds, pepitas and radishes was a delicious touch that really enhanced the texture with a bit of crunch. However, I got the scooner of Max's marg and thought that it was sorta of weak. Couldn't taste much tequila. The other downside was that there was a really loud party at the other end of the restaurant and one of them had a really sharp voice. I get that they probably were also enjoying the happy hour, but it really echos throughout the restaurant... and I don't think the servers can do much to quiet down a rowdy table a paying patrons...

Came here around lunch…read more The good: the chips they give you beforehand are excellent. Warm and seasoned + the salsa... top notch. The waiter/ waitress were friendly. The ok: the rest of the food. I got the breakfast burrito, which I should have checked previous reviews because it doesn't seem like they get praised very often. My wife's scramble was just ok, but she said definitely greasier than she anticipated. The bad: the time it took us to get our food. My wife said she noticed people around us ordering after us and we received our food about 10-15 min after those same people. I'm wondering if an item was missing or they missed our order initially since it took an abnormally long time for us to receive our food. We also had a 2 year old who was not on his best behavior, so mix the much longer wait with that, and as you can imagine it wasn't the best experience. The host also wasn't very friendly and it felt like we were burdening her just by being there. Kind of a bummer, as this was our first time trying this place.