I came here a couple of times. The service was a hit and a miss. The food was good. Don't come towards the end of the night, the waiters kickback in the back bar watching TV. I will try it again and see how it goes. read more

Probably not the best service here, but their food is really good! I usually order their carne asada burrito plate and my husband gets the carne asada steak plate. Their quality in meat is really good and their salsas are good as well. Service isn't completely bad, but they do need work. Most times we've eaten here the servers don't do rounds to check on us. So we have to catch the server while their passing by to ask for refills or the check. Overall, this place is pretty good and would recommend it. read more

Came here after reading the reviews. My troubles started when our waiter said "we don't carry any fresh waters and the horchata is not fresh, it comes from a can." The food presentation is great, we had some plates and some burritos. Burritos are good. Plates, not much. Guacamole tasted like the one you get in a bag at the store. Chile verde, it was more broth than anything green. There were celery pieces in the "chile". Chile relleno tasted like the ones in the freezer aisle. Their sign says "authentic Mexican food", nothing authentic about what we ate. I'm glad we tried this place out, i will not be coming back. read more

yuck they need to up grade, i took my daughter out to lunch there, her friends love it ! we did not. seemed scary like a old persons house , kind of sticky & out dated , i would not ever go back, my daughter said thanks mom i hated it read more

It's a rarity to find a restaurant that is not a national chain in the AV. However, it is not rare to find a Mexican restaurant in the AV. El Toreo is a local chain. There are six locations in Palmdale and Lancaster. I'm not sure if that is a good sign or not. I've been to this particular location twice now. Once for lunch, and for dinner. Both times I've been with one other person. The place was pretty empty, and they sat us in the back for some reason. It felt like we were being ignored by the wait staff. It's not that the drinks weren't refilled fast enough, or our food took a long time to get to us, it's just that maybe it's really empty in there. Then there is the food. The salsa is pretty flavorful, but that is about it. There are large portions, but that is about the only good thing about the food, The last time, we ordered the cheese dip and my friend said he could make it better at home. It gets a 2 out of 5 on the stringy factor scale. If you want bland Mexican food, you're welcome to go. Oh, and they don't take American Express. read more

Family owned for decades. Employee friendly as I've seen the same waiters for 20 years. The menu is rather typical Mexican, but they have an incredible steak sandwich, which I feel awkward ordering when their Mexican food is so good. I recommend the tostadas, no matter the filling they are large, filled with plenty of steak, chicken or carnitas, fresh lettuce and guacamole. They put a dab of refries on the plate to "glue" it down, so you don't chase your dinner around. On Mondays they have a buffet and they don't spare on the upscale items. Not just rice an beans. They have a wonderful Albondigas soup, and on buffet night, it's unlimited. I large bowl of soup on a regular night, nearly matches the price of the complete buffet on Monday. I don't rate a "5" because the restaurant is in a converted real estate office, and it is like navigating a maze. The restaurant serves lots of beer, wine and Margaritas, but has a "one holer" restroom. Scary in an "emergency." read more

Been coming here since we moved in December. The food and service is amazing! My favorite thing is the taquitos rancheros and their salads are always so fresh tasting. And don't get me started on the salsa (especially the spicy one). Don't know why there are so many bad reviews because it is amazing every time. read more

The service was not good. I asked for ketchup 3 times and didn't get it. The treble next to us got there 10 minutes after we did and they got their food first. They didn't apologize for the delay. The food was not good either. Had the shrimp enchiladas and the shrimp was over cooked. they didn't ask how our meal was. Overall Not a good experience. read more

I love this place! Best chicken fajitas anywhere in town! I haven't had the negative experiences that others have mentioned here so I'm unsure where that comes from. The building is older but they keep it up pretty well. The service is great and particularly friendly. I've been there about 20 times and always order the fajita -- delicious is the reason!!! read more

1st time here, I ordered the steak nachos and the sampler platter....the food was so good..so glad I came to check out this spot..the only thing...the nachos didn't really have that much steak..but it was still good... read more

