Tacos El Gordo — Restaurant in Paradise

Sometimes, the best meals are the ones you have to fight for, both literally and figuratively. This was precisely the case with my recent visit to a highly-rated Hispanic eatery, a place I had been eyeing for a while. Skeptical that it might be another victim of overhype, I went in with tempered expectations. What I found was a culinary experience that was both unbelievably delicious and utterly, wonderfully chaotic.

The Scene: Controlled Chaos Stepping inside, the first thing that strikes you is the energy. It's a symphony of sizzling grills, bustling cooks, and the vibrant chatter of a crowd united by their hunger. The open kitchen concept is a real highlight, giving you a front-row seat to the culinary show. You can see your food being prepared with care, from the perfectly seasoned meats to the hand-pressed tortillas, a detail that immediately puts your mind at ease. It's a vibe that feels both authentic and exciting, a wonderful preamble to the feast that awaits.

However, be warned: this is not a place for the faint of heart or the impatient. The ordering system is a labyrinth of its own. Different lines form for different types of meat, a system that, while seemingly efficient on the surface, can quickly become a time-consuming adventure. We're talking about wait times that can stretch for an hour or more.

The Feast: Worth Every Minute Despite the logistical hurdles, the moment the food hits your table, or in our case, the hood of our car, all the waiting and confusion melts away. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the tacos here are phenomenal. We ordered the tacos de asada and a quesadilla de asada, both built on the foundation of freshly made, handmade tortillas. The meats are cooked to perfection right in front of you, lending a freshness that is impossible to fake. The tacos are rich, flavorful, and so good you'll want to eat at least four of them just to do them justice.

But the real showstopper for me was the guacamole. I have eaten a lot of guacamole in my life, and this was, hands down, the best I have ever had. It was so good that I almost forgot about the two-hour wait that preceded it. Then, there were the Carne Asada Fries. As a self-proclaimed sucker for carbs and carne asada, I couldn't resist. I chose the largest size, a decision I both regret and applaud. The portion was massive, enough for leftovers, and the quality was top-tier. The meat was tender and juicy, not dry in the slightest, and the toppings of sour cream and a special sauce were delicious without feeling too heavy or overwhelming.

The Verdict: A Delicious Challenge This place is not just a restaurant; it's a pilgrimage for taco lovers. The food is absolutely outstanding, delivering on the high ratings and then some. The open kitchen is a treat, the handmade tortillas are a game-changer, and the flavors are unforgettable. But you must be prepared for the experience. The long lines, confusing ordering system, and difficulty in finding a table are real challenges that could easily deter someone.

So, who is this place for? If you're a local with great options nearby, you don't need to make a special trip, but if you're a serious foodie willing to brave the queues for a taste of something truly special, this is your spot. My final recommendation? Come early, be patient, and if the line for the asada is ridiculously long, consider the much shorter adobada or even the french fry line. The reward is a meal that is absolutely, unequivocally...

When looking for cost friendly food options on blogs and food recommendation sites, tacos El Gordo is consistently on those lists. After reading about it and seeing it so often I felt I had to go and so I made time to visit for dinner on this most recent trip. This restaurant was off strip but not that far off strip that you couldn't make a detour and find your way to one of their four restaurants in Vegas. It seems that this is a restaurant chain from Southern California that can only be found in San Diego and here in Vegas. There isn't necessarily a line out the door when you arrive. There is always a good amount of people patronizing the establishment that you can see. It is a popular spot to get tacos and other Mexican foods. Their menu is very simple. You can get lingua, brains, beef, and pork. The system is simple with Windows for you to line up to to get the particular meat you want, almost like the simplicity of what McDonald's was at its origins. I opted for the beef taco and the pork quesadilla. The experience is straightforward. After moving from window line to window line, depending on the protein you want you take your tray over to the cash register and pay for the food. In some ways it's a bit community trust in that if you wanted to cheat the establishment and not pay, you might be able to get away with it. The seating area is almost diner like and reminds me a bit of In-N-Out Burger and we were able to find seating quite easily for our group of three. If you want hot sauce, be sure to ask for it at the register because there is no hot sauce station as may be commonly found in Mexican restaurants. The station for condiments consists of limes and radishes. There's not much to say other than the food is pretty good. The tacos are flavorful and I can understand why the establishment is popular. I don't think that it was the best I've ever had, but it's better than average, especially at the volume under which they operate. One of the best things about it is the relative affordable cost of the food, especially given the current prices to eat out that we see today. A taco is about $4.10 and a quesadilla is about $7 or so. For me, a taco and a quesadilla and a Mexican soda was plenty for me to be full for a dinner meal, but I do find that most patrons tend to get at least four tacos to satisfy a single serving volume. This is a No-Frills Mexican Taco establishment with a simple operating model. It works. It's good. It's...

Unfortunately I didn’t take pictures but we ordered a few different types of items. I’ve seen a number of reels on social media raving about this place & had been wanting to try. Went to Vegas last year & the line was out the door & absolutely insane so we passed. Just went again recently & it wasn’t packed so we decided to try it. I am SO GLAD we DID NOT choose to wait in that line last year because I would have been even more disappointed! For 1 the ordering system inside is extremely inconvenient. There are multiple lines, each 1 offering a different item or type of meat. You have to wait in each separate line for whatever it is you’re wanting if you do want to try different meats, etc. Granted it wasn’t crazy packed when we went (an early evening on a Monday) we gave it a go. Doable but inconvenient. More-less if you went in when the lines are outside the building, I guess in that case you better stick to one meat/type of item because I can’t imagine the chaos during peak times. The carne asada was horrible in my opinion & unfortunately we ordered 3 different types of items with this meat. A vampire taco, a nopales “Azteca” taco, & a sope. The carne asada used was poor quality thus a lot of fatty, chewy meat which I absolutely can’t stand. It was also extremely under seasoned. That caught me off guard but from what I was able to see it seemed like they boil their meat here initially so I assume that’s why. Lengua tacos were also ordered & again, under seasoned & lacking flavor. The most tolerable item was the Azteca taco because the cactus was cooked decently but granted I got mine w/carne asada the meat definitely took away from what was good about the taco as a whole. Customer service was subpar, minimal interaction, not one smile & no welcoming/inviting conversation/interaction. It was basically order your food, pay, & get out of the way. To top it all off it was hot & uncomfortable in there. Not sure if their AC wasn’t working correctly or if it’s always that hot in there during summer months. Also all of the items we tried were small & overpriced for the size. To each their own but this place is majorly OVERHYPED!!! Yes it’s at the end of the strip and probably seems like a cheaper option compared to typical Vegas Strip eateries but it’s a no for us from here on...