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I've come here a few times. I've come for dinner a couple times and for the happy hour.
Dinner is pretty good. Typical Americanized Mexican food, but it's delicious! I love their enchiladas and that corn stuff they give you on the side! Yum! El Torito Grill is the "upscale" version of El Torito, and the food definitely tastes it.
Happy hour was awesome! I came here with my boyfriend's work buddies, and we got some appetizer platters (taquitos, quesadillas, tacos, etc.). I had some mini tacos with shrimp and DELICIOUSNESS inside ("tacos a la plancha", on the chef's specialty menu). They have STRONG mojitos and margaritas, and they are delicious! I had the "topaz" which was a margarita with amaretto in it and the classic mojito. Yum yum! They did bring me the wrong margarita, but I asked about it and then they brought me the right one.
Happy hour was 5 stars, dinner was 4 stars, I'll give 4 stars overall because they messed up my drink order and the service was kind of slow.
I'm usually not a fan of El Torito; been to both Irvine locations and have been underwhelmed UNTIL my friend took me to the Brea location for HAPPY HOUR.
Happy Hour here is THE place to go.
We sat outdoors on the patio overlooking the 57 and the hills, great view, great atmosphere. The patio was filled with families, young professionals, and young college students. An attentive attendant stood behind a taco bar serving steak, chicken, and carnitas tacos with fresh pico de gallo and salsa roja sitting on ice.
When you're waiting for table service or mulling over the dining choices, they give you complimentary salsa & warm chips and warm tortillas and honey butter (O.M.G...SO GOOD)
Mango magarita and strawberry margarita. SO GOOD. SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD.
Carnitas taco? Pleasantly surprised as to how good it was. Moist, flavorful, and totally worth the price.
The steak taco was great too- all in all if you have a drink, complimentary tortillas, and a couple tacos, you're totally full and have a nice buzz for less then $10
[-] no salsa verde
Brewed Iced Tea - NO
Over priced meh food, BAD service, and a broken AC makes me not happy.
As a party of 8, we should have had more than one basket of chips, 2 tortillas, and two cups of salsa. We asked the server multiple times to bring us 5 cups of salsa but he insisted on bringing us one at a time instead. Dude, I'm trying to make it easier on you, trust me.
He also couldn't remember 7 waters and 1 iced tea - he brought 4 teas and 4 waters. Son I am disappoint.
Tortilla soup - not that great, wouldn't order again.
Carnitas tacos - the meat was SO DRY.. could have been good.
Chicken romaine salad - portion was kinda big, taste was meh.
It also seemed to take an insane amount of time to get our food, especially since it was mostly soups and salads.
I'm from out of town, I have a list of restaurants I like to hit when I'm in town, this place doesn't make that list and I'm upset I gave up one of my usuals to try this place.
Came here for my birthday and it was great. Wide selection of food that taste great. The staff was accommodating to our large crowd. I recommend the corn cake........bomb. I'd give it 5 stars if they had better T.V.s in their bar area, it was Sunday and you could hardly make out what was going on. Other then that this place is great.
I loved this place until ... We went on my birthday, and we got the worst waiter. Avoid nacho, he kept refering to us as gringos (so rude), told us that we couldn't get spicier salsa, and was a complete jerk. It was very disappointing. He ruined my birthday dinner (no singing or dessert, even though I had the birthday card).
I looooove El Torito Grill!!!! Specially the warm flour tortillas that are served in place of the basket of tortilla chips as per regular El Torito restaurants. They have similar dishes as the regular El Torito's but with a sophisticated twist. VERY GOOD. Service can suck sometimes but I'm trying to not be so high maintenance about that.
Okay now! This El Torito Grill could give lessons in hospitality to the Torrance location (see my recent review). We were greeted and shown to our table by Cesar, who also turned out to be our server. He was friendly, smiled and made eye contact and actually seemed happy to interact with us. He took our drink orders ASAP and voluntarily told us about the specials! Handmade tortillas and salsas were brought out immediately, as were our drinks. We also asked for regular chips and got them right away.
We each ordered (huge) romaine salads, which Cesar made table-side and for our entrees, hubby had the fillet mignon quesadilla and I had my favorite tortilla soup. The quesadilla was amazing! It was stuffed full of fillet mignon, goat cheese and jack cheese and get this...DEEP FRIED. Holy shit. Heart attack on a plate, yeah, but we could not stop eating it! Oh and it was plated on top of guacamole and topped with super thin shoe string potatoes!
And unlike that other location, Cesar came back check on us multiple times and we didn't have to ask for refills, they just showed up.
Great food, unlimited handmade tortillas and friendly, attentive service = a very happy Char!
