I forgot to take pictures of the food, but this place is my absolute favorite mexican restaurant in San Leandro. The food is really good and you get good portions here, but whenever I've gone, there's usually a bit of a wait time around dinner time. I went on a Saturday closer to maybe 4 or 5pm and the wait time to get seated was between 40-50 mins, but it's so worth it for the food. There are trails where you can walk around while you wait too, but it's cool because the bay is right there and it's just a nice area overall. My family and I have been coming here for years and it has never disappointed us!

I Come here once in a while and it never disappoints! The food was very delicious idk what I had but I’ll leave a photo of it. Also the waiter that we was so attentive and help us a lot and was very nice her name was iridiana!

The food is great, the service is excellent, the happy hour prices are super cheap, I would come back again and again.

Staff was amazing! Beautiful views. Can see San Fran from here. Good drinks!

+2

Amazing Mexican restaurant! The seafood is incredible, and the chilaquiles and birria taste like authentic Mexican food. Alejandra, my hostess, was so lovely, and my server, Lupita, was incredibly nice. I highly recommend this place with its amazing view of the Bay Area.

Loved this place as a kid, haven't been in probably 20 or so years, and never to this location. Smidge run down, but great views, great service and the guacamole is still delicious.

We ordered the Birria tacos, carne asada with enchilada(which was a lot smaller than I expected). I was not too hungry so I saved my birria tacos for breakfast and it was delicious. I do recommend El Torito, and will return 👍

Jennifer was a very pleasant server. She promptly provided drinks and assistance while having brunch.

I enjoyed! The food was delicious, good customer service, nice view and yummy margaritas 😉👌

+5

Efrain is the best!!! Such a wonderful waiter and a good time def coming back again and inviting my friends!

Great food and staff the restraunt Great location great views out the windows staff were outstanding. I only wish they had sour cream and Different cheese. Great value

+6

Went for lunch, we were seated by a long window which faced the Bay it was a nice atmosphere. Then we went for happy hour the next evening in the bar area, TV's all around, drinks and appetizers made the evening! The service was great!

+1

Great Mexican salad and tortilla soup plus margaritas? I do enjoy just watching the birds while most of my friends enjoy watching the planes land.

+1

The service is top notch, the server Ramiro was very sweet and attentive. The food and drinks were good. Will definitely be back!

Great view and good food

After being away from the Bay Area for 18 years, I was pleasantly surprised to see El Torito still going strong. This location has always been a favorite of mine with its beautiful water views. The restaurant itself has a vintage charm, and I was delighted to find that both the food and the staff remain timeless and delicious. A special shoutout to Carlos for making our date night extra special—he not only got us the best table in the house but even tracked us down in the parking lot when we forgot our leftovers. Outstanding service!.

El Torito at the Marina is a great place. On this trip we had about 15 people in our party and they made room for all of us. I applaud the patience of the staff and our server in particular. We were a very loud and confusing group of crazy individuals and she kept her composure and even took part in our laughter. I had the Seafood Taco Trio (did not take a picture, sorry) this was my second time trying Fish Taco's. I don't know what kind of fish was in the Taco's but they were delicious none the less! Notably the rice and corn served with it stole the show for me. Sooooo good. Oh my God I don't know if its been to long since I've had decent rice (a former love interest made rice best imo) but my God this rice... I was asking my fellow attendees if they were going to eat there's! I also had drinks, of course that's where I remember (mostly) to take pictures so let's just get to it! First up! The Mango Rum Rita; I mean I haven't found a single place that has ruined anything Mango for me yet and El Torito kept up the streak. Deliciously sweet! I only regret forgetting to ask what type of rum they used. The Strawberry Rum Rita; This one I must note was also very sweet and delicious but the reason I note it is because unlike Mango centered drinks I have had Strawberry drinks ruined before but not here ladies and gentlemen, El Torito knocked this one out of the park! Skinny Rosé Magarita; I think I've had this drink elsewhere but by a different name. It was probaly the most refreshing of my drink ordered. It was served with the Rosé on the side but man yes, great GREAT drink. Watermelon Magarita; (No picture) Watermelon anything is hit or miss with me for some reason. I order them just to try them. Luckily El Torito nailed this drink and it wasn't watered down like my last few attempts else where, thank you El Torito! Classic Paloma; (No picture) This is the same situation as the Watermelon anything, I've had delicious Palomas and then.... unnecessarily strong Palomas. Again, El Torito hit it out of the park! This was also the first drink of the evening so great way to start the event for me! We had a couple of tequila shots through out the time spent here and I again applaud our waitress who had to deal with our confusing and loud screaming numbers at her for how many shots we wanted at a time! All in all the service was great, they separated bills for the people unwilling to jump in the pot with us. My only detractor is that we set a reservation for this event in advance and it was known what time but they were not ready for us until an hour after we arrived. They herded us early birds to the bar lounge as they set up for us otherwise once we were seated everything went great!

+4

I visited El Torito tonight with my family and we had an amazing experience Silvia's recommendations were on point! She made sure we had a wonderful night! We will definetely be back!

