All right, y’all. This a big one. Tacos El Gordo has been on our list since the beginning. When I first moved here, I worked in Chula Vista for a little bit. All the girls that worked there swore by the tacos at Tacos El Gordo. They all said they were the most legit tacos this side of the border. Because we are lazy and set in our taco ways, we just never made the effort. We decided to dive in head first with frequent celebrity guests Sean and Tara.  Honestly, it is probably good we waited so long because I could go every single weekend now. For real. 

Tacos El Gordo has three San Diego locations- two in Chula and one in National City. There is also a location coming to Gaslamp. There are a few locations in Los Vegas as well (for all our Vegas fans). We went to the one on H Street and it was great! It’s one of those places you kind of need to know what you are doing when you order. There are three lines based on the kind of meat you want in your goodies. They are most known for their adobada. Next you have the carne asada and chorizo line. Finally you have the stewed meats- suadero (brisket), lengua (tongue), cabeza (head), buche (pig stomach), and tripe. Oh yeah, guess they have cactus too. Don’t worry, I will get into descriptions and pointers in a bit. After you have picked your meat, next you get to pick how you want it. The bread and butter there, is not bread or butter. It is the street taco. House-made corn tortillas, cilantro, chopped white onion, and salsa (varies based on the type of taco). We recommend you order a mula as well. Picture it as like a sandwich but with two corn tortillas instead of slices of bread. Except they melt some delicious white cheese onto one of said tortillas. Other options include sopes, quesadillas, tostadas, and of course, loaded fries. 

Ok, let’s get into the nitty, gritty details here. The delicious, one of a kind details. My mouth is watering thinking about it. No lie, I haven’t stopped thinking about these tacos since last week. Ok, let’s talk adobada first since that is the most popular. For those of you who don’t know, adobada is a spit roasted pork (think Mexican gyro meat). Taco El Gordo does theirs al pastor style with grilled pineapple. It is smoky, slightly spicy, slightly sweet, and packed full of flavor. Very, very delicious. The asada is also fantastic. Yummy tender meat with a nice charred finish. Pairs perfectly with the fresh guacamole. Ok, but here is the secret ringer. I cannot get it out of my dang head. On a whim, I decided to try the suadero taco. Basically, it is a stewed brisket meat on a delicious corn tortilla then topped with white onions, cilantro, and a slightly sweet, slightly spicy chile sauce. The kicker is they dip the corn tortillas in meaty, stew juice prior to putting constructing the taco. Honestly, it is unlike anything I have ever experienced before. In fact, after I finished eating it. I went through line again to get two more (I did begrudgingly give one to Sean). This is the taco that haunts my dreams. This is the taco I can’t get enough of in one trip. It is homey and exciting at the same time. It’s like if you took your mom’s pot roast and made it into an even more flavorful, authentic taco.  It even makes me want to try the lengua or the cabeza (because they are basically all cooked together). 

Hopefully our tips will help you navigate a little better than we did. Also, the tacos are small, so don’t be afraid to get multiple. We sure did!