Toro Burger

I am always on the search for a great burger and today on my last day of vacation in sunny California I found it. I ordered the Truffle burger, my husband had the Aztec burger, the others in my party tried the Noodle burger and the Truffle burger on the raspberry bun.
Everything was delicious the staff was great, I only wish I could have it in New York.

It is about damn time somebody put up a notice on here that Toro Burger is temporarily closed. But this notice is nowhere to be found on the main business website and no voicemail either.
July 12, 2015, my boyfriend and I drove 45 minutes to try out the food that Unilocalers have been raving about. Keep in mind that we had already been thinking about coming here for a couple of days already, eyeing the menu/​food pictures, and getting an idea of what we want to eat. So when we finally arrived, it was really odd and confusing to see that Toro Burger was «closed for the day» at 4:00 p.m. I went back to check Unilocal to find Toro Burger to find it say «Open» in green. Decided to give them a call to see if maybe there is a new location update we didn’t see, and just what is going on in general. No answer, no voicemail notice about it being temporarily closed. Very disappointing.
Still with burgers on our brains, we went over to Peter’s Gourmade. Still amazing and delicious! They know how to keep their customers happy with great food, friendly service, and keeping their customers in the loop.

Toro Burger, where have you been my whole life??!
I’ve had some good burger experiences before, but this place is great. Doesn’t hurt that the guy working at the counter when I went is a Ducks fan!
Tip: check in on the Unilocal app to get a free drink. This drink can be anything — including their cooler drinks.
I had the truffle cheeseburger and cheesy tots, and I tried my friend’s waffle fries. Everything was delicious. I could have done with a little less sauce on the burger, but overall it was very good. Meat was juicy (even though I like my meat well done), and the fries were not soggy at all.
Although the burger was very good, the cheesy tots stole the show. Not an overwhelming amount of cheese, and the tots were crispy on the outside, but smokey and soft on the inside. Definitely satisfied my craving for some tots.
Can’t wait to come back. This is my new burger spot.

This place is good but not 4 star worthy.
The quality of the ingredients are really what make the burger good. The meat is super tender and feels like it was ground in house. The combinations are interesting but I really would have liked more contrasting flavors.
The stack burger — juicy and well cooked. My egg was perfect, fried but still a bit runny. What I was missing was some sort of tang… It was very one dimensional in flavor and the meat wasn’t seasoned enough. I also am not a fan of the bun. It’s way too soft to hold a patty that size and the juices… Something with more bite, or maybe a toasted bun would have been better.
Spinach lemonade was awesome! It wasn’t too sweet which I’m always afraid of and the spinach taste was really subtle.
It was about $ 25 for 2 burgers and a side of tater tots no cheese. The drink was free upon check in!

I came here for lunch, intrigued by the awesome instagram posts of the place. To start, I ordered the cheesy tots. Tots were tasty and had a good sauce to it.
For the burger, I decided to go with the truffle cheeseburger. You can also request a colored bun. There are 3 colored buns. Blue, green and red. The red is flavored and it’s raspberry. The other colored buns didn’t have any flavor added. So I went with the red. I wouldn’t say it taste sweet like raspberry, but has the aroma of fruits if that makes sense. I ordered the spinach lemonade to sip on. Hands down one of my favorite lemonades I have ever came across.
Overall, the burger was so-​so and so were the tots. But what made it a good place to eat out were its unique blend of Asian and western flavors, creative mix of colors, and great drinks. Also, they have pork belly buns (the Chinese ones!), but they’re not in the menu. I’ll definitely be back to try ‘em!

Toro Burger — you did not disappoint!
I found this place on Unilocal and the pictures instantly drew me in and I knew I had to try this place. Burgers aren’t necessarily a food item that I crave often, but these looked amazing and I wanted to try!
It would definitely be easy to drive by this place without ever knowing it was there. It’s located in a tiny area right off the freeway. As soon as we walked in, we were greater by the friendly staff who instantly poured us a sample of their spinach pineapple lemonade. At that moment, I was sold. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK IN! There is a check in deal here that is quite generous, which is a free drink! This may not seem like much, but you can use it to get one of their lemonades, which are SO GREAT! I loved the spinach pineapple lemonade, because the slight bitterness of the spinach really balanced out the sweetness of the drink. Yum! There is also a strawberry lemonade which was both sweet and amazing.
I ordered the burger with the fried egg and hot sauce, and I was truly impressed. Presentation, taste, quality — it was all there. However, the true star of the show was the cheesy tater tots. I could probably right a whole review just on these, but I’ll spare you the crazy details. The thing I appreciated the most was that there was plenty of cheese on top. Yum!
There was a card on the table that talked about how Toro used ethical meat, which was really nice to read. There were so many other things here that looked delicious, and I can’t wait to come back and try more!

