A small miscommunication in the beginning but our waiter, Alejandro, was great! Personality and customer service were great! Thank you, Alejandro. We'll see you next time read more

I decided to order from here after receiving several recommendations and was very disappointed. I paid extra to get a Mango Margarita and they sent strawberry mix that I would have to mix in myself. I called the restaurant immediately where I was told the driver told them it was impossible to give them my full number so they could call me. When I explained I ordered through their website I was put on hold and a new person answered. He explained the same thing and that they can't premix the flavor in because it will separate, but then his solution was that I could come pick up the correct thing from the restaurant and he could give me cheesecake too which made no sense since they said they did the substitution because they didn't have mango. (Also, when I order delivery I don't want to have to get in my car to go pick something up.) His other proposal was that he would buy me a margarita when they opened back up, also not a viable solution as it doesn't give me any solution for paying a premium for something I didn't receive. All that aside, I poured the plain house margarita over ice and it was decent (probably would have enjoyed it more at another time but I was still disappointed). The food, however, was ok at best. The taco was pretty good, but missing something and the shell was super chewy. Tamale was also good. Enchilada was bland and the Chile relleno was tasteless. Fajita steak meat needed seasoning/flavor, tortillas didn't seem fully cooked, and the guacamole was mostly a chunk of avocado with some guacamole on top. Salsa was good, but the chips in the little bag were a bit stale. Hopefully the large bag of chips that I ordered are fresh. Expected more for the price. Overall, disappointed I did my special treat to order in with this company. read more

Gilberto had us laughing made some great recommendations for drinks and made date night

We are with the Boy Scout troop 51. We absolutely LOVE this place. Especially Gilberto as our waiter and especially on Taco Tuesday when we get absolutely stuffed. 5 stars for sure - especially with Gilberto serving us. read more

Favorite Mexican restaurant in San Diego. Would pick El torito over Javier's any day. Javier's might be in La Jolla but it's overpriced, smaller portions, and not as tasty. Great value meal with great service here. We've had Gilberto the most as a server and he is attentive, quick and friendly. The other servers have been great too. Chicken flautas, shrimp fajitas, chicken enchiladas, fish tacos. All are so good, Going about once every few weeks for dinner. Love this restaurant !! read more

The usual. Came here with my lady because she was craving salsa and chips. Man! Its always good here. Everything else, not so much. Our bill was about $40 for low quality food. The chicken enchilada was not good. It tasted like the chicken came out of a can. It was definitely processed chicken. My Al Pastor, barely any meat and the corn tortilla was drenched. I cant even pick up my taco correctly without getting messy. On the more positive note, our waiter was great and entertaining. Great customer service. Front end service could use a touch up. Greet us please! Its my 3rd visit here and always disappointing. This is my last visit. Id rather eat at a normal taco shop. Quality there is much better. Im in no form angry of this place but of the food quality. read more

I haven't been to an El Torito in about 4 yr, but based on my experience tonight I'm guessing it's a franchise struggling to hang on and not go out of business. Upon arrival, there was a wait of 10 min for a table for 2 even though the restaurant was half empty. Chips and salsa arrived soon after seating - salsa was good (actually had some heat) but the chips were so stale they were chewy (must've been baskets leftover from last night). Got a house signature margarita which was small but good and placed my dinner order (sizzling enchiladas). 45 min and an empty margarita glass and empty water cup later, dinner arrived. The enchiladas were pretty good - again, spicier than expected for franchise Mexican, but not worth a 45 min wait. The restaurant shows it's age (dingy and unclean interior) and the service is slow and infrequently checks on you. However, besides the stale chips, the food was pretty decent. So, it would seem that this place can still eke out a few good years with the right management and wait staff. read more

I'm happy to see that El Torito is still standing after the covid-19 shut down. They are open for take out but have adjusted their seating arrangement and services to offer dine in option. I've been a customer as long as I remember. From going to brunch with my grandparents as a kid to dinner on my 21st birthday... I wanted to come support them now that they are open for dine in. Everything is clean and spaced out to ensure social distancing. Servers wear masks and gloves. Gilbert was super nice and helpful with the menu choices. He seemed happy and eager to help us with anything we needed. A few other people stopped by to see how we were doing during our visit. All with masks and gloves and from a distance. If you are hungry these people are ready and waiting for you!! read more

Shout out to our server Gilberto excellent service!! We would definitely come back good sense of humor

Amazing food, amazing ambience and even more amazing service from our server Gilberto. Attentive, kind and enthusiastic. You can definitely tell he loves his job! read more

I have been coming here for many years and this is the first time ever that they have us sitting here for a good a 1 hour for dessert!

