Tacos El Gordo

Every menu item is delicious.
If you’re a first timer, the lines might be a little confusing as there are separate lines for the different types of meat.
The campechana fries are a sure pleaser!
My favorite item is the adobada tacos, but hey be adventurous and try some cabeza or bucha tacos. Delicious!

What’s not to love? TJ street tacos without having to deal with the hassle of the border wait! The best!

The taco asada was really good, but the tacos were small compared to how much was in the taco. A little too much guacamole, but overall good.

How have I not reviewed this place? Anyway, it’s a little hectic in here, but the food you get out of it is amazing. You split into lines based on what type of meat you want, so it works best if you have at least another person with you so you can stand in separate lines and order a few of each.
Really simple, delicious, and authentic tacos. Adobada was my fav, but they were all good. They also have mulas– which honestly just looks like a quesadilla to me, so I don’t really know what the difference is, but I prefer the simple tacos I think. Easier to eat!
Anyway these things are spreading all over, so luckily even though I’ve moved, I think they have some in the LA area anyway! Woo

The tacos de asada were delicious but smaller than I would have liked. I would love to dig in to many more but alas I am a poor college student. They came out pretty quickly since they make them in front of you once you order.
My friend and I ordered the campechana fries. After waiting for quite a while (like more than twenty minutes?), we found out that something that goes on the fries were still being made and that it would take another twenty minutes. The cashier asked us if we were okay with changing it to carne asada fries, and since we didn’t feel like waiting any longer, we got them. I also tried asking if I could change mine to the adobada fries, but they ran out to my disappointment.
Their carne asada fries were delicious, but my friend and I were disappointed by the fact that we weren’t able to try the campechana fries.
Ordering is difficult if you don’t know Spanish. I suggest looking the menu up before you come in. There are signs you have to line up in front of depending on what you want to order. For fries, there wasn’t a specific sign, so I just ordered them in the same line for the tacos de asada. You have to yell out your order because they take orders behind the stove. After ordering and getting your tacos, you pay at the cashier off to the left. Make sure you keep your receipt handy if you ordered fries. You pick the fries up at the cash register.
Parking is a bit difficult to find. If you’re lucky, you won’t have to risk parking in the lot next door. Interior is small and looks like an old diner.
Not sure if I’ll come back if I have to wait so long for some fries.

As with every other person who has reviewed TEG, I love their adobada fries. I love that I can see the meat cooking and being prepared as I order. The fries are perfection. They are not to crispy and not soggy. For a first timer, the process of ordering and paying can seem confusing. Don’t be afraid to ask others for help.

So my coworker went on a food run and picked up some tacos el gordo.
It’s probably best to eat it right away, ordering to go was a tiny bit messy.
The Adobada was tender, juicy and had just a hint of spice. Not too salty.
Carne asada was pretty tasty. It had that nice smoky grill taste without it being overcooked.
The grilled chilis and onion is a nice addition.
Ultimately, I’m glad I FINALLY got a taste of Tacos el Gordo, and it’s pretty good… It’s comparable to ANY good taco spot (and this area has a of them.) But maybe I need to go and eat it right away to taste it in all its glory.

This place is run by good cooks, but not good or intelligent businessmen.
Food is fresh and delicious.
Now, to get your food, you have to decide what you want first.
BE AWARE:
You cannot have two different types of tacos — only one.
You want to know why?
Because for each type of taco, you have to stand in a different line.
OK, imagine you did go through 2 lanes to get them. It does not end there.
Now you have to stand in a third lane — to pay!
Note that all of this happens in a crowded room, and on top of that your cashier has no idea what you ordered. You have to yell it to her, preferably in Spanish.
Long story short, it takes approximately 15 minutes to get 2 bloody tacos, but by the time you can eat them, they are cold and nasty.
Cooks should stick to the kitchen, and let smart people run the business.

