California chain Mexican in Tokyo
Cal-Mex a little on the bland side, but hits the spot if you are stuck in Tokyo.    [20 Dec 1999 21:47:33]

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     ­mxs   

Don't go
Very very bland food. Luckily you can find most ingredients in supermarkets so you are probably better off spending the money on a good recipe book and make the food yourself.    [09 Mar 2004 02:58:21]

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Recommended Dishes: None

     ­Lynn   

Horrible Service
The El Torito in Shinjuku has to have some of the worst service in Japan. First they try to seat us at a table with another person when 90% of the restaurant was empty. Then we saw the waitress once for our drinks and food, then never again. I actually had to go to the hostess so we could get our check. We should have just walked out without paying!    [13 Jul 2005 02:17:02]

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Recommended Dishes: Anything in another restaurant

     ­Anonymous   

Horrible!!!
I never knew it was possible to make dry refried beans, but somehow they managed. Even the drinks were terrible. Worst Mexican food I have ever eaten.    [30 May 2006 05:13:24]

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Recommended Dishes: None

     ­Anonymous   

Best Tex-Mex I've found in Japan
Perhaps that isn't saying too much, and I admit that I knew a number of rather better places in Austin. I'm actually surprised to see those criticisms of the place, but maybe they're talking about a different location than Shinjuku. I think the Ikebukuro and Shibuya locations aren't as good, but Shinjuku usually has a big line waiting.

With regards to the criticisms, they have increased the spiciness of some foods, but they're still somewhat adjusted to the Japanese preferences. The service has gone up and down over the years, though it's been pretty good recently.    [24 Aug 2006 23:31:13]

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Recommended Dishes: weekday lunch sets

     ­shanen, Texas   

Worth trying
I'm from LA and I've grown up eating Mexican food on a weekly basis. Coming to Japan and not being able to have Mexican food regularly is like a crack addict going into rehab; it's no walk in the park. I've gone to El Torito restaurants in the States and I can easily say that when I'm in California I'd much rather go to some hole in the wall Mexican place to get an authentic experience. That, however, is in Southern California, a mere two hours by car from Mexico.

You can't possibly expect an authentic experience across an entire ocean, especially from a large chain restaurant. I find it amusing that other reviewers on here have so many complaints. Yeah, Tokyo's a horrible city. The streets are clean, you can walk around safely at night, the trains run on time, they HAVE trains. And let's not forget the "bland" Mexican food at El Torito.

Let me remind you, even though Tokyo's a very international city, probably only about 2% of Tokyo residents even know what Mexican food tastes like. Japanese people don't like spicy food. It just doesn't make sense for a chain restaurant to scare off 98% of the population just to satisfy the palettes of a handful of foreigners who know what actual Mexican food tastes like.

Also, I've never had a problem with the service at El Torito. Maybe that's because I speak Japanese, though. After all, it is Japan! Why not look on the bright side?

Hell, without El Torito, you'd be stuck hand rolling burritos by your lonesome. Now you've got a place to congregate with other Mexican food lovers, kick back a few margaritas, and feel like you're back home again for half an hour. If the food's too "bland" for your advanced, superior Western palette, then guess what? You can always ask for hot sauce or just bring your own!    [20 Sep 2007 14:30:13]

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     ­Nick, Los Angeles, CA   

Good food and great ambience
Nick...great review. I live in Japan, moved here from Dallas last year. I really miss the Mexican food in the States.

I got stuck in Shinjuku recently when the trains stopped running at midnight. I got a hotel room. The next day, I checked out and went downstairs and was amazed to find an El Torito on the first floor of the hotel. I had to try it, and I was not disappointed.

I've had a lot of fake Mexican food in Japan, where they add their typical unappealing Japanese flair. When you go to El Torito, you won't think you're in Mexico City or even Tijuana, but it's authentic enough and brings back at least some memories of home. And heck, don't tell them but I'd pay twice as much.    [27 Sep 2007 21:42:14]

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     ­Eric