El Torito in La Mesa is always a great experience. The food is consistently delicious, with generous portions and authentic flavors--especially the brunch . The chips and salsa are fresh and addictiv…

El Torito in La Mesa is always a great experience. The food is consistently delicious, with generous portions and authentic flavors--especially the brunch . The chips and salsa are fresh and ad…

El Torito in La Mesa is always a great experience. The food is consistently delicious, with generous portions and authentic flavors--especially the brunch . The chips and salsa are fresh and addict…

Our waiter Ivan was top notch he was answering all our questions and refilling our cups on time! ( we came with a lot of people) Which nèver happens at restaurants! He made our experience great! We w…

Our waiter Ivan was top notch he was answering all our questions and refilling our cups on time! ( we came with a lot of people) Which nèver happens at restaurants! He made our experience great! We…

Friendly, professional and knowledgeable staff! We always look forward to visiting for the great food and service and always leave happy! Gilberto is always helpful and personable. A++++

Definitely great for happy hour drinks are super good! The service was amazing! Our server Gilberto was amazing, funny and very on point! He was super energetic and entertaining! Very nice to us an…

Friendly, professional and knowledgeable staff! We always look forward to visiting for the great food and service and always leave happy! Gilberto is always helpful and personable. A++++

Definitely great for Happy Hour drinks are super good! The service was amazing! Our server Gilberto was amazing, funny and very on point! He was super energetic and entertaining! Very nice to us …

Definitely great for Happy Hour drinks are super good! The service was amazing! Our server Gilberto was amazing, funny and very on point! He was super energetic and entertaining! Very nice to us an…

Brought my mother for her birthday and our waiter Gilberto was the BEST!!! He was non stop entertainment, didn't knowour dinner came with show, . Made us all laugh and enjoy the visit. Ask for Gilb…

We had the best server, Ivan ! Ivan was attentive, friendly and never let the bottomless mimosa get dry. This was my first time having the brunch and it was fantastic! Every dish I tried was delici…

Gilberto was the BEST so fun, friendly, energetic!!! The bottomless mimosa brunch was great!!!

Was there for Sunday Brunch. The service was excellent! Probably can't say enough about how great the food was. Many choices and all fresh. Mimosas flowed like water... Thanks!

Gilberto is the best attendant. He is on it and makes sure that you are taken care of. The food is delicious and flavorful. The ambiance is great! I highly recommend this place.

The food was delicious! The ambiance was so cute, and the service was amazing! Loved Gilberto! Provided amazing service the entire night and had us laughing the entire time, would go back again jus…

Lizette gave us wonderful service and we were very attended to. Music in the background was very appropriate. It is kept very clean and the food was delicious.

Met some friends with a baby her and it was the right choice. Rachel was our server and was EXCELLENT. She was attentive without being pushy and understood the complication of having a three month…

Met some friends with a baby her and it was the right choice. Rachel was our server and was EXCELLENT. She was attentive without being pushy and understood the complication of having a three mon…

Their food is 🔥 delicioso!!! I love going to their Taco Tuesday, getting their $3 tacos with the fixings...beans, salsas, and their famous sweet corn-cake ❤️ They have a bar with many awesome drinks.

Carlos Ragsdale

Overall I'd give today's meal choices all together a strong 8.5 out of 10 only because the Birria shells weren't crispy/crunchy and the Carne Asada Fries tasted like old chopped up Carne Asada a little dry and not to my liking. The Chicken Flautas Were Bomb!! The Steak & Chorizo Tacos Also Were Bomb!! Birria Tacos Were Solid But Just Make The Shells Crunchy/Crispy. The Margarita Flights Were All Good Except The Original One Lol. Other Options Were Mango With Tajin Around The Rim & Blackberry With Black Salt Around The Rim. Both Were BOMBAY!!! All Choices Were From The Happy Hour Menu!!! Props To Mr Pedro The Server..

