Went to the Dana Point El Torito on 2/31 as it said it's closing on Jan. 3rd only to find customers and some employees standing outside as they decided to close early permanently. So we went to the Laguna Hills location and same thing so we ended up going to Rodrigo's across the street.??♂️
VictoriaM
Sadly, there was some confusion on the whose order was whose. It was if they didn't know what food was on what platter. One order was given to the wrong person, then corrected, on another order the server thought they had forgotten to add chicken enchiladas but had actually given platters to the wrong people and it wasn't found out until the parties cut into their lunch. All in all, it was okay, but a little disappointing, as this was my husband's favorite restaurant. We came here for all his birthdays, Father's Day, etc. He passed away in August and since you were closing this was our last time to visit Dana Point El Torito Restaurant and reminisce of the good times we had with him.
JulieE
It was a busy night, but...Ewww. The restaurant was so dirty - trash on the ground in multiple places, seats not wiped, dirty silverware under our table. We should have just decided to leave. I wish we had because the food was just ok and my stomach is still hurting today. Yuck! We have come to this El Torito for years, but not anymore. We won't be back.
PatriciaL
Loved the food. Everyone was courteous. Best El Torito. Ambiance was great. Sat by window with great view. Got to see the decor outside and watch the kids dance to the outside music. Will be back soon for the Breakfast on Saturday and Lunch. Do not change and great Manager to keep us going here to eat.
Jessica
Beautiful views and amazing value for Sunday brunch. Staff was so wonderful getting us a great table with a view for our celebration and being so attentive to refills and all such needs. Will be going back for sure.
Beautiful views and amazing value for Sunday brunch. Staff was so wonderful getting us a great table with a view for our celebration and being so attentive to refills and all such needs. Will be going back for sure.
Food is not like it was years ago. Very bland and bready texture. It was a family get together for a birthday. With the ten of us we ordered 4 appetizers and main courses. All of it was sub-par. Never, ever returning. The view of the harbor was nice.
We were able to get seated with our reservation pretty quickly. We ordered our food around 6:25pm and we didn't get our kids food until after 7:30pm. When we did get our food, some of our food was cold in the middle. Our waiter was very kind but it was way too long to wait for our food. We won't be back
RGB1
Very good. Menu offered a lot of choices, and food was served hot and tasty. Excellent service even thought the Restaurant was very busy. We fortunately had a wonderful window view table of the harbor.
Mickey13
It was a self serve buffet, including the Turkey and Ham (you had to carve your own meats). I did not get a serving of either one of those dishes during (I tried 2-3 times) my dinner (late afternoon) because the carving boards were empty and they had a line of people waiting for replacements in both the meats and other dishes. The taco bar was the best part of the meal and it was very good. Several options of meats and they had a staff warming tortillas for you as you assembled your tacos. I would not recommend dining here when it is self service.
We did the Thanksgiving buffet at 3:45pm. When we got there most of the food area was empty. They finally got another turkey but it was undercooked and we couldn't eat it. The taco station was the saving grace because not many people wanted tacos. The staff was trying hard but I think they were just overwhelmed with the number of people. I never got any turkey or stuffing (the only reason we went). So it was a big disappointment. The view of the harbor was great and the tacos were good so it wasn't a total loss. We learned our lesson.
LUISE
We arrived towards the last hour and a half of the brunch buffet. The presentation of the set up was not exciting. The restaurant could have freshened up the food instead it appeared we got what was sitting there for a while. Service was great. our waiter was very attentive. The local is very out dated.
MikeS
Not busy at all for a Sat night yet service was poor. Took awhile to be seated. Nobody was at the hostess desk for several minutes. Once seated, the waiter was nice but not attentive to get our larger party served. We were near the kitchen and it was loud. Food was cold and not very good. It was obvious why this place was empty on a Sat night.
Lauro Quintanar
It's sad that they are closing this one. Every time we are here in dana Point, El Torito has been our go to place. Great service, nice people. Enjoy while it's there , I know I will, see ya soon.. ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Diane Leemon
Not the same El Torito as a few years ago. The food quality seems to have gone down and of course they have added a special service fee on to your check. I prefer not to go there anymore.
