El Torito

Our waitress, Maria, was very nice and attentive. We sat at the bar where it was quiet and not so busy (Saturday evening). We requested to change the channel to watch another basketball game and they graciously accommodated us without any issues.
We ordered piña coladas, which were amazing.
The food overall was good. I ordered the ‘pick two’ combo-​crispy taco and cheese enchilada with a side of Mexican Cesar salad. I would definitely come back here.

Is this place a joke? How is El Torito still surviving when their are so many other great Mexican restaurants in Pasadena, Ca. My boyfriend and I decided to come here one late afternoon after shopping at Hasting’s Village. From the moment we pulled into the parking lot, my boyfriend was a bit hesitant to go in but I insisted that we try it out. Boy was I wrong.
When you first walk in, the décor is very tacky and dated. Nothing vibrant that draws you in. The host escorted us to our table which was in a very crowded room with a mariachi band playing table to table trying to sell their album. When our waiter got to our table, we ordered drinks and a Quesadilla as an appetizer. He brought us our complimentary Chips & Salsa which tasted good. When he finally brought out our Quesadilla, we were expecting their to be a Fresh Marinated Cabbage Slaw to accompany it but no, just a plain quesadilla.
For our entrees, I ordered the Pick 2: 2 Cheese Enchiladas w/​Rice & Beans and my boyfriend ordered the Shrimp Mac N’ Cheese Enchiladas «filled with mac n cheese and tender shrimp in a creamy jalapeño cheese sauce.» When our entrees came out, we were in absolute shock. If I could give this establishment a first place award for lack of presentation and quality of the food I would.
My boyfriend expected his enchiladas to be served in a creamy jalapeño sauce with a creamy mac n cheese. The macaroni was there but no cheese and no creamy jalapeño sauce either. The shrimp was terrible and tasted like rubber. They also used two different types of tortillas for each enchilada. Did they run out of one kind? Don’t they make them in house? My cheese enchiladas were very subpar. I have had much better elsewhere. The sauce was lacking flavor and spice.
We will not be coming back to this establishment yet alone any location. El Torito is a waste of $ 40 and your time. If your going to spend the money, go to a Mexican restaurant that is worth it and you get what you pay for.

We had a huge party for my dad’s birthday. The staff sat us fast. Our Server was on her game. We got refills and requests fast. No complaints :)

I’ve been here for a couple different occasions and the food is really good, honestly it’s more American Mexican style but there’s nothing wrong with that. Their alcohol is good too and the service is also good. Only reason i don’t give 5 stars is cus i think the tamales i ordered weren’t as authentic as i wish they were, but will still come back.

I visited the bar a couple weeks ago when I desperately needed a margarita. One of those days. I was pleasantly surprised by a better than average drink for a good price and great service. As a result I suggested it to a friend last Friday night. Again, good drink, good nachos, beginning to think we had found a regular spot.
Then the DJ happened. This guy turned on the music at a volume that was literally painful. He sang along to each and every song in a so-​so voice but mike amplified to the max. We politely asked to have the volume turned down. Our server seemed embarrassed when she told us that she had passed along the request many times in the past but the DJ refused. As I watched the guy sing and with his eyes closed it became very apparent he was more about himself than any form of entertainment. We left our drinks and food on the table as we walked out.

I had a party of 40 set up in a very small banquet room. The capacity said 60 but there was no way we could even fit another body. My guests were constantly having to stand up during their meals for someone to pass or move out of their chairs. I had a few bodies standing because of the lack of space.
We had 1 server assigned to a party of 40. I am in no way complaining about his work. He tried his very best to accommodate everyone with drinks, however, it was taking more than 15 minutes to get a soft drink to some of my guest. Our server decided to take on alcoholic beverages from individual guests as well. I think that was too much work for one person to take upon themselves. As a former server, I know that it takes more than one server to take on such a large party.
As for the food, at 18.99 a plate, I was expecting better quality of food. The meat was extremely fatty and the tortillas were not worth the extra 50 dollars.
For the large amount of money that was spent, I am very dissatisfied w the food and service and will probably not hold another lunch at El Torito.

I came to El Torito for the first time in probably 5 years with a friend of mine. It was a Sunday evening and it was raining which in Los Angeles equates to ‘don’t go out!’ However, this El Torito was surprisingly full and continually had folks being seated so it’s a pretty popular location. It helps that they have ample parking which is rare anywhere in Pasadena. The restaurant is fairly large and I’m sure you could host some lunches or dinners here for whatever your occasion is.
We were promptly sat upon our arrival and our server was attentive, but not super personable, though I don’t really blame him because my friend and I talked non-​stop from the moment we arrived to the moment we left so he didn’t really have much of an opportunity to bond with us anyhow. They gave us chips and salsa which was we just kept eating and eating. I love Mexican places that do this.
I ordered the Chicken and Sour Cream Enchiladas which screams authentic Mexican, doesn’t it? I wanted to try them anyhow as they sounded good and I didn’t really come to El Torito for authentic Mexican food. It’s a large restaurant and a chain, so why not just take it for what it is and enjoy it? Our food came faster than I thought and my enchiladas were pretty good. I was pretty hungry so I scarfed them down a tad bit fast.
All in all, a fairly good experience for a chain. I wouldn’t be opposed to dining here again in the future, but with the number of authentic Mexican places in the area, I wouldn’t be a regular.

