Tacos El Gordo 3
1940 Highland Ave
(between 19th St & 20th St)
National City, CA 91950 (619) 474-5033
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
- Alcohol: None
47 reviews
Neighborhood: Banker's Hill
"Moving out here from the East Coast, I have been deprived of the joys of the Mexican breakfast. Jimmy Carter's Mexican Cafe used to be on…" read more »
52 Reviews for Tacos El Gordo 3
I had Tacos El Gordo for dinner and I don't want to brush my teeth because I can still taste them in my mouth a little.
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Don't waste your time going to TJ for some authentic Mexican street tacos. Tacos El Gordo brings Mexico to you.
Simply, I f*cking love this place. The tacos are a guaranteed mouth-gasm. The carnitas, the adobadas, the carne asada, and the sopes con carne are well worth the clogged arteries and i'm-so-full-i'm-sweating feeling. Put it this way, its so good, I get turned on by the thought of it.
Imagine what you think the BEST, most IDEAL taco tastes like. Now, times that by 1000. That's how their tacos are here.
F*ck the donkey shows, the $2 whores, and the annoying, drunk-for-the-first-time 18 year olds...you want Mexico? Go to Tacos El Gordo.
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Best Tacos period. Don't be scared of the location or people. It worth the awkward feeling of being the only non-mexican in a room. Just wish they would stop increasing the prices over the years.
I have been quite a few times good grub!!
Yeah, more expensive than street tacos in TJ, but it's a deal after you account for the $$$ for gas, hassle and time crossing the border.
The cabeza was as salty and greasy as a heart attack. The adobadas, oh yeah! Love that crunchy candy pork and goopy green-mayo sauce. The lengua was tender and grilled so not greasy.
The only issue I have is you can't get a cup of tap water out of the soda fountain! So my cost for a bottle of water is their loss of one star.