Taco Tuesday and its always a great atmosphere. Our server recognized us from years ago, when Michael and Chuey were there. Good to see a familiar face. The salmon tacos could use some flavor the Mango Margy was basically juice. Food and presentation is always clean and portions are fair. The Guac, chips n salsa and View NEVER DISAPPOINT.

Truly enjoyed our late lunch here in El Torito, conveniently located at the Marina. Whether you prefer to dine indoors or outdoors, you'll still get a great glimpse of the spectacular views all around. I want to add how extremely accommodating this restaurant is to someone on a wheelchair. Very impressed with our waiter Omar, he provided us with such an excellent and friendly service! All the staff were nice and helpful. Well deserved recognition for the wonderful service. Look no further, this is the spot! The food was absolutely scrumptious!! Great food selections and prices are affordable.

I remember driving through the parking lot years ago. People standing out in-line, I left. This Mother's Day 2025 my daughter took me out for brunch.. No regrets the food was Onolicious 🙏🏾🌺 Thanks Staff

This is a great place to visit for happy hour, offering a beautiful sunset view by the water in San Leandro. I've been here several times and always find it to be a great spot for delicious food at affordable prices, good drinks at happy hour rates, and a fantastic view. My only complaint is the extremely loud live Mariachi group—it gets so loud that you can’t even hear your own voice when they go around playing at the tables. I actually had to put in earplugs while they were performing. Aside from that, everything else is great, and I would definitely recommend checking this place out!

Hello again! Had to return for the Sunday Brunch, and once again was blown away from then excellent service from Jennifer. A buffet assortment for a connoisseur of the best Mexican dishes in existence. From Chili Colorado to Chili Verde, omelettes specials, Incredible Enchiladas, home fresh tortillas, a Seafood Soup to die for! Fresh pastry to Flan and Rice Pudding pleasures. And I experienced half the dishes! Yup! You’re thinking the same: Coming back to taste what I missed!!! Thee Best Buffet Ever!!!

+2

I have loved el Torino for years. Found this and decided to go. The food is still spot on and chips and salsa like I remember. It can be busy since there is a buffet on the weekends. You can tell this location has been around for a long time. It looks worn down . Get passed that and the food and view and everything

I came here today and their service was awesome. My waitress dayah was super attentive and nice. The food was great and atmosphere was fun. Will definitely come back.

Family brunch, large party with 3 children. What an awesome experience! The food was great, Jessica our server kept everything smooth and personable. Really an extraordinary experience....we will bring all of our family events here !!!!!

Everything about El Torito was excellent! Brunch is buffet style and there are plenty of options. I was visiting and this was my last stop before going to the airport. I thought about the food and my dining experience all day! It was worth the cost. I highly recommend El Torito!

I loved it . My husband took me for our 10 year anniversary. I enjoyed everything the drinks the SOPES OMG! and I hate stuff with maza. But the SOPES ARE DELICIOUS! We ended up going 2 days later for breakfast buffet on Sunday with our daughter

We had seen the reviews and weren't expecting much, to be honest, but we ended up being very surprised. Our server was great, the chips and salsa were flowing (and really good), the margaritas were pretty good (tad too sweet for me, but perfect for my girl), our spinach enchiladas were stuffed with lots of well cooked spinach, and the flautas were some of the best we've had in a while, which we really didn't expect. The queso wasn't awesome, but it wasn't bad, either. Their happy hour prices are pretty good, too. We will be back here soon.

Took the kiddos up to San Francisco for the weekend and we heard this El Torito was really good. And yes it was. It was among the few restaurants with dine in option...outdoor seating to be precise. They're restrooms are upstairs but I really appreciated how they have a handicap restroom right near the entrance. Our waitress was super friendly and great with the kids. She brought our food in a timely matter and knew exactly when we needed refills. The food was so delicious! I ordered the grilled steak with cheese enchilada my son ordered the carne asada burrito. I only wish I took pictures of everyone else's dish....when back in San Francisco, definitely will return. Thank you!

Good food ,service , lists of parking and nice ocean view from the restaurant ..

Food was flavorful delicious!

Had lunch with some friends and it was a superb afternoon. We were greeted with a happy smile as soon as we walked in the door by the host. Our server was just as friendly and delightful. She had a great since of humor and such an awesome personality. I wish I can remember her name, cuz she definitely deserves it. She was always checking on us to make sure we were okay or need anything. Our drinks never got halfway empty. She was a fabulous waitress !!! The food came out in a timely manner and it was sizzling hot and cooked perfectly. The food was not only tasty, but down right delicious. While we were eating the manager came over to our table just to say hello and see if he could possibly better our visit. He couldn't, cuz we were already having the best services ever. Hands down we had the best waitress in the world. I just wish I could remember her name. The restaurant was very clean. We really enjoyed the atmosphere. Having a view of the bay watching the planes and boats was really nice too while eating lunch. It could even be romantic if you went a night time. I had a couple cocktails during lunch and they were spot on. Not too much ice and you could definitely taste the alcohol. I highly recommend coming here for a bite to eat or for a cocktail. I promise you won't be disappointed.

The atmosphere was warm and inviting, making it a really enjoyable place to dine. The food was delicious, and the prices were very reasonable for the quality and portion sizes. Overall, great service, great food, and a great vibe. We’ll definitely be coming back—thank you, Alejandro, for making our visit even better!

