Leslie & Gustavo, and staff are amazing! Gustavo is an on point and attentive and knew how to make a wonderful mimosa! Leslie is such a great manager, very professional and nice! We appreciate the service and will be back. Also the restaraunt has such great views! I read more

We went to El Torito and Marcus was our server. He made the experience so enjoyable and was super kind, always making sure we had everything we needed. Marcus is the reason I will be coming back to El Torito in the future, he was amazing. read more

Food is a 2 at best Service is a 1 (there hostess were incredibly rude, were laughing at our situation) The view is nice but not worth it. read more

Ordered to go a Chile relleno and bacon wrapped shrimp $26. What a crock! This place use to be really nice. Walked into the lobby, cleaning Stuff in a bucket where you check in, wish I got a picture of that. Who knows what happened to the bar area, no tall tables anymore. All I can say is, no wonder El Torido is going out of business. Will NOT be back! read more

El Torito - Seriously! - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

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The first time in nearly fifty years I've left without leaving a gratuity. The only thing worse than the indifference of the staff towards me and my guest, was the poverty of the food. No attention until we'd been seated nearly forty minutes. Then the order was "misunderstood". When the food arrived, less than four ounces of protein with the fajitas; mystery ingredients with my wife's "vampiro" tacos, certainly a breath, no more, of protein. Nobody asked "how is it?". Our table was left for thirty minutes covered with uneaten food. Ultimately, I was obliged to go to the reception desk just to ask for the check. A sullen apology from the "absent for ages" server, who presented the check without thanks, and departed. My only riposte - as above - no gratuity. Unless you are desperate give El Torino the miss it has worked so hard to deserve! read more

We made reservations here while visiting the area. When we arrived they were busy as it was a Saturday (hence why we made reservations) we were asked to wait a few minutes which was no problem. We were seated in the bar and after 20 minutes of not receiving any attention not even a glass of water we walked out. I firmly believe you should never seat a customer if you cannot give them service. read more

They dropped my food, a 10$ soup was size of baby food jar all juice 1 tomato then another small bowl with a little jack cheese and 6 small strips of tortillas e very thing i swear was a frozen food warmed up my cheese enchiladas the tortilla was crunchy on ends and cheese was like a string cheese and cold in the center. the handicap restroom was full of poop read more

Adriana was one of the friendliest, fast and most knowledgeable waitresses I've ever met. She had a positive attitude, remembered all my requests, was always near if i needed something, and always had a smile on! The GM Kyle is running this restaurant immaculately and the food is BEYOND! Also, Zanida greated us, she was professional, polite, always had a smile. Overall the entire experience here was SUBLIME, great place, great management, clean, and the food was AMAZING! Fresh and Authentic! Yum, thanks El Torito Monterey! P.S. we returned the next day on a holiday and sat at the bar to avoid the 45-minute wait for a table. Saul was bartending and was so quick and efficient without being short! The greatness continues! read more

The staff was a super friendly. The disgusting family in the corner, letting their kids run around everywhere, and then changing their diaper at the table while everyone is eating was beyond disgusting . that family knows who they are , qué asco de gente read more

Adriana was amazing! Timely, sweet, and she was friendly. The music was great as well. The food was tasty and filling. Low amount of vegetarian options, so be warned for that but they have cheese enchiladas and the nachos had no meat. read more

I put in a reservation before coming and I waited about an hour and 40 minutes to get my food. When it came, I got cold food, hard tortillas and poor service. Do not recommend. read more

El Torito - Cold, hard tortillas. - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

We went out for a family dinner tonight at el torito. A waitress told us a treat for us tonight. What is a surprise! . Out favor restaurant at Monterey is el torito because closed to cannery road and walking distance to every place wen want to go. Faijita is the best at el torito. read more

We've come to this place for years and it seems to have gone downhill recently. Our reservation was for 8:15, but didn't get seated until 8:40....it was a holiday weekend so I get that. The food was pretty bland, I got the mahi mahi fish tacos. The other pictures on yelp showed the real beer battered fish tacos (as it said on the menu). The ones I got were just chunks of dry/overcooked fish without any beer batter. Girlfriend ordered a taco salad which was missing quite a few items that it said on the menu.....such as the avocados. They were out of her first choice, spinach enchiladas. We ordered guacamole which never came, until we asked (got around 9:45). The waitress was super nice though and gave us a discount. We finally left at 10:20ish, so took quite a while. Probably won't be back next time :( read more

El Torito - Mahi mahi fish tacos - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

The food was very good, we waited 40 mins which is a little long but it is located on the bay + you get a beautiful arch view of the ocean. I would definitely come back. Their salsa was weird but in a good way! we got the sizzling enchiladas & tacos. We ordered the sampler too but the gentlemen forgot - which we didn't mind since we got so full off our own plates! Did us a favor and "saved us $25". read more

Food was mid and over priced. Service was slow and not attentive. In addition, parking was $30 to park in the restaurants parking lot.

