El Torito - Monterey

El Torito - Monterey reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. L

   Larry

   Las Vegas2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Great place for the money with a gorgeous view of the bay.
   

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2. D

   Drew VIP

   Central Coast53 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on April 20, 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 1

   We made a reservation for 3:15 using the application and arrived at 3:05 to be told that our reservation was actually for 4pm. I showed them the app that said 3:15, and they said that they would 'try to get us a table'. Shortly afterwards, I got an email saying that my reservation had been 'modified' to 4pm. They seated us shortly afterwards, and there was no lack of tables. There were probably 10 open tables where they seated us.... And it just went downhill from there. Our server was friendly enough, but she seemed to be overwhelmed and service was slow. The food tasted OK (with one exception) but came out lukewarm. The nachos came out cold with barely any cheese on them -- and the cheese that was there didn't melt because they were cold. We will definitely not be going back.
   

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3. M

   Margaret

   Central Coast1 review

   4.0

   Dined on April 20, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Especially enjoyed our table by the window and having Wendy as our server. It was pretty noisy and kind of chaotic though, being Easter and all, but the food was delicious and we all ate too much!
   

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4. H

   Haydee VIP

   San Diego32 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on April 20, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 5

   We had to wait longer for drinks today, server didn’t come to us till after we had food already and we waited about 5 min to get up and get food . but other than that, the food was amazing. The menu was great. Happy Easter.
   

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5. J

   Janice VIP

   Portland1 review

   2.0

   Dined on April 19, 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 3

   I don't remember having more mediocre service or Mexican food in recent years
   

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6. K

   Kyle

   Central Coast6 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on April 19, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Amazing experience from start to finish. Inviting atmosphere, friendly hosts, great service, great food, greats Marg’s, great desserts, quickly paid. With a great view for my kids. What more could you ask for.
   

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7. D

   Donna

   Central Coast10 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on April 19, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Food was great, everyone in my party enjoyed their meal! Our server, Marcus, was outstanding. And on a busy Friday evening, we got our food quickly and Marcus was very attentive, checking on us frequently and bringing refills of chips & drinks when needed! We had a great time and we all left stuffed & happy.
   

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8. R

   Robert

   Central Coast6 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on April 17, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Thank you for a wonderful time! We always set time to visit this wonderful place as always left very satisfied and very grateful for the time spent in the area.
   

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9. J

   Jennifer

   San Francisco9 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on April 14, 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   The only reason I’m giving a 2 is because the manager did not make us pay a dime and view was good. If they could get their ish together it would be a great restaurant. This experience was not good from start to finish. A man was vaping in the restaurant waiting to pay. I told the server, who said he would talk to him. I said I think he’ll just go after he can pay. The sever said, well I’m giving you guys your drinks and can only do 1 thing at a time. We asked for tableside guac; sever said it’s 45 min to get that but if you order prepared quac that’s faster, so we ordered 3 at $15. It didn’t show for an hour 24 minutes anyway. My kids ordered chicken tenders. 45 minutes in, they came back to tell us there were no chicken tenders, and my kids reordered pizza. At the same time I had to remind the server to check on my margarita which was waiting at the bar. An hour 20 minutes later, our food finally came (nothing complicated) except he forgot one kid’s pizza and she had to wait another 10 minutes. We cancelled the guac since it was supposed to be an appetizer. The server gave it to the table next to us. The sever kept saying, I’m doing my best, I am sorry it’s not good enough for you. By the time the food showed, my kids wouldn’t eat it as they had filled up on chips after 1.5 hours. I was upset and lost my appetite and did not eat either. We did not stick around to wait on the ice creams that came with the kids meals as I didn’t have another hour to waste, and opted to go to ghiradelli next door.
   

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10. K

    Kerry

    San Francisco9 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on April 8, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3

    We’ve been loyal El Torito customers for almost two decades, but unfortunately, the experience has gone downhill significantly over the past few years. Our most recent visit was especially disappointing. The service was terrible—our waitress forgot several things we asked for and seemed completely inattentive throughout the meal. The food, which used to be something we looked forward to, was mediocre at best. The quality has noticeably declined, and nothing we ordered tasted fresh or well-prepared. To make matters worse, the prices have gone up considerably, which would be understandable if the food and service matched the cost—but they simply don’t. It’s really disheartening to see a place we once loved become so inconsistent and disappointing. We keep hoping it will improve, but sadly, it just keeps getting worse.
    

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