EDIT: It's really funny. Imagine an employee literally screaming so that everyone is looking at him, and then the owner claiming you the customer escalated things. An owner claiming you violated seating policy, but intentionally leaving out the fact that permission was given [all caught on tape] to seat my grandfather who can't stand long at all, without falling. My grandfather has since passed, and we're glad we didn't waste what was left of his time here on a place like this anymore. This place used to be great! The food was good, etc. But this last time, I'm not sure how else to describe it except psychotic. We had my elderly grandfather with us who has multiple medical issues and is prone to falling so for his safety, he can't be standing for too long which was fine because I asked if we could seat him while my family was in line ordering and I explained the situation, the guy accommodated us and I seated my grandfather. Next thing I know, there's another tolteca employee who comes storming over to where my grandfather and I are at the table, and starts screaming at me for daring to have him sit before the order of food was completed. I tried explaining to the guy but he cut me off over and over and I wasn't sure what to do. He tried to eject my grandfather and I, and I was standing there in disbelief. I kept trying to explain, and while I did manage to get the words out, he didn't care, he just kept getting angrier and angrier, I was scared. By now he's explosive and at full volume screaming because I didn't want to move my grandfather. The entire crowd of people is silent and staring in disbelief, and this idiot employee didn't care that he was making a scene, all he cared about was engaging me. Because I didn't want to move him, he rushed over to the cashier where my family was ordering and he SCREAMED to cancel the order and told my family to get out. I was shocked. It was surreal, I couldn't believe what happening. I called the employee over who gave us permission to seat my grandfather, and as soon as the employee started explaining to the other employee, the guy cut him off and told him to leave and get back to work. It was clear this idiot didn't want to be told he made a mistake. I don't know the idiot's name, but I'll describe him as best I can: He is about 5'11, short black hair [I'd say half an inch in length], he's light skinned, medium frame, and a large head. One of the other employees, tried to calm him down and told my family it's okay, to just please finish ordering and disregard the psychotic employee. I've never been so humiliated in my life and my poor grandfather had to endure all of it. I will NEVER go back to that distasteful restaurant again. It has certainly changed and apparently given the other comments, its been going downhill for awhile now. The idiot should have been fired, but I doubt anything happened. This restaurant is an embarrassment. The idiot went off the deep end me sitting my grandfather down to which I had already gotten permission to do and yet this idiot went absolutely ballistic. This is how they treat their customers apparently, the owner should be ashamed! This restaurant doesn't deserve support, my grandfather was humiliated, and I encourage all of you to avoid this place. We didn't go in there expecting to be treated that way but it's clear they don't care. read more

AWESOME! Best Mexican food I've ever had! The place is converted supermarket...it's big. This is a good thing because it can get to be crowded on the weekends... BUT!!!! You'll get through quick! Not to worry! The place seems to be filled with caucasians so the food is not blow your head of spicy. They have some spicy salsa if you like but in the genius minds of the Toltec they realize you can always make something spicier but you can't change it after it's too hot to eat. Best chili relleno I've ever had! They use just the right amount of Mexican oregano in their sauce so it gives it a great depth of flavor. I loves me some taquitos! I've had better guacamole but I can't remember where! Both homestyle and original are really good. You only get one enchilada but it's huge! My buddy ordered a beef enchilada and it was as big around as I've seen. I get the cheese, when the cheese melt it's all over the plate. Ranchera sauce is absolutely the best! Beats the stuff in the can by a mile. It tastes as if they toast the poblano chili's which always gives a rich deep taste...what's a Mexican restaurant without a good ranchera sauce.. ? Now let me say a few things about the rice and bean! I get a side just to take home quite often.... along with their chips, is a meal unto themselves. Rice is light and well seasoned! Beans are creamy and covered with cheese! Never had the wet burrito but my niece gets them all the time she loves them! Pork Chili Verde, I believe. She never orders anything else ...well she ordered a taco salad at the same time once and took it home. Chimicanga?? Well.. I don't really like fried white tortillas but there are enough people who do, they love them at La Tolteca. My Mother gets them all the time. I go at least once a month many times more often. I have never had a bad experience. There's a lot of people that work there. After you order you will get your food fast! Consistently faster than most restaurants. I think I finished my chips and salsa once before I got my food. Only once and I go all the time. Tamales are a little small but the prices are very reasonable..so who's complaining! What else can I say...talk to Ben. Ben's the owner, younger guy and pleasant to talk to. Ben seems to appreciate feedback. Be really nice to yourself and go to La Tolteca today! (I sound like a freak'in commercial) :D read more

