Our Customers

People talk about us:

1. Nichole T.

Cute place, clean, food was great, and everyone was very friendly and made you feel like family.

2. Caroline I.

My husband and I tried EL Torito Cafe for lunch. It is located on Boulder Highway. The restaurant has been around for 59 years. It's a mainstay, where regulars and newcomers come together for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. I've seen EL Torito via commercials with the Harris and Harris father and son law firm. The food looked appetizing. We enjoyed our lunch. My husband ate breakfast and I had the tacos with rice and beans. The food was outstanding. The tacos are the best I've ever eaten in my 58 years on this planet. We will be back to try more of their delicious food. The service is great and the restaurant is comfortable. I recommend trying them out if you're looking for a good meal.

3. Mark C.

Good simple Mexican food. Very friendly and attentive staff. The pork green chili burrito was flavorful. The chicken in the enchilada was flavorful and very moist.

4. Becky L.

WHOO HOO! the BEST MEXICAN FOOD in the Valley!!!!! We've lived here 10 years and just heard on El Torito Cafe ~ Very simple clean interior with typical artwork on the walls. It does not look that big however we saw a large room for overflow or private parties~ Large parking lot needs abit of work but it's FREE All the staff were sooooo nice & accommodating and the food runner is hysterical, but I will let you discover that on your own . Nice menu with loads of options for everyone's favorites and a full bar too Our dishes were all WONDERFUL, all 3 of us commented how DEELISH our meals were ~ This is our new GO~TO Mexican Restaurant, out on Bolder Hwy so it's a bit of a hike but worth the drive ~

5. Robb W.

Wow - such an interesting experience going there last night (on Good Friday). My family went on a whim when we stumbled across this from reading other Yelp! reviews and I liked that it seemed to lean into New Mexico styled Mexican food. Arriving to see it first hand, and driving down the "so worn it's almost a dirt road" paved driveway, it's charm is absolutely helped by it's hole-in-the-wall out of the 60's look. Granted, El Torito Cafe will celebrate it's 50th anniversary in 2025, but the structure has this great older "look", kind of like if you built a restaurant from the rectangular cinder-block old snack bars that you used to see at an old-timey Drive-In Movie theater. This is not a bad thing mind you...it's almost straight out what you'd expect to see in a real life version of Radiator Springs from Cars! The interior doesn't disappoint either, well worn naugahyde semi-circle red booths along with a number of tables let you know that they haven't replaced what works (and perhaps that keeps their prices reasonable). Shabby chic! Nothing dirty or untoward mind you - just, well, lived in! Starting out with Chips and Salsa, I'm definitely that C&S fiend that eats way too much and forgets to make room for dinner but no regrets ..they were on point. Tasty salsa served in a large vessel that you don't have to ask to get refilled every ten chips (I'm looking at you Casa Don Juan) and chips that have that tiniest bit of softness when you bite to remind you that they're homemade. Lovely - and before we could finish the basket, our server was already refreshing both for us. Nicely done and thoughtful! Onto the meals, my daughter who just wanted a bean and cheese burrito was thrilled to know that when El Torito does it smothered in Red Sauce, she could choose Mild, Regular, or Hot red sauce. That's awesome and she went for the Hot. She was beyond happy with the end result. I tried the sauce as well and it wasn't like blow-your-head-off hot for the sake of being hot but rather, a nice slow building hot that was really just nice and flavorful and not overly crazy or gimmicky. My wife had the shredded beef chimi with regular red, and given the New Mexico way of doing things, lots of orange cheese melted everywhere. Yum. You would never outwardly know the burrito had been fried with all the sauce and cheese, but she noted you get that nice crunch underneath and the beef was a bit crisped while still being moist and flavorful instead of dry or tough. I had the Green Chile Pork burrito and it came as you see in my pic, with some spiciness to it but nothing overwhelming and I loved how you got actual diced Hatch green chile in and around the burrito. The pork was shredded and lean...nothing where you take a bite and you get something rubbery or a "bad piece" that turns you off. Just deliciousness and as they recommend it as one of their specialties, I would do the same if you prefer green over red. Rice was completely floof, and you always want floof rice so good on them. The beans were tasty as well. A+ on the rice and beans we all had. So - food was good...prices were extremely reasonable and there was character to this old place for days. What else can be said? Service. None of this matters if service is lacking. Let me share a quick anecdote. Again, we were there on Good Friday, got there at 7pm and they closed at 8pm. Meals took a while to make (not lightning fast or alarmingly slow- just a normal unrushed pace and that's perfectly fine as we were thoroughly enjoying eating our weight in chips and salsa). Point being, we were finishing a bit after 8pm. At 7:55pm, a group of at least 8 people came in asking to be seated. 5 minutes before closing (!) and I'm sure the kitchen would have liked to close up but the staff completely welcomed them in like family, no attitude, no worries, just seemingly totally happy to provide food for them. It made an impression on OUR family as we witnessed this. We thought, what an amazing way to treat their customers and I think that speaks volumes about this business and why we will definitely be coming back. True 5 stars (at least) for this first visit to a wonderful family owned restaurant. Thanks!