Horrible horrible place!!!! If I could give them ZERO stars I would!!! Food was gross and cold! The manager and server doesn't even know anything about their menu! Called and complained and all the manager would say is I don't know to every question, maybe you shouldn't be a manager if you don't know anything about your restaurant. I wouldn't waste your time coming here. read more

this is one of my wives fave restaurants, been coming here for 25 years, last night we came and i ordered the fish tacos, when i got them they were sopping with grease from a fry pan, terrible, i told the waiter his reply was oh and walked away, I've never been big on this restaurant but this is the last straw never again, also the Margareta tasted like it was watered down which was one of their good points before. i guess with their new menus and higher prices they've also cut back on quality read more

I've been coming here since I was a kid with my entire family and we love it! Everyone is always so polite and friendly and they make sure you are well taken care of! Their salads always taste so fresh and the enchiladas are AMAZING!! read more

Catherine our waitress was amazing. She was a blast and made our ladies night full of laughter. Will definitely be coming back... her service was top notch. read more

I went here for happy hour today and I had a great experience! Sabrina was my server, she was not only very pretty, but she was very efficient and had a great attitude. Will definitely be back. read more

Although the outside looks like a complete dump, the food is quite good. The service is always wonderful. Give it a try!

Excellent margaritas fairly good food. The guys loved the salsa which I thought was just pretty good. Chips were decent.

El Toreo is my favorite. If I have a chance for a last meal on earth I want it to be El Toreo hard shell shredded beef tacos, a cup of their Albondagas soup and lots of their chips and salsa. For my taste buds...there is no better anywhere. It is always my first place to eat when I get back to Palmdale. I would gladly pay for the recipe to be able make their salsa here at my home in Texas. For 30 years plus now of eating at an El Toreo I've never had a bad meal or one I didn't love the taste of. read more

The only Mexican food restaurant I'll go to in the AV. I've been coming here since I was a kid back in the late 80's. Waiters are friendly, they know my order by heart. Chips and salsa are never empty, and drinks are replenished quickly. As any restaurant, the nicer you are to the staff, the nicer they are to you. Recommend the beef enchiladas, albondigas soup is awesome, and beans and rice are delicious. Fried ice cream is also great! read more

They were a little rude. They close at 10:00 but you can't order after 9:30. Not returning again. The staff needs some training on customer service. The chips were good. read more

This place is not good I got the asada and it seemed like it was boiled. The food is not good and the waiter took like 10 minutes to finally come and asked what we wanted to drink. Never going again. read more

This is my reliable, go-to spot for good Mexican. Sure, the service can be a little spotty, but the generally fresh ingredients and good chips and salsa make up for any waiter-lapses... read more

After a recent visit, March 2nd / late January, I'm left feeling the same as several others. Poor customer service. Standing inside the front door waiting patiently to even be acknowledged by anyone who works there. This poor service continues to the table where they seem bothered to have to come over and see what you'd like to order. After the relatively long drive, El Toreo West is a convenient location, otherwise I would happy go somewhere else where they appreciate all of their customers. On a positive note, their food has been good, fresh and enjoyable, once the order was hastily taken. If I find an alternative...good bye El Toreo... read more

what a great place to eat. went here with my family for my sons birthday dinner and the service was amazing. great food as well.

The food is good, the Service is great, and the Drinks are awesome. I go at least twice a month to eat here and will continue to do so. Thank you read more

We used to live in Palmdale years ago and this was our favorite Mexican restaurant. We have never been able to find anything even close to it since we moved to Colorado. So, on our trip to California this week we just had to go have dinner here. The food is still as wonderful as we remember but halfway through our meal, someone in the kitchen there, nearby where we were eating used some sort of bleach cleaner. The fumes were so strong I was tasting it in our food. We had to take the rest of our meal in a to go box because we couldn't tolerate the smell of bleach mixing with our food. We didn't complain until after we paid our bill, not wanting a refund but hoping someone would realize how wrong it was to use such strong bleach while people are trying to eat, I mean,bit was only 6:30 pm, not closing time. But, the person we mentioned it to didn't even apologize or even say he would try to make sure it didn't happen again. Very bad end to our much anticipated dinner. read more