I was looking for the best burger and this burger has great ratings on Unilocal.
Ordered calamari fritti, fries, red bun truffle cheese burger and black bun toro burger.
Calamari fritti ($ 5.95): it didn’t smell fresh and tasted kinda funky. I ate few pieces and had to stop. What a waste of $ :(
Fries: Pretty good crispy fries.
Black bun toro burger ($ 7.95): beef, bacon, caramelized onions, lettuce, cheese & dressing. The meat was tasteless and dry. I had to ask for extra sauce because it was so dry.
Red bun truffle cheese burger ($ 8.50): house teriyaki beef, swiss & cheddar cheese, parmesan dressing and truffle fries. It was kinda good and better than the truffle burger.
They also have ramen burger, banh mi burger, and even popcorn chicken. I kinda regretted not getting its milkshake. It’s probably good because anything with Oreo is yum: P
QUICK TIP: FREE DRINK WITH CHECK IN
Super friendly service.
2 stars!
Toro Burger is not yummylicious!

How did I just discover this when its been around for over a year?
As soon as I saw those green buns in a photo, I HAD to have it! So off I went to Toro Burgers, in search of these green glorious buns!
And there it was… withy choice of burger. I went with the Stacked burger — angus beef, chopped sauteed bacon, cheese, fried egg & house hot sauce. It. Was. Incredible. The entire burger had a ton of flavor and juices. I literally had to use 3 large napkins to keep wiping my hands! In terms of the burger itself, I give it 5 stars.
I also got a strawberry lemonade, which was pretty watery, and tasted more like strawberry sugar water. I wouldn’t recommend it if you like your lemonade strong. Btw, if you check in with Unilocal,they are giving away a free drink, so yes I got it for free and shouldn’t complain.
The service was nice but nothing over the top. It’s a small restaurant, so get there early or take it to go. There seemed to be plenty of parking, as its in a little strip mall area, right off of the 55 fwy.
Next time I come back, I want to try their cheesy tater tots. Those looked bomb. Definitely go check it out for yourself, if you haven’t yet!

Extremely disappointed.
I have seen this restaurant streaming throughout my instagram feed, and I was so excited when my friend asked me to try it.
First off this place is in between freeways like 55 and so. I was so confuse, I thought it was in DTSA… but no don’t get lost like me. I parked in the 25 min space, didn’t get a ticket, but not sure not it goes during the weekends or when it is crowded. I call myself the lucky ticket free girl.
When I entered I was shocked it was a simple restaurant, nothing special in the décor or ambiance. It was empty too! I guess I am lucky.
I checked in and got my free cucumber/​spinach drink. It was the best, so refreshing! And I ordered the vegetable burger. The vegetable burger was plain it was lacking more vegetables. It had the soggy bun (not a fan), patty, avocado, and one tomato… where’s the onions or lettuce? It was boring and not appetizing.
Also, tired a bite of my friends ghost burger and it was extremely spicy. ALMOST cried a river. Not sure if I would come back to try another burger…
The sides were my favorite! Tats and garlic fries were on point.

Food: My friend and I have been on a burger tour of Orange County to sample and find the best burger in the county. Our tour brought us to this restaurant on a Friday afternoon for lunch. I ordered their Truffle Cheeseburger, Melted Cheese Tots, and a Strawberry Lemonade. The menu board doesn’t mention it or if it did, I missed it that I could make my order a combo and save a few bucks. Thank you cashier for looking out! The burger as a whole was good and tasty, but I thought that the patty was a bit too lean for my preference. I love any place that serves tater tots! It was really good with cheese and chives. Eating them brought back fond memories of my childhood. The strawberry lemonade was good, not too sweet, just the way I like it.
Service: You order at the counter and your food gets brought out on nice rectangular plates, not on those cheap plastic cafeteria trays. You can bus your table when you’re done.
Location: It’s located right off of the 55 freeway at the corner of 4^th St and Tustin Ave. If you’re coming from west of the 55, it’s easier to get into the parking lot by turning on Tustin. The dining area is fairly small, but they do have a flat screen TV.
Overall: I will definitely be coming back here to try their other burgers!