Best margaritas, great food, friendly service. I come here all the time and have never had a bad experience. There are a few times, like right now on a Saturday at 4pm where the kitchen is slow to bring out the food, but the waiters are still very attentive, keeping the chip basket and margaritas full! Also my favorite Sunday brunch!

It’s beyond me why people would come here at all. This is corporate Mexican food out of a bag. There are too many places in Pasadena to go for Mexican food. I’m surprised this place has survived on this corner for so long. I went to the bar recently with a friend I couldn’t talk out of going. And after we were done it turned out just like I said.
I wouldn’t go back even if you paid

My brother, his girlfriend, his girlfriend’s sister, and I got sick after eating here. We wanted to give El Torito another chance after getting sick at the West Covina El Torito and being comped free meals as an apology. But this place is no better than the one on West Covina. No wonder the dining room was a ghost town. The cantina/​bar area was packed… but we came for dinner.
There was no one to greet us upon entry, we waited for 5 minutes until someone arrived. The stupid waiter got my brother’s drink order wrong, and it took him 4 tries to flag that idiot down and ask for the proper drink. The waiter apologized sarcastically, and then when we got the food, the dressing on our salads was sour, and it may have gone bad. The lettuce was wilted, the chicken was rubbery and tasted gamey.
Innattentive service, bad food with spoiled ingredients, glad tasting beverages, and food poisoning for half a day the next day. «HELL Torito! Let yourself go… to the bathroom for half a day!».

I went here tonight with my sister, my boyfriend and his sister. Upon arriving there was no hostess to greet us and we ended up being seated by a random staff member who ended up being our waiter. We ordered and were served quickly, but from here things went downhill. The waiter screwed up my sister’s boyfriend’s drink order, he ordered a Coke, yet he was served a Diet Coke. It took us four tries to flag down the waiter, who blatantly ignored us. He was also a rude sarcastic douche, too. No tip for that dork.
The food was mediocre at best, chicken was lukewarm, salad was wilted, dressing was sour when it should not have been. We got upset stomachs. The ingredients weren’t so fresh at all.
The place was dead in the dining room, and for good reason. I only give this place one star because it’s mandatory for at least one star, but aside from that our meal was «comped», because of bad service and food poisoning at the West Covina El Torito.

This el Torito totally sucks. Do not come here if you come here with a small to medium size party. The servers will ignore you and act as if you are a bother. Such a shame when you want to give them a lot of business. I am very disappointed in this service expensive in an establishment where I expect good service.
Please avoid if you are in medium /​large party.

Great experience at El Torito!
Family all came in for brunch! The matriarch was celebrating her birthday and this is where she wanted her celebration!
We slowly trickled in which I thought might be a problem but the staff quickly kept accommodating us! The party turned into over twenty adults plus about five children! Pretty large group that didn’t even seem to phase our server! I wish I could remember his name… might be Manual but I’m not sure! Anyways, he was fantastic. He kept the Mimosas constantly coming for the ladies!
The buffet has the regular items plus Menudo (very delicious), Pozole (needed alot of flavor), an omelet station which I heard was great and a taco station! My favorite was the Tacos de Carnitas with freshly made corn tortillas and the mini churros that I drizzled with caramel and whipped cream!
My one complaint would be that people had to wait around for the food! My dad sent me to get him some Enchiladas and I stood around for five minutes maybe more! Then there was a waffle incident… they brought out three tiny waffles! THREE! Lol!
We all had a great time and basically that’s all that really mattered! Our server/​waiter did an awesome job! Oh and I almost forgot to mention the lovely duo walking around singing and taking requests!

I’m not a huge fan of El Torito, but my boys love coming here.
I must say every time we come here Adalberto gives excellent service.
Today, food and presentation was good.

We come here for our monthly dive club meetings. The food is okay, not great, but the servers are friendly and especially the gal assigned to our private meeting room. She takes good care of us.

I work directly across the street from this restaurant, as I have been for about 1.5 years. We have had two lunches here, a happy hour; however, I never have been here off of work hours. I also have never reviewed the restaurant before.
Well tonight (01/​06/​2016) I came here for dinner for a party of 2 at about 8:00PM. We were seated promptly. The host and server were very nice and polite (and quiet); however, we were taken care of promptly and always checked upon.
To our surprise, Wednesday was all you can eat Enchilada’s for just $ 10.99. What a deal! We both ordered this and our first portion came out with two big enchilada’s and a sizable portion of rice and beans. We did order a second portion of two Enchalida’s each. We were stuffed by this time. We found everything to be very fresh and tasty.
We also each had a Margarita which was excellent as well.
I would give this place a solid four stars. Not the very best Mexican or Tex Mex food ever; however, a very solid choice. We were pleased.