Great location and fun energy. There was mariachi available and the live music was great. Wish the restaurant would contract them to play a few hours. Not impressed by the food, the chille relleno lacking and the Jamaica was flavorless. The flautas were deliciously deceiving because they were not crunchy, as advertised and as they should be, it was more of a soft taco, but it tasted good and that’s what matters. This is a great spot to go for the view and energy.

Elias and Giselle were absolutely incredible! From the moment we walked in, they made us feel welcome with their energy and attention to detail. Elias is super attentive, quick, and genuinely cares about giving great service. Giselle is warm, friendly, and always makes sure everything is perfect at the table. Together, they create the kind of experience that makes you want to come back again and again. If you visit, ask for them they’re truly the stars of this place!

Been coming here with my grandpa since I can remember, and I haven’t been back since he passed away but my fiancé took me here for my birthday and the food is just as amazing as I remember, if not better. And the service was great, Dayana was attentive and sweet. They even sing happy birthday panchita like I remember. Thank you bringing back so many memories at el Torito with him.

Alexander Aguirre

Julianna was so sweet and attentive to our needs. The food was delicious we did happy hour and enjoyed everything. The birria tacos and sopes were perfect portions and quality was definitely there.

Hai L

celebrated my bday and Manuel made it all worthwhile with his friendly demeanor and excellent service. I love the location..by the marina and they have great happy hour items as well. Thx again to u guys and our awesome server!!

Dr. Traci Navarro

My husband brought his entire agency and patients for a banquet style dinner. The food was VERY good and so was the service! We had 33 people and three children. I was so excited to eat here!! I used to visit the San Diego location with my grandma when I was younger. It still taste delicious! I also feel the menu is Very Reasonable and the portions are large. Come for a visit!

+2

Luis Barragan

This restaurant is beautiful because it's right next to the sea, the view is gorgeous, and my server, Valentina, was very efficient and attentive. We really appreciated her customer service; she recommended some excellent dishes that made our time at the restaurant very pleasant. Congratulations to the chefs; the food is delicious! I really recommend them

Jeanie Demasters

Omg...dont skip this place! Great view..windows front bay dining. Food was delicious. Service top notch. Great happy hour specials

+4

Sara F. S.

Love the daily Happy Hour HH bites, its 3-9pm now. ▪︎ Love the flautas with tamarind sauce, birria tacos, carne asada fries are real good & filling, mahi tacos are nice but I like the salmon tacos more, complimentary chips&salsa always fresh & delish but appearance & spiciness varies, ▪︎ TACOS VAMIPROS: like an enchilada as a taco, great flavor, love the skirt steak so soft, they didn't give me the salsa picante stated on the menu & it did need it I went witbout as it was too busy. Delish cheesy flavor but the cheese didn't seem grilled-goldenized inside as I expected after having 'tacos vampiros' elsewhere like Chevys. Grilling the cheese on the comal til golden then wiping it up with the sauced-up corn tortilla before assembling taco, that's what I thought tacos vampiros meant when I started seeing it at restaurants before Covid. That step really enhances the cheese flavor but these were still really good with a melty cheesy flavor. Needed limes & green salsa. ▪︎ SOPES: 3chicken sopes, great grilled chicken flavor atop some beans w/pico de gallo, cabbage+lettuce, cotija cheese, if in the mood for a fresh light tostada try these Sopes on HH $6. Classic fresh healthier feeling light soft crunch? I couldn't tell if they're fried but aren't greasy. He really liked them & theyre a quality dish. Other HH items like flauta & birria tacos have way more flavors going on, I love those. I'd like the meat on Sope to be sauced up or marinated, or serve a smooth salsa on the side something other than the table chipsNsalsa, and limes would kick it up ▪︎ Overall we keep coming back, and can't beleive I havent tried the brunch yet it looks great. ▪︎ I do wish entrees & some apps came with at least lime wedges, and a small smooth salsa like green "salsa verde" or blended orange/ red hot salsa picante. When I ask it often takespirate. to get until im almost done, or doesn't come, or I just do without if I forgot to ask quickly. I most always enjoy limes with my latin food & definitely my Mexican cuisine. I suggest ask for limes or they should include with entrees a complex smooth salsa diff than the table-salsa you've already had your fill of. ▪︎ AMBIANCE: Thurs night NFLseason opener was kind of too loud with the mariachi band which plays in bar area every TH NIGHT. Families can dine in the main banquet room with booths & tables but can't take advantage of the 3-9p HH menu unless you order in the bar room area. Would love to see the DJ brought back some nights or TH as it was years ago. Jessica is a wonderful server here, and the views of the Bay and landing airplanes at Oakland Airport make this a staple night out.

+19

Daniel Lam

Perfect place for a summer sundown supper. Our waiter MANUEL serviced in a friendly warm manner. He gave us recommendations, specials, listen how we wanted our order and even tempted us with dessert. Come during the weekdays during sunset for breath taking marina bay views. See you soon again El Torito, thank you!

