We were super lucky and there was no que whatsoever!! Love everything about this fabulous street taco restaurant!! We ate upstairs and it was amazing experience. The tacos are beyond wonderful and we would travel back to San Diego And El Gordo just for their tacos!!
Anytime we visit San Diego, Tacos El Gordo is a must, whether it's going in person or ordering on doordash. This was my first time to this location. It is super cramp and busy, but remember, there's separate lines for different meats. We always get adobada tacos and mulas. The cheese on the mulas is soooo good. The flavor of the meat is delicious and moist. For this particular location, there's seating inside and limited outdoor seating. There's more seats upstairs but the ventilation is terrible. It gets really hot up there so you'll just want to eat your tacos quickly and get out. Regardless, it is so nice to have a location right in downtown SD. It'll be our first stop every time we fly into SD!
The best and most iconic adobada (spicy pork) tacos! Tacos El Gordo lives up to its reputation, serving quality tacos that are made hot, fresh, and perfectly seasoned. And don’t forget the pineapple. The restaurant gets busy, but the fast, casual system keeps moving. Order in the line for your chosen meat, then pay at the cashier. Limited outdoor seating and street parking only.
EAT HERE!!! My Lyft driver told me about this place. A little research confirmed it is legit. The food…OMG! It’s a little intimidating at first, but the super helpful security guard/host explained. And all the cooks were patient with newbies. The spicy pork taco is their famous dish - and it was good! I also had the steak and the chorizo tacos - excellent. If it looks like there is a line, it moves fast. I might not ever be able to eat another taco. SO GOOD!!! I ordered mine to go so I could go back to my hotel room and drink wine and watch basketball. The food traveled well and was still delicious.
We stopped by the Gaslamp District location of Tacos El Gordo after hearing all the hype — and it definitely lived up to its reputation for flavor. The line was long and the space was packed, but once you get inside, you can immediately smell the grill and hear the sizzling from the open kitchen. We ordered a mix of tacos — carne asada, cabeza, lengua, and a couple of mulas. Every bite was fresh, hot off the grill, and full of that classic, smoky street taco flavor. The meats were perfectly seasoned, and the tortillas were warm and just the right texture. That said, the ambiance isn’t great — it’s crowded, loud, and the limited seating makes it more of a grab-and-go spot than a place to relax. The service, however, was quick and efficient despite the chaos. Food: 4/5 – Authentic, flavorful, and satisfying. Ambiance: 2/5 – Crowded and noisy with minimal seating. Service: 3.5/5 – Fast and organized. If you’re looking for top-tier tacos and don’t mind waiting in line or standing while you eat, this is absolutely worth a stop when you’re in downtown San Diego.
The enormous queue was the best review of this place. A long line snaked it's way around the corner. I had to wait about 25 mins just to place my order. I ordered 2 pork and two beef tacos. Wow - very much worth the wait. Everything you expect and need from a great taco. Also a great experience - I loved the well drilled chaos. 4 tacos and a can of coke cam to $22. Bargain.
Some tips on ordering and seating! As people can glean from some of the other reviews, it’s a little confusing how to order and/or where to seat. Seating is a bit problematic, but there is a room upstairs that a lot of folks did not seem to know about! So try to make your way up there! For ordering, there is somebody who comes through the line and funnels you toward different lines based on what you are ordering.So, I was really hoping this would be a five star review. And it was very very very good, maybe a 4.5. But it certainly wasn’t a five star review. Here is why. I wanted to order Cabeza, and so I was sent to a quicker line, and then nobody really waited on me. It was very confusing. I was trying to ask them for two tacos to go, and they were waiting on the people that were behind me. So, my husband (who ordered in the longer line) had his tacos finished much before I did. I think they followed me to a spot that they thought I had already ordered? It was really unclear. And then they gave me the tacos and they were not “to go.” And I did say it in Spanish and in English. Now, keep in mind it was super chaotic, line was out the door, and loud, so I completely understand that maybe they did not understand my order needed to be “to go.” And the tacos were excellent! But people were saying there were some of the best they’ve ever had, and I used to live in San Francisco, and I had tacos like this in the mission district on a regular basis. So I don’t know what I was expecting, but all of the reviews made it sound like this was just a “wow” moment, and it was not. It was very very good. It was a very solid excellent taco with lots of good toppings, but was it the best taco I ever had? No. We also travel to other countries, including dipping into Mexico and Argentina and so perhaps that was also affecting my expectation? All that said, it was a solid taco with good flavoring, but I especially heard the Cabeza was excellent, and maybe it was because I got it “to go”, and so it dried out a little bit, but it just wasn’t the excellence that I had hoped and heard.
This is a hectic, fast paced taco stop but a must visit any time you’re passing by! The food is unbelievably fresh, flavourful and cooked in front of you. It’s quite a melting pot if you’re there at night but all the better for a local experience. Absolutely delicious, mouthwatering choices and generous portions of beautifully seasoned meat (tacos).
Tacos El Gordo511 F St San Diego, CA 92101