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El Torito Mexican Restaurant & Cantina
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
21 reviews for El Torito Mexican Restaurant & Cantina
Ok El T....i'm giving you one star back!!
Went here for lunch the other day and they have a pretty good lunch special going on right now...... $8.99 all-you-can-eat fajitas. I'm definitely NOT a fan of buffets (I get grossed out easily) but since we were the first ones there I gave it a try.
Buffet consisted of chicken and beef fajitas,rice, beans, yummy corn stuff, salad, cheese enchiladas, fresh fruit, and fresh tortillas served from 11-2pm.
One serving was enough for me after seeing the cheese enchilada spatula touch some guys food he was picking at.
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
-
2/3/2009
I'm taking a star away after todays visit.
Went here for Taco Tuesday which actually used to be ok.… Read more »
EL TOrito's is a pretty good Mexican Restaurant. I've been coming here for quite some time. The place is definitely attractive and although the food is not authentic mexican food, its a spin on mexican food and I happen to like it too.
I like the corn cake, the shrimp enchiladas and their carne asada and shrimp salads. For those salads they use a raspberry dressing that is so delicious that I had to buy it for my salads at home. The pepita dressing at El toritos is also really good.
The Sunday Brunch Buffet is also pretty good but there are so many food options that my husband and I won't return for a while because we left there stuffed! Who can blame us, they had freshly made tortillas and a taco bar, salads, desserts, omelets, enchiladas, chile rellenos, etc etc etc.
THe Cantina is also worth visiting since they have great drinks. I used to spend many girl nights here when I was single. It was nice to sit with my girls and have a margarita here!
I used to go to the El Torito in Concord in the Willows shopping center. But after a few times of getting mediocre food I decided to not go back. After-all, there is Claim Jumper, Fuddruckers, Gourmet 360 Burritos, (WAS) Tony Roma's all in the same center.
After I moved to Stockton and realized there is hardly any restaurants in this large city, and hardly any of them are really good, I decided to give El Torito another chance.
What an Amazing experience. The best salsa I have had at any restaurant. That says a lot since I have been to Arroyo's, both Nena's, Chipotle, El Senor Frogs, Santiago's, Baja Fresh, El Morenita and many more "ma and pa" Mexican restaurants in Stockton.
El Torito's salsa is flavorful with a kick of spice served with lightly salted warm chips. I make my own salsa at home (which I believe to be pretty good), but sometimes when I find myself driving by El Torito on March lane I stop in and order a few pints of salsa to go! I usually eat the Mexico City Tacos (steak, chicken, and pork). They come with good cuts of meat lightly covered with a spicy sauce served with delicious whole beans (super flavorful) and Spanish rice.
The margaritas are the best I have ever had. There are probably more than 20 different kinds of Margaritas to try here.This is their niche as the bar fills up on Friday and Saturday nights. I highly recommend the Grande Cadillac Margarita on the Rocks!!! : )
My wife loves it here, as do my parents. We have had many birthdays and special events here and have enjoyed the atmosphere and the food.
El Torito is my favorite place to eat Mexican food in Stockton.
I've only been in the actual restaurant ONCE. I head straight to the Cantina every other time I go. It's a lively atmosphere with a lot of outdated club hits playing..
I used to go for the $1 tacos on taco tuesday until I really started reading the menu on the table (AND when they started making me purchase a drink to get tacos..wth is that!?) That was when I discovered happy hour..I only thought happy hour applied to the drinks..I had NO idea idea I could get a plate full of Garnachas for $2.95 or some yummy chicken flautas for $3.95..Now thats the only thing I get.
And anybody who talks trash on El Torito's chips and salsa is a straight up bold face lie. Their chips are amazing and addicting.
Quick service at the bar! Happy Hour is the best!
It seems like everytime we go, we get the same waiter... who ignores us. However, the chips and salsa never go empty. The sodas are filled and the food is good!
If you haven't tried the sunday brunch - go! What are you waiting for. Its the best breakfast in town on Sundays. Fresh made omelets and tacos. The churros are amazing. I love the caesar salad and to make my own is just really fun. I can pile on all my favorite toppings. Everything is all you can eat so come hungry!
Happy Hour is really great too - $4 Margaritas and $5 appetizers makes for a really good meal.