I went to the La Mesa El Toritos location for an afternoon lunch with my sisters and our niece. Our waitress/servers name was Gilberto. We frequent this location because the food and service is usually great. After our experience with Gilberto we will not be returning. I'm not sure what he had against us, but from the time we sat down he seemed like he did not want to serve us. He rushed us and brushed us off a countless amount of times. My sister found a blonde piece of hair in her food, but do to Gilberto's attitude we sat for a while and debated on if we even wanted to report the hair being in her food or not. It was so blatant that he did not want to assist us that my niece turned to us and said "He hates us". Please train your employees to treat all customers equally. We remained respectful from the time we entered the restaurant to the time that we left. It's unfortunate, but my family will never spend money here again. read more

Today September 12, 2020 at 3:00 pm my family and I came to eat. The food was simply delicious! The young man at the entrance who sat us down was very polite and greeted us right away. Our waiter Carlos was simply amazing! He was very attentive and had great customer service. We will definitely be returning. The restrooms were very clean as well which is a big plus! read more

My daughter and I went here be sure we use to have great food and a good time here years ago. We were on the neighborhood so we decided to check it out. I went in before her she had a phone call so I sat down waiting for a waiter 20min the place was not the crowd but as soon add the manger came here comes the waiter. The manger made everything ok after all that waiting. Spoiled my memory of this place. He told us plans for reviving the place it's worth another try the margaritas were great as usual., the live DJ was great on the patio.. My daughter and I had a good time just chilling , mother and daughter time. The servers need work. read more

Good, but Pricey I started with a two-star review, but upped it to three because the food was actually pretty good. I ordered the Carnitas which were perfectly cooked and delicious. My dinner partner ordered Beef enchiladas rancheros which he said were a bit fatty. The complimentary chips and salsa were good and I ordered the Cadillac Margarita which was delicious. I ordered the margarita because the bar had only 3 beer taps with Coors Light leading the domestic charge. I would say the customer service was average or a bit less than. A request for additional salsa didn't make it to our table until we were nearly finished eating. The real downside is that this was probably the most expensive mexican dinner I have ever eaten. The two enchiladas were 15.00 and my Carnitas were nearly $20. Particularly galling was the fact that in addition to the high prices, a service charge was added to the bill. If it was mentioned on the menu, I didn't see it. I would have walked out if I had. Decent food, but I won't be going back. read more

Our family chose El Torito in La Mesa to celebrate our birthdays. Initially, everything was great. The restaurant was clean and the atmosphere was inviting. After ordering, we waited about 20 minutes for our food to arrive. The food was really good. The table had three sets of flatware for the six of us. We asked twice for more and eventually I had to take some from another table. The restaurant was moderately busy for a Friday evening, but it looked like there was plenty of staff to handle it. Two of us ordered the all-you-can eat tacos. After finishing the first round, it took over ten minutes for the waiter to come back to our table (he never checked on us while we ate). More tacos were ordered, refills on soda and water were requested. Ten minutes later, the waiter came back and asked if they wanted any more tacos. Well, they hadn't gotten the ones ordered almost twenty minutes ago! Still no water refills. Another person came over and we asked again for water (five of us were drinking water). She refilled one of the waters and didn't come back. I rarely complain to the manager, but this was getting kind of ridiculous. The manager apologized and blamed everything on the kitchen. Blaming the kitchen for lack of water refills, not enough flatware on the table, and an inattentive waiter? I got the impression he didn't really care. Our waiter was very prompt (for the first time) when it came to collecting our payments. He did though, forget to collect one payment and I had to walk that up to the host podium. I haven't been to an El Torito since the 90's. If I go back, I'll avoid the La Mesa restaurant. read more

Gilberto was a phenomenal waiter... very attentive and got our food to us on time. I 100% recommend going Tuesday nights.

