Tacos El Gordo – The Best Tacos In San Diego?
Tacos El Gordo has been a San Diego institution for over 20 years. The family-owned restaurant chain serves authentic Tijuana style tacos. Small corn tortillas topped with all kinds of saucy meats, doused in fiery salsa and fresh cilantro and onions on top.
If you are looking for authentic Tijuana style tacos, Tacos El Gordo San Diego is know for them. But are they really the best north of the border? With taco shops on every corner, the competition can be quite stiff in Southern California. So does Tacos El Gordo have the best tacos in San Diego? Well, let’s see…
If you want to make up your own mind, check out this San Diego Taco Tour that will take you to the best taco shops in San Diego. Book tickets here>>
Quick Facts
Type of Food business: Fast Food Restaurant
Cuisine: Mexican
Star Rating: *****
Price Range: $
Pet Friendly: On outside patio only – depends on location
Is it Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-free friendly? No
Tacos El Gordo Review
Tacos El Gordo is NOT a fancy restaurant. It is a taco shop. That means order on the counter, put your paper plates on your plastic tray and sit down on plastic picnic tables. You don’t go there for the atmosphere and if you are looking for a nice sit-down meal in cozy atmosphere with excellent service, go elsewhere.
However, the taco shop is bright, clean, and modern. Not a dingy, hole in the wall place like most other taco shops.
As this is a very casual fast-food type place, service is obviously limited. But the staff that we encountered was fast, efficient and friendly. Most of the cooks behind the counter seem to only speak a little bit of English, so if you have any dietary restrictions or food allergies that you need to tell them about, look up the Spanish word for it or find someone who can translate for you.
Tacos El Gordo Menu
If you are looking for a vegetarian or vegan friendly taco, don’t come to Tacos El Gordo. This San Diego taco shop is a meat-lovers paradise. Also don’t come, if you are on a diet, unless it is your cheat day. Is the food healthy? Nope, but it’s worth it, I promise you.
Tacos El Gordo Tacos
The tacos of course take the center stage. You can’t NOT eat a taco at Tacos El Gordo.
Let’s first talk a minute about the tortilla. They are GOOD. Really good. Savory, handmade corn tortillas that have just the right texture. They are not tough, but they also don’t fall apart even on the sauciest taco. Simple and perfect.
Now on to the toppings. Whether you are an adventurous eater or not, Tacos El Gordo has something for you. If you are a picky eater and want to mainly stick to “regular” meat, I recommend Carne Asada, Adobada (aka Al Pastor), or Chorizo. If you want to try something new, try the Suadero or Azteca. And if you are a little more adventurous and don’t mind unusual cuts of meat and organ meats, try the Tripa, Lengua, Bouche, or Cabeza.
Carne Asada: Grilled beef cubes – simple but delicious.
Adobada: Pork cubes marinated in a red chili sauce and roasted on a spit – long lines but worth the wait!
Chorizo: Spicy grilled chorizo sausage.
Suadero: Braised beef cubes – saucy goodness.
Azteca: Grilled beef cubes with cactus.
Tripa: Tripe tacos, also known as cow’s stomach.
Lengua: Braised beef tongue.
Bouche: Braised pork stomach.
Cabeza: Braised beef head meat.
Other Dishes at Tacos El Gordo
Fries: Most taco shops offer Carne Asada fries, but at Tacos El Gordo, you can have any of their meat toppings served on fries. Lengua fries are my favorite!!! So delicious!
Quesadillas: Corn or flour tortillas with cheese – with or without meat.
Mulas: Mini-Quesadilla with meat.
Tostadas: Fried corn tortilla with meat toppings.
Sopes: Thick corn tortilla with meat toppings.
The only thing missing on the menu is seafood. No fish tacos or shrimp tacos, which is how it usually is with taco stands in Mexico. You either get meat or seafood. And while I am sure El Gordo would do a killer fish taco, I appreciate their authenticity.
Prices
Tacos start at $ 2.60 and the most expensive item is a large lengua fries for $16. With a drink, you should get a decent load of food for less than $20/per person.
Tips for Eating at Tacos El Gordo
- Go with a group of people. There are multiple lines, each one for a specific set of dishes. So if you want to try multiple tacos, you’d be in line forever. If you go with a bunch of friends, you can split up and conquer, ordering a couple of each to share with each other and mix and match to your taste when you get to your table.