Came here the other night with the hubby. We wanted Olive Garden - but that fing place was PACKED. Okay, next idea! El Torito ... It was really loud inside ... and I wasn't in the mood for a loud dining experience, but whatever. I got over it. The chips and salsa were really good - fresh. I ordered soup and a huge combo plate ... because I'm a heffer like that. The tortilla soup was watered down ... I've had WAAY better. The combo plate was just okay. The rice was really good, and the corn thing was really good too.
We also shared dessert - we got the fried ice cream, no complaints there.
The service was pretty good, except it was so loud in the place I could barely hear our waiter.
I might go again ... depends on my mood ... I guess overall I'm not crazy about this place. I'll update the review after I go for the Sunday Brunch ...
My return to El Barfo today for lunch was surprising. The chips were outstanding. I'd like to think of myself as a chip connoisseur. Seriously. I am. The salsa was fresh. The iced tea was..... can I be a pill and say, 'YUM-O'?
After what seemed to be a long wait in Manteca with a fellow colleague of mine, we were a couple of hungry hippos. Remember that commercial in the 70s? 80s? No? OK... fuck you.
I ordered the crispy chicken taco with a chile relleno... it was served with the usual beans, rice and that sweet corn bread stuff that El Barfo garnishes on all of their meals. The taco was meh. The beans were disgusting. The sweet corn bread stuff was..... let me do this again.... YUM-O.
While my experience was ok today, our service was pretty decent. I am adding a star to my overall El Barfo experience.
1 Previous Review:
-
9/22/2006
YUCK. I'd rather eat my own vomit then eat here.
First off, our server was excellent, the chips were fine, the salsa a little heavy on cilantro, but okay. But, the main courses are where the wagon left the road. Banquet t V dinners is what comes immediately to mind, with the exception of my grandson's Burrito, which looked excellent, all else was way too assembly line aluminum tray like food.
I come here for Happy Hour way more often than I'd like to admit. Us Pacific students love this place for $0.99 Taco Tuesdays from 4-10P. I understand where people are coming from with all the negative reviews. Because yea, the food isn't authentic nor is it all that tasty. But the drink and food specials are amazingly cheap. And whether you'd like to admit it or not, you keep coming back for the same reasons.
Service is just okay. It gets pretty busy, but everyone on the waitstaff is generally friendly and do their best. They keep you stocked on the waters and chips, hopefully to slow down your alcohol intake. And they're very accommodating to whatever substitutions you want to make to your meal.
My advice? Get the Fiesta Platter to split with two other people. But sub the sopes for chicken flautas. As for drinks, order a regular margarita on the rocks. I prefer those over the blended, fruity versions. I find that the ice and fruit mix really get in the way of the tequila when blended. And lastly, strategically sit near a table of guys. They'll most likely send over a round of drinks or pick up your tab for you :) Viva la Happy Hour!
I went here for their Sunday brunch. It was good. All you can drink mimosas...mmmmmm. This was a great deal. I must have drank 10 of these all by myself. They started in little glasses but after the third one the waiter just brought them in giant glasses to save himself some trips.
The fresh tortillas and fresh horchata were great. All those different salsas were good too. The rest of the Sunday brunch was just OK. The kids loved the deserts, but that is to be expected.
All in all I would recommend the Sunday mornings there. I have not been for any other meal so I can not say either way when it comes to other times.
Pros: Great happy hour spot! Get there early before 6, bc it gets packed. Don't even bother going into the restaurant area, it's a dead zone. The food is eh (I've had better) but the chips are goooooood! The drink specials are great!!! Margaritas are yummmm!
Cons: The bar gets full fast. The waitresses don't know how to smile for dear life. Taco Tues are too small, but thats how they get ya!
I went here a while back because I went to San leandro so many times.
It smelled like someone got hecka drunk and threw up, and they did not use Bleach to clean it up. Or they did'nt throw the mop up afterwards.
I do not understand the low ratings because this place is good!
I ordered combo number 3 which was tamales and jack cheese enchiladas. You get the choice of chicken or beef for your tamales, I chose chicken. The combo is served with re-fried beans, and rice.
I had a few tamales and I did not like them at all because it lacked flavor. I decided to order it again because people have told me tamale is really good, and one day I want to order some from the Tamale Lady at Dolores Park.
