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El Torito - El Torito - La Mesa, La Mesa, CA

El Torito - La Mesa

4.2
4.2
471 Reviews
$30 and under
Mexican

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2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 3 times today
  • Neighborhood gem
  • Good for special occasions
  • Great for happy hour
The authority in great Mexican food for more than 65 years. Offering a memorable experience to make each guest feel like family.
Private dining

Private dining

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Dining areas

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican
  • Hours of operation
    Brunch: Sunday: 9:00am - 2:00pm; Lunch: Monday - Saturday: 11:00am - 3:00pm; Dinner: Monday - Thursday: 3:00pm - 10:00pm, Friday & Saturday: 3:00pm - 11:00pm, Sunday: 2:00pm-10:00pm
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Delivery & takeout

What 471 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.2
4.2 based on recent ratings
  • 4.2Food
  • 4.1Service
  • 3.9Ambience
  • 4.1Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • East County

    Great for brunch

  • East County

    Kid-friendly

  • East County

    Good for groups

  • East County

    Healthy

  • East County

    Neighborhood gem

  • East County

    Romantic

  • East County

    Lively

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
El Torito - La Mesa delights with "great sunday brunch" and a "fantastic deal" on bottomless mimosas. The "delicious" food and "excellent service" stand out, especially during special occasions like Mother's Day and Thanksgiving. Despite some service hiccups, "amazing" staff and flavorful dishes create memorable dining experiences.

471 Reviews
  1. OpenTable Diner

    San Diego1 review

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Excellent waitress very professional and attentive and promptness thank you again.
    El Torito - La MesaResponded today
    Hi, Thank you so much for your kind words and perfect ratings! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience with us. It's always our goal to provide prompt and attentive service, and we're glad we hit the mark for you. We appreciate your feedback and look forward to serving you again soon.

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  2. OpenTable Diner

    San Diego1 review

    1.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    Poor experience. Drinks were mediocre, too much syrup no alcohol. Food was also underwhelming. Waited really long for our server despite the restaurant being fairly empty.
    El Torito - La MesaResponded 2 days ago
    Thanks for the feedback. We're truly sorry to hear that your experience at El Torito - La Mesa didn't meet your expectations. We pride ourselves on our food and drinks, so it's disappointing to hear that they were not up to par during your visit. We also apologize for the delay in service you experienced despite the restaurant being relatively empty. Your comments are important to us and we will certainly take them into consideration as we continuously strive to improve our customers' experiences. We hope you'll give us another chance to impress you in the future. Best, Cesar Romero - General manager

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  3. KAREN VIP

    San Diego7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food and service! The bartender was fantastic!
    El Torito - La MesaResponded today
    Hey Karen, thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed our food and service. It's always a pleasure to know that our team has made your experience great. We strive to provide the best to our guests and your feedback is a testament to our efforts. We look forward to serving you again soon! Best regards, The Management Team at El Torito - La Mesa.

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  4. EricLj

    San Diego2 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on March 2, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    Great place for the family Brunch. Quick in with reservation. Friendly staff, good food selection.
    El Torito - La MesaResponded today
    Thanks for the feedback, EricLj! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your brunch at El Torito - La Mesa. It's great to know that our staff made you feel welcome and that you found our food selection to your liking. We strive to provide a unique and enjoyable dining experience for all our guests. We appreciate your support and look forward to serving you again soon! Best, The Management Team

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  5. Mario

    San Diego4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 2, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great festive place to celebrate an occasion. They kept the mimosas coming and the food was delicious
    El Torito - La MesaResponded today
    Thanks for visiting us, Mario! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great time celebrating your special day at El Torito - La Mesa. It's wonderful to know that our mimosas kept the party going and that you enjoyed our delicious food. We strive to make every occasion special for our guests, and your kind words are a testament to our efforts. We look forward to welcoming you back for more celebrations in the future!