Unilocal challenge 2015 ⁷⁹⁄₃₆₅
Toro toro on the wall
What is the best burger of them all
Is it Toro or Ghost Burger that pleases them all?
Burgers, listed on the wall in colorful chalk. Cheerful staff awaits your order at the counter, then they bring it to your table. Seating outdoors makes your 4 legged friends happy.
Located on 4^th street, and Tustin street near the 55 in Santa Ana in a corner parking lot. Kind of tricky to enter off 4^th street. But there is lots of parking.
Sadly, my heart was broken at first. I wanted the Ramen burger badly. You know beef between ramen noodles that host itsself as a bun. But… the Ramen burger is currently MIA, and off the grind. Why? They said they wanted to give the other burgers a chance. The noodle burger will be back soon.
The Toro burger was the next best thing. The tiny angus burger was cooked to perfection and topped with melted cheese, bacon, grilled onions, lettuce and nestled between a fluffy bun. It was pretty good, not the 5 star burger Im looking for, but it did capture my attention. The bun was really light and the bacon grease made it a little soggy. The burger could of used more seasoning and veggie toppings to please my senses and fill my belly even more. Maybe even a spicy garlic ketchup would make it better.
The beast of mine had the ghost burger with bacon. He was pleased with fire roasted cheese and beef. The presentation was picture perfect paired with crispy waffle fries and washed down with strawberry lemonade. He was happy to see a real burger in front of him that matched the picture listed.
The burgers are small, At least to me. Maybe thats because I can eat a lot of meat and bigger is always better for me. But this place has potential. Customer service is great. About $ 25 for 2 burgers, some fries and a drink. I would add a salad to your meal because I was still hungry.
I think I can be a fan.
Review #581

Went in mid week at 5pm, the place was pretty empty. The service was great, you walk up to the counter and give your order. They have some cool drink options, like a watermelon drink, spinach lemonade, strawberry lemonade. Ask them for a sample of one! I didn’t think I’d like the spinach lemonade, but it was delicious. The spinach was not overpowering at all. I had the truffle fries, cheesey tots, and toro burger. My favorite thing was the cheesey tots, crispy, not too salty, the melted nacho cheese on top was the perfect touch. The truffle fries were good, they had something that tasted like mayo over them, not the best I’ve had, but good. The toro burger was good, the buns were delicious and warm, they tasted like they were baked with olive oil on top. The bacon and meat were good. The sauce tasted like nothing special. I will definitely be back to try their awesome looking burgers.
Oh and p. s. The ramen burger is not there now, but will be reintroduced soon!

After seeing so many pictures of their burgers and food on Instagram, I decided to check out Toro Burger. I didn’t realize it was a fast casual place until I walked in and I love fast casual places! I ordered the Stacked burger which includes a fried egg, caramelized onions, hot sauce, bacon, cheese and I asked for their red raspberry bun which they bake fresh daily. The burger was so good and full of flavor which was a great balance of sweet and savory. My friend and I also ordered the melted cheese tots which were so good. The melted cheese tots were crispy and not soggy whatsoever.
If you check in on Unilocal,you get to choose any drink that you want and I chose the watermelon juice which was so refreshing and went very well with my meal. Service was great and the staff was really friendly and answered all of our questions. I can’t wait to go back and try their other burgers and their other specialty drinks and lemonade. Toro Burger exceeded my expectations and I hope it exceeds yours as well!

