Gonza Tacos Y Tequila

Awesome atmosphere and food. If you don’t live close, parking can be a bit of a pain. All the food is very fresh, and the taco’s are full of unique flavor a. There is also a varied drink menu. I recommend this for anyone looking for some «upscale» tacos, etc.

Despite living a few blocks away from Gonza, I hadn’t tried it until Sunday night — five friends and I made a 7:30 reservation for my birthday dinner. The place was packed. There were multiple parties of 8+ people. Great vibe and lots of energy from the customers and hostesses; lacking a bit from the waitresses.
Good chips, fresh salsa, and perfectly spicy queso dip. The chicken tortilla soup was good: tender, well-​seasoned chicken; crispy tortilla strips; perhaps a bit heavy on the cream. Quesadillas also good.
The deduction in stars comes from two things: one, our food took almost an hour to come out. Almost understandable, given how busy it was, but it shouldn’t have taken that long. Two, the dessert. I expect flan at a nice Mexican restaurant to be killer, and this tasted like they’d put the queso dip in a ramekin and chilled it. Same color, texture, and flavor. It was pretty gross. Also, they didn’t sing me feliz cumpleaños :(
Fun dinner, but I probably won’t be back.

Impeccable preparation. I had the scallops and pork belly taco. It’s easy to mess up a scallop but these were perfect in their tiny goodness. Our server knew his tequila and made some great recommendations.

We had a large party and they did a good job trying to seat us together. Our server did a great job with keeping everything as organized as possible with so many people.
For the food: I thought the salsa was nothing special. I normally love chips and salsa but here I stuck more to their guac. I also think their guacamole could have used more flavor overall. For this I also deducted a star. As for their main courses. All of them were delicious. Super flavorful! I have had their enchiladas and chilaquiles. I would def come back for the main courses! They also do have a good amount of veggie options for vegetarians. Also for some of their dishes they can swap out meat for a veg option which is nice.
Kids menu only has two options. It would be nice for it to have some more options.
I will def return for the main courses. Salsa and guac needs a little work.

The food was good and priced well. The drinks and service were terrible.
Here are the problems: first of all the waitress kept trying to take things from our table before we were done-​she even took my plate of tacos while half was still left without asking, she just came up behind me and surprise started to take my plate that I literally had a taco on and another in my hand. She also took one of my friend’s drinks that was not done. Second major problem-​the cocktails were super weak. They were so weak that my friend asked if she could order shots along with them so she could mix them into her drink. BUT the restaurant wouldn’t let my friend-​they told us it was against the law for them to serve her shots with our cocktails (possibly there is a limit on serving one person-​but not possible that they were putting enough alcohol in their cocktails to hit this limit). Basically, not only was the service generally bad, and the cocktails bad, they married the two issues by being super condescending and just flat out rude in how they dealt with my friend and the issue.

Finally got here, and was pleased with it living up to hype! We brought our almost 2 yr old, and, at least at 5:15 on a Sunday, it was a kid-​acceptable place (high chairs, [expensive] kids menu, music he loved dancing to). I got the pastor tacos while my husband got carnitas. Good size portion, and the sides were also delicious (plantains, and rice and beans respectively).

OK. I admit it. I was a little hesitant to eat dinner here.
Let’s face it. Durham, NC, is not exactly the US capital of Mexican cuisine. My coworkers picked this place for a work dinner and I agreed to attend after lots of peer pressure.
I loved the décor! the luchadores masks everywhere (I grew up watching Lucha Libre in Mexico) took me back to my childhood. I ordered a margarita and it was good! I also tried the spicy cucumber cocktail and it was delicious! (seriously, great summer snack: cucumbers, salt, chilli pepper, and sprinkle some lime juice, fantastic!).
I think getting only three small tacos per order is a little, but then again, i can eat tacos like there is no tomorrow. Instead I ordered the chilaquiles. Now, these are not like the chilaquiles I have eaten elsewhere. These were very different. I can’t really describe it, but don’t expect a plate full of tortillas fried and smothered in a sauce. These were not that. But the flavor was delicious! and very chilaquile-​like.
I will definitely stop by next time I am there for dinner. Now, this is not like a place for a quick one-​person meal (which often are my meals while I travel). Instead this place is good for a date, or a night out with friends.