Pretty good, but I don’t think it’s way better than other places I’ve tried. I was in the area and decided to check out the hype on their adobada fries ($ 12). When you get in, there are different lines depending on the type of meat that you want. When you get to the front, you then tell them what you want. If you want tacos, then they make it for you right then and there, but if you order fries, then they’ll yell out your order to those in the back near the deep fryer, you’ll give them your name, and then you can go right ahead to the payment line. Since it’s a small place and it can get pretty cramped, it’s sometimes hard to tell who’s in which line. I was standing in the payment line instead of the adobada line for a good few minutes before my friend pointed it out to me…
After I finished paying I still had to wait for my fries to be done. So I waited… and waited… and waited. People behind me were getting their food before me. There was a sign that said something along the lines of «Since we make our food fresh to order, we apologize ahead of time if the wait is long». I assumed that was the case so I waited some more. 20 minutes had passed and most of our group left to go back home and I still had no fries. Luckily the woman at the cashier noticed I’ve been waiting for quite some time so she asked me what I ordered. I repeated my order to her, and told her my name. Turns out that they never even started making it. Not really surprised considering all the guy did when I ordered was yell out my order to the people at the deep fryer. Nothing was written down, and it gets pretty loud in the kitchen, so I wasn’t surprised that no one had heard him when he yelled out my order. Luckily, my adobada fries was finished within 5 minutes and we finally got to leave.
They don’t really have a salsa bar, although they do put out a bunch of limes and radishes. You’ll have to ask for the red or green sauce when your order is being called up or when you pay, so they can grab it for you behind the cashier counter. You can also ask for some of the sauce that they put on the adobada.
As for the food, I think it’s great. They give you a ton of fries and meat and top it off with this creamy green sauce on top, along with a bunch of cheese and sour cream. The adobada has a little bit of sweetness and spiciness to it, and it has its own unique taste. It’s definitely something to try out, because I’ve never even seen it anywhere else. They did pack in the fries a lot, that I could only eat half of it, leaving the rest for later. However, it (the menu in general, not just the adobada fries) costs a little more than what I’m used to paying, but it tastes the same as any other good mexican food place. Really the thing here to come for is the adobada, because I can get the same carne asada from anywhere else for cheaper. It’s delicious, but I don’t think it’s worth paying more money for, or for the drive.

I was craving tacos el gordo so we went first to the one on h street… omg too packed! !! Extremely tiny parking too.. anywho… Baes said to shake the spot and we drove right up to palm ave location. It wasn’t as busy when we got there. Prefect timing! ! We bought a little bit of everything from adobada, chorizo, nopales, suadero, lengua, they were out of sesos and some sodas. Pretty fast service, paid my food then sat down started eating and BOOM! ! Everyone came in after us waiting at least 5 – 10 for their tacos. Tacos el gordo is definitely a hit! Stays busy and food is always on point as0nd delicious as fucqqq

Been here many times. Don’t know why I keep coming back? The tacos are good, I guess. I have to vent about what I saw today…
As I was waiting in line for the adobada tacos they had to change the meat that spins. As they’re changing it they have some meat already cooked on the pan. They bring the new BLOODY meat and it starts dropping on the meat that is on the pan. I think well maybe the pan is on so its cooking. I see a heavy set young girl (I’m just saying this for identification reasons) making the adobada fries and comes and grabs scoops of the cooked meat that was just contaminated with the blood. She did this to about 4 different orders. I kept telling myself «maybe the pan is on and cooking it a bit» NOPE! After loading the new meat they put fire on a piece of paper to turn the pan on. WTF! THAT’S DISGUSTING!!!
Do you think I’m going to eat that after seeing all this?! Yup. I ordered 6, just asked them to cook it more :-)
I’ll let you guys know if I get sick.

