El Torito is located off MacArthur Blvd and Michelson Drive across the street from John Wayne Airport. It's a good spot to stop at if you're hungry, you want to avoid the premium prices restaurants inside the airport charge, and you have time for a sit down meal before catching your flight. If half stars were an option, I'd rate them a solid 3.5. I recommend visiting on a Tuesday between 4-9 pm so you can take advantage of both their happy hour menu and Taco Tuesday. At the time of this review, El Torito is serving up street tacos with your choice of chicken, carnitas, al pastor and/or steak for only $3 each! I wouldn't expect the highest quality Mexican food but I will say their food is consistent. They also offer great buffets during the holidays you'll def need to make a reservation ahead of time for. Buen provecho! read more

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Sadly May 31, 2026 brunch service was the last day of service for this El Torito location as the manager came around letting us know it was their last day of service. Rumor has it that the property owner for this entire complex has other plans in mind as Gulliver's next door is also closing end of June. Went in for one last El Torito Sunday brunch and it definitely did not disappoint. It was great to see the staff giving it their all even on their closing day. I was surprised to see they even brought in the mariachi band for one last hurrah. All you can eat brunch buffet plus mimosas/sparkling wine for $39 ish bucks before tax and tip. What a great deal! They had everything from traditional breakfast items to tacos to an omelette station and salad/soup bar. So much to choose from. Only 4 stars because you could tell the inside of this place was very run down. Seat cushions were starting to peel, sky light windows were dirty, etc. but seeing they're closing, I guess I shouldn't expect them to keep things up at this point. Thanks for the memories and the affordable Mexican food! read more

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It's out of business. Gone! The doors are locked and no signs to indicate such. Just a Uhaul in the parking lot and everyone standing around wondering why. read more

Very nice location the food is was amazing. And the service Roberto gave us was top notch! He was very attentive, polite and helpful. He went above and beyond, we came for my sister's birthday brunch and Roberto kept making sure everyone was comfortable especially the birthday girl. We had a large party and Roberto made a special accommodations for us to sit all together with plenty of space. The mariachi group was great, plenty of options in the all you can eat brunch, there was something for everyone. Parking is plentiful, and the rest of the staff was also very attentive. read more

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I came here to enjoy a delicious meal with my family and I had the amazing awesome funny kind sweet server named Carla help us and she was so warm and kind to my kid. She was so attentive. The food was amazing. The environment was fun. I definitely wanna come back and I found out that she will be working on Mother's Day this year so I definitely want to bring my family and show our support to Carla who is also an amazing mother to her kid. I couldn't believe that there are still some locations like this around and the fact that the service was amazing, especially by Carla. I want to come back and get served by her again and again I really hope this place does not go away because this is the closest location to me and I love that I can get a few cocktails on the days that I do not come with my child the price and the food and the drinks are very reasonable and affordable read more

I drove past this place on the way home so made it a point to stop in for a lunch date. I loved that they had table side guacamole so we decided to share that along with a taco platter. The guy brought over the cart to make us the guacamole but will say I was a bit underwhelmed with the flavor. The tacos were okay but the meat was a bit dry so had to add a decent amount of salsa to each of my tacos. Lunch was okay but I don't know if I'd go out of my way to return. read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

5% hidden surcharge on your bill! Check the fine print at the bottom of the menu. They add this extra charge -- it's always charged but only written on the full menu. Came in for Taco Tuesday and ordered off the smaller bar menu and table stand menu. Tacos are just ordered direct from server. Never saw the 5% notice until received the bill. I asked our server if maybe it subsidizes health insurance from the company for the staff, etc. Her response. No, I don't see any of it. Just raise your menu prices instead of slipping in these extra charges. Outside of these deceptive practices, the food and drinks were good and tortillas super fresh for Taco Tuesday. read more

Thank you for your response Karolina. I will contact you if I am back in the area and looking for a better experience