+3

Sam Zughbaba

I love Eltorito. The food was great. The signature fajita is big portion and flavourful. The meat was tender and tasted awesome. Atmosphere is great. Next to the water. Highly recommend.

+6

Stephano Liza

Aside from the stunning views and atmosphere. The food was incredibly delicious. Seasoned accurately and thoroughly. The staff were friendly and helpful. They went above and beyond to deliver a fantastic service and experience. Today was my wife’s birthday and they came and sang her a happy birthday and gifted her a very delicious flan. I will definitely visit El Torito, in the future and recommend this restaurant to anyone looking to grab a delicious bite! We highly recommend Jennifer, our waitress.

Elena Baruah

A great restaurant with the Bay views and very close to Oakland airport. Food is plentiful and delicious. We visited here during the happy hour. About 4pm. the right side of the restaurant serves happy hours in the menu the left side of restaurants serves only menu. I ordered a set of three tacos with salmon. $10 on the happy hour menu and it was great. They serve cheap chips and salsa before you order the food and chips were warm and fresh. The service was slow, however friendly.

+6

Dharma Initiative

I was positively surprised to discover Torito when I visited the restaurant last night. From the moment you enter, you can feel the atmosphere as if you were entering a traditional Mexican restaurant. The building was built and decorated following this beautiful culture, the reception and service were kind and efficient, the food was incredible and delicious, very tasty, prepared with high quality products. The restaurant is large, with different areas, including one for happy hour, a second floor that I didn't visit and the main dining room where you have an incredible view of the Bay and the mountains that surround the area. I recommend arriving before sunset, as you'll have the privilege of watching a beautiful sunset from your table while you dine. Bravo to the Torito team for the excellent food and welcome. I'll definitely be back when I visit the city.

+4

Thank you so much to Silvia and the others that helped our celebration feel special. Unfortunately I didn't get the other staff names. Our group dinner was amazing and Silvia made our group of 25 f…

very good service and very nice people delicious food thank you very much. Good ambiance and nicely attended by Dayana M

By far our favorite night out Mexican spot! We love the everyday happy hour, and typically go for that. Amazing drinks, amazing food, and if you get Jessica has your server, beyond amazing service!…

We used to come all the time for Sunday brunch but had to stop when clothes started to get too tight (it was too good). It took a bit of a dip in quality but we went today and the food was excellen…

The amazing food, service and the ambiance is stunning. Yuliana is fabulous, thanks for your awesome and impeccable service waiting on me and my guest today!!!

We went to lunch on a Friday afternoon! The food was so delicious it was the lunch special a chicken a crema enchilada and a crunch beef taco. It was very reasonable and very tasty. We accompanie…

This place was suggested to us by some friends. It was located at the marina with the Oakland Airport across the way. Beautiful scenery. The wait staff were friendly and accommodated our large group…

This place was suggested to us by some friends. It was located at the marina with the Oakland Airport across the way. Beautiful scenery. The wait staff were friendly and accommodated our large g…

The buffet here was very good. For 25 the lunch buffet is worth the cost. Great service from all the waiters and food was great! If you're not into the brunch buffet try the al la cart items. We'll…

The buffet here was very good. For 25 the lunch buffet is worth the cost. Great service from all the waiters and food was great! If you're not into the brunch buffet try the al la cart …

I have been a customer at El Torito for a few decades. The food is great! The service is perfect. The bartenders, while you wait for your table, are the best. The views of the Oakland/San Francisco…

I have been a customer at El Torito for a few decades. The food is great! The service is perfect. The bartenders, while you wait for your table, are the best. The views of the Oakland/San Francisco…

I flew into Oakland Airport at rush hour. Looked for a good restaurant to have dinner while waiting to fight the traffic into Santa Rosa. Found El Toronto just across the bay from the airport. Less…

This was very typical Mexican cuisine. Very tasty, nonetheless. The chicken enchilada was tasteful, along with the nachos. The food was prepared quickly and staff was friendly. Seems like a nice place to dine in because it sits on the water.

Food was not hot enough but I was hungry 🤤 so I ate fast but Roberto was a great 👍🏾 waiter great customer service

+6

Not bad in a pinch, was staying in Oakland on a layover and my buddy drove down from up North to meet up. We really didn't see anything that stood out and figures we'd give El Torito a spin. Not sure if this was once part of the old chain or independent but it was a little dated. We sat at the bar which had a good amount of people for happy hour. We both had tacos which were pretty good. The salsa was very good 👌. The service was just ok, he wasn't overly attentive but didn't ignore us. I'd go back again but definitely not as my primary go to place.

I didn’t know this was all you can eat on Sunday brunch. Enjoyed most of food. I tried hot Tacos but the staff didn’t speak English and she seemed unhappy to serve for non-Spanish speakers. Otherwise overall good experience

Nice Mexican restaurant with decent food in a great location! We ordered family style fajita and every thing from chicken to shrimp tasted great! The waiters are also nice, they can be a bit slow to fulfill the requests, but they were busy even on a Sunday afternoon!