Been to this location many times and have always been impressed with their service. Our waiters Manuel and Gilberto were so friendly! Kept talking to my baby boy who was very energetic...they made recommendations for food to my husband. Very personable. No kidding my husband said he now wants to go regularly bc not only is there food so delicious but the service was top notch. My favorites are the Mexican Caesar salad, tortilla soup, a corn bread type dish. Taco Tuesday was great, decoration for Christmas was awesome! All the tinsel and the Christmas tree. The best decorated restaurant I've seen in a long time. You walk in and it was A Feliz Navidad feeling which was a bonus to the experience :) Love our neighborhood El Torito! read more

Absolutely great place !!! Good food Excellent Cadillac margarita Excellent service Made a special platter for me only could eat meat & veggies I will definitely be back ! read more

El Torito - Carnitas special - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

Roberto was the best waiter ever! Great meal! Thanks for such great service. We enjoyed our meal and will come again.

Gilberto was the best waiter ever!!!!! He made our dinner fun. And was on top off making us feel welcome. read more

The El Toronto I used to frequent in National City closed last year and this is the closest alternative location to me. As is to be expected at any large chain restaurant, the food should always be consistently good at any of their locations. Here, it of course is. The service, however, depends heavily on the individual. As a guest/patron of any restaurant, there are some universal expectations when it comes to service. Some may be satisfied by the simple, professional, courteous, and timely. Others may define great service as having the server grovel at their feet and kiss the ground the patron walks on. Preferences differ, I guess. At every El Torito I've been to, however... the service has always been as consistent as the quality of the food. And my last visit was no exception... except for Gilberto, our server that evening. Huge personality and a work ethic just as big. He was charming, sincere, and made my girlfriend and I feel like Zorro himself took off his mask and came to rescue us from a bland dining experience. We came expecting the usual dinner at El Torito... and got a wonderful dining experience, thanks to Gilberto. read more

I loved the food here. Made with quality and love. The service was very fast. Our brother Gilberto was the kindest man, giving us great recommendations. The ambiance was incredible. 11/10 read more

Service good . Food not worth the money : paid 24 $ dollar for happy hr marg. 2 cheese enchiladas , cheese wasn't even melted Ed in inside . Like Taco Bell. And rice n beans . Can't charge that and have unmelted cheese I. The middle . Huge waste of money won't return read more

My husband and his family have been coming to this El Torito location for decades, we are continuing the tradition with all the grandkids. We always have such a great time here, the food is great, the atmosphere is inviting and the service is awesome. Especially Gilberto, he always remembers us and is so friendly, truly a great waiter. We are actually going back tomorrow night! Enjoy! read more

Always a great time to come here! Drinks and food are beautifully presented. Staff is very friendly and service is always quick. Gilberto is the best server! Always makes us laugh and has a fun upbeat personality and phenomenal customer service skills. A joy to be around! read more

The server Gilberto is the best and the food is pretty good. Would definitely come again.

Had great service from our waiter Gilberto!!!! He was funny, attentive and always checked up on us. We had a little issue with one of our plates (not his fault) and he immediately addressed and fixed it! read more

Just had Mother's Day dinner with my family, really bummed at our experience. Our waiter was sweating, kept rubbing his face, never had his mask above his nose, which really ruined our appetite. We were never offered refills (we never did get the water we ordered), our soups were spilled all over the plate the bowl was on and we ordered guacamole that came out about 10 min later and he got my husbands order wrong. We ended up asking another women for help with the check or else we would've been there forever. We paid over $100 for our dinner and are bummed at the service. We definitely expected more. read more

This place is slowly going to shut it's doors for good. I used to come here at least once every two months, but have slowly stopped because the service has gone downhill. We came in around 2pm, just shy of the lunch buffet. We were seated across from the buffet stations, on the bar side. It took about 10 minutes for our waitress to come to our table and take our drink orders. By that time, we were ready to order our food. There were two other parties seated in our section, one which came in after we arrived. Both tables were served their food, while our dishes took a little longer to come out. I asked one of the waitresses if we were supposed to be serving ourselves in the buffet stations, but she informed me that the area was now closed, and that our food was coming out. Another 10 minutes go by and we finally are served. Mind you, we ordered taco's while the other tables ordered fajitas and more involved dishes. We were not offered drink refills. We had to flag someone down for our bill. We were asked if we needed boxes, since both our plates were half full (due to the food being very, very salty). It's a beautiful restaurant, and I will be sad on the day they shut down. read more