El Toro was on a list of the many bookmarks my husband had down, and being our last day before an extended weekend, I wanted to stop somewhere on my way home that was new. I originally mentioned another place nearby when he pointed this one out. In the end this one sounded better at the time. Also sometimes I randomly want to try something different or weird, and their black, green, and red buns really stood out to me. Heck, I’m game.
The odd colors made my husband unsure, but we saw that they do indeed have regular buns. He was fine to go at this point.
We made our way in and was immediately greeted and handed samples of their lemonade. We got a sample of the strawberry lemonade and spinach lemonade. I knew that my husband would prefer the strawberry so I tried the spinach. It was actually tasty.
They have many different options to choose from and they also have a chicken sandwich option, and even chicken wings. There were a few items that stood out to me, but for my first visit I went with the El Toro Burger. My husband went with the Ghost Burger even though the ghost peppers were in the cheese. He normally wants nothing to do with cheese on burgers. I guess he felt adventurous too.
He ordered his as a combo and chose the waffle fries. You can add the lemonades as your drinks, so he went with the strawberry lemonade. I decided to share the fries and just added a spinach lemonade. I also went with the green bun. That was seventy five cents extra. I assume the other colors are as well but I don’t know for sure if the pricing is all the same. The black buns were out. While they have their unique names, they told us that there is no different flavor, but that they hold together better and it absorbs more, so no buns falling apart and sliding. Sounds good to me.
Moments later the waffle fries came out as well as my husband’s strawberry lemonade. The fries were cooked perfectly. Not soggy and not overcooked. They were yummy. I guess my spinach lemonade was MIA. It turns out I never even got charged for it. So, a second payment was made. I was not thrilled about it but I was in a good mood that day and am more patient so I didn’t really care. Plus, they had been so friendly and helpful and really helped us out with any questions we had and gave suggestions.
I sat down and was soon told that not only were they out of the black buns, but out of the green buns too. Bah. Not my luck. For that day, my husband could not say that these things ALWAYS happen to HIM. I went with the red bun. There is always next time to get some even more odd looking buns.
The food came out piping hot as it should. We dove in. This burger was delicious! One thing I wanted to point out is that I did order medium well and got well done. Luckily I usually order it that way but have been going down a notch for a more moist burger. My husband mentioned that various reviews state that they seem to get one level higher than they ask for, for some reason. So, just a warning or a note. The flavor was great and I really enjoyed it.
My husband forgot to ask for no tomato on his but still ate it the way it came and it still worked out great. He even loved the ghost pepper cheese and everything on the burger. It didn’t make his face melt off like most ghost chili peppered stuff, but it did have a kick.
Service was great and food was yummy. It was a little more pricy than burgers I can get at other places, but I love that it’s 100% angus beef and they are a good size, and the flavors were great. FYI they also sell macarons and had a nice selection of flavors.
FYI — Bathroom is behind the building. I chose the short route of walking through the dirt area behind the fence. It will save you from walking around the row of businesses.
I am a fan and will be back.

What’s strange about this place is that the menu is constantly in flux. Neither of the menus offered to us are all inclusive. Example: I know for a fact they offer bao tacos but… They weren’t on the wall menu or on the paper menu… And I know they have different options for buns… Once again, not mentioned on either of the menus… Isn’t that strange? I had to ask the cashier/​waiter.
I always like how they offer you a sample of the lemonade. So nice. I love their spinach lemonade but unfortunately, they were out. I tried the strawberry instead. It was okay. It watered down really quickly due to the amount of ice added.
We ordered:
Truffle fries
Waffle fries
Aztec burger
Pork belly bao tacos
Angus beef bao tacos
Everything was delicious but it set us back around $ 40 for 5 items… DAAANNNGGGG…
What I really like about the bao tacos are that the buns feel fresh! They are soft and chewy, not like the ones you usually get with a Peking duck at a typical Chinese restaurant. Kind of tough, deflated and it sticks to your teeth.
The Aztec burger was juicy, cooked to medium rare and the bread was moist and soft but sturdy where it kept everything together. This beautiful mess was a joy to eat, even with the salsa and guacamole falling everywhere lol
The waffle fries were typical… Nothing special.
Th truffle fries were thin fries topped with an aioli-​like sauce and some cheese? It was good but nothing too extraordinary.
Overall, I come for the bao tacos… So flavorful! …and the spinach lemonade! I’ll be back (:

Great service but food was just okay.
The cashier was really helpful about describing everything on the menu and great at offering suggestions!
He also gave us samples of their lemonades which were really different. The spinach one is what caught my attention– sounds weird but is pretty refreshing!
All of my friends got burgers but I wasn’t too hungry so I opted for the baos instead. We also shared some cheese tots and sweet potato fries!
Sadly we couldn’t try the colored buns cause they ran out but the burger were way too greasy and because of that, the buns were too soggy for my liking.
The baos I had were pretty average. the pork belly was good but let’s be real– when is pork belly ever bad? Other than that, nothing special. I could say the same for the fries and tots as well :/

Finally got to try this place out! Of course the first thing on my mind was to try the noodle burger. The texture is quite weird but I thought that the flavors went well together. The ramen is a more chewy instead of crunchy or soggy and with the burger and the sauce it tastes not bad.
I also ordered waffle fries and cheesy tots. The cheesy tots were yummy. It had a tiny kick to it.
We were given free samples of spinach lemonade but I decided to go with the strawberry lemonade. It was pretty watered down. I liked the strawberry chunks in it though; just wish it had more flavor.
I also found a hair on a piece of my burger after I finished it. I told one of the staff but I’m not sure if he notified the kitchen or not.
It’s a nice small place and there’s like 3 different kinds of knives for you to cut burgers in the utensils bucket.