When my food arrived. The tamale was amazing! The taste was great, delicious! The texture: perfect. I like the balance of the flavor, and the spicy gave it a great kick.
The enchiladas was delicious as well. Texture inside out was perfect. I enjoyed it very much. It was "REEL good." The rice was flavored--a good balance of salty and spiciness.
I did not eat the re-fried beans because I do not like in general.
The lava colada drink was "REEL good" You can taste the rum, coconut, pineapple, and strawberry distinctively, and they worked well together.
The salsa and chip served while you wait is delicious. The chip is thin and crisp, the salsa fresh and spicy! :D
The decor of the restaurant is nice.
The service was a little slow. My friend and I came at 1PM.
They offered us desserts from Sunday Brunch which was nice of them. I decided to eat the flan. It was "REEL GOOD!"
When I am in Stockton and want Mexican food I will come to El Torito because it is "REEL GOOD!!!!"
I've had to endure this place a few times as my friend is totally into this place. I'm just not feeling it. The food always hurts my stomach and I feel ill afterward the following day. Taco Tuesday is about the only saving grace but even then you have to drop a fair amount of money to get full as these $0.99 tacos are fairly weak. Remember during the summer when Baskin Robbins was pushing the $1 scoops and they were not a full scoop per se, but actually a fraction (approximately 1/3) of a normal serving, thus totally negating the deal? Same thing here. The only thing this place pwns is your wallet. Stay away!
I would give El Torito a 2.5...but fractions aren't possible and I'm not feeling generous, so two stars it is!
Taco Tuesday is supposedly pretty awesome (tacos for $1 and half price appetizers/cheap drinks). However, I wouldn't know since this only applies to the bar and which unknowingly sat in the restaurant area. Annoying.
I ordered nachos with shredded beef and my date ordered some kind of combination plate. I LOVE nachos and usually all but lick my plate clean when I get them...but not at El Torito. I don't understand how nachos can be so greasy, but El T managed to pull it off. There was literally a layer of grease on the bottom of the plate and the bottom chips were completely soggy and inedible because of it. My date ate his entire meal AND my soggy chips, but that's just because he hates wasting food. The chips we got before our meal were also very greasy which is so gross to me. Chips should be crunchy and delicious but never wet with grease. The salsa was very tasty, though, as well as the little corn patty dessert thing (but Chevy's is better).
The only reason I would come back here is for cheap margaritas and $1 tacos...in the bar, of course.
You really can't rate a franchise restaurant based on the food. The food is OK but I didn't feel like I was eating something fresh. The drinks were disappointing and the service is decent.
But for fucks sake!!! Learn to use your A/C / thermostat better. It's always freezing during the winter and stagnant during the summer.
Very disappointing...should have gone to Xochi's!! My daughter loves the shrimp fajitas here so we went for dinner even though I knew I wouldn't like it. I got the chicken and sour cream enchiladas and they were edible but nothing special. My other daughter got the shredded beef nachos and they were disgusting!! We ordered flan for dessert and it tasted like it came from a box....not good at all!!! Next time my daughter wants their shrimp fajitas, I will get them to go and then head on over to Xochi's for some REAL mexican food.
UPDATE: The food here stinks. It's not good. after coming here a few times, I left feeling like I had just gotten robbed. Pricey food, for something that tastes thoroughly disappointing. The drinks are pretty good, but if you order a second one, they water it down (no kidding). So if you wanna deal with it, it's the only place in town that keeps the doors open til 11pm. One star for a good first round of drinks, and another for accomodating our big groups late at night.
I usually order the deep fried ice cream and the mexican caesar salad to go; those are about the only things we order from this location. Last time I was there the bar looked pretty full. lotsa activity in the "cantina" side of the restaurant.
well on the lighter side of things i love this place! really good and big selection of things. they have 2 different sauces one is white and the other is red. i prefer the white. mmmm really good enchiladas!! really good food all around. they even give you a little ball of what has a taste of corncread but isn't im not sure of what it is but it's really good. my favorite part of going here is there fried ice cream!! the only place i know of in stockton that i know does this!!! i love it it's cinnamony with chocolate chip vanilla ice cream inside super good!!! i love it i go there for the purpose of that. the cantina is open late, so thats also a good thing. i recommend this place for some good mexican cooking with a twist and make sure you try the fried ice cream!
