No Toro Cafe — Restaurant in Artesia

I wander Los Angeles county for chilaquilles in hopes of finding that crispy, saucy unicorn. I've been meaning to try No Toro because of the the reviews and wanted to see what the fuss was about. Second time here, first time eating, as the place is rather small and sometimes you can't get a table. I tried the chorizo chilaquilles and my partner tried the carne asada variety. They were fresh out of the cafe de olla so we settled for regular coffee. Now, I always get sheelas with over easy eggs. The menu says eggs any style too! However, the server didn't ask how we wanted our eggs and I forgot to tell. So we got scrambled as that seems to be their standard issue. I realized it when they brought the food out and I was disappointed as you'd think that would be a default question when ordering. That irked me a bit but I decided to continue the mission as is.

The sheelas are lightly tossed in the sauce. The sauce itself is tasty but being that is it so limited in the dish you don't get to taste enough of it. Also, no spice happening here so technically the plate should be called No Chile Chilaquilles. The chorizo was tasty and compliments the other flavors. This plate, at almost 17 dollars, does not come with any accessories such as beans or rice. My partner indicated her carne was a bit salty, and upon having a taste myself, could confirm so. Good flavor, but a tad over seasoned.

Overall it was a good meal but it wasn't spectacular. I feel there are other chilaquilles options in the area that do better as far as flavor and price. Curious to try the same meal with over easy eggs and ask for more sauce next time.

The whole military things seems odd to me. Not the fact that it is veteran owned, that is awesome, but we felt the military theme is a bit too much. The Sniper scramble bar and grenade fries come to mind. Not sure if the grenade fries are supposed to blow up your bowels or not. Is there a shrapnel frittata on the secret menu? I might not be ready to contemplate the real seriousness of war and destruction while sipping on a coffee and eating...

I personally had a good breakfast experience here. Came in on a Friday morning (around 10 AM). Although the place is on the smaller side and there were a decent number of people present, I was able to be seated right away. Service was quick, friendly, and attentive. I ordered the Gunner Breakfast Burrito and earl grey tea. The Gunner Breakfast Burrito is tricky in the sense that it doesn't look very big at first glance. Maybe it's the way the burrito is cut in half, but I was initially worried that it wouldn't be enough. It turns out that the burrito is packed, and what it lacks in length is made up in how much goes into the burrito. Of the various breakfast burritos I've tried in the SoCal area, I'd say this is one of the cheesiest. I could definitely taste the cheddar cheese, so whether or not you like this burrito might hinge upon your preference for a breakfast burrito that's on the cheesier side. That's not to say that the cheese is overwhelming per se, but it's noticeable. As for the value of the burrito, I have mixed feelings. Yes, the burrito is certainly good (good enough that I would eat it again). However, I have had comparable breakfast burritos that were cheaper and not at the expense of quality/size. Despite this struggle, I can say the Gunner Breakfast Burrito is certainly one of the better breakfast burritos I have had in recent years. The earl grey tea was just a cup of hot water with Stash earl grey black tea on the side. The ambiance is nice, though not spectacular by any means. It's certainly very clean inside with hints of a military theme (I can appreciate the story behind No Toro). There is a TV near where the bar area is. Parking is rather limited, since it's in a small plaza and shares parking with a few other stores (it's in the same plaza as Belly Bombz Kitchen). Overall, I am happy that I can add one more viable breakfast option to the list of decent breakfast places near...

I'm quite shocked at the fact that this place has so many good reviews. I ordered food from here through the Door Dash app and I will never eat anything from this place again. My food was atrocious. The pancakes had no flavor to them whatsoever. They tasted like straight flour, and to make things worse, they provided me with no butter and one TINY cup of syrup for two large tasteless pancakes even though I specifically requested for them to provide me with PLENTY of butter and syrup for the pancakes. The sausage patty was so thin and greasy that I could literally see right through it but it was tough as nails when I bit into it; so tough in fact that it broke a piece off of my retainer as soon as I began to chew it, and I never have to take my retainer off to eat unless I'm eating something gummy like candy. Now I have to get it replaced. The potatoes I ordered were tasteless as well and also undercooked. The eggs and bacon were fine but I was so frustrated with the meal as a whole that I threw it all straight in the trash. I've had a lot of lame food before but No Toro Cafe is one of the worst places I've ever eaten from. I'll never eat anything from this place again. Talk about a...