Went to El Torito Grill yesterday with my family. I have been a regular visitor for the past couple years and usually am pretty satisfied with their food.
They start off your meal with fresh warm flour tortillas provided with butter and two kinds of salsa. They are absolutely delicious and a great way to start the meal. If you'd like, you can request tortilla chips for free.
For my main dish, I ordered the Santa Fe Enchilada Stack, which is basically like an enchilada stacked up. Layers of sauteed chicken, jack cheese, savory red chile sauce and handmade red chile corn crepes. Served with red and black beans, pineapple-mango salsa and crispy plantains. The enchilada stack was somewhat dense, and the chicken seemed to be dry/overcooked. The stack was served with three sauces: a citron butter, red enchilada sauce, and some kind of avocado/guac sauce. The sauces really helped lift the dish and bring out some of the flavors that were hidden in the density of the dish. Of course the dish was also served with El Torito's famous corn mash, which did not disappoint. I would probably not order the dish again, but it was worth a try.
My mother ordered a chicken salad with a raspberry-tamarind vinaigrette, which was absolutely delicious. The dressing was nice and light, and had a perfect sweetness to it. Again the chicken was a bit overcooked, but the salad was still good.
Didn't try desserts. I probably won't order the Enchilada Stack again, but I'll be sure to return for their other dishes.
The sunday brunch!! Its 9pm and I am still reeling from it! Reasonably priced @ $16 per person and includes champagne or mimosa! They served roast beef, turkey, enchiladas, fish, sweet corn cake, fresh shrimp and ceviche, menudo, tortilla soup, taco and omelette station, bananas flambee, salads, fruit, desserts...I could keep going. For that price the food tasted fresh and the service was great. The manager came over and quickly corrected our drink order without hesitation! Oh and Cazadores margaritas and Grey Goose bloody mary's are only $5 bucks with brunch..amen.
I just went to dinner here last night. The acoustics in the restaurant is pretty bad. Sound travels far, it's quite noisy.
But back to the food...they make fresh home-made tortillas here which are really good. Warm and soft. Spread some of their sweet butter on it and dip it in the dark roasted salsa, YUMMMERS!!!!
I ordered the Carnitas Yucatan which was pretty good. The citrusy rice that came with it was an interesting combination of flavors. My friends ordered chile rellenos and enchiladas, they all said it was okay.
Then we ordered dessert, the Flan. OMG!!! That was sooooooo delicious we were all fighting to eat the one order we placed. HAHAHAHA
Initially I really liked this place but it seems to get worse and worse each time I go back. I usually get the Fajita Suprema, which consists of chicken, steak, and shrimp. I've tried a few things on their menu but I think the fajitas are best so far. The homemade tortilla is very good, esp with the sweet butter. The reason I am taking away a few stars is because I was there tonight and waited for over an hour for my food, without a single apology. The restaurant was practically empty (late Sunday night). I had to ask for the dessert menu 3 times and it still never came. The food is good but the service is mediocre.
Another Friday lunch and this time we chose El Torito Grill.
I don't really know the difference between the regular El Torito and the El Torito Grill, but this one looked more modern with an open kitchen and glass, skylights, and comfy booths. The place is clean and the staff is very attentive. We didn't ask for tortilla or ice tea refills once, they were replaced before we were even half way done.
I ordered Combination #5 ($12.99): Mesquite-Grilled Steak Taco, Grilled Chicken Roasted Corn Enchilada and Steak Pecos Chimi. My coworker ordered Combination #4 ($11.99): Grilled Chicken Roasted Corn Enchilada, Mesquite-Grilled Steak Taco and Two Chicken Taquitos. The combos also come with refried black beans, green (cilantro?) rice, and sweet corn cake which looks like a scoop of cornbread, perfect for dessert.
It is a lot of food and I barely finished all of it (yes, oink oink). The food came out pretty fast and was fresh off the grill. The chicken enchilada had slices breast meat, instead of the shredded or pulled style, so it was kind of dry. I usually don't expect much from mexican-style steak because they tend to overcook it, but it was surprisingly good, juicy and flavorful. The Steak Pecos Chimi was cubed steak piece, with grilled onions and bell peppers wrapped in a tortilla, tied with a corn husk string on top and then deep fried. The marinade tasted like A1 sauce.
Only odd thing on the menu I saw was guacamole for $8 (dang!) I think that's too much, even if they do mix it for you at the table.
Generous food portions, decent quality, and prompt service ... I think I can give this place 4 stars.
Though the atmosphere and name would suggest it as a fancy place to eat, the stingy portions and poor service undermine the decent food they make. I work in close walking distance and my coworkers and I end up taking over an hour to return to work because you can never track down your server. Small portions, slow albeit friendly service, and high prices render this place useless.