+2

Markiesa Bmore

We came here our first night in town for happy hour. We sat at the bar and they gave us chips and salsa. The salsa was a bit spicy , which I don't mind. I got the margarita flight which was more sweet than anything but cute. I also got the mini tacos which came with 4. It was beef and chorizo tacos and they were really good. There happy hour specials were good for the price and I left full and happy. Would recommend for happy hour

+1

Sunshine and Beaches Traveler

We overall enjoyed our experience here. The food was good, the service was good, and the place was clean and well maintained. I liked the salsa the best and my husband really enjoyed his Fajitas! I also tried their El Dueno Margarita - it was a fun drink for sure!

+22

John R (Johnny Reviews)

I always looked at El Torito as that old restaurant parents go to 20 years ago. It was a great experience for the family and I would go again. Food: for the most part ot was just ok. Their happy hour deals though are a great deal. Their desserts are probably better than anything else though. All of their food was very neutral, from their salsa to hot spaces none of it was really knocked out of the park except the deserts. Desserts were amazing amd totally worth the trip. Service: is the big win here. All of their staff, fro. Hosts, bartenders, servers even manager were all at our disposal for anything and all were amazi g through out the dining experience.. Atmosphere: very dated look. Great space but alot of wasted space with a central area used for storage. Overview: a great spot for after work, and dessert. Avoid the tamales but definitely order the flan and fried ice cream.

+15

Nice and clean with very professional servers, we were here Saturday early eve, happy hour options are great love it, Margarita flights appetizers delicious haven't been to el Toritos in many years…

Nice and clean with very professional servers, we were here Saturday early eve, Happy hour options are great love it, margarita flights appetizers delicious haven't been to el Toritos in many years…

Nice and clean with very professional servers, we were here Saturday early eve, Happy hour options are great love it, Margarita flights appetizers delicious haven't been to el Toritos in many years…

Dorcas Alexander

Compared to previous visits: Music too loud, 2 groups asked to be moved from table under speaker. Service was slow for number of tables occupied. The 2 tables we sat at need to be scrubbed, not just wiped.

Sarah Hester

Groups of 8 or more have an automatic added gratuity of 20%. Bill cannot be broken up. We had a large group but the service provided was definitely not worth the "required" tip. The plates were hotter than the food, that had next to no flavor. Would not recommend

Suzy Loera, Realtor

El Torito is one of my favorites, unfortunately this visit was not great. The wait was too long they were short staffed it was not rush hour. The chips were rancid, it took 3 times to get them right, but by then I had finished my guacamole... the fajitas were just onions no bell peppers and I don't eat/like onions! So far this was the worst experience I had :( I felt bad for the waitress she was trying her best. We spent about $65 incl. Tip. And water for drinks. $14 for the guacamole...

We came for happy hour and only got the food from that menu. The restaurant wasn't busy by any means but it took longer than we would've liked for us to get our food. It felt like they only had one s…

We came for happy hour and only got the food from that menu. The restaurant wasn't busy by any means but it took longer than we would've liked for us to get our food. It felt like they only had o…

We came for happy hour and only got the food from that menu. The restaurant wasn't busy by any means but it took longer than we would've liked for us to get our food. It felt like they only had one…

The food and drinks were very tasty. But this restaurant has problems with service. Upon arrival, there was no host, no greeter, and no one to tell the five waiting groups what to do. Finally, a…

The food and drinks were very tasty. But this restaurant has problems with service. Upon arrival, there was no host, no greeter, and no one to tell the five waiting groups what to do. Finally, a…

The food and drinks were very tasty. But this restaurant has problems with service. Upon arrival, there was no host, no greeter, and no one to tell the five waiting groups what to do. Finally, a…

The food and drinks were very tasty. But this restaurant has problems with service. Upon arrival, there was no host, no greeter, and no one to tell the five waiting groups what to do. Finally, a…

Our first visit was better than ok but still not as exceptional as the fancy menu or decorating might suggest. The server was friendly, apologized for the delays, and our order came just as we order…

Our first visit was better than ok but still not as exceptional as the fancy menu or decorating might suggest. The server was friendly, apologized for the delays, and our order came just as we ord…

Gabriela Doyle

El torito has always been my favorite, we have moved out of state but still make it a mission to visit when in California. Our last visit was not what we usually experience, the waiter did not seem to interested in giving good service and that's disappointing. Also we did not see any small print or sign about a surcharge fee added to the bill, it was not tax and it was not the tip. We weren't a big party either. Prices have already increased, it should be posted somewhere!

