El Torito - Pasadena

4.1

260 Reviews

$30 and under

Mexican

Make a reservation

2 people

Feb 16, 2025

11:30 PM

Booked 10 times today

Experiences are available.

Neighborhood gem
Good for groups
Lively

The authority in great Mexican food for more than 65 years. Offering a memorable experience to make each guest feel like family.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
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
Phone number
(626) 351-8995
Website
https://www.eltorito.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Catering
Bring the flavor of El Torito to your office or off-site event! We can accommodate groups from 10 to 10,000 and everything in between! Enjoy Taco Bars, Fajita Bars, Enchilada Bars & much more. Order online or call 1-888-TORTILLA. https://www.eltorito.com/catering/
Private party facilities
Show your friends, family, and co-workers how to throw a real party. Book one of our private rooms, patios, or semi-private dining areas for your next celebration, event, or meeting. Choose from Plated Menus, Buffet Menus or Mix & Match your favorite individual Trays. Inquire online or call 1-888-TORTILLA. https://www.eltorito.com/private-events/

Location
3333 East Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107
Neighborhood
Pasadena
Parking details
Public Lot
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Delivery, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

Valentine's Day 3-Course Menu
Feb 10, 2025 - Feb 17, 2025
Treat your special someone to our Valentine’s 3-Course Sweetheart Menu for Two. Enjoy a Champagne Toast, One Starter per guest, One Entrée per guest, and One Dessert to Share, for $60. Available February 10th – February 17th. Make your reservations today!

What 260 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.1

4.1 based on recent ratings

4.1Food
4.2Service
3.9Ambience
3.9Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Pasadena
Kid-friendly

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

El Torito - Pasadena impresses with its "best margaritas" and "fantastic Birria tacos," making it a favorite for consistent, good food and service. The restaurant offers a fun, affordable dining experience with varied seating options. Standout servers like Mark and Mona enhance the experience with exceptional service.