Be very careful here. The food is good enough, the atmosphere is great. However, the server intentionally works to hide the prices of drinks. We ordered the house pitcher of margaritas and the waiter suggested we move up to the top shelf margarita for «$ 3 more.» Sounds like deal? Nope. When the bill came the total was $ 110 for the pitchers. FOR TWO PITCHERS. We inquired with our server about the $ 55/​ea ring and he said «Well the house pitcher is $ 35. It’s $ 3 more per glass and there are 5 per pitcher. Plus, they add a $ 1 up charge since its top shelf.» (There aren’t 5, maybe 4 glasses per pitcher if we are being honest.) So if you do the math, it isn’t just $ 3 more– it was $ 20 more.
Again, the food is good. The service is shady and he ruined an otherwise fun night.
*we did tell the manager on the way out and he apologized but the damage was done. We won’t be back.

I’m realizing that my opinion of food and restaurants has a lot to do with my expectations. When I go out for Mexican food, I expect a giant plate of some kind of meat and tortillas, smothered with cheese and guacamole. This is not Gonza. You will get a lovely hip rectangular plate with three tiny tacos and a small cute bowl of side dish (the salad is good). It was… Fine. I got the scallop and pork belly tacos and was kind of expecting to be blown away, but it was just pretty good. For $ 13, I probably wouldn’t get takeout, but if you’re looking for a fun place to meet friends in summer (they have a great patio) and don’t want to drive too far from downtown, this could be your spot. Oh, and they have tequila flights. That might help.
EDIT/​/​the owners really care about feedback, apparently — I take this as a really good sign. Highly recommend.

The beef in the Tacos was decadent! If you like tacos and great service then this place is a must go!

Gonza has it all: great music, vibes, food, and décor. Whenever I try new taco places I always get al pastor to set a baseline comparison, and Gonza exceeded my expectations. My dish came with three al pastor tacos on corn tortillas with salsa verde and pineapple! I can always tell the taco is going to be good when it comes with pineapple. I also got the cilantro rice on the side, which while it was a little bit dry, was very tasty. It doesn’t hurt that I really love cilantro, too.
The music is poppin’, and it was packed when I went (on a Tuesday night). Their decorations are beautiful with the myriad star lights, dia de los muertos artwork on the walls, and swinging mannequins. Gonza has a great aesthetic that is perfect to conversation, it’s not too expensive, and it has great food.
My friends had steak tacos with avocado and the enchiladas with mole, which they both raved about. One of them wouldn’t stop talking about her side of black beans either! That’s when you know it’s good.

Dawg, youre not ready for this. Off the chain neon sign of a luchador posted up high on the side of the building when you pull up, they got it. Dope ass patio area, check. Sweet as hell atmosphere inside, affirmative. If youre not already sold once you walk in the door, just wait, the foods gonna wrestle you into submission.
Just like any other mexican restaurant they hand you salsa and chips when you sit down, whats different here? THE SALSA IS BOSS, to date its probably the best salsa ive had in my life, I devoured the chips because of it. I cant explain the taste its just the right combination of delicious, I want to say its due in part to the tomatos they use, There was a chunk of tomato in the bottom of the bowl and biting into it, its clear thats where the flavor came from, Id like to add that I hate tomatos. so I literally recommend this place on the fact that the salsa was delicious… but wait theres more.
My wife ordered some seafood tacos, I didnt try them because i dont eat anything that swims in its own poop, but she said she loved them and the sauce that was on them was spicy, but very good. I ordered the carnitas tacos and the quality of the meat was slightly better than places ive been that have really good carnitas, I put the salsa from the chips on the tacos and that brought em up another level. They came with a tomatilla sauce that was a bit runny but wasnt bad, overall i didnt use it cause it lacked flavor.
I cant wait to come back and try some of the other menu items, this place was bangin’.

