Taqueria El Gallo — Restaurant in Redmond

I wrote a review and the owner snapped back with a snarky reply. Granted, I mixed up adobo and asado, but the restaurant is still a solid middle ground, minus another star for the guff from the owner on Google.

I liked this taqueria, but.

Let's start with the good: the restaurant is clean, the decor is serviceable, and the service was friendly. I was impressed with the fresh table salsas (which are particularly spicy and delicious).

But.

The pollo "asado" had no color and looked and tasted more like a lightly fried chicken than an asado (or an adobo), both of which are marinated and then roasted (asado means "roast"). It was delicious, but didn't seem at all like either a Mexican or Cuban asado.

The rice and beans were unmemorable. They didn't wow me, but that's better than remembering them for the wrong reasons.

Speaking of remembering things for the wrong reason, the chips they served were terrible and overpriced. For $4-ish (tax and tip included), I expect more than a tiny handful of bad, store bought tortilla chips and a limpid thimble of (canned?) salsa. Given how good and fresh the table salsas were, I was surprised by the chips and salsa being so bad by comparison.

So the entree was good, the sides were meh, and the chips were actively bad. Toss on a snarky clapback from the owner and you get a two-star review.

I won't be back, but you should judge...

I never write reviews but this place left an AWFUL taste in my mouth, I had to leave a review so everyone can AVOID THIS RESTAURANT!!!

I was planning to place a pickup order after hearing good things about the tacos and appreciating the convenient location, as I live nearby. While sitting in my car in the parking lot finalizing the order, I was suddenly screamed at by what appeared to be employees or owners of the business. They were aggressively yelling at me not to park there. They continued by flipping me off. I was in complete shock.

The hostility was completely uncalled for, especially given I was a potential customer about to support their business. I understand if there are parking arrangements or conflicts with neighboring businesses, but there’s absolutely no excuse for treating people with such disrespect.

This kind of behavior is incredibly off-putting. A business that’s been around for 27 years should know how to treat the community better. Respect and basic decency go a long way—without them, I don’t see how a place like this can continue to thrive. I chose not to place my order and won’t...

I had a very unpleasant experience outside this business. Before I even shut my car door I was met with a man yelling at me, harassing me, and threatening me he was going to tow me. I parked in a legal, public parking spot near the taqueria. There were no signs indicating the spot was restricted, private, or for this specific business, yet he was aggressive and confrontational for no valid reason. It was completely uncalled for and made me feel uncomfortable and unwelcome and unsafe. I can’t speak to the food because I never got the chance to try it, and frankly, after that kind of treatment, I wouldn’t want to. Very disappointing behavior from a business owner.

He will come on here and claim that everyone is in the wrong and that the parking is only for this specific commons, but be warned, if you do not immediately go into his taqueria, you will be shouted at and harassed. Very bad look for a business owner and very unprofessional....