Food is great, drinks are better and service A+! Great bartender, Gerardo, I will definitely be back! read more

We had lunch at el torito today. Yaneth, the server was very attentive and friendly when taking care of our order. She checked in regularly to see if we needed anything. We have been coming to the restaurant for years and have been lucky enough for good service from past and present employees. We always ask to be seated jn her section if she is working. She is a gem! read more

Fantastic Happy Hour and service!!! Had chips nearly as soon as i sat and everyone is super friendly! Great ambiance!!!

Roberto was absolutely amazing! Professional, attentive, and made the whole experience easy and enjoyable. I couldn't have asked for better service. Highly recommend him read more

El Torito is a family favorite, we have gone for many years now. The down side to this year is they would only let us come in at 9 am... which we understood because there's about 70 people when our family comes. The food is very good and the customer service was top notch. The staff went out of their ways to make sure everyone had full drinks and our tables were always cleared off from our old food. The buffet was just above average this year, normally I love their huevos rancheros but this year they were a little bit soggy and didn't taste the same. I loved their tacos, especially their Al Pastor, they had the right amount of kick to them. You'll see us again next year El Torito! read more

See all

Connie the waitress is amazing! She was so sweet & very attentive would definitely come back!

Came to have brunch and yaneth H was my server she kept filling my mimosa up very nice very friendly it's a great place to have brunch

Roberto was fantastic! Very attentive and even noticed I had birthday present and sang for my birthday.

My first visit to any El Torito in over 20 years. This was a great place to stop after a long, hungry flight. I felt such nostalgia walking into the space with its old brick and stucco interior inlaid with colorful glass bottles. Thick timber supported the walls and ceiling. I thought, "They don't build restaurants like this anymore." The building probably dates from the 1970s or so. For me, the nostalgia alone was worth the visit. They updated the menu with recent Mexican food trends like birria tacos. They also have three different kinds of salad. And we were happy to see the lunch menu in the back. We both ordered the Mexican Caesar salad and chicken quesadilla combo. The quesadilla came piping hot in a generous flour tortilla. The salad was also just the right portion. I must also add that the chips were freshly made and lightly salted. The seasoning for these items was just right for my mom, who doesn't like spicy food, but I thought my quesadilla was even better with salsa on top. My one disappointment was the salad. The lettuce was fresh and crunchy, but the dressing needed salt, a dash of citrus, or something else. Nonetheless, I ate everything. Our server was polite, patient, and attentive. I was really happy with this visit to El Torito. It was nice to see that there was less spicy food for my mom, too. Next time I come through SNA, I will definitely consider stopping here again. read more

Terrible, went for Sunday morning brunch rudely asked if I had a reservation as i walked into the restaurant, I have never had to make a reservation at any other el torrito for brunch and when I was finally seated she told us to wait for our server we waited 10 mins with out being attended too before leaving. Tustin location so much nicer. read more

Such a horrible service. Waited for almost an hour for food to arrive. Went at lunch time as a team . Hardly any people and still it took for ever. No updates or anything. Finally we asked for food to be packed for to go and it took another 20 min. We left the place and found out that half the food was missing . Not cutlery , no napkins. Also one order was also missing. Terrible experience . Stay away from this place!!! Not surprising almost all their franchises are closed . Never felt insulted and cheated. No respect for customers time. read more

Connie was great. Super kind and anticipatory of needs. Food was pretty good, especially for a buffet. 5 stars for Connie though.

Sunday brunch was amazing. Great food quality and great family atmosphere. Gerardo was our server and was a great ambassador of the company. I will be returning and enjoying the vibes of Sunday brunch. read more

Connie was the best waitress. Very attentive. The buffet was amazing. Everything was fresh and delicious!

We have been going to El Torito for years!!! Food are delicious and the staff are great!!! Kudos to Miguel, he's always give us a good service and he is very attentive throughout our meal. We are a loyal customer because of him. We really appreciate you Miguel ! Thank you!!! read more

What happened to this chain. Food use to be so good. We sat at the Catina for happy hour. It took forever to get service so we had to get up and ask for A waiter. Once greeted he made it up to us but only because he knew we were upset about waiting so long. (This happened before at another location) The food was just eh? Not what we remembered at all. Chicken was chewy. read more

Another El Torito review love comparing flavor, location and service so here's today's review on Irvine El torito right across John Wayne airport first off I'd like to mention as an ex employee of el torito I've been dining in them for years since I was a kid, and my dad was part of the el torito family for more than 20+ years and usually love El torito when employees follow the company moto now on to my review food was brunch so we served ourselves of course food was good as in most El Torito locations the ambience was ok only issue was I was seated in a room corner where unfortunately it gets hot because of lamps so my husband asked if we could sit elsewhere that's when service came in the lady in the front with the blonde hair wearing all black I imagine was the manager since she was directing the hosts she was a bit rude with her approach she did move us but gave me a stare up and down which I didn't appreciate and there were no enjoy your meal or smiles needless to say how awkward I felt as I was trying to be extra polite since she moved us, which I appreciate and I also understand how seating works she lacks customer service skills and other employees wearing the orange shirt as well she was rude my husband asked her if she can tell him where the bathrooms were and she made no eye contact looking elsewhere just pointed like he was a nuisance like I said I've worked for El Torito and have been to lots of them I recommend El Torito to everyone all the time but not this particular one customer service was terrible ruined my experience of what this location could potentially offer I highly recommend the one in Cypress since management is actually doing a great job which always shows in how employees provide service to customers read more

See all

Wanted to give a big shout out to Connie, our server. She was very attentive, cheerful and above and beyond her duties. Made sure we were happy and well taken care of. read more

Just had a fabulous buffet brunch at El Torito. The food was delicious, our waitress Connie was an absolute doll! She was quick, sweet, and friendly. read more

Connie was the best!!!! She made our anniversary's brunch so special!!! Thank you!!!!!