Amazing lunch and great view of the ocean! The chicken sour cream enchiladas were to die for! Loved the jalapeño cucumber margarita too and the citrus caddy marg was bomb too. Fresh tasting salsa and amazing service. So glad we came to this place! read more

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Went to the Sunday Brunch. I had a Taco/ Tostada. I did not eat my beans as they were cold. The only upside was Pancho. He has been a Bartender there since it was Tia Maria's! That's 45 years!!He is always kind. He is very customer oriented. He is a local favorite. El Toritos food 50-50. But if you want a great cocktail. See Pancho! He's the best!!! Pancho Thank you! To the Manager. Please check the food, make sure it's hot! read more

I had a wonderful experience at this place with its stunning ocean view. The brunch was fantastic, and I was particularly impressed by the package they offered. It's definitely worth a visit! read more

El Torito - Great view! - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

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45 min wait just to leave after an hour and a half of waiting. Ordered drinks and repeated myself multiple times and still didn't get the drinks right. Everyone seated before us got served food drinks except our table. Mind you I came in with my three children who were hungry. Sodas tasted sweet and like sink water. Super hot In there no fans or ac. Waited about an hour for our food just so it could come out cold. I told waiter and she told her manager I was complaining about my food being cold. Like yes I will complain if I'm paying 30$ for a plate that I waited for an hour and it's cold. They took it back just to bring me back a super hot plate that just came out the microwave. I ask him is this a new plate and he says yes. Clearly me seeing it was the same plate as before. We stormed out. Worst service and food ! Oh let me add that the meat that was in the "Burris tacos" looked like pudding. Do not come here believe the reviews. Don't be stubborn like me and give them a try. Just cause you are by the beach doesn't mean it's good read more

What can improve?! We can improve. We can make better choices about how we spend our Thanksgiving family time and money. This was totally on us for thinking this will be great experience. El Torito on the water in Monterey. What could go wrong?! I mean they couldn't possibly miss with staples like tacos and beans and rice for $41 per person?! Seriously that is what they served. And how about us thinking turkey and stuffing and mash potatoes from El Torito should be great! I mean they been serving these Thanksgiving meals for a few years now. You would think they would have a few Turkeys ready to go for 6pm dinner crowd. We'll never know because for the hour that we were there there was none. Empty containers. We fell for it. Maybe you won't next time. Won't be back. read more

My husband and I decided to try this place for dinner on a Thursday early evening and the server was nice but did not check on us to see if we needed anything and we never got water, even though T the time we were there it was very slow and place seemed empty the service was very poor and the food was kinda cold not fresh. We spilt our Pepsi and had to go to the bar to get something to clean it up ourselves. We practically had to get our own drink again , no sight of our waiter anywhere .. he did say he had only been there a month so guess he will learn. The best thing is the view and you do get chips and salsa. All the employees standing around not caring a thing about the customers. Food was very overpriced. read more

I wish I could give negative stars. The worst experience ever. It took an hour for a few kids meals and some nachos to come out, and we were never checked on once. When the food did come out, it was awful and no apologies were given. Drop and run. The food had clearly been sitting in the kitchen because the kids burritos were literally like soup. Oh don't forget, we sat there for 20 minutes before even being greeted. TWENTY. Awful. Made our family vacation experience go down, was looking forward to a nice dinner. read more

This location is beautiful and it's hard to believe that on such a busy strip the service or overall experience could be rated so bad but theirs an expectation that comes with visiting Monterey Bay and this location as gorgeous as it is, the level of service given here is comparable to visiting a Dennys at 2AM. Greeters are not friendly and will seat you right away with very little communication or urgency to offer you a drink or let a server know you've been seated. The Waitress was not personable and quickly wanted to get our order. No name tag and or apron on while serving. Food was cold and the tamales are horrible. Costco microwave tamales are better than what's plated here. After waiting over an hour for food while staring at empty cups and chip bowls, I decided to make contact with the front personal to request a managers business card and only then we're we acknowledge and provided decent service. When my check arrived I and another party received a family and friends discount of 15% which we ended up giving back as tip. Tourist beware, this isn't the experience you want from visiting Monterey Bay. Spend your money and time elsewhere. I will be reaching out to the manager due to the staffing levels and employees willing to use that as an excuse to lowball customers and not even try. read more

Sunday brunch at this place is truly a great experience. Such a fabulous view of the ocean and the interior of this p look ac is incredible. Their salsa is amazing. So many wonderful items to choose from. I love their tacos and enchiladas especially. And of course the desserts are fabulous too. Stop by for their week night specials too. Grat bargains on get food. You must go!! read more

Service was subpar. We had 30 minute wait for a table and no where to sit because the only waiting area with seats was full. Long wait for water and chip, long wait for order to be taken, and long wait for food to arrive. Super gross and dirty. Food on utensils, stuff floating in glass of water and dirty booth, table and window. Food was meh. Ordered chicken tacos and there was almost no chicken on it. There are lots of places to eat on Cannery Row. I do not recommend this restaurant. read more

Service was great!!! LOVE LESLY .....she is adorable and makes great drinks!!! Beautiful view.... #feelingblessedbeinghere read more

