Fresno’s El Torito Mexican restaurant is officially a souvenir.
The restaurant in downtown Fresno, which was the venue for business meetings and late-night margaritas, was demolished on Friday.
The Tulare Street restaurant closed abruptly in October 2018.
The company did not say why it closed the restaurant. But at the time, the restaurant’s troubled owner was closing restaurants across the country after two bankruptcies in six years.
El Torito, Chevys Fresh Mex, and Acapulco Restaurant y Cantina were all owned by Cypress, California, Real Mex Restaurants. All three once had locations in Fresno, but all have closed. (River Park’s Chevys is now Texas de Brazil Churrascaria Steakhouse.)
By Friday, El Torito had been reduced to a pile of rubble. Twisted metal cooking equipment and fans were stacked in one corner. Pieces of tree were mixed in with the debris.
The restaurant’s brightly colored walls and murals, including one that read “Tijuana Taxi,” were exposed to the sun on Friday as the building was half-demolished. Its green door lay on its side above the debris.
It is not yet clear what – if anything – is planned for the property.
On social media on Friday, El Torito fans were mourning the destruction of the building and sharing memories of their time there.
This story was originally published March 25, 2022 2:27 p.m.