Food is always good; however, we were a bit disappointed that they were "out" of carnitas. It seems like a lack of planning to be out of a main menu item. Also, the dining room needs tender loving care. The vinyl on the booths is torn and tattered and the woodwork scratched and dinged. It appears that salsa was spilled near our table and was congealed and sticky on the floor. The floor as a whole is in need of a good deep steam clean. read more

This El Torito is a staple every time we come back home while visiting from Florida. The restaurant is always clean, the host/hostess is always friendly and helpful and the food is amazing. This trip our server was Connie- she was kind, attentive and helpful, if only all servers were as good as her. Cant wait to come back on our next visit! read more

El Torito - Large Mexican Cesar Salad with no protein. - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

We lived on the memory of our nearby old El Torito that closed. The mexican caesar salad was as good as we remembered, but the faiitas were really meh, dried and kinda flavorless tbh. Disappointing. Service was ok and the ambiance is as you can expect, it is just the food didn't measure up. read more

Always a vibe love the service and food. Roberto was very attentive and made sure we were all taken care of. Great brunch spot for groups read more

El Torito - Bday brunch - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

Let me start off by saying the service was disappointing in the front desk until my table server Roberto made up for it ! He was attentive to my family super friendly and helpful . We had the brunch buffet which was delicious . The food was cooked very well. The ambiance was your typical Mexican restaurant and they had live music playing which was nice ! Overall just wanted to say thank you to Roberto for being super professional and cordial with my family thank you ! read more

Happy hour options are a GREAT bargain and delish! Highly recommend the mini tacos (4) and sopes (3). Drinks not bad for the discounted price, and Happy Hour is EVERY DAY until 9 p.m. venue is a little dated and is showing its age, but staff is very friendly and hospitable. read more

El Torito - Happy hour food menu - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

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I have been to El Torito plenty of times at several locations but unfortunately this location did not meet my expectations. The service was horrible, we went during a time the restaurant was slow we got seated right away but then they took forever to attend us, when the server finally attended us he took our drink and food order and when he dropped off the drinks he gave us one wrong drink which is a tiny red flag but we moved on from that mistakes happen. The food then came out promptly which was delicious but then when it came to drink refills the server came to check on us so late I was already done eating by the time I got to ask for a drink refill. The server seemed to be in a mood and he stated he was "busy" and I understand but that is not an excuse to neglect guests. I even saw another table get up and leave because of how long the servers took. Overall, we enjoyed the food, they have happy hour from 3-9pm everyday which is nice but a big part of dining at a restaurant is the service which this location lacks. read more

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I've been going to El Torito for 25 plus years. Our locations keep closing so today went to McArthur by SNA and the food was not great, carne asada over cooked, enchiladas burnt on the bottom, rice was cold and the service was terrible. At the end I even ordered something to go for someone at home and they screwed that order up too. Won't return. read more

We had a good experience we celebrated our sister birthday. Server Roberto was awesome thank you!!! read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

Roberto was server he was awesome very attentive, great food, great service, we will definitely be back soon!

We just left El Torito celebrating my sister's birthday! We've been coming to this location for brunch for 38 years and each time we've come it gets better and better. This time in particular one person stood out, Roberto! I cannot say enough about him and the service he provided us, he felt like family, and went above and beyond for us and our table, truly made us feel soooo special and taken care of. The restaurant was packed, but never made us feel like he wasn't available, out waters or mimosas were never empty. He was always asking if we needed anything and how we were doing. I now feel like we were spoiled and want him to serve us every time. Thank you so much Roberto for our experience today! Just an amazing server! read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

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Probably one of the worst El Torito we've been to. Understaffed, dirty, and the food is flavorless. We went on a sunday and the place was fairly busy. The one waiter was having a hard time managing all the tables so it took over 40 mins to get our food after we placed the order. Asking for refills was a challenge and once the food arrived, no one checked back again. I can't believe this location hasn't been closed yet all things considered. read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