Went for dinner. It happened to be happy hour but that’s only at the bar. Salsa and chips were brought to the table and I ordered my dinner but had to get up and walk to the bar to order my drink. I can’t really complain, though, the Mojito I ordered was delicious. I wasn’t expecting the plates to be so big; I ordered the tacos Al Pastor. They were very good. The tortilla ripped too East but to be honest, I didn’t care and just ate with a fork due to the flavors being so great. Rice was good too. Server was very friendly and professional. And the views were an added bonus.

The place where the waiter put us was convenient and comfortable. It was a beautiful sunset. If you are in a good company of people, the wait for your dish will fly by no noticeably. The food was good. You can visit this place with the whole family or by yourself. The only thing is that I like quieter places. It was not too loud here, but still quite noisy. So I think I can recommend a dinner overlooking the sunset and the bay.

+2

Front Desk / Reception not too sharp, we were a party of 8, 3 cars, for 1 pm lunch, birthday celebration. We arrived within 5 minutes from each other from Tracy, Hayward, and Lincoln. They seated the 1st group from Tracy 3 out of 8 at a table of 8, in the main dining room along the window with a view to the bay. Good Start. The rest of the group 5 out of 8 was seated in the bar area, at another table of 8, close to the window. Inexperienced staff, 3 people at the front, could not figure out that the 3 missing people from the party of 8 had already come in, and got seated in the main dining room. The 2nd party of 5 sitting in the dining area in the nar area was already served chips and salsa and 8 menus placed on the table, when we started looking for the other 3 of the party of 8. The place was not even busy. There were more tables along the window in the main dining room. Instead we had to get up again. I am 82 yrs old mobility impaired, and 2 more seniors in the group and move to join them. Old people get seated in the bar area. What's up with that. We are an Eastbay family and this is not the 1st time I have been to El Doritos for a celebration, lunch or Happy hour. Inexperienced staff in the front. Not making it easy for the wait staff on the floor getting space set up for a larger party than 4. Easy to expand the booth from 4 to 8. We'll we are not that hard to please. We had a good time. We like the Mariachis coming to the table and playing Happy Birthday.

The fajitas and tacos were great. The table-side guacamole was pretty average (not worth the price). Location was great, right by the water. Restaurant condition was average, certainly passable. I would definitely come back, especially if traveling through the Oakland airport.

Mark G

The grilled chicken fajitas here were really good – juicy, flavorful, and served sizzling hot with veggies. Loved the presentation and the portions were generous. Nice spot to enjoy a meal after a walk on Marina Beach!

Kathleen Valerio

Came here for a going away party for a friend. Food is good, water front view is nice, service is okay. Glad to know they are still in business. They've got good deals on drinks and tacos in the cantina section, but we were in the regular dinning area for our party. Still prices are reasonable. A couple of Mariachi singers we serenading when we first arrived which was lovely, but made it challenging to hold conversations. Staff is friendly, and things move at a slower pace, which is perfect if you're looking to hang out a longer a while. Unfortunately the rugs are worn through in some spots. Hopefully they can be patched or replaced soon.

Sunday evening went for dinner. Pepsi was not carbonated, chicken tortilla soup, vegetables were tough like they were just added. \nWaitress was running around even though there were many o…

Sunday evening went for dinner. pepsi was not carbonated, chicken tortilla soup, vegetables were tough like they were just added. \nWaitress was running around even though there were many of them, …

Came here for the Sunday all you can eat brunch and was honestly surprised by the food here. The tradition Mexican dishes like the mole and tacos (amazing handmade tortillas) were some of the stars…

Came here for the Sunday all you can eat brunch and was honestly surprised by the food here. The tradition Mexican dishes like the mole and tacos (amazing handmade tortillas) were some of the stars…

Christmas brunch at El Torito San Leandro\nRating: \n\nI visited El Torito in San Leandro yesterday for their Christmas Day brunch. It was a flavorful and festive experience, made even better by …

We love going here for happy hour! We were going once a week, but we have been getting busy now. They have taco tuesdays where it is only $3 for a taco and they give out rice and beans too. It is s…

We love going here for happy hour! We were going once a week, but we have been getting busy now. They have taco tuesdays where it is only $3 for a taco and they give out rice and beans too. It is…

Friendly atmosphere, nice drinks and beautiful view of the bay. The food is terrific! The service it great, I spilled my strawberry and they gave me another. I had shrimp enchiladas. The corn cake …

Literally, the most disgusting restaurant carpet in many years. Awful, stinking, blackened, pattern obscured. I will not go again because of this. Bad, bad, bad. food mediocre, The Mexican in H…

The food was fine. Good service but the most disgusting carpet I have ever seen! The colourful carpet was black where people walked. My shoes stuck to the carpet. I think this would not pass a health…

The food was fine. Good service but the most disgusting carpet I have ever seen! The colourful carpet was black where people walked. My shoes stuck to the carpet. I think this would not pass a heal…

The food was fine. Good service but the most disgusting carpet I have ever seen! The colourful carpet was black where people walked. My shoes stuck to the carpet. I think this would not pass a heal…

Enjoyed a good tap beer and shared chicken flautas for a quick treat while on a bike ride by the bay.

