Don't let the cool location and view fool you. The restaurant is old and tired. We waited a very long time for our entrees and they arrived stone cold. The waitress dropped and ran before we could say anything and didn't return before we completely lost our appetite. See could clearly see that we didn't eat our meal and she never said a word. She couldn't have cared less. It's possible the food was eatable, but we'll never know. Shame on us for paying the bill and leaving without saying anything. Honestly, we just wanted out of there. If you just want chips and a margarita with a view then go for it, but I would stop there. read more

We had Sunday Brunch here to celebrate our anniversary. The food was fresh, authentic and extremely diverse with so many choices! The queso barilla, sopes, seafood cocktail and crepes were only a few of our favorites! Crescencio was hands down the kindest, most attentive server we've had. If you find yourself having Brunch in Monterey, head to El Torito and request Cresencio! You will not be disappointed! read more

Had happy hour tacos they were really good. The service in the bar area is wonderful our server and bartender was Samantha she is probably the hardest worker there and makes great cocktails and such a great personality. The restaurant and nicely decorated the view is amazing ocean view almost every table. They have a great happy hour menu and brunch with bottomless mimosas! read more

El Torito - Taco bar homemade tortillas - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

Worst service and food ever we cane in with high hopes came in at 8:30 pm walked in and workers ignored us (group of 4) we had to ask somebody to please seat us mind you there was no line. Once we got seated it took the server 20 min to come once we ordered it took them another 15 to come ask for our food. Our food was all cold and dry the beans tasted super refrigerated and straight out of the can with cold hard cheese sprinkles on top. All of us took a few bites and were done. We all left hungry and payed almost $200 for food that was worth max $10 a plate would never come again and would never recommend to anybody ever!. read more

Honestly, I had higher hopes for this place. The food was bad. I ordered the carnitas and it was super oily. We paid $200 for food that was worth $10. Absolutely worst food I have ever had. read more

According to our friends, El Torito has been a go-to spot in Monterey for years, and there's a reason why. Great views, great food, and always solid service. We popped in for some apps and drinks, and Pancho behind the bar absolutely nailed it -- friendly, attentive, and somehow knew exactly what we'd like. His food and drink recs were spot on. Big thanks to Pancho for making a good night even better for my family and me. read more

This is one of the best meals I've had in a long time. Monday evening, quiet night in town. Very traditional decor, not super busy, but good to see some families. Had a margarita flight. Fun novelty. Blueberry flavor was way sweet. I'd probably just stick w a classic next time. Had the big combo plate. Soooo tasty! A lot of food, made two meals of it! Service was solid and attentive. read more

We arrived at 6 for our reservation and were told they were getting out table ready, we come back 15 minutes later to see how it's going and they let us know there's 7 people ahead of us. It's ridiculous . You expect your reservation to be ready and not be put on a waitlist. read more

Poor service. We told the restaurant three different times that it was my birthday., However, they never came out to celebrate my birthday. While sitting there, the waiters celebrated three other parties and never got around to celebrating at our table. The food was okay. Beautiful views though. read more

Pretty yummy food, decently nice ambiance overlooking the water, hostess was exceptional, and no complaints about the server. A little busy and quite a lot going on but it was pretty good for what it was. Not the most intimate setting but it seems like it would be good for families, groups, happy hours...! Loved that there was a big parking lot right out front too read more

Was in town with hubby and kids. Kids enjoyed their quesadilla and chicken nuggets. Adults had Margartias, Bloody Mary, and for food had Seafood Trio, make your own platter enchiladas and carne. Chips and salsa were great as well! read more