Sadly due to hygiene problems I will not return. We had dinner here on Tuesday as a group of 7 people. Service was friendly and the food was fairly good but when I went to the restroom it was disgusting. The ladies room had clearly not been cleaned for several hours. There was no toilet paper, someone had made a gross mess in the toilet and nobody had cleaned it and there were paper towels everywhere. When I came out I drew attention to the situation by telling an employee and he said it would be taken care of. However when my daughter went in about ten minutes later it was in the same state. I wish I had taken a photo but if you can imagine the worst case scenario, that was it. read more

Went in for Sunday Brunch with my family and Connie took great care of us. She was attentive and extremely nice.

Excelente servicio por parte del mesero Sánchez nos atendió muy bien y muy amable 10/10 el servicio Y la comida también 10/10 read more

I came in for brunch, this restaurant never disappoints me the food is absolutely amazing so is the staff.

Great service ! Great food! Came here with my family for their brunch and it did not disappoint! I love this place.

This is just a shout out for the server for being so kind and friendly. Went above and beyond with the customer service and we definitely appreciated. Thank you Steve G for being so great! read more

After my last review i was contacted by the management team who gave me a sincere apology. I love Mexican food too much to not go back. All is Good and I did have a beer, which was perfect! read more

El Torito - :( - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

Excellent service from Connie today. She did an awesome job! Many different choices of food, drinks, and desserts. Great brunch! Thanks! read more

Food was amazing Service is always a plus we always ask for José S he always has top notch service very kind read more

Connie was a great server during brunch at El Torito! She filled our drinks frequently and brought us everything we requested. read more

What a great brunch we had for my best friends birthday first i need to thank Jerry for making it the best he had a upbeat fun energy and he never let our glasses get empty lol (bottomless mimosas) Thank again to all the staff they were all so kind and helpful read more

On our way to drop off my friend at the airport after a work meeting and had some time until her flight. Stopped in for a bite to eat. Greeted immediately by our waiter, Juan. He gave us excellence service and kept checking to make sure everything was okay. read more

Great Food and GOATED service by Connie, it was amazing. Always made sure to check up on us!

Incredible cuisine, unbeatable prices, and exceptional customer service. Cesar was not only a fantastic bartender but also provided outstanding service. Highly recommended. Increíble gastronomía, precios insuperables y un servicio al cliente excepcional. César no solo era un fantástico barman, sino que también brindaba un servicio excepcional. Muy recomendado. read more

This location has the worst management ever. Extremely unprofessional. We went to celebrate a birthday after work & we had a cake dropped off earlier in the day for our reservation in the evening. When we came in, there was no host & then we finally found someone & said that we were meeting a party of 8 and they said there was no party... Luckily there was already one of us who checked in so we just called our friend to direct us to the table. Our server was very kind, we didn't get his name but he did an amazing job. Once we finished our meal, we asked for the cake & it was no where to be found. We asked for a manager & she refused to come out. We saw our server begging her to speak with us & she didn't come out until I finally made eye contact with her. She told us her name was Stephanie but later one of the servers told us her name is Estelle... The manager then changed her story three times in regard to the cakes? They amounted to $200 so we were very upset that management was NOT taking our concerns seriously. She laughed in our face & never apologized once. She also didn't even bother to come up with a solution until WE ASKED. She then offered us flan but we just declined & asked for the bill & the general manager's number. She ignored our request & brought out this "cake"(attached photo). The server told her not to go through with this "cake" because we specially said we just wanted to pay & leave, yet she ignored him. We then proceeded to ask for the bill repeatedly but she kept ignoring us. Please train managers better. Servers were very nice and understanding. They apologized relentlessly for their manager's behavior. EDIT: I added a photo of the manager read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

See all

we stopped here for brunch on a Sunday. everything was fresh, appetizers were on point and the food was on great. our waitress was amazing very attentive and super friendly. the manager "Chely" would check eventually on tables making sure we were well taken care of. plus the waiting time wasn't bad at all. environment wasn't noisy as other places, we were able to have a nice conversation without having to speak loud. we will recommend this place to friends and family. great mexican food. read more

We visited with a large group for Sunday brunch. Food was good and plentiful. Connie and Roberto were super friendly and provided great service l. read more

We came here for Sunday brunch, and it was absolutely fantastic! Connie was our server and was so kind and sweet and attentive. She made the meal very enjoyable with her sweet disposition. I really love this brunch because it's affordable and there's a really great mix of food and lots of different choices. read more

The service here was amazing friendly staff and waiters to assist you and your party. One waitress especially who goes out of her way to give great service and help waitress Fanny Who checks her zone making sure everyone is taken care of and amazing attitude very kind and helpful when ordering. Recommend returning for event's and special occasions read more

El Torito - The receipt of visit - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

The food was amazing. The birria tacos were amazing. Unfortunately our waiter was too busy the restaurant was understaffed. If not for the amazing food we would have left read more