Taco Tuesday is a great value with $3 tacos and delicious flavors of meats. This includes Beans and Corn cake. Service was very inefficient and slow. They either need to hire more staff for Tuesday night or be more Efficient with what they have. They have the best views in monterey. read more

Consistently terrible service. Bad service and long waits the first time we came here. We were in the area again recently and decided to try it again and had the same issues. Terrible service, unclean, flys in the dining area, water tastes weird. I won't go back, there is plenty of much better options in the area. read more

The El Torito weekend brunch is our all time favorite place to go for brunch. I really wish there were more available closer to where we live. Thankfully we found this on our anniversary getaway weekend The food is so good!!!! It also included bottomless mimosas The service was good and the atmosphere is fun We love El Torito and we were not disappointed We highly recommend read more

Grateful for Sunday brunch! It's our family tradition to come here as we love the all you can eat and endless mimosas! We had reservation for 11:15AM last weekend for a party of 15 for our anniversary and as always we had a blast and the buffet was delicious! The buffet itself was short staffed but we understand in these weird times it's hard to find good workers and we totally appreciate the workers who showed up and showed out that day accommodating the hangry buffet masses! We had a great time once again celebrating with great food, great view, validated parking and more! God bless ya all always! read more

El Torito - The yummy waffles - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

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We had breakfast there on a Saturday morning and they were great. Service and food and everything was amazing!!! I also I'm so sad that they don't sell their cilantro pepita dressing in stores anymore so I asked them if I could buy some. I was so happy they sold me some. I'm going to treasure it. I wish they sold the dressing again in stores. read more

The food was amazing as always. The manager and waitress luz kind and check up on us to see how f we are doing well. 10/10 would go again, fave place in Monterey bay read more

El Torito - The food was amazing as always. - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

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I have been to many fine dining establishments in my days, but nothing compares to the experience that I had on Monday night at this El Torito location. Picture this: you are on a girls trip to Carmel, but none of the restaurants there are bringing the same energy as you and your girlfriends. You are on the hunt for an establishment with baller drinks and great ambiance that is open past 9:00. The search is over, girls. Welcome to El Torito. I wish I remembered my server's name. She was excellent, attentive, and even offered to take a photo for my group! She also recommended some excellent local attractions. Ma'am, if you are reading this and remember the group with an excessive amount of film photos on a Monday night...we remember you too. Thank you for making our lives so special. Anyways, if you are looking for a good time, delish food, baller drinks, and spicy salsa...this is the place for you.... read more

El Torito - margarita - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

We walked in and there was no one to greet us. They had a sign that they charge 3.99% for using a credit card. We were told that there were no booths available although half were empty. We had to sit in the bar area. Our order was cold to the touch. The chili relleno texture was super funky. Like a raw exterior, but the chili itself was chewy. read more

Food was awesome. Service was even better. We had a party of 14. They were very accommodating

The view is fantastic! Watch the sea lions, seals, otters, birds, kayakers, & boats go by your window. Good food. Fast service. Everything came out hot and perfect. The restaurant is big and holds large parties. read more

El Torito - Classic margarita - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

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Our server, Oscar was very professional and timely with the entire process from appetizers down to refills. Great food! Great service! Amazing view! read more

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We enjoy going to El Torrito because of its location, and food. I would give it 5 stars, but it's hard for me because I look at everything... not just their service or food. This place is good not perfect but good. I just wish their restrooms were kept clean (Restrooms are thing for me; you don't have to agree). When I go to restaurant i always look at their restrooms, how they clean the tables, etc specially nowadays with everything going on. We have come here 4 times and the restrooms are always dirty, perhaps, due to its location it's hard to keep up? I don't know... anyways.... Moving on. The service is good. The times we have come they are short in staff but their service is on point. Due to low staff, I recommend that you have your order ready so they can have it come out on time. There could be a long wait but it's worth it. The view, the food, and service are good. Check online for their brunch on Sundays; I have never tried it but we always get there when they are closing and it looks decent. If I can recommend something((((Fajitas))))) they are delicious! Never go wrong. Margaritas too! Enjoy! read more

Went here today for the first time for Valentine's Day. Wait was about an hour which was fine because we wanted to eat next to the view. I researched this place the night before and usually don't choose places with less than 4 star rating but gave it a go because the view is incredible. My carne asada was DRY AND BURNT also WAY TOO SALTY. My boyfriend said his chicken was super dry. The rice has no flavor at all and isn't the Mexican rice I thought it would taste like. Super small amount of rice comes with the meal too. The only good thing was the carnitas sliders. I could order takeout from another Mexican food place for probably much cheaper and way tastier and better quality . You're basically paying for the view not the quality of their food. 2/10 to say the least. My waiter Omar I believe was his name was amazing but the food just wasn't it. read more

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The food and drinks were 10/10 the service was great and the server was very attentive. The only thing I can say is don't go when the weather is hot the place heats up! Everything was delicious but hard to enjoy is such a warm restaurant. read more