4/7 Update: Your response is confusing. I stated the staff we had help us was rude not just to us but to another couple. And your response was not true, they do a great job...next, you come off pretty condescending & recriminatory with "it's unfortunate we didn't have an opportunity to do that here". Yah, because this is yelp where people post about the experience they had, not where u get to quash it from being shown. I noticed there was no sorry either, just condescension. I stand by my review publicly that the food was cold [and burnt] and that your staff has some people that have no problems being rude to customers, and given the response you've made ur pretty much defending that, blaming me. So in that case I'll not be removing my experience with the bad food and angry staff. I'm keeping it here so others can be warned of what they may expect from the staff and frankly, given your recrimination with no sorry, what they can expect from you as well. Very disappointing. Good day. Original Yelp Post: I joined Yelp just so I could post about the experience here.  You pay for your food first before getting a table which was okay cool, but the service and food were mediocre. We were waiting awhile just sitting there before our food got there even though there weren't many ppl at all.  The food was ok, not exactly restaurant quality in my opinion, my food was cold and burnt at the same time, go figure that one out.  I could overlook all that if it weren't for what I think is the biggest problem with this place and that's the somewhat-rude staff.  To be fair not it's not all of them, but I mean come on, if you hate your job and ppl asking for condiments then why work there.  Anyway I didn't take it personally because the guy had the same bad attitude with other customers so I guess it's the accepted norm for this establishment.  I never bought into customer-comes-first, but in my opinion, customers definitely come last here.  I'm sure if they're called on it they'll respond with some 'oh we value and treat customers well' platitude...yah uh...believe what we say not what we do....not a great experience and considering the bar is ALREADY to the floor with people wanting to dine in at restaurants, this place pulled off a neat magic trick of kicking that low bar through the floor.  No accountability it seems. read more

We been coming here about 3-4 times a month , probably best Mexican food in the city , anyways we get the menudo on weekends which is consistently good unfortunately they ALWAYS give you small portions not much meat and ALWAYS GIVE YOU ONE HUGE PIECE OF FAT , I think they are trained to make sure you get that big piece of fat with every serving as it sure helps fill the " TO GO CONTAINER " they are very generous with the juice though. . So knowing this I told NATHAN who was working the counter that every time we get the menudo there is hardly any meat and can I get a reasonable amount of meat. He didn't say anything . Sure enough I get home dip the spoon in there and there that HUGE PIECE OF FAT , again very little meat and plenty of juice , drove straight back and told NATHAN " what happened bro " I mentioned the lack of meat before I ordered and he stated " that's how they serve it " I asked he if he can give 1 more order cause 2 orders from la tolteca is like 1 order from anywhere else , he told me again that's how they serve it and I probably should not order the menudo and refunded me ........ no I'm sorry , let me take care of it , very rude , he must be family related and given manager position CAUSE HE HAD NO SENSE OF CUSTOMER SERVICE , even McDonald's makes it right , they are just so greedy at tolteca ....... here's some proof of greediness , every Mexican place nowadays gives you free chips & salsa to go Not tolteca THEY CHARGE FOR EVERY SINGLE CHIP , good food but the greediness and poor customer service from NATHAN has me not going back there , if you are a local then you know what I mean read more

If you're looking for fast food go to taco bell! If you're looking for perfection then make it your self! Go to La Tolteca to enjoy a clean (A graded) restaurant with awesome food! The rice and beans are awesome. They now serve frijoles de la olla (whole beans) for the vegan. My favorite is the #10. The carne asada plate! Since 1948 they have served the community diligently. I have also heard of many of their generous donations to churches and little leagues. It's always busy with friendly people that I've seen there over the years. To avoid long waits try to dodge lunch and dinner rush hours. For excellent service ask for Ben Jr. For parties they accommodate big groups. The new building has an awesome banquet room too. They serve beer and wine only, so no fear to bring the whole family. I always feel safe eating there with my family. I've never had to worry about drunks at the bar like some of the surrounding restaurants. The same family has owned it for years. And NOTHING has changed. The food is made from only the best. Everything is made from scratch starting with their corn tortilla factory. It's my understanding that other local Mexican restaurants purchase products from La Tolteca for its quality and freshness. I not only love La Toltecas food. I love the people that go there, the people that work there, and the family that runs it. So save the nasty comments for somewhere else! read more

Went To La Tolteca For Dinner Last Night And The FOOD Was Fantastic. SOOOO GOOOOD. Watched The Dodger Game & The Chargers On The Big Screen... :) Started Off With Chips And Salsa, Yum, Then Chips & Cheese (Layered) With An Order Of Chunky Guacamole, My #5 Chile Relleno - My Husband A # 3 Beef Taco w/ Extra Taco. OMG!!! Im Hungry Again Just Writing About It..... La Tolteca Was My First Mexican Restaurant Experience When I Moved To Southern California From The East Coast 40 Years Ago. My First Reaction Was That This Is SOOO GOOOD. Home Made Tortilla's, Fresh Ingredients, Everything Is Made From Scratch, Plus The Best Masa Ever. My Friends Families Use Their Masa To Make Tamales At Christmas Every Year And We Are Talking At Least 6 To 10 Dozen. Especially In The Morning With Eggs & Salsa. I Have Been to Many Mexican Restaurants But We Always Go Back To La Tolteca For Authentic Home Made Mexican Food, Friendly Faces, Good Service, And The Owners... A Very Nice Family... Look, You Want GOOD Authentic, Fresh, Home Made Mexican Food Go To La Tolteca In Azusa On Azusa Ave. read more