Only reason for a 4 is the long wait for a table. We should have called for a reservation. So that one down grade was partially ours. Once seated, we were greeted by our server and drink were qui…

Only reason for a 4 is the long wait for a table. We should have called for a reservation. So that one down grade was partially ours. Once seated, we were greeted by our server and drink were quick…

This place is the epitome of American "mexican" food. It isn't terrible, the happy hour prices are decent and there are a couple good dishes. Service is usually friendly but slow because they get pretty busy. The tacos on taco Tuesday aren't really that cheap and are not anything special. I can get $2 tacos that are much better from most taquerias. Regardless it is a fun place to come with a group and get some decent sized margaritas for $5 and have some okay food. I never used to come here before living within walking distance and I have to say that is the only reason I go and will continue to go. This restaurant is not particularly worthwhile to go out of the way for. However, I would recommend trying it for yourself especially during the happy hour times which goes until 7pm everyday.

Food was acceptable; the house margarita was so-so. It took over 30 minutes to get our food after ordering. When we complained to our waiter, the manager came out and apologized and adjusted our bill to compensate. They had a small Mexican band come around and play for a few minutes; then they went table to table asking for tips. Probably won't eat here again. Of course, I may have said that the last time, a few years ago. Oh well.

It was very well with it's customer service...just the 'greeter' was kinda like meh about his job, BUT EVERYONE ELSE WAS SUPER NICE..dishes...not so much I don't like complaining so just put it aside n right on time..brought us a new drink so it evened out BUT food was very yummy tho.

Food was good but the place really needs an update!! Service wasn't so great

Jessica is my go to server! She was attentive and so sweet while handling the large happy hour crowd. I feel like I need to go back and tip her again. Top tier service.

First restaurant I’ve tried in Oakland. First place I visited after getting off the plane. My friend who lives here actually didn’t know about it either so it was his first time also. Very friendly staff, we came in kinda late. It was dark and raining a lot so we couldn’t see the water view very well but it was still very nice. I ordered a carne guisada that comes with a cheese enchilada, guacamole, and grounded yellow corn. The yellow corn side is something I hadn’t had in a long time but was a nice touch. My friend who is vegetarian ordered the vegan fajitas that included a poblano pepper stuffed with cheese. We also go a side of Queso as an appetizer, the queso was delicious it’s yellow cheese with white queso fresco on top. I ordered their house frozen margarita, but I had to exchange for a top shelf margarita because the house one was very plane, was not strong and did not have any flavor. Other cons about the restaurant is that they don’t have good tortillas. They are definitely not hand made. We ordered the flower and they were pretty dry and not tasty. We had a very nice waitress but she didn’t check on us often enough, my friend had to stand up and find napkins at one point. Would I go back, maybe yes. But I have to much too explore, would I recommend? Yes, for the views and the food was very good except for the tortillas as mentioned.

+5

It is a dying buffet but you can't miss the views! Just need the city to cleanup mattress from shoreline ...City of San Leandrp P/L is partially fenced off, worth the trip as many diff hispanic foods including tamales and horchatta. Low staff, but hey, you serve yourself, right? It's a Buffet, not many left these days, especially brunch w/e oned. Lock your vehicle good, OAK is just north and watch the planes land. Staff try hard. But I have trouble tipping 18% at a buffet, why as a Server, would you work a buffet? Lowers cafe like a coffee shop, all you do is seat and serve beverages. But my hibiscus and others including brewed coffee is self serve, stay away from the alcohol. 3.7

Upon arrival we waited about 5 minutes with a reservation. It was a hot day and we were with our grandma, so I appreciate them sitting us in the room right under a ceiling fan. We went during happy hour, but you’re not allowed to order from the happy hour menu unless you’re seated at the bar section - at least that’s what we were told. Drink menu is a decent option, but too sweet for me. Food was ok. I got the duo combination plate with steak and chicken. The chicken tasted bland. It was seasoned on the outside, but tasted like water in the inside. I ate about a bite of rice and beans. Not the best. The presentation looked cool, but it really just took up a lot of space. Not very filling, but that’s bc I didn’t eat the rice and beans. I’m giving this a 3 star review bc although the food wasn’t very good, the service was excellent. Our server was attentive, our drinks arrived on time. The food was a little delayed, but we were updated constantly and they gave us chips and salsa.

Beautiful location inside and out however, they need more waiters and less people singing. I understand that's one of the highlights of this place but it's very upsetting to consistently have to hunt down a waiter for silverware and water.

I enjoy coming here because of the location and the view. Today I didn't have such a great experience and it was very unfortunate. I was really looking forward to eating there so the attitude of over server killed the vibe. I was really bummed. Also question, do you have flavored creamer? I was told you don't, that's extremely hard to believe for a restaurant. That wasn't the only situation but I don't want to speak too negatively... I ended up speaking with the manager and she did make everything right which I did appreciate. I still ended up tipped regardless of the situation. The food is delicious but this was unfortunate experience. Hopefully this was just an off day.

I visited for Saturday's dinner. The staff was very attentive and helpful. Food was not bad, let's say boring. The chef should visit Mexico to get that rich, fresh and full taste experience. With of visit? Yes. Worth coming again? I don't think so.

+2

Food was good , service was bad for us the day we went in the dinning section. Waitress didn't do her job and was forgetful, we were left wanting tortillas, water and additional drinks. Never had issues sitting in the bar area.