Gonza is a trendy addition to downtown. It is in the midst of West Village apartments, which gives it a nice urban feel and it has cool secluded outdoor space that was fun when I came here on Cinco De Mayo. The inside is also hiply decorated and it is a good place to come with a group of friends or a date night.
You get complimentary chips and salsa when you are seated though the salsa isn’t my favorite. The queso and guac here are both excellent, though they are small portions. You expect that with guac but given that queso is cheaper I wish they would give you more. That is pretty much the name of the game at Gonza though. The food is good, better than other downtown options like Dos Perros and of course Torreros or El Rodeo. But the portions are not ample. I was okay to this, but when I recently brought a group here a few people noted the small portions, so it is worth pointing out. I’ve tried a few taco options and they have always nice (Al Pastor and Scallop tacos seem to be favorites). The mole chicken enchiladas other Unilocalers have pointed out are also a highlight. And if you like tortilla soup, they serve a good one.
Listen, If you just want great Mexican food in Durham, immediately take yourself down Roxboro to La Superior Carniceria. It has fantastic food at a fraction of the price. However for a nice ambiance downtown, I’d recommend Gonza compared to the other options.

I am not easily impressed by Mexican restaurants especially when they have four walls and a roof. I am more accustomed to the Mexican taco truck or stand where my tacos are $ 1.50 and my carne asada fries deliver heart attacks. Nonetheless, Gonza Tacos y Tequila have managed to piqué my interest!
My friend had called on a rainy Saturday evening around 6 pm to see if a reservation was required. The hostess on the phone brushed her off and said no reservation needed since it was currently super quiet. Well, we show up at 6:30 and the place is booming. It looked like a dozen people showed up all at the same time. I know none of us can predict the future, but perhaps that could have been handled a little differently — reservation, better safe than sorry!
We ended up waiting an additional 35 minutes to be seated and when it’s raining, there isn’t much space to wait in that area. The restaurant itself is nicely decorated with Dia de los muertos theme and street art on the walls. I thought the dead body outlines outside the restaurant were a little distasteful though.
We sat down and our server was very informative and helpful. I had the Callo de Hacha tacos with a side salad. I was merely impressed with the side salad. it isn’t your basic out of the bag store bought salad. there were avocados, seeds, tomatoes, cheese, etc. Pretty delicious. I was a little irritated that we couldn’t mix and match the tacos since they come in a set of three. Either way, the Callo de Hacha tacos were absolutely delicious. The little scallops, sauce, and pork belly were a great combo. The pork belly could have been more abundant, however.
I couldn’t help myself and got the chocolate flan for dessert too. The flavor was good but I wouldn’t call it a «flan». It was more on the mousse side than it was a gelatinous flan. But still yummy anyway!
Overall, a good experience. Definitely room for improvement but the food is solid.

My husband and I had an impromptu date night in Durham. I had won tickets to a comedy show at The Carolina Theater that day. We live in Raleigh and without much notice we were flying by the seat of our pants. When we got to Durham we still had time to catch a bite before going to the show so I took to my trusty Unilocal app and found this gem. It’s walking distance from the theater so we checked it out.
From the moment I walked in I was excited. The décor is fun and beautiful. I really loved the big, colorful star lights. The mannequins swinging above the bar and the fun artwork on the walls were a great touch. The hostess and server were friendly and helpful. We were greeted warmly and and helped immediately. The server brought us chips and salsa. We ordered margaritas to drink. My husband got the carne tacos and I ordered the pastor tacos (shredded pork and pineapple). The margaritas were lovely. The food was served quickly but it looked as though great care had been taken in plateing the items.
The tacos were fantastic! The portion size was perfect. I was full but not overstuffed and there were no leftovers. That was ideal since we had a three hour long show to attend after dinner and no where to keep a doggie bag. Gonza has two locations in Raleigh. I haven’t tried them but I will now! This place is the perfect combo of delicious Mexican food, delightful décor, and divine cocktails. Next time you need a dinner option in downtown Durham you must check it out!