The most horrible service by a girl wearing a name tag with "Liz" Where to start, well firstly, I dinned in on a thursday morning. After placing my order at the counter, which was very confusing, I tried to place a to go order, waited about 10 mins and nothing kept getting dirty looks from "liz" and another female staffer who seemed uninterested in taking my orders finally the male server came to ask me if I needed anything. I asked to speak to the owner and the girl rudely responds that he's not in. She needs some training in customer service and also how interact with customers in a professional manner, clearly their priority is not customer service and employees are not trained correctly. I will never return to this establishment again train your employees better and to be more welcoming! read more

ABSOLUTE GARBAGE STAFF. We stopped in to have dinner to celebrate my wife's birthday with a quiet evening. One of the staff members who was waiting our table, he was the rudest jerk I'd ever seen. I didn't catch its name but the jerk is about 5'10" with very short black hair, almost shaved, he has a large round head and is light skinned. This ***hole single handedly turned a nice peaceful happy night into an awkward confrontational one. We won't be back, this place is filth and it made sense that the floor was dirty and the seats were stained and the table was not even wiped down. We should have caught on to those red flags and left. Pure garbage. read more

The worst Mexican restaurant I've ever been into i didnt eat my food (( not eatable )) and my food was (( steak and eggs )) i dont know how anyone can F that The worst ever . u have to wait for ever to get some one to look at u they give me my steak with out a steak knif i had to get up and go wait in line to ask for a knif .. no hot sauce no steak sauce and they charge u for every thing ever chips and salsa (( in a mixecan restaurant )) i dont recommend anybody going there these people have no shame in the only reason I'm giving them one star is because i have no 0 star option read more

We came here because an acquaintance who is Mexican said this is the best place outside Mexico. The food is mediocre, salty, chewy meat. I ordered two carne asada tacos and they were just too salty and had no flavor. The rice was and beans werent that good. Service was okay. On our way out, my child pointed out something on the floor and upon close inspection it was a cockcroach about 2 inches in length. I was disgusted. I will never set foot in this place again. read more

I have been coming to La Tolteca for years. As a new Yelper I could not think of a better restaurant to write a review. This place is fantastic. I have kids, and this is a good place to bring kids. I always order the beef taco plate. The beef and shredded cheese on the tacos are fantastic. The chips and salsa the comes with every meal is great as well. And now they offer free refills on the chips and salsa. Wonderful! I would highly recommend this place to anyone. read more

fair prices for a full plate of food, and chips and salsa to boot. But I love the all the combo platters. two- four items with rice and beans on a hot plate. Order the thick guac and you will know what good guac is. If you want to bring it home, let them know , they make their own tortillas, and sell them to take home. Or maybe you need rice and carne asada to feed 30 people, they got it all. or a quart of the Guac. yep take it all home read more

OMG!!! An absolutely amazing dining experience. The Huevos Rancheros are to die for... I was in a group of twelve that had gone to the Job Fair at Citrus College, on Friday the thirteen. We are a small group from the East San Gabriel Valley ROP/TC and our lead person, Darla Lewis, had her sights on this place from the beginning. Thank you ever so much! As you can tell from the photos, before and after, this place is delish!! read more

This place has filled my tummy many a time. Cheap, quick, dive for a burger beer and not a bad place to watch a ballgame and have a pitcher .The burgers are tasty and The Shack provides a variety of different choices. The Shack Burger comes with sausage - a favorite...My burger of choice is the Kelsey burger (real messy). I've done it and so has Joan S. do you need to know anything else?! Check it out and get back to me... read more

I absolutely love this place. The prices are right, and I can never say no to unlimited chips and salsa...their salsa is amazing! The staff are friendly, food comes hot, fresh, and prompt. Good quality for what you pay! The only con is that this place is so popular that it's so hard to find seating during rush hours....with their vast clientele, I think it's time for La Tolteca to get a bigger restaurant... read more

I came to this place back when I was a little girl and they were at their old location. Food was always good. Chips and salsa are their signature. Best chips and salsa around. Love their tacos. Unfortunately, ever since they moved to the new location something's been off with their beans. I can't eat them without it upsetting my stomach. I still enjoy their crispy tacos and taquitos. read more

This place never gets old, some times it takes a little while to get your food but is that not how it is at any super popular place you eat at? I looked through the reviews for tolteca and some people just like to complain i think. At lunch and dinner time the line gets super long, if the food was bad why does everyone keep coming back for more I know i will! read more

I have been going to this restaurant for more than 29 years. I love the service and the food is great, The chips and salsa are the best. They serve good portions. The combination plate is enough for to people to share. They had friendly and fast services. and lets not forget their Take out options. I recommend this restaurant. read more

I love this place! Every time I visit my friend in the area and we end up going to get food, I always suggest this place. Its a treat for me every time we come since I don't live in the area. I usually get the #8 combination plate. You get a taco, taquito, cheese enchilada, and chile verde with rice and beans. read more