Good views, long wait times, same great tasting food. Really long wait times. Non-plussed servers. Took 30 mins from sitting down to get my friend's diet soda and my cocktail came 15 mins after that. Good food though.

Mychelle Gallegos

The staff was super nice but the food was only okay. The establishment is old and dated and dirty. Also, the area the restaurant is in feels like a deserted wasteland with shady characters all over the parking lot. Such a waste of an amazing area on the water.

+3

Jocelyn Brooks

Came here for Happy Hour with a Women's group that I'm part of. We decided to choose this place because our is close to the Arena where we were going to see "The Boy Is Mine" tour. This place is right in the water with THE most beautiful view I've ever seen. We even got to see the sun set from our table. The establishment inside is nicely decorated as well. We were immediately seated for our group of 4..initially. However, we became a group of 8 by the end of the night. Our waitress immediately came to us and she was nice. I believed we were going to have a great experience here. We ordered from the Happy Hour menu. Our food was delicious (Chicken Flautas, Beef Burria tacos and Mahi Mahi tacos) and we all got margarita flights. Those were pretty good. There were no complaints.... However.. there were. Our waitress did not speak much English, as we came to learn AND it was her 1st week. We did not receive silverware not water. Both were asked for repeatedly. I had to go up and get out silverware because or food arrived and we had nothing to eat with our wipe out hands on.. almost 5 mins in. She also did not accommodated well the new ppl as they arrived. Some had to wait extremely long just to order (Even had to go to the bar to request someone to take the order). A person that got there not too long with us, ordered their food and drink same time as us and she still received her food late and get drank food nor come until many reminders to the waitress. The waitress did sell help to translate.. but they never even bothered to ask come check on us knowing that she was having a difficult time. When it was time to pay the bill.. she told us that someone took care of all of our drinks. We were thrilled because we had trash service, su we thought it was the manager. We were pleased. However, they then brought the bill to one of our members to pay the entire bill. It seems that when that member told the waitress in the beginning that she was going to convert another member's marg flight ONLY... she took it to mean she was paying for everyone (Although she repeated it to her several times and use hand gestures prior to the waitress walking away at that time). The waitress literally almost charged her card for everyone's drinks. That then took time to be worked out..we were a bit pissed honestly. Oh.. also additional food was ordered that never came out and how i asked for my food to be prepared was not may. I had to send it back and take the additional food off because after sitting with my food for over 1hr and not receiving the additional..I was already full. I partially reccomend this spot.. but if you do not speak Spanish..request for a full English speaking waitress. Also.. the manager came to us at some point and removed some flight holders. However? I believe he should have done a better job of monitoring here, giving her a back up because it was a larger party and none of us spoke Spanish. I feel that be dropped the back for us and her as well.

+19

Alice Hou

We were there for our coworker's retirement celebration. The food was okay. I really liked the rice they served and the sweet corn. They do have a nice view and live music. Good vibes. But the area was sketchy, lots of RVs were parked near the lake, and it's dark out there in the parking lot; there were no lights at all. I would suggest going to the restaurant when there is still daylight.

Although we have eaten at El Torito a few times in the past, this visit was a disappointment. We did make a reservation and it was promptly honored. All three of us ordered combos. The food was …

The food was tasty but the service and the wait were terrible. Someone got to teach those waitresses basic hospitality if they want to make any money in the future.

I made a phone order. They said 20 mins. I show up and had to wait another 20 mins. Food was ehh. The chips were stale and they skimped out on the fries. Don’t get take out.

M C

This place has a nice view but that’s about it, furniture is run down bathrooms are nasty, food on the floor when I walk in and an hour or so later it’s still on the floor even after I asked the waitress if she could clean it . Dirty tables broken tiles around the windows .

+8

Ms Lady Fee

While the staff was extremely nice, the food was not very tasty. We had a taco bar in the food was still cold. This is my first time at El Torito and I was a little disappointed. But, the chips and salsa, the salad and the corn mush was very nice. Those were my favorites. I don't think I'll return because the food just wasn't that good to me. I ordered a virgin Pina Colada from the bar and it had no flavor whatsoever. It was completely blended with more water than with juice. But the staff was very nice.

Went for birthday and had poor service \nThe lady never asked us if we wanted more drinks or refills \nThe place only had 5 tables running with 3-4 waiters

Went for birthday and had poor service \nThe lady never asked us if we wanted more drinks or refills \nThe place only had 5 tables running with 3-4 waiters

Went for birthday and had poor service \nThe lady never asked us if we wanted more drinks or refills \nThe place only had 5 tables running with 3-4 waiters

Went for birthday and had poor service \nThe lady never asked us if we wanted more drinks or refills \nThe place only had 5 tables running with 3-4 waiters

Lamentablemente mi experiencia no fue buena. El servicio fue deficiente. El guacamole estaba congelado y amarillo, dando la impresión de no estar fresco. La comida no tenía sabor y las micheladas no …

Service was very bad today during Happy Hour. It was Monday and not too packed at 4pm. We sat down with menus, got our first round of drinks and appetizers, then we weren't attended to for about 30 m…