- Speak Spanish – at try to. It will make your experience way more authentic 😉
- Come hungry and expect to leave stuffed. Again, this is not the place for moderation. It is pure gluttony. But oh so worth it.
- Don’t wear white. At least if you are sloppy eater like me. Trust me, I speak from experience!
- Expect to wait. I recommend going early to beat the main rush, but even then, you’ll have to wait. The good part is that they are quick, so even if you have 5-10 people in front of you, you will be served rather quickly.
- Don’t be an a** and order 50 tacos to go during the main rush. If you have a larger order, call ahead or order on DoorDash.
San Diego Locations
Tacos El Gordo Chula Vista – 2 Locations:
689 H St, Chula Vista, CA 91910
(619) 207-0144
Opening hours: Everyday 10 AM – 2 AM
Online and Phone Orders only – no sit-down.
556 Broadway, Chula Vista, CA 91910
(619) 271-7222
Opening hours: Sunday – Thursday: 10 AM – 2 AM | Friday – Saturday: 10 AM – 4 AM
Tacos El Gordo Otay Mesa:
3265 Palm Ave, San Diego, CA 92154
(619) 575-7280
Opening hours: Sunday – Thursday 11 AM – 1 AM | Friday – Saturday: 11 AM – 2 AM
Tacos El Gordo San Diego Downtown:
Address: 511 F St, San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: (619) 955-8220
Opening Hours:
Sunday – Thursday: 10 AM – 2 AM | Friday – Saturday: 10 AM – 4 AM
Tacos El Gordo Las Vegas:
There are now also 3 Tacos El Gordo locations in Las Vegas, so if you head to sin city, you can get your taco fix there as well.
3041 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 331-1160
Opening Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 10 AM – 2 AM | Friday – Saturday: 10 AM – 4 AM
North, 3260 Losee Rd, North Las Vegas, NV 89030
(702) 641-8228
Opening Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 10 AM – 2 AM | Friday – Saturday: 10 AM – 4 AM
1724 E Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89104
(702) 251-8226
Opening Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 10 AM – 2 AM | Friday – Saturday: 10 AM – 4 AM
Final Verdict
If you haven’t guessed is by now, Tacos El Gordo is one of our favorite restaurants in San Diego. Of course, the food is rich and not exactly healthy, but it is definitely a special treat for us.
I love their Al Pastor tacos and lengua fries, but so far I have not had anything that was not good. My husband loves the carne asada and the cabeza tacos.
The tacos at Tacos El Gordo are phenomenal and hands down the best taco stand in San Diego if you are looking for traditional Tijuana style tacos.
This post was NOT sponsored and I paid for my meals.
And don’t forget to check out this San Diego Taco Tour that will take you to the best taco shops in San Diego. Book tickets here>>
Tacos El Gordo Review – Pin for later:
Last Updated on July 10, 2023 by Maria Haase
17 Safe & Fun Tijuana Day Trips From San Diego
Cinthya
I’m a big fan of Tacos El Gordo and a big foodie, even before they were in SD I used to go across the border often, when I used to leave in SD, just to have them. Everytime I visit SD and Vegas is a must go place at least once or twice during my stay, my first stop right after I land at either place. My favorite item on top of tripa, caveza, azteca in flour tortilla with carne asada and tripa, campechano (combination of meats) tacos are Pastor Vampiros, vampiros are a tostada with cheese and any meat you like.
I loved your article is very complete including an explanation of almost every item in the menu, locations, hrs of operations and the tips for the best experience ever. I just found out the Broadway location is close on Tuesdays not too sure about the other locations. Also there is an option for vegans and vegetarians if they like cactus (nopal) and they don’t mind if it is grilled at the same charcoal grill where carne asada is grilled vegetarians can get an either corn or flour tortilla quesadilla plain or with cactus as well as vegans can get a cactus corn taco (not sure if flour tortillas have any animal product) Another tip that is not on the menu is that you can have all your tacos, quesadillas or vampiros on either corn or flour tortillas and you can have combination of meats (campechanos) I like carne asada and tripa or pastor, caveza and lengua, suadero and tripa. Tacos El Gordo de Tijuana ara an authentic clean experience of the Mexico City tacos. I’ll love to do the taco tour next time I visit SD