I’ve had Toro Burger bookmarked for MONTHS and I am kicking myself for not trying this sooner! Easily one of my favorite burger places around.
Toro Burger, $ 7.95 — I compared this one to Umami’s Manly burger. Similar ingredients but I like Toro’s version a lot better. From what I can recall it had bacon (thick cuts and plenty), caramelized onions, special sauce and cheese. I ordered this one for myself and I thought it was great. Compared to Umami’s manly burger, this one was a lot juicer and I thought it had an overall better taste. Not to mention, Toro’s burgers are bigger than the ones I’ve had at Umami.
Noodle Burger, $ 7.95 — Oh, the hype of the ramen burger did not disappoint nor did it amaze. My boyfriend ordered this one due to curiosity to try the concoction of noodles and burger. I don’t know what was in this one, but he liked it and ate the whole thing. It can get messy (just like the rest of the burgers) so have napkins on hand. My boyfriend states he might just stick to a regular burger bun next time though since it wasn’t anything remarkably fantastic about the noodle bun.
Garlic Fries, ($ 4??) — Thin fries, big portion, very garlic-​y. It was addicting!
Cheesy Tots, ($ 4? I’d pay anything for this tbh) — OMG! Seriously?! Where has this been all my life?! You have to get this if you come here. It is an absolute MUST. It was literally perfect. I’ve had cheese on tater tots before but DAMN this one was just the best of them all. The portion was huge so we didn’t finish it (plus we had garlic fries) but I tried my hardest to eat as much as I could.
Bao Tacos — We ordered 3 pork belly tacos, which I totally forgot to take a picture of because I already had started eating (muh bad). These were tasty and reminded me of the Chinese food I used to have when I was younger. There is a slice of egg in each bun, plus arugula (I think), sauce and something else I couldn’t figure out. I recommend you try these if you think a burger won’t be enough to fill you up. Had I not eaten one of these I probably would have finished my cheesy tots: P
The restaurant is quite small but there’s plenty of seating, plus 2 big TVs. The soda machine is self serve and there’s a water jug for people like me who prefer to eat more rather than get full from soda. The restaurant was kept clean, but unfortunately there was no bathroom for customers to use (big bummer). Cashier guy was very nice and helpful when choosing items.
I can’t wait to go back. Toro Burger is seriously amazing. Next time I want to try their truffle burger!

I was lured by the red raspberry toro bun which costs an extra $ 0.75.
I had the Toro Burger which was an angus patty with bacon, cheddar cheese and onion between a raspberry bun. I asked it to be cooked medium, but it was more medium well. I wish I enjoyed it as much as other Unilocalers did, but it was an ordinary burger for me. Nothing really superior in flavor stood out, not even the bun but only the cool bun color for my instagram photo. Yes. I’m one of those Asians.
I also had an order or cheesy tater tots as well which I liked more than my burger. I also tried their strawberry lemonade which was not lemonade at all but tasted somewhat like strawberry infused water.
Service was helpful and nice. If it’s your first time, they kindly walk you through the menu and what’s popular. Parking in a small lot shared with other businesses. Located right off the 55 fwy.

Toro Burger is located in a small strip center right off the 55 freeway.
I ordered the spinach lemonade, the truffle fries and the Stack burger. The Stack burger cost $ 8.95 which came with angus beef, caramelized onions, egg, roasted tomato, cheddar cheese and bacon. It all sounded good with some of my favorite ingredients. But, after the first few bites, it all turned into a mish mash of indistinguishable flavors. Initially, the meat had a nice charred flavor but a little dry. The bun tasted fresh and bready. But, after the first few bites, it completely fell apart and collapsed. I ended up having to eat the burger with a fork and knife. The egg was executed well and the yolk ran and seeped into the rest of the burger which was nice. Overall, it was just an average burger.
The spinach lemonade cost $ 2.95, did not have any taste of spinach (was very green) and was nothing special.
The truffle fries cost $ 4.95 and were a waste of money. They were most likely frozen shoestring fries with no taste of truffle topped with an unpleasing white kind of salad dressing. My friend got the waffle fries and they were much better and cheaper.