This place was AMAZING. Had dinner last night with my boyfriend, everything we had was so DELICIOUS. The Spicy Margarita was our favorite. We had 2 each. We order the chicken adobada plate and a burger with fries. The fries had this really good seasoning on top, kind of like lime and cotija cheese, never tasted them like that, but were soo freaking good. Our server Jorge was very attentive and so kind to explain some things on the menu. Will be definitely coming back again! read more

Pictured is the seafood taco trio, which was good just not what I ordered! I ordered the chicken street tacos, but it was Cinco de Mayo, so I understand things were probably really busy. We also had an order of queso for the table which was the highlight of the night! Rachel was a great server who gave us a salad on the house due to the long wait time. read more

El Torito - Street Taco Trio Combo with Mahi-Mahi - Mexican Near Me - La Mesa, California

Told I cannot walk in, sit at the bar and order drinks or food. I would have to be on a wait list and they wouldn't place an order for food or anything until a specific time period. Another patron found this found this amusing and said they weren't put on a wait list, and received regular service at the bar. Casa de Pico is less then two miles from this establishment, and don't have unique policies for patrons who come in for happy hour. read more

The brunch here is great, the food was very good, service was excellent, the price is worth it if you partake in the bottomless mimosas, less worth it without ($32/person). read more

I had not been here in years, in fact didn't even know they still had a place here in LA Mesa. So glad to have found this place. Can't wait for quarantine to be over to go back. The Barbbacoa(sp?) Tacos are the best!! An the mango drink was absolutely delicious Our waitress was fantastic, she was wonderful explaining to us the different options. Ambiance is good too, nice decor. I don't think you will be disappointed eating here. Prices aren't bad either!! read more

Excellent service by Gilberto the food was delicious! Love Gilberto energy will recommend this place!

Every time I come here it's a great experience. The service is always fast, staff always friendly, food always fresh and delicious. Tonight we did Taco Tuesday and the deals were great! All you can eat tacos and $5 beers! Gilberto was the coolest waiter I've had at this restaurant. He was incredibly nice, friendly, funny and even recommended some drinks for us which were delicious. Thanks again! read more

The 5 star reviews on here have to be fake! This is the most disgusting food I have ever eaten. I had the Macho Combo (what ever it was called)...UNEATABLE! The Chile Relleno was so soggy it was probably a few days old and covered in what tasted like cheap spaghetti sauce. The taco was so hard and stale I could barely bite into it. Everything else....just as gross and incredibly bland. The service was a joke...even worse then the food. There was a small party of about 6 people in the back dining room and another table of 3 sitting close to where my husband and I were sitting (the restaurant had hardly any people so I'm not sure why everything was so terrible). We ended up talking back and forth with the table beside us because we all had to leave and didn't see anyone in the restaurant for about 15-20 minutes. (I mean, we were sitting close to the door...if I wasn't an honest person I would have waLked out and they wouldn't have realized) I have never done this in my life BUT I very kindly asked the lady (guessing she was the manger) to remove the 2 entrees from our check because we literally could not eat it. She removed one gave us our check and my husband was so frustrated he just paid it, still left a tip even though we shouldn't have, and left. I'm writing this review because for like 3 days after we ate here we were talking about how expensive this place was to be such a disappointment! And the women helping didn't even apologize for how disappointing this whole experience was...she was more frustrated with me not willing to pay for that mess! If you work hard for your money, which I'm sure you do, don't waste it here like we did! read more

We had came in for a reservation around 6 pm and our server was Gilberto and he was amazing !! He was quick and super nice and he was nice to the kids also. We will be coming back soon and hope to have him as a server again!! read more

1. chips and salsa very good 2. food tasty, but a bit pricey 3. service very good BUT, and it is a BIG BUT.......... my fork and knife were both dirty with small pieces of caked on food. I do not understand why when a restaurant has staff wrap silverware in a napkin that staff does not catch poor silverware washing. It is a real turn off to the total dining out experience. read more