Service was very bad today during Happy Hour. It was Monday and not too packed at 4pm. We sat down with menus, got our first round of drinks and appetizers, then we weren't attended to for about 30…

service was very bad today during Happy Hour. It was Monday and not too packed at 4pm. We sat down with menus, got our first round of drinks and appetizers, then we weren't attended to for about 30…

Service was very bad today during Happy Hour. It was Monday and not too packed at 4pm. We sat down with menus, got our first round of drinks and appetizers, then we weren't attended to for about 30…

Service was very bad today during happy hour. It was Monday and not too packed at 4pm. We sat down with menus, got our first round of drinks and appetizers, then we weren't attended to for about 30…

Ordered the “supreme” fajita and it has maybe one piece of bell pepper, two or three pieces of onion, even worse was they didn’t give us our tortillas! Totally overpriced- $13 for guacamole! Food was good but I’ll never give them my business again.

Food was good however the plate of taco’s was the size of a kids plate they gave to my husband, what happened it use to fill you up.we were disappointed because this was a kids size serving, for dinner. I gave him half of my taco, sorry but we are not coming back.

Today was my wife’s birthday and I booked a reservation early on open table and includes notes on her birthday. I had requested seat by water . Do they read the notes ? It was all bad from seating order an omelet where server was not there and I had another server get her to her while making my omelet took a phone call and disappeared . My table server who questions 2 order of churro pancakes when I had three people at the table . I asked for GM but , got the culinary manager who listened but took no action . I think he was overwhelmed . To make matters worse I had said it was wife’s birthday and nothing done where I had seen at other tables . The icing on the cake was processing of the bill where I had provided my rewards information which not applied . You have incompetent people running the restaurant without using common sense . I will not be returning . This experience had nothing to do with food but , the experience . You can get good food anywhere . What makes you different it has to be experience and mine was terrible . Please contact me on this matter .

Sucked, view was good. Ordered wings and were still frozen. Sent back. Tacito's warm and late,spots were cold .but tasted good. Ridiculous. Definitely not what it was.

The frozen margarita tasted like...icy nothing. Thankfully they agreed to take them off our bill when we asked since we didn't drink them. The chips were burnt tasting with a weird aftertaste like the oil in the fryer was old. Food was edible simply because we were so hungry but honestly lacked overall flavor. Our server seemed nice but was so busy she didn't really get to check on us at all. Mexican food is one of our favorites, unfortunately we will need to look elsewhere for quality Mexican food/drinks.

Wish I could leave 0 stars the service was beyond bad . I’ve been here twice in the past this was my third time coming so I thought I would have a good experience . But everything went bad . They are racist they seat black people in the back and take a long time to bring your food , they brought everyone their food and etc . We were last ones to get served . They ID me and my friends twice because they didn’t believe we were of age . They almost didn’t want to serve us . Almost all the workers kept looking at us and making us feel very unwanted . Would never recommend this restaurant please go somewhere else if you want to be treated fairly and have a good time . Absolutely never again

Came to have brunch with my family and received horrible service. We had to flag down multiple different servers when we needed refills, when we wanted our pancakes and when we were ready to pay the tab because our server was focused on anything but serving his assigned tables. He came to our table twice and once was to bring us burnt black pancakes. All the while there was an amazing server who was keeping all of her tables serviced and their drinks full, she came over to help us multiple times and was the only saving grace while we were there.

Unfortunately, the restaurant looks abandoned and there are a lot of young people smoking marihuana and doing "doughnuts" in their cars as well as a lot of unshelther people in the parking lot. As a female by myself, I didn't feel comfortable. The place has a nice view of the Oakland airport and sunsets. I didn't like the food. The entire place needs a renovation. Sadly, I will not be going back.

The place was empty, literally! Asked if we had reservation, said no, we had to wait 10 min. Then sat U.S. in bar, tortilla chips were fresh, salsa had bubbles on top and was fermenting, asked for fresh salsa, brought another stirred up but couldn’t hide fermenting and bubbles. Asked for bottle of tapatio instead. Chicken not appetizing, salad warm and limp, beer was room temperature, Cadillac margarita was domestic. And no toothpicks available. Restroom smelled of urine.

Karen Larrick

The only thing good about this place was the view. Our server was great but the food was terrible. I ordered birria tacos and they were the worst tacos I have ever had. I ate one bite and that was it. I’ve never seen birria tacos like this (see pictures). The rice tasted like microwaved bagged rice. I did get the bacon wrapped shrimp and that was pretty good. Save your money and go elsewhere. I was really disappointed.

Victoria

We had a late lunch there today. We had a combo fajita and it was horrible! They serve it on an iron plate so it was sizzling when it came to our table! That was very nice until it was time to eat. The beef meat was so hard we couldn't even bite it! Everything was dry from the sizzling platter and the rice, some were uncooked! The sauce on the shrimp was canned, everything we had seemed like it was frozen and reheated. Our server was nice and apologized for the mishap but when you can't even bite your food, everything is just horrible 😔 Oh and when you walk in there, it smells of old wood! Like walking into Grandma's old house who hoards things. It doesn't have any kind of food smell that they're cooking fresh. Everything is reheated.