Estuve por ahí hace un par de semanas su comida fue muy rica el servicio al cliente exelente comimos muchos cheps el mesero creo que al último ya nos conocía exelente servicio

Came here last night for Taco Tuesday and to watch The Dodgers-​Mets game. I see some complaints about the service but I found my table’s server to be pretty good. The tacos were good as well. They serve Carnitas, Chicken, and Steak. All three were really good. There’s a salad bar to garnish the tacos with cheese, lettuce, and salsa. The tortillas are warmed up on a grill and pretty tasty (but not as tasty as the homemade tortillas at El Torito Grill). In the Bar area, the Tacos are 1.50 each and they have drink specials but from what I was told, the restaurant section has all-​you-​can-​eat tacos for a set price. I believe that price is ten bucks. Also, in the restaurant, the tacos are served with rice and beans. I’d prefer to go with that deal but like I said, I was there for the Dodgers game.
One thing i didn’t like too much about my experience at the bar, was that I couldn’t hear any of the game. I asked our server if she could turn up the volume, a few minutes later her manager game and i saw her turn it up. Unfortunately I still couldn’t hear. Most every one in the bar was there to watch the game, it would’ve been nice to be able to hear the anti-​Dodgers biased commentary.

My friends wanted to come here to drink so we went to sit in the bar area. You can sit anywhere you want there. They have stools right by the bar or tables if you want to face your buddies. Our server noticed us in about 5 minutes and brought us our complimentary chip and salsa. The chips were tasty and did not taste oily. Unfortunately, the first bowl was filled with crumbs but the next few ones were not. The salsa tasted okay, nothing special. Our server came to our table several times to fill water and get orders. She was also very generous with the chips and salsa.
I ordered the Mexican Buffalo Wings while my friends drank tequilla and blue moon. (By the way, our waitress did not even bother to check IDs even though we ordered alcohols. There were maybe 4 other groups there and she wasn’t the only waitress, so I don’t know what is going on there.) The wait for the wings was very long. The cook personally came out with the wings in a clay pot and the ranch dip in a clay bowl. Everything was presented well. The wings were really hot since it just came out of the oven. Even though I asked for mildest option, it was still quite a bit spicy, so be aware of that. The wings were very very flavorful and there was a lot of ranch left over so dip to your heart’s content. Overall, I liked the wings even though 8 wings for $ 10 is quite expensive.
There are several TVs in the bar area. Castle was on one of the TV, something else was on another TV, and there were music videos/​karaōke lines in the TV closest to the entrance. A man frequently went over there to karaōke. He wasn’t bad but since we sat really close to the karaōke area, we had to yell in order to hear each other.
I like the overall décor of the place. Even the sinks in the bathroom had a Mexican theme. The bathroom was relatively clean. However, the bathroom sink did not drain so that sucked. Parking is also easy since it shares a large parking lot with Best Buy, Ross, etc.

I, unfortunately, had a bad experience at the El Torito in Buena Park and Trina, the Business Manager, was nice enough to send us a gift for us to go back and give it another chance. I didn’t have the opportunity to go back to the property in Buena Park so my boyfriend and I went to dinner at the one near our house in Pasadena. I hadn’t been to this one in over 10 years, so I had forgotten how large the restaurant is! We arrived around 6pm Friday evening and the cantina was pretty full but we were seated in our own part of the restaurant. Our server was very attentive and very friendly! I ordered the carne asada burrito and my boyfriend had the beef barbacoa enchiladas. Both dishes came out very quickly and I was so happy to see the sweet corn cake on my dish!!! YAY! :) The food was very flavorful and I even had leftovers… the burrito was huge!
We were finished and out of the restaurant by 6:45pm and that’s what I call a good, relaxing dinner! We will definitely be back to this property and thank you again to Trina for reaching out and changing our bad experience into a positive one.

The portions here are HUGE! For four people, we got three of the macho combos (13.99), which come with a chicken enchilada, a barbacoa taco, chili relleno, and a beef tamale. The dishes also come with refried beans and rice and a side of corn dessert thing.
The service at this place was pretty slow. At 4pm there was only one waiter trying to serve the entire restaurant. It’s nice that they give you free chips and salsa while you wait for your food because the food does take awhile. The chips are freshly made and super thin, so they taste really good. The salsa also tastes fresh with real chunks of tomato and the perfect amount of spice.
The food was okay. We took home a lot of it because we didn’t like it that much. Ordering three of the combos, we took home one whole order because the portions are again, ridiculously big. The only think I liked was the barbacoa taco. The enchilada had a mushy tortilla and the tamale barely had any meat inside. It was mostly the corn part.
I came here once before and got their carnitas plate. I actually liked this dish because the carnitas was well cooked and was not too fatty like most carnitas. They offer you corn or flour tortilla in a closed container so they can stay fresh throughout the meal. Should’ve ordered this dish instead of letting my mom order for all of us ahhah.
***AAA members get 10% off so bring your card!