Went to the Dana Point El Torito on 2/31 as it said it's closing on Jan. 3rd only to find customers and some employees standing outside as they decided to close early permanently. So we went to the Laguna Hills location and same thing so we ended up going to Rodrigo's across the street.??♂️
Sadly, there was some confusion on the whose order was whose. It was if they didn't know what food was on what platter. One order was given to the wrong person, then corrected, on another order the server thought they had forgotten to add chicken enchiladas but had actually given platters to the wrong people and it wasn't found out until the parties cut into their lunch. All in all, it was okay, but a little disappointing, as this was my husband's favorite restaurant. We came here for all his birthdays, Father's Day, etc. He passed away in August and since you were closing this was our last time to visit Dana Point El Torito Restaurant and reminisce of the good times we had with him.
It was a busy night, but...Ewww. The restaurant was so dirty - trash on the ground in multiple places, seats not wiped, dirty silverware under our table. We should have just decided to leave. I wish we had because the food was just ok and my stomach is still hurting today. Yuck! We have come to this El Torito for years, but not anymore. We won't be back.
Loved the food. Everyone was courteous. Best El Torito. Ambiance was great. Sat by window with great view. Got to see the decor outside and watch the kids dance to the outside music. Will be back soon for the Breakfast on Saturday and Lunch. Do not change and great Manager to keep us going here to eat.
Beautiful views and amazing value for Sunday brunch. Staff was so wonderful getting us a great table with a view for our celebration and being so attentive to refills and all such needs. Will be going back for sure.
Beautiful views and amazing value for Sunday brunch. Staff was so wonderful getting us a great table with a view for our celebration and being so attentive to refills and all such needs. Will be going back for sure.
Food is not like it was years ago. Very bland and bready texture. It was a family get together for a birthday. With the ten of us we ordered 4 appetizers and main courses. All of it was sub-par. Never, ever returning. The view of the harbor was nice.
We were able to get seated with our reservation pretty quickly. We ordered our food around 6:25pm and we didn't get our kids food until after 7:30pm. When we did get our food, some of our food was cold in the middle. Our waiter was very kind but it was way too long to wait for our food. We won't be back
Very good. Menu offered a lot of choices, and food was served hot and tasty. Excellent service even thought the Restaurant was very busy. We fortunately had a wonderful window view table of the harbor.
It was a self serve buffet, including the Turkey and Ham (you had to carve your own meats). I did not get a serving of either one of those dishes during (I tried 2-3 times) my dinner (late afternoon) because the carving boards were empty and they had a line of people waiting for replacements in both the meats and other dishes. The taco bar was the best part of the meal and it was very good. Several options of meats and they had a staff warming tortillas for you as you assembled your tacos. I would not recommend dining here when it is self service.
Restaurantji Recommends
We did the Thanksgiving buffet at 3:45pm. When we got there most of the food area was empty. They finally got another turkey but it was undercooked and we couldn't eat it. The taco station was the saving grace because not many people wanted tacos. The staff was trying hard but I think they were just overwhelmed with the number of people. I never got any turkey or stuffing (the only reason we went). So it was a big disappointment. The view of the harbor was great and the tacos were good so it wasn't a total loss. We learned our lesson.
We arrived towards the last hour and a half of the brunch buffet. The presentation of the set up was not exciting. The restaurant could have freshened up the food instead it appeared we got what was sitting there for a while. Service was great. our waiter was very attentive. The local is very out dated.
Not busy at all for a Sat night yet service was poor. Took awhile to be seated. Nobody was at the hostess desk for several minutes. Once seated, the waiter was nice but not attentive to get our larger party served. We were near the kitchen and it was loud. Food was cold and not very good. It was obvious why this place was empty on a Sat night.
It's sad that they are closing this one. Every time we are here in dana Point, El Torito has been our go to place. Great service, nice people. Enjoy while it's there , I know I will, see ya soon.. ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Not the same El Torito as a few years ago. The food quality seems to have gone down and of course they have added a special service fee on to your check. I prefer not to go there anymore.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4