260 Reviews

J
Julie
Los Angeles
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined 2 days ago
1. Overall 1
2. Food 4
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 2
Took us 30 min to take our drink order and 1 hr to get our food
El Torito - PasadenaResponded 1 day ago
Thanks for the feedback, Julie. We're sorry to hear about the wait times you experienced during your visit. We strive to provide prompt service and quality food, and it seems we fell short during your visit. Your feedback is invaluable to us as we continually strive to improve our service. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you better in the future. My name is Veronica Alfaro, I'm the General manager of this unit, it will be fantastic to talk to you 626 351-8995 El Torito - Pasadena, The Management Team
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E
Erik
VIP
Los Angeles
215 reviews
4.0
215 reviews
Dined on January 19, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
Always the best margaritas! The Birria tacos were fantastic.
El Torito - PasadenaResponded on January 26, 2025
Hey Erik, Thank you for your glowing review! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed our margaritas and Birria tacos at El Torito - Pasadena. Your kind words truly mean a lot to us. We strive to provide excellent food and service and we're glad to know we hit the mark for you. Looking forward to serving you again soon! Best, The Management Team
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j
jill
VIP
Los Angeles
27 reviews
4.0
27 reviews
Dined on January 1, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Just a nice little restaurant that is consistent. The food is good and so is the service. With a reservation, it’s easy to get in and out.
El Torito - PasadenaResponded on January 6, 2025
Thanks for visiting us, Jill! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your experience at El Torito - Pasadena. It's great to know that our food and service met your expectations. We're always here to make your arrival and exit a breeze! We appreciate your kind words and look forward to serving you again soon. Veronica Alfaro
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D
Dinesh
VIP
San Francisco
22 reviews
3.0
22 reviews
Dined on December 30, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Almost everything from the salsa to the margaritas to the guac was just average. The only slightly above average dish was the spinach enchilada.
El Torito - PasadenaResponded on December 31, 2024
Thank you, Dinesh, we appreciate your feedback, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns my name is Veronica Alfaro, I'm the General manager of this unit, phone number 626 351 8995.
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E
Elizabeth
Los Angeles
16 reviews
4.0
16 reviews
Dined on December 30, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
I just got home and noticed that we were charged an extra $3.85 for Milk that I never ordered and our server got our order wrong , I do not think he was paying attention, he then fixed the bill but still charged us for something we did not order. I should have paid closer attention but he took forever and we needed to go.
El Torito - PasadenaResponded on December 30, 2024
Thank you, Elmis, we appreciate your feedback, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns my name is Veronica Alfaro, I'm the General manager of this unit, phone number 626 351 8995. Please call me to get more information
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S
Sandra
VIP
Los Angeles
12 reviews
3.0
12 reviews
Dined on December 29, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 2
I found this a middle of the road experience. I probably won't go back. Food was so so.
El Torito - PasadenaResponded on December 30, 2024
Thank you, Sandra, we appreciate your feedback, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns my name is Veronica Alfaro, I'm the General manager of this unit, phone number 626 351 8995.
Is this helpful?
M
Marlene
Los Angeles
45 reviews
5.0
45 reviews
Dined on December 22, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The food was outstanding, as always. Had a great time with out-of-town family.
El Torito - PasadenaResponded on December 31, 2024
Thank you for taking the time to give us a review, we appreciate your business
Is this helpful?
a
alan
VIP
Los Angeles
146 reviews
4.0
146 reviews
Dined on December 16, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
Very accommodating for changes in menu items. Food was freshly prepared and very reasonable priced. Much better than I remember from year ago! Will return
El Torito - PasadenaResponded on January 21, 2025
Hey mister! The Management Team at El Torito - Pasadena is thrilled to hear that you had a great experience with us. We're delighted that you appreciated our accommodating service for changes in menu items and found our food to be freshly prepared and reasonably priced. Your kind words truly mean a lot to us. We're looking forward to your return visit. Thank you for choosing us!
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k
karen
Orange County
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on December 1, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
At the end we left the check with gift cards and cash to pay our bill. While I went to restroom my family headed outside and the server came out to tell them they needed to wait but was aggressive voice instead of letting us know we needed to stay until they made sure gift cards went through in a calm voice.
El Torito - PasadenaResponded on December 2, 2024
Karen, thank you for taking the time to give us a review, we appreciate your business
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L
Leslue
Los Angeles
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on November 29, 2024
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 1
Based upon the Thanksgiving buffet advertisement, my family attended El Torito tonight. Unfortunately, the food stations were not stocked. Most of the bowls were empty, there was only one carving station with one employee, so the line was long and the food was not hot. We were very disappointed in the meal. Also, the carving station was in one part of the restaurant and the "mexican food bar" and dessert was in another section which made it difficult to go back and forth to our table. The self service drinks were empty and they ran out of plates. The value of the meal was worth $9.99, NOT $39.99. The only thing that was positive, was our server (Joseph/Joe) who brought drinks and cleared plates was very good. We were very disappointed in our experience.
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FAQs

El Torito - Pasadena offers delivery in partnership with Postmates and Uber Eats. El Torito - Pasadena also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (626) 351-8995.

El Torito - Pasadena is rated 4.1 stars by 260 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people

Feb 16, 2025

11:30 PM

Booked 10 times today

Experiences are available.

Order delivery or takeout

3333 East Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107

Additional information

Neighborhood
Pasadena
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
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Mexican
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Public Lot
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Delivery, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
https://www.eltorito.com/
Phone number
(626) 351-8995
Catering
Bring the flavor of El Torito to your office or off-site event! We can accommodate groups from 10 to 10,000 and everything in between! Enjoy Taco Bars, Fajita Bars, Enchilada Bars & much more. Order online or call 1-888-TORTILLA. https://www.eltorito.com/catering/
Private party facilities
Show your friends, family, and co-workers how to throw a real party. Book one of our private rooms, patios, or semi-private dining areas for your next celebration, event, or meeting. Choose from Plated Menus, Buffet Menus or Mix & Match your favorite individual Trays. Inquire online or call 1-888-TORTILLA. https://www.eltorito.com/private-events/

El Torito - Pasadena

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Experiences

Valentine's Day 3-Course Menu

Menu

What 260 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

Does El Torito - Pasadena offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is El Torito - Pasadena restaurant rated?

Is El Torito - Pasadena currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information