Jillyin Smith

Sat at the bar for 5+ minutes before I had to ask the host to please let the bartender know I was there. All good. I was the only person sitting at the bar and she was serving and bartending, so I get it. She took my food and drink order but then proceeded to make multiple other drinks before simply pouring the draft beer I had ordered. Again, I get it, she’s serving the restaurant liquor orders as well, but the restaurant wasn’t busy and pouring the draft would have taken all of 6 seconds. After receiving my beer (going on 15+ minutes of being there), she asked if I’d like chips and salsa, I said yes. Five minutes later my food came out and it was as if she didn’t listen to a thing I said while ordering. Had to scrape off the 3 things I asked (upon ordering) to be removed…one of these things would have ensured that I would be spending more time on a toilet than I’d like to. Cool. Anyways, 8 minutes after receiving my food, she came over with the chips and salsa. No thanks, girl, just the check. My bill was $29. I drank less than 1/2 of my beer & was able to take MAYBE 4 bites of the salad I had ordered. Super bummer.

Ms. Michelle Meier

Worst place worst food and worst drinks ever! Back in the day this place was poppn and crackn! Not so much anymore! We ordered pina coladas with extra shots there was no extra shots! But we were charged for it! The food was horrible! I should of known when we walked in there on a Friday night and it was dead! Nobody was in there! And the server kept making excuses for the drinks and food! We spent at least $200 including tip! Could of been a little better!

Paco C

Very unfortunate. El Torito was one of my favorite spots for brunch. This location has quickly gone downhill, with food quality and portions decreasing, and they are now adding a surcharge. Ours was a charge of $29.54 for no reason. Look at the picture. Avoid this place. Very unfortunate.

Erik B

This was an absolute horrible experience. We were seated for 50 minutes before we got our food. My wife’s food was soggy and lukewarm. The excuses given were, “sorry we are super busy”. There were more empty tables than full in the restaurant. We had a reservation for 8:15p we were seated at 8:00p it took awhile to even be acknowledged and get our drink order placed. Then by 8:50 we still had no food. By 9p we received our mediocre food. The air was blowing full speed right on top of us, the radio was way too loud, the tvs quit working, this place was just a mess. After all of that, they didn’t offer us any discount, no coupons, no nothing. Oh it took 12 minutes after asking for the check to have it brought over. We will never return. No wonder this chain closed all those stores.

Martin Ferreira

Extremely Disappointed – Worst Holiday Dining Experience I rarely leave negative reviews, but our experience at El Torito in La Mesa for Easter brunch was incredibly frustrating and disappointing. I personally called ahead to make reservations for a large party (over 10 people) specifically to avoid any issues with the online system. Despite this, when we arrived, they had no record of our reservation. Instead of taking accountability or trying to resolve the situation professionally, the staff at check-in acted as if I had never made a reservation at all. They challenged me on it and made it seem like they were doing us a favor by “trying” to seat our party—something that should have already been guaranteed. After over 40 minutes of waiting outside, we were finally seated—but not even together. They split our family into two separate tables, completely defeating the purpose of bringing everyone together for a holiday meal. We were seated with the clear expectation that we’d be enjoying the Easter brunch buffet—only to be told we had five minutes before it ended. There were no plates available, and as we tried to see what we could get, we watched staff clearing the buffet and throwing untouched food into garbage bags right in front of guests. Rather than allowing us to eat what we came for, they rushed to shut everything down as if we were an inconvenience. Eventually, the manager came out and tried to blame Corporate for the mix-up, saying they had set up the reservation. But I had called this exact location directly—it was the local team who took the reservation. Then, a second manager came out and went as far as to accuse us of being rude, instead of taking responsibility for their own mishandling of the situation. This has truly been the worst dining experience I’ve had, especially on a day meant for family celebration. With Mother’s Day around the corner, I strongly recommend looking elsewhere if you’re planning something special. This location showed a complete lack of organization, professionalism, and respect for its guests. We will not be returning.

+4