The food here tastes amazing!
Parking is a little tight and the dining area is a quite small compared to their other locations. Service is also quite slow, and the lines are a mess, but the food makes it worth it.
Everything they cook is right in front of you and you can watch it being cut as they make your food. It is all fresh and delicious. I have had various tacos here, but by far the best is the adobada tacos which you can see the them dip their tortillas in the grease (as disgusting as it sounds, it tastes amazing!). They are also the only location in San Diego with the adobada fries which is just as amazing, although a little overpriced at about 6 – 7 dollars for a half order.
They also offer a various mexican beverages, and complimentary salsa, fried green onion, and radishes (both whole and sliced) to help cut down on the delicious greasiness!

Believe the hype! It’s freakin delicious Mexican food. The adobada tacos are just amazing! The flavor is so good and the sauces they use are great. They have a variety of tacos that are not offered at other taco shops.
There are different lines for you to stand in and order your food. If you want adobada tacos then stand in the line that indicates adobada. If you want carne asada then stand in the line that says that and so on and so forth.

Tacos El Gordo is one of the best Mexican food places hands down in San Diego.
What I usually go for is the adobada (spicy pork) tacos. You can get an assortment of different types of meat ranging from tongue, intestines, and what not. I usually just stay plain and go with the adobada.
You can also get it in the form of fries but the real winner here are the tacos. I recommend getting them and getting at least 5 – 6 of them. They’re so good that you’ll feel sadness once the tacos disappear one by one…

Tacos El Gordo was definitely an experience, maybe not the one that I was anticipating due to all the hype, but it certainly was an experience…
Now, let me preface that I’ve been to SD numerous times but this was the first that I actually got Tacos El Gordo. I guess it was because I just never got around to it, but I finally caved into all the raving about this place.
Now, Tacos El Gordo is an interesting and cool restaurant. You go in, wait in line for the type of meat you want, and then you pay towards the left of the restaurant. At first, I was a bit confused at how everything went down, but I ended up being a master of the carne (JK).
There were way too many options to choose from, but since I was just a tad bit hungry I settled on the carne asada (you have to) and the adobada. I also got to sample my friends campenchana fries.
# Tacos
Carne asada taco was actually mildy disappointing. The meat was just okay and I guess I had too high expectations because people kept saying El Gordo’s carne asada blows other places out of the water. Unfortunately, it was good but not great.
However, adobada taco was amazing! Adobada is just the spanish term for spicy pork. First of all, it’s so awesome how the cook just slices the meat onto your taco. Then, if you ask them to, they’ll put in slices of pineapple. How unique is that? The taste is both savory and sweet and I loved it!
# Fries
The fries (meat was both carne asada and adobada) definitely took the show! At the time, these fries became the best meat fries I’ve had in a long time.
Overall, Tacos El Gordo was a good experience but not as great as I’d hope for. I love the fact that there’s so many different types of meat and I’ll have to come back and check out what else this place has got. Also, they do need to tidy up the food ordering system. If my friends werent there, I’d be lost.
Eat well and prosper,

If it’s your first time here, it can be a little confusing at first. They have different taco stations for different types of meat. So read the signs and stand in line for the type of meat you want. It helps if you come in pairs or groups so your friend can stand in one line and you can stand in another to minimize your time in line. Once you have ordered all your food, go to the cashier to pay.
With that said, get the adobada and carne asada tacos. The adobada was the clear favorite, but the guacamole in the carne asada was good too. For $ 2, this is an awesome deal. Definitely worth checking out.
2 tips:
1. When you order your tacos, ask for the grilled green onions and grilled peppers — its free! You just need to ask for it.
2. There is no salsa bar; instead, they have a lime and radish bar. If you want salsa, you have to ask the cashier for salsa at which point she will hand you some from the fridge.

