Tortilleria Gonzalez — Restaurant in Shelbyville

This is a neat little place. You enter the restaurant area by walking through a little Mexican market. The server was attentive and pleasant. The menu is a patchwork of poster boards taped and pinned to various walls. The room is fairly small, maybe 25 people could fit comfortably at once.

My Diet Coke was served to me in a bottle, no cup or ice...no big deal. I thought it odd that the server didn't show up at the table with salsa and chips in hand like most places. Instead, she took my order and in a few minutes came back with my chips and salsa (two types, regular and salsa verde). The chips had obviously just come out of the fryer. The were steaming and glistening with oil. These homemade tortilla chips may very well be the best I've ever had and both salsas were excellent.

I also ordered a chile relleno and the steak fajitas. My goto dish to determine how good a Mexican place can cook is the chile relleno. They're usually soggy, overcooked messes at many establishments. On the outside this one looked excellent, but the inside was odd. This is the first time I got a chile relleno that had a solid cheese filling. The cheese was hot, but not melted at all. I don't know if that's because of the type of cheese they use, by design, or simply a foible by the cook. I didn't really care for it at all. I like some nice gooey cheese in my rellenos. I'd give this chile relleno a 4 on a 10 point scale, a little less than so so.

The fajitas looked okay at first and came out on a hot sizzling platter. As I dug into the steaming meat and veggies, I was disappointed to find tons of fat and gristle throughout. Some of it was attached to good slices of meat, so I just cut it off, but there were other chunks of fat mixed in with everything. It probably took me 5 minutes to get all of it out so I could start eating. The flavoring in the fajitas was okay, nothing spectacular, very far from the best fajitas I've ever had. The corn tortillas however were excellent.

In summary, it was a unique experience. I simply can't recommend this restaurant based solely on the two main items I ordered. They get glowing reviews from almost everyone else on Google Maps, so maybe I caught them on a bad day, ordered the wrong things, or maybe I just don't understand the meaning of authentic Mexican food.

However, if you want knock your socks off tortilla chips, salsa, or homemade tortillas, this is your place. Unfortunately for me, this just isn't enough to garner more than 3...

OMG.. Just ordered beans and chips and some tacos. I heard a blender going on in the back,when I ordered. Why I was asking myself. I learned why . The old beans and cheese was put in a blender, mixed with water,,and put in a dish to carry home. HOW AWFUL indeed. What else do they do to their food served. Will not eat there.,as they're many Mexican places too choose. So ,do not go is a win win. Threw it all away. Was horrible. Save your time And money. Especially if you like clean fresh food for your money,,like me..Not...

My family and I been coming here for over 5 yrs and every time the food is on point. The drinks are exported from Mexico and have a much rich flavor, the food has 100% authentic flavor the prices are reasonable and the atmospheres very friendly, and the waiters are very friendly & knowledgeable we just love it here it’s a MUST in...