El Toreador

I love this place. Great salsa, great decor, and exactly the service you hope for from a place like this. It’s a Mexican restaurant from an era that’s soon to be bygone. Kitsch on the walls, families of all stripes, reasonable prices. I always get the enchilada plate. I’m a carnivore but I can’t resist their cheese enchiladas.

I was invited to El Toreador (The Bullfighter) for dinner and here is my review. The food was definitely authentic Mexican food with great sauces. Our dishes included Mole sauce, Verde sauce, and Chipotle sauce. The Mexican rice was perfectly made with tomato sauce. I particularly enjoyed the salty flavor in the rice. We ordered refried pinto beans vs black beans and we also enjoyed the creamy texture with the topping of melted cheese. I am not sure if the tortillas are freshly made but they were fine since the sauces smothered the tortillas. I would return to El Toreador in the future.

Nice fun place by West Portal. I sat and was brought hips and a really good salsa roja, the salsa was medium hot and had a great flavor. There was not an empty space to fill on this colorful space. I ordered the Chile Verde plate, a mouthwatering plate that came with small chunks of pork, slow cook in green chiles, garlic, cumin and tomatillo, it was a accompanied by a crisp chopped iceberg lettuce salad next to delectable order of refried beans and fluffy Spanish Rice, (Arroz Rojo) that paired perfectly with the green sauce. The flavors of this homemade meal reminded me of the original Mexican recipes that I used to eat at Los Angeles.

This is a classic San Francisco Mexican restaurant. We arrived early for dinner on a Thursday night and were seated immediately at a nice table near the window. I ordered a mango margarita, as did my daughter, and we loved them. I ordered a standard bean and cheese burrito (lol), and it was exactly what I wanted. My daughter ordered a chicken quesadilla, and our two companions ordered enchiladas. Service can be a little slow but it’s kinda what you expect. Place is colorfully decorated and very pretty inside. We love this place and will be back.

This is a tried and true go-to for my boyfriend and I when we are looking for a delicious place to eat in West Portal. Yummy Mexican food that is really reasonably priced. They bring you house made tortilla chips and house made roasted salsa. Both fresh and delicious. The salsa is spicy HOT, so be careful. It's not for the faint of heart. The entree portions are huge. The decor is super fun and festive. I could seriously stare at all the colorful chachkis for hours. The staff is really friendly and attentive. They make you feel really welcomed. Lastly, it can get busy here, especially at dinner time. There may be a wait, but it's definitely worth it.

We ordered out through DoorDash and the menu is so weird because it says you have to pick either beans or rice or salad with your entrée and I wanted all three! And I couldn’t figure out a way to order them à la carte. I’m like OK I guess this is the way they do it in San Francisco. But when we got it delivered Everything was there the rice and the beans and the salad so they really need to fix their DoorDash menu. I had chicken enchiladas. They were so so good! I loved their red sauce. Hubs had an enchilada and a chili rellano and they were really good too! In my opinion the salsa is too hot but that’s usually my opinion. I always like to have a milder option.

This place means a lot to me and my family. El Toreador is right in the heart of San Francisco and hands down serves the best Mexican food I’ve ever had. My dad used to come here back when he was a college student at SFSU, and now here I am, sitting in the same spot he used to, eating a massive burrito and soaking it all in. Kind of wild. The interior is super colorful and full of character it's like every inch of the walls and ceiling has something interesting to look at. Really feels like a family-run spot that’s kept its soul over the years. The rice was flavorful, the beans were perfect, and the burrito I got was huge, warm, and packed with well-seasoned meat and fresh ingredients. You can tell they care about the food. It’s cozy, feels like home, and there’s history in every corner. The staff was chill and welcoming, the vibe was relaxed, and everything about it just hit right. If you’re ever in the area and want real, honest, amazing Mexican food with some family history behind it this is the spot.