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  6. Sierra

    Chicago1 review

    2.0

    Dined on March 2, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 2
    I was excited to eat here since I’ve heard great things about this place as well as seen great reviews online. However, we walked in and it looked completely dead. The hostess looked very unorganized, and walked away right after checking us in. Three other parties walked in after us and no one helped for a while. Once someone did arrive to help she was very rude (not the original host). Our waiter would ask us how we were doing or if we needed anything and would leave before we were able to answer, seemed to just be talking to himself. The food lacked a lot of flavor. When bringing food out, one of our kids meals took an additional 10 minutes. Everyone was served except them and our waiter was no where to be found. It wasn’t a terrible experience, I just wouldn’t return or recommend.
    El Torito - La MesaResponded on March 2, 2025
    Hi Sierra , thank you for telling us about your recent experience and Thank You for your honest feedback. I'm so sorry we let you down and hope to get the chance to serve you again soon so we can regain your confidence in our restaurant again. I would like to hear more about your experience if you could please give us a call at 6196987404 and just ask for Maggie or Cesar.

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  7. Danielle

    San Diego1 review

    5.0

    Dined on February 22, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had a girls birthday brunch and the service was amazing!

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  8. Liliana

    San Diego2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 16, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Comida deliciosa y muy atento el mesero, atención excelente!!
    El Torito - La MesaResponded on February 17, 2025
    Hola Liliana, Muchas gracias por dar nos 5 estrellas en nuestro restaurante. Nos da mucho gusto que el mesero estuvo a tento a usted y su familia. Esperamos verlos de regreso pronto.

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  9. tanya VIP

    San Diego3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 16, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    The service was awful. They also tacked on a five dollar service fee for a party of four and nobody could explain what it was for. My recommendation is to make sure you check your receipt. It is not uncommon for them to try and overcharge you for the breakfast buffet.
    El Torito - La MesaResponded on February 17, 2025
    HI, Tanya, thank you for the review if you could please give me a call at (619)698-7404 so I can get a little more info on the service fee that you are talking about that would be great. Thank you - Maggie

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  10. john

    San Diego3 reviews

    1.0

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    1. Received chips and salsa 15 minutes after placing appetizer and dinner order 2. Drinks came out but forgot my water. I had to ask 3 times and waited 15 minutes to get it 3. Received kids size soups for dinner 20 minutes later 4. appetizer corn, guacamole and chips, and flautas came out. The flautas were supposed to be without sour cream and had to be sent back to kitchen. The flautas came out 10 minutes late 5 The dinners then came out 45 minutes after ordering. We ordered the fajitas and bean burrito with no cheese. 1 fajita dinner only had 1/2 cup of beans. We asked why only a 1/2 cup and we were told they ran out and was then asked if we wanted refried beans instead and told them no. We told them no and 10 minutes they brought out refried beans. I just gave my beans to my wife and ate her refried bean. We also did not receive our flour and corn tortillas when the dinner were brought out . We had to ask twice and by the time they came out our fajitas were cold. 4. My daughter requested her dinner bean burrito without cheese and they had to take back and remake . This was the worst valentines 15 year anniversary dinner We have ever had . We have been here for dinner many times and this is by far the worst experience we have ever had. I normally tip over 20% but not this time John Candelaria

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FAQs

El Torito - La Mesa offers delivery in partnership with Postmates and Uber Eats. El Torito - La Mesa also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (619) 698-7404.

El Torito - La Mesa is rated 4.2 stars by 471 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 3 times today
Google Map for El Torito - La Mesa

5024 Baltimore Dr, La Mesa, CA 91942

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican
  • Hours of operation
    Brunch: Sunday: 9:00am - 2:00pm; Lunch: Monday - Saturday: 11:00am - 3:00pm; Dinner: Monday - Thursday: 3:00pm - 10:00pm, Friday & Saturday: 3:00pm - 11:00pm, Sunday: 2:00pm-10:00pm
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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