Tacos El Gordo

Critic's Review

I've never wanted to wait on line in a room full of masked people, so when Tacos El Gordo opened a location off-strip on Sunset it was an opportunity to see what all the chatter was about.

I'd hoped to miss the lunch crowd by getting here around 2pm, but there were a lot of cars in the lot. People know about this place.

My first time at a Tacos El Gordo. I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

It's a very large place, not nearly as many people inside as I'd feared.

In the back they have the signature statue with the fake El Pastor spit. Time to try the real thing.

When I got up front I was happy to see no lines.

I'd done a bit of research before coming; if you've never been here before they have separate lines for different kinds of meats. There's a line for Adobada (the El Pastor); I also wanted to try the Lengua (tongue) and the Asada (steak). So I'd have to wait on 3 lines.

I ordered 2 of the Adobada El Pastor tacos first.

Then one Tongue Taco.

And an Asada Taco. 3 lines for 4 tacos.

After you get your food you go to the cash register and pay. You can also get a bottled drink or a cup in the register area.

For radishes and limes, there's a service are where you can pick your own; as many as you want. They didn't have iced tea so I got a bottle of water.

I got a seat by the window; rare Las Vegas clouds; the place is directly across the street from the Town Square shopping center.

Just over $18 for this. Not dirt cheap. The Tacos were $2.80 2 years ago, so that's a 23% increase; inflation or gouging?

I went for the El Pastor first. They were kind of sloppy with the 2 loose sauces. I tasted the meat first; a little bit spicy.

A pretty good Taco. Not life changing. Maybe a bit better than what I got at Tacos El Pastor a few weeks back.

The Asada didn't impress me when he was making the taco. It was a pretty good portion but there was nothing special about the meat.

The guacamole also wasn't anything special. It was a particularly bland taco.

Next was the tongue. People keep telling me how great lengua tacos are. One thing you do need to remember; don't smell it. It smells bad.

The meat was very tender but again, nothing really special about the taste. No spice at all. My last time ordering tongue.

At 2:20 there was a pretty substantial line for Asada; I guess I got lucky. I don't think I would have waited on 3 lines if I had to wait.

Conclusion

So while the Tacos were decent, I really don't see that they're much better than a bunch of other places; there was no meat here I'd be willing to wait long for; no sauce that is so good I'd be willing to go out of my way for it. I'm always amused by people who rave about tacos; I haven't had a great taco in the United States EVER. Today was no different.