I'm surprised at the 1-3 star reviews. For local Americanized mexican food, this place really is as good as it gets. The prices are good (mostly around $15/entree), the service everytime I've come here has been tops (always refilling our drinks before we ask) and the food is damn good! Having tried quite a few items off the menu my favorite by far is the Carne Asada plate. It comes out SMOKING HOT on one of those cast iron dishes that fajitas use and the meat is sizzling. There's no fat or gristle to cut off, the meat itself is flavorful seasoned well and very tender, and you get a small blue corn cheese enchilada on the side as well. All of their meats are good quality and some of their new "chef" items invoke more of a French/Mexican fusion than just standard mexican food. This place seems to be more creative than most Mexican restaurants, and it's packed when we come on a sat nite.
It's not a 5 star restaurant compared to REAL 5 star joints, but for what it is it doesnt get much better than this.
As far as ET Grills go, this place is good. I am not a fan of the Grill overall.
I do love the happy hour buffet there, the best part is the tortillas they hand make right there, and serve hot with honeybutter. Mexican food? not sure, but it is really good.
The view is nice from the patio, on the hill overlooking Brea and Fullerton. Service is questionable if you are not heavily drinking alcohol, I found myself going up to the bar myself rather than waiting for the bar wench.
The restaurant menu is unique California-ized Mexican food, you've heard of TexMex, I guess this is CaliMexi.
I love fresh homemade flour tortillas, especially when it's piping hot and smothered with sweet honey butter. Instead of chips & salsa this is what you'll be getting when you come to El Torito Grill. It is so delicious, I love watching them make it up in the front, I want to go back there and make some myself, looks fun. The shrimp diablos is quite marvelous, the sauce is so good, my friend always gets the carne asada which is equally delicious. For dessert, the best flan on earth. Trust me, if you like flan you will like it at El Torito Grill, it's one of the best.
My wife and I like this place and we usually go with our neighbors. You can't beat their freshly made tortillas smeared with honey butter. I always get the Carnitas Yucatn: Tender pork marinated with garlic, achiote, fresh lime and orange juices and spices then slow roasted. Topped with citrus-habanero marinated red onions and served with red and black beans, rice, avocado relish and sweet corn cake.
Now that description is just damn mouth watering. Plus their sweet corn cake :drool:
The Grill is a fancier version of the regular El Torito in decor and food presentation at a reasonable price.
I've gone here for lunch on a fairly regular basis over the years, but hadn't gone in awhile. so, they recently created a lunch menu that had about a dozen selections to choose from. who knew?!?!
the pricing was very reasonable. and the portion size was huge (well, at least what I ordered was huge).
I got the quesadilla and romaine salad for $9 and change. it's the same yummy salad I use to always order for lunch. bonus, now that you can get a cheesy chicken quesadilla with it for just a few more $.
not to mention the bottomless basket of chips (sometimes upon request only, but free none the less) and the freshly made tortillas that you get just by having a seat.
a renewed favorite place now that they have a good lunch menu.
Blah service and food. I just went to a party there. I have had way better food at other El Torito restraunts. The bathrooms were disgusting. Over flowing trash cans, dirty floors, broken toilet seats, and no paper or liners. I have seen better bathrooms at gas stations. Overall, not impressed.
I was in the mood for Ancho's (mainly the tortillas) but didn't want to do the drive. My BF suggested this place since they make tortillas there. I can't say that I was impressed. The tortillas are way better at Anchos. The service was slow. My cheese enchiladas weren't hot, but they were warm. It didn't satisfy my craving at all. :(
I love the Fajitas and the chef's special menu .. Plus, they have FREE freshly made tortillas with salsa and honey butter!!! What more to ask for?!!! I usually come here for Sunday dinner but my old co- workers told me happy hour is pretty good here. Great Place to hang out and beat the 57 fwy traffic.
this place has one of the best sunday brunch buffets!
a variety of mexican food to include made to order tacos (beef, chicken, pork), made to order omelets, a carving station including prime meats, soup station with two types of soup (menudo and tortilla), self stations included fruits (mostly melons), salads ( tropical was my fave), bbq ribs (delish! the meat falls right off the bone!), roasted chicken, veggie crepes (another fave), steamed fish, rice, beans...etc.
lots of desserts including cheesecake, cream puffs, choco cookies (too dry for me), and my fave flan. they do have made to order banana foster which is to die for! Mmmmmmm!
for $17/adult, it even includes mimosas, its worth the $$! tip: make reservations! the wait is pretty long if you dont have one.
Brea, CA
Category: Italian
Brea, CA
Category: American (New)
Brea, CA
Category: Seafood
Brea, CA
Category: American (New)
Placentia, CA
Category: Mexican