This is a fun place tucked away off Duke Street that is worth your visit. Do you like tequila? Do you like tacos? Of course you do. Everyone does.
The tacos come as an order of three and they are small, but they are filling. The Pastor are my favorite of what I’ve tried to date. They also have a stuffed jalapeño appetizer that is +++.
They make a good margarita, but it gets disappointingly expensive (like think airport bar prices) if you try to build your own. I’d stick with the suggestions they have on the front of their menu and try some of the other tequila for sipping.
The décor inside is dark but fun and interesting. I like that they give you a bobblehead if you are waiting for a table. Their outdoor patio is a great place to sit on a nice night. I believe they have a private room for parties, too.
Be warned that they close early. 10 pm on a Friday. Both times I’ve been in to visit on a Friday after flying home from a work trip and we’ve kind of closed down the place. Fortunately, it is a reasonable walk to some of the bars in Brightleaf if you aren’t ready to pack it in for the evening.

5 stars for the ambiance. Lively, fun music, good service.
1 stars for the drinks. Not only were they not strong, but also lacked any flavor. I got the spicy margarita… and it had no flavor let alone spice. We also had a mojito which was super sour and just tasted like lime juice (pretty sure that’s all that was in it)
3.5 stars for the food. we had the chile relleno with carnitas and the fajitas with extra meat. The steak on the fajita was well made, everything else was decent. Fresh ingredients. Nothing amazing unfortunately, but I haven’t yet had the tacos.
I’ll be back here but probably just for the patio and ambiance. I wish the drinks were better because this could be a great spot!

Durham is really getting some trendy places! The thing that struck me the most about this place is the ambience — super cool décor and attention to detail. The bar area is great and there are so many different types of tequilas to choose from. We went on a Friday night around 8pm with no reservation and only waited about 15 min. It was crowded but there were only 3 of us… so if you’re going with a larger party, I would definitely make a reservation!
The food was good. Nothing spectacular, but I would definitely go back for more. I got the carnitas tacos. I have celiac disease so I have to eat gluten free and these were fine. The server was knowledgeable about what I could/couldn’t eat. There is not a separate gf menu. Most of the menu is gf. But they do have gluten free chips! You just have to ask for them. Honestly they taste just like any other chips but probably from a separate fryer. Yay!
Get the guacamole as an app! It’s super fresh and delicious — lots of huge chunks of avocados. Also the margaritas are super good. Kind of small but great quality flavor. If you like spicy margaritas, they have a good one!

«Upscale tacos by downtown Durham»
Came here for lunch with a friend and was happy overall.
Positives:
+ Food quality. We ordered the queso picoso (spicy albeit a bit runny with jalapenos), the pescado tacos (with swordfish today), and the carne tacos (beef). Sides were beans. Everything was absolutely delicious. Each taco dish came with three tacos, clearly fresh ingredients, and the presentation was excellent.
+ Service. Knowledgeable about the food and helpful. My friend noted that the food was often brought out by people from the kitchen, so you know it’s fresh. The servers were really on us– I think my drink got refilled almost every time I took a sip (which I was happy with even though I see other reviewers noted that as annoying).
+ Setting. Excellent décor with large paintings. A bit dark, but really nice.
Negatives:
— Price. This ain’t no Torero’s, El Rodeo, Chubby’s, Vaquita, or even Nanataco– it’s «upscale» and downtown, so the order of tacos was in the $ 12 – 13 range (again, for 3 tacos plus a side). I think it’s well worth it given the high quality, but that made for a pricey lunch, particularly with the appetizer too.
— Parking. Didn’t see any easy parking besides street, but perhaps I just missed it.
Synopsis:
I see this place as falling in a niche between Nanataco (cheaper but slightly fancy) and Tonali (very upscale). Overall, I was very happy with my food (VERY high quality), and I’d come back, but the price-​point makes it a place I probably wouldn’t put into my regular lunch rotation. A-​OK– 3 – 4 star border.

I had very low expectations for Gonzas. In general, quality Mexican/​Latino food is hard to come by in the Triangle. The offerings are always subpar at best, and often leave me feeling completely underwhelmed and grateful that I at there.
However! I was blown away by the quality of the food and the unique, urban atmosphere on the inside. I live 15 miles away, but I will drive it any day to enjoy this fantastic spot. It is vastly better than Dos Perros, Nanataco and especially that god awful Torreros.