We were regulars for the Mother's Day brunch at Acapulco on Bristol for many years. The food there was always top notch, the Mexican food especially. We were shocked when they closed a few weeks ago but figured we would go to El Torito instead. Sadly, this was a really bad experience. The food was very poor quality. The enchiladas, tamales, etc. were inedible. Almost uncooked. The bacon was uncooked. The meats were of poor quality. Most of the food stations were empty or just plain awful. The restaurant is also quite run down and old. The staff was totally overwhelmed, they simply had too many people to serve. The management needs to scale back the patrons and concentrate on the quality of the food. I would not recommend this to anyone for Mother's Day. read more

Roberto took care of my family and I on Sunday brunch.! Excellent service, beautiful music, delicious food and the drinks kept coming! I am going to return again because of Roberto's service. Appreciate everything sir. read more

El Torito - Mimosas and tacos Al pastor - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

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THE...BEST...CHAMPAGNE...BRUNCH in California!!!!!! CONNIE, you are the best. Thank you for making my important day perfect. My champagne glass was never empty!!!! People like you are what makes is even more special. read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

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We had a subpar experience here. The seafood tacos are incredibly spicy if you order the shrimp option, and there is no mention of that in the menu, and our server didn't bother to mention it. I had to trade food with my fiancee and my mom because they both couldn't eat them. And yes, I can confirm that they were way too spicy to not mention it to customers. Our server also forgot a drink. And finally, the only working restroom was up a large flight of stairs, and my mom is handicapped. I came here to treat my mom to dinner for Mother's Day. But between the spicy tacos she couldn't eat, and the restroom she could barely access, it simply wasn't good. read more

Had a big catering order to be picked up at 11:15 and Liz helped me out. Food was ready on time, the portions were perfect (if it says for 10 it did serve 10 people!) Our office liked everything and will definitely be adding this place to our rotation. read more

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Had a Sunday fun day TODAY they had Msriachi playing. My bartender Jerry was great best bartender ever always smiling and making you feel read more

Had the best time having brunch with my girlies at El Torito! Our server, Jerry, was the best! So attentive, never let our mimosas go dry, and never let our dirty dishes sit for longer than a minute. Could not have asked for a better server read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

Been coming to this location for many years now. Lots of memories here with my family. We always come during their Sunday brunch. Today's customer service was amazing! Connie was our server so shoutout to her. She was terrific! Food was amazing too! Menudo was definitely hitting the spot! Can't wait to come back! read more

Omg our tummies are so happy! We moved to Seattle and u fortunately they do not have Sunday brunches at Mexican restaurants like they do here in SoCal. When we are here visiting we make a point to visit El Torito. Connie was our waitress - she was very friendly, personable, professional and expedient with our drinks and other items we asked for. If you're in the SoCal area hit up el torito for their Sunday brunch. Your tummy will appreciate it. read more

El Torito - Sunday brunch at El Torito. Yum!!! - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

Food was great, drinks were great, and our server Connie is a sweetheart! We'll be back soon!

Thank you El Torito for my free BDay entree! The shrimp fajitas were sizzling and delicious! I always appreciate the friendly and quick service, along with the relaxed setting. See you soon! Cheers read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

I'm not going to kill their rating just because this one item was bad. I think I ordered the wrong item thinking it would be like Taco Bell's Mexican pizza. Boy was I wrong. The shell was soggy and soft. Very little meat mostly beans. Stay away!!! Service is always good. Ambiance is good also. It's El Torito. read more

El Torito - Mexican Pizza - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

Good chips. Tasty salsa. No service. Literally, no service. One of the hostesses sat us, brought us chips and salsa, and then crickets. Multiple servers walked by and said nothing. We read the menu. Not a word. We discussed the current geopolitical climate. Not even a "Hi, someone will be right with you" in passing. We discussed walking out but decided to give them five more minutes. Tick tock tick tock. 10+ minutes after being sat and ignored, we simply left. How far this once lively hot spot has fallen. read more