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El Torito Pasadena - El Torito - Pasadena, Pasadena, CA

El Torito - Pasadena

4.2
4.2
252 Reviews
$30 and under
Mexican

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 10 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Good for groups
  • Great for brunch
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
  • 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!
  • Private party facilities
    Show your friends, family, and co-workers how to throw a real party with El Torito. Book one of our rooms, patios, or semi-private dining areas for your next celebration, event, or meeting.
  • 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

  • Christmas

    Dec 25, 2024 only
    Join us on Christmas Day! Enjoy a Tri-Tip & Ham All-You-Can-Eat buffet featuring bottomless mimosas from 9am - 2pm for $39.50 Adults/$13.50 Kids, and all your EL Torito favorites from our main menu from 2pm - 8pm. Plus, $6 Drink Specials all day.
    Christmas Photo

What 252 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
  • 4.1Food
  • 4.4Service
  • 4Ambience
  • 4Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Pasadena

    Great for brunch

  • Pasadena

    Kid-friendly

  • Pasadena

    Good for groups

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
El Torito - Pasadena impresses with "great service and food fresh and delicious." Guests appreciate its accommodating staff, especially for large groups, and memorable celebrations, like birthdays and retirements. The brunch is a hit with bottomless mimosas and delightful atmosphere. Despite occasional hiccups, the attentive servers ensure a pleasant dining experience.

252 Reviews
  1. alan

    VIP

    Los Angeles

    142 reviews

    4.0

    142 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    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

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  2. 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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  3. 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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  4. Philip

    Los Angeles

    5 reviews

    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on November 28, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great service, comfortable seating, food met expectations. Had trouble paying with the InKind app, which rejected the first two credit cards I tried to use with it. The third credit card I tried worked. I found the InKind app more of a nuisance than a convenience.
    El Torito - PasadenaResponded on December 2, 2024
    Thank you, Philip, we appreciate your business and time, Happy Holidays to you and your family

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  5. Aida

    VIP

    Los Angeles

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on November 25, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Our server Mark is exceptional!! He quickly approached our table greeted us and brought chips and salsa. He took our order in a timely manner and brought our drinks. He is kind, respectful, and a valuable employee! Thank you Mark for taking care of our table especially having our 5 year old granddaughter! She said you are very nice and she wants us to take her back to El Toritos upon her next visit with us, her grandparents! She loves the kids meal especially the ice cream sundae! Kudos to Mark!!!!
    El Torito - PasadenaResponded on December 2, 2024
    Thank you, Aida, we appreciate your business and time, Happy Holidays to you and your family, please come back soon

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  6. Patricia L.

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 24, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    Very cold in dining area. Uncomfortable for my 80 yr old parents.
    El Torito - PasadenaResponded on December 2, 2024
    Thank you, Patricia, we appreciate your business and time, Happy Holidays to you and your family

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  7. Jason

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 22, 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    Terrible service, had reservations for 8:15 for my wife and I, we’ve never been this place and wanted to try something new. Upon arrival, no front desk person and no greeting or any type of acknowledgment which was surprising given that besides the bar the place was EMPTY. My wife and I sat for 15 minutes while servers walked back n forth just looking at us so I finally stop a server to ask if we can be seated and he said “oh wait for that lady that was out here” i responded with “nobodies out here” and he just shrugs and walks away. So my wife and I decided to leave. Absolutely ridiculous behavior for a place that wasn’t busy at all.

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  8. Robyn

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 15, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Always great there. Service is wonderful and food always good. Easy parking as well.
    El Torito - PasadenaResponded on November 16, 2024
    Thank you for taking the time to give us a review, we appreciate your business

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  9. Jay

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 9, 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 2
    Food was absolutely terrible. Not up to El Torito's standards. Must be independent. Remodeled interior is really ugly and doesn't look like brand colors. Tacos were burnt and extremely greasy. Chile Relleno was not fresh. Had the table side guacamole and the server had to throw away about 5 bad avocadoes she sliced before she got to two good ones she could use.

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  10. Victor

    VIP

    Los Angeles

    22 reviews

    3.0

    22 reviews

    Dined on November 3, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    We don’t have Mexican food too often, but had a craving and some credits to use so thought we’d try an old favorite. El Torito has been around for a long time and seems to provide consistent service and meals. Tonight’s service was good. We got seated quickly. Our server answered our questions about the menu. She checked on us frequently. The food was just average. I thought the asada was overcooked and tough. Portions were fine. It’s just the quality of the meals weren’t great.
    El Torito - PasadenaResponded on November 9, 2024
    Hi, Victor Thank you for taking the time to share your experience at El Torito - Pasadena. We're thrilled to hear that you've been enjoying our service and meals. We're sorry to hear that the asada was not up to par. We take pride in our food and will certainly look into this. We appreciate your feedback and we hope to serve you again soon. Best regards, The Management Team

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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 4.2 stars by 252 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 10 times today
Experiences are available.

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for El Torito - Pasadena

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
  • 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!
  • Private party facilities
    Show your friends, family, and co-workers how to throw a real party with El Torito. Book one of our rooms, patios, or semi-private dining areas for your next celebration, event, or meeting.
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