I first heard of Tacos El Gordo in Vegas and boy did I fall hard for those adobada fries. So when I took a trip down to San Diego, I definitely had to get my fix. We stopped at the closest location to SoCal because we were so eager, but realized that the only location that sells fries was the Palm location. The fries are definitely worth the extra 5 mile drive.
If you’ve been to the Vegas location, I think that all the locations are laid out the same way. There are different lines depending on what kind of meat you want to order. They are known for their adobada (pork). What’s special about this location is that they have campechana Fries which is half adobada and half carne asada. Top it off with limes, hot sauce, and their grilled green onions/jalapenos.words cannot even describe. We also ordered the quesadilla, which didn’t look like your typical quesadilla, but it was very delicious. Wash it all down with a horchata and call it a wrap.
The place isn’t big. There is probably only about 8 – 10 tables. The parking only has about 12 spots. Service was good. We did have to wait 10 – 15 minutes, and there was only one person in front of us. Don’t know if I would drive all the way down for this, well who am I kidding, I probably would.
+ADOBADA, ADOBADA, ADOBADA
+ Campechana Fries
+ Horchata
— Fries can only be found at the Palm location.
— Limited Seating/​Parking

The last time I’ve been to this location was probably around two years ago – way before the newest renovations. If you’re a friend of mine here on Unilocal,you’d know I am an «El Gordo» fiend (I gave the one on H Street 5 stars, as well!)
Not much has changed since I’ve last been food-​wise. Yes, there is now outside seating and a new menu board, but other than things like that, the food is still that same delicious quality.
What I love about this location in comparison to the others is the fact that this one has fries! If you’d like the best of both worlds, I suggest going with the campechana fries – carne asada and adobada. I love adobada, it’s my favorite meat at Tacos el Gordo. I didn’t try their adobada tacos, but I assume (and hope) for them to be just as amazing.
Because this location does offer fries, the wait for the food can take 10 minutes or so. If you order fries, though, you still pretty much get them on the spot. The H Street location does tend to have lengthy lines (especially the adobada line) that can take up to even 20 minutes.
Regardless of the wait, I believe Tacos el Gordo to be worth it. Side note: this location is smaller!

Oh lordy lord, I wish I can give more stars for this. Looking for a late night snack, we decided to go to this taco place to get some delicious tacos! Interior isn’t very nice at all and its always super busy… reason is because the tacos are to die for! The taco meat runs out very quickly, so they have to make a new batch very very often. As you order, you can watch the men prepare it, slicing the meat and making them.
For the crazy people who watch their weight or calorie intake, this might not be the place for you! Because they drench the taco itself with the meat juice that falls from the cooking meat, yeah i cringed at this at first. But I will promise this will not be a regretful experience… well for your stomach at least :)
I ordered 3 adobado tacos and the asada fries. The tacos took a while to get, but so so worth it. Mmm the sauce and everything just went well together, I just wished I ordered a couple of more to scarf down. The fries were real delicious, its a little heavy though. So you’ll get full pretty quickly.
Id definitely come back when I’m in the area again, can’t really pass it through

PERFECT post-​skydiving meal after we got our stomachs back down to earth! Let’s just say Tacos El Gordo is the best taco place in california hands down!
HOLE in the WALL so most tacos are just $ 2 except the lengua was $ 2.25
ORDERING: a bit confusing because there are separate windows & lines to order diff types of tacos (without signs) and then you take all your tacos & pay at the front
NOT a vegetarian friendly menu, hence only beef & pork options! the tacos are focused on the meat alone so utilize the unlimited salsa bar if you like your tacos dressed
—lengua taco: YUM tender soft tongue, like the beef stew my mom used to make
—cabeza taco: beef head also yummy!
—adobada taco: reminds me of char sui pork, accompanied well w/​the green sauce but wasn’t amazing alone
—adobada fries: crispy but TOOK FOREVER to get this
—quesadillas are made on corn tortilla. interesting gotta try that next time
seating is limited so plan to take it to-​GO if you’re timing isn’t right
NOTE: hole in the wall but they accept credit cards PLUS they’ve got orange bang & horchata

Top, un vrai restaurant mexicain ou on voit les cuisiniers préparer sous nos yeux nos plats.
Rapport qualité/​prix au top!