I'm a longtime fan of the Monterey El Torito. Been coming here with fam& friends for years, never disappointed. Excellent Margaritas, great Sunday brunch, beautiful views. My husband and I were in town last weekend to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We stopped in for a cocktail on Friday afternoon. Our bartender, Marco, was fantastic. He was a classic, old school bartender. You just don't find bartenders like this every day. He was friendly and very attentive, making sure we had fresh, warm chips, salsa, extra napkins. We also ordered a side of queso. Delicious!We never had to ask for a thing. He was happy to answer our questions about their vast tequila selection to us. We shared/sampled a few. Marco was kind enough to split our shared shots into our own smaller shot glasses. His attention to accommodating customers was impeccable. We had such a good time on Friday, that we went back Saturday afternoon, as well. We were fortunate to be served be Marco, once again for Margaritas, another tequila shot, and nachos. He had another bartender behind the bar with him on the busy Saturday afternoon. Both were very friendly and accommodating, despite being crazy busy. Marco's service made a wonderful anniversary getaway weekend even more special/fun. I highly recommend visiting this restaurant. I also suggest making a reservation if you prefer to sit in the restaurant (great bay views) versus the bar (but we like the bar). read more

The food , decor and view were super great and the prices especially being by cannery row were affordable the only bad thing was it's pretty busy so servers don't checkin often and food wait time but the chips and salsa kept coming so that's another plus read more

See all

Food was amazing! I had the Ranchos Enchiladas with chicken. It had a touch of spice with melted jack cheese. It was delicious! Husband had street tacos with pork carnitas and he really enjoyed them! Each plate was served with rice and beans - delish! We both had an El Dueño Margarita, that had a 50ml Grand Marnier floater - great tasting - just what I needed! Service was excellent! The server was very friendly and attentive. The restaurant is nicely decorated and the views of the Monterey Bay were incredible! read more

See all

Mid Mexican food can be saved by decent chips and salsa. But mid Mexican food and NO chips or salsa at all? So sad

Took 30 minutes to take our order and another hour to receive our food only for every meal to look very unappetizing. The beans had no flavor, there was little to no meat in the enchiladas, and the carne was very dry and chewy. The waitress was friendly but I will definitely not be coming back. Felt like I wasted my time waiting for food that was not good at all. read more

We had dinner last night with another couple, we had a beautiful view of the ocean, so far so good. Then the food arrived, from the appetizer to our meals the food was terrible! How do you mess up Mexican food, the only thing that was eatable was the dessert I will never go back there, I just felt like I had just been ripped off Next time you want Mexican food please don't go to El Torito's read more

Great view, good food, and prompt service. The reviews on Yelp are very mixed but we had a pleasant experience. Our wait time was about 25 minutes on a busy Saturday lunch. Everyone was happy with their food and we would come back again. read more

Good food. Cres was very nice and kept our mimosas full. The view of the ocean was a great touch.

They tend to seat more than a server can handle . So disappointing. ): Found burnt meat in chips. Had to beg for refills, and condiments. Even told hostess we came for my sisters birthday, it was not acknowledged. Although server was nice I could tell he was very overwhelmed and could not keep up with his tables genuinely felt bad for him. Management needs to do better in timing for seating. The location was amazing and has great potential. the food was overall ok we got the slow cooked carnitas and the macho combo. The carnitas was decent but the macho combo was not that great something was off with the cheese and the bacon wrapped shrimp was atrocious. read more

My friends and I came here on a Saturday night, and it was about a 30-45 minute wait without a reservation for a party of 5. We were seated inside without a view, but the interior was cute and reminded me of an outdoor marketplace. We initially chose this restaurant for their Happy Hour, which was advertised as 3-9PM every day, on their website, but the days and times differ for this location. They had a deal going on with $10.99 chicken fajitas and $9.99 chicken enchiladas. We also ordered the seafood taco trio (the shrimp one was juicy!), vampiro tacos with a side of Mexican caesar salad, and a margarita flight (original, mango, and berry - the mango was the best of the trio). Everything was great, especially the sweet corn cake. My absolute favorite was surprisingly the Mexican caesar salad! That dressing (apparently a Cilantro-Pepita dressing?) was on another level. I honestly wished I got a full entree of that instead of a side salad. The waitress was a little slow in getting us our check,. We had to flag down a different one for assistance. It was a busy Saturday night though, so that's understandable. read more

The service is terrible, food is bad Waited 45 min over my original reservation time to get terrible food. This place should have closed long ago. The only reason they are still open is because of the view. Plenty of other great restaurants in the area, don't come here. read more

El Torito - It's also very dirty. - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

Super fun place to grab a meal. Delicious drinks. Guacamole was good, not fantastic-- but we scraped the bowl clean. Super friendly service. Bathroom upstairs. Parking in lot out front read more

El Torito - SLOW-ROASTED CARNITAS - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

Food is awful and margaritas taste like premix. The only thing that was good was the chips and salsa and the view. read more

If I could give this restaurant 0 stars I ABSOLUTELY WOULD. The food is obviously microwaved, bland & frozen. The service was horrible, the server checked us ONCE, we ordered drinks that came VERY late, the server continued to blame the bartender stating "sorry the bartender is too busy" as he was placing the drinks down. He wasn't even aware of the promotions that were going on. It was just a mess. My husband & I decided to come here for our 13th anniversary because it looked delicious on tik tok. The biggest regret. This is a Chevys dupe but worse. Do not recommend unless you want bland food. read more

Came in on a Friday night! We had a reservation so we were sat right away but I'm sure we wouldn't have had to wait without one either as there were plenty of tables. First impressions, beautiful space right on the ocean! You can't beat it! A little loud but not unbearable. Our waitress was nice and very prompt. We got our food fairly quick and it was all pretty good! Small complaint about the barría tacos. They barely come with any birria sauce! I got a tiny little sauce cup of it. Any birria lover knows you need more than that!! Other than that, the drinks with delish and everything else was great. read more

El Torito - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

See all

We believe in giving first, second and more chances. Part of that is because we really like the manager and usually the people that work here. Still like the manager. The tacos were tasty. The right crunch to meat ratio. The flautas were great. Should be called mini chimichangas. Light, cheesy and yummy. Would have been better warm I am sure. I started with the waitress taking our drink order. She pretty much dumped the drinks on the table and rushed over to the next table to get there order. While I understand on the one hand, we ordered iced tea and would have liked to get some Splenda but it was a dump and go. Lucky I had some in my purse for such an occasion. She came back to get our order in a pretty good amount of time. I made sure to say no jalapeños four times. It came with jalapeños and the three food items we ordered were pretty much dropped on the table and the food server was ready to fly off. We all three made enough noise for him to stop and turn around. We told him we had ordered no jalapeños, which he repeated twice before grabbing the plate and walking away as we asked for plates. We didn't get the plates. Hard to share food and eat without plates. A long time later the waitress shows up with the revised nachos that were cold and by then the flautas were cold. Plus, they are now charging a 4% fee because they say they are a local business, no, you are a franchise owned by a local person and why not just up your prices? The icing on the cake was while the waitress was handing us the machine with the bill we all saw her put the tip to 20% before handing the bill to us. Nope. Never do that. I actually usually tip more but not when you put the tip in. I am sorry but the chances, they are used up. This place used to be a pretty busy, now I understand why they arent. Wish you luck and I hope other have a better experience than these locals. read more

See all

Pancho is the best bartender! Always so friendly! Thank you so much for making my kids and myself have a wonderful thanksgiving experience with you all! Thanks Danitza for your staff and GM Mike! Keep up the great service that you all do! read more

See all

Amazing food and great service. Would recommend 10 times out of 10. Great music and atmosphere, view of the ocean and buffet brunch from 9am-2pm. read more

I came in Wednesday morning , and had a splendid time. My server Jordyn was amazing and attentive and did I mention Beautiful, like the view ! The rice and beans tasted like Mexico. Yummy and fun! read more

I will never step foot into the establishment again. I am extremely allergic to Cayenne pepper on top of that I have an allergy to the epi pen. My friend and I ended up here because we wanted to have an appetizer and a view of the water. We sat in the bar area as they were extremely busy. We stood at the desk to check in for at least 10 minutes and no one approached to put our names on a list. We decided to go to the bar as there was only one couple sitting there. I asked the bar tender to make sure the items we wanted to order did not have Cayenne pepper. He flat out refused and laughed about it. Smiling the entire time. I explained I was extremely allergic and would have to go to the hospital. He continued smiling and said he would not ask. We would get what we got and he would not direct me as to what on the menu did not have Cayenne pepper. We left. Unbelievable. I have never had an experience like this. Worst dining or non dining experience of my life. I would not recommend anyone to go here. This establishment clearly has no care if someone has an allergic reaction to their food. For me with the epi allergy this is life threatening. I could not be more disappointed. read more

Food was pretty good. Server was not attentive. He was not friendly. And he seemed bothered when we asked on status of our order. Took 45 mins to get food. They were not horribly busy either. read more

We came here on Monday night around 5:30pm. We got there just before the dinner rush. It was quiet and we were able to snag a window booth. The service was friendly and the food was satisfying. We got the chicken fajitas, love the flavor, and the enchilada side and the taco trio. The meat was perfectly cooked but I will say, our food was barely warm. It wasn't hot at all. For the price and taste, I'd come again though. Ambiance - casual and affordable dining with views of the ocean. Parking - private parking available. read more

See all

Had lunch in the bar. I could live on the chips and salsa it was so good!! Francisco aka Pancho was attentive and personable. Highly recommend El Torito. read more

Excellent brunch! We had such a great experience. Cres was an excellent server, so nice and professional. The food was beyond excellent, the menu is small so I was worried but every dish we got exceeded our expectations. Delicious. The views are spectacular. So glad we decided to eat out for breakfast today! read more

El Torito - Mimosa and a view - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

Excellent Cadillac margaritas. The food on the other hand. We ordered an appetizer which came out in a decent amount of time and cocktails at the same time. Had to actually stand up to get someone's attention to get refills. Waited a little over 40min for our food to come out. I ordered the carnitas street tacos. The meat was tender and had good flavor, however, the bottom of the taco had some sort of spicy sauce that was not listed on the menu. The charro beans were tasty, but also seemed to have a dollop of salsa in them which was not listed nor mentioned when I specifically asked. Overall, nice atmosphere, courteous and friendly wait staff. Will I go back?? Maybe for cocktails, not a meal. read more

10/10 the food taste absolutely delicious waiter cres is such a sweetheart and delivers right away

We walked from Cannery Row to Fisherman's Warf to do some last minute shopping for the day and for our trip. On the way back we decided to stop in and eat something other than seafood. We ordered our meals and enjoyed what was made. DELICIOUS!! They sat us next to the windows, very dark outside, couldn't see anything. The staff was on top of everything, helping each other out. read more

Talk about Bull... I want to love El Torito and I've tried hard but it's just not working out and it's them not me and we're through! The good: The corn cake and rice are delicious. The restaurant sits right on the water for nice day time views. The Bad (and theres allot): Took 15 minutes to get seated with reservations. We had previewed the menu and ordered as soon as we sat down, but food service took over an hour to arrive. A long time for only a 3 item combo and a street taco plate. It took 10 minutes for chips to show up and another 10 for our water. Ambiance was non existent. The nicely refreshed decor was lost in a hot mess of crying hungry children that were clearly over all the noise and waiting. It felt swampy hot and the windows were fogged, till someone opened the door then it was cold. The silverware was dirty and the kitchen was obviously overwhelmed. So much for a nice dinner out on our baby moon. It made memories but all the wrong kind. If you're craving El Torito stick to take out or try somewhere else that cares. read more

Dirty, rundown, no onsite management, poorly maintained, health risk, expensive for quality, ample parking. WTF happened? The restaurant was nice 7 years ago with engaging staff, clean, flavorful, well maintained. Don't blame the Pandemic! This is a management issue. Head to Taco Bell... better tasting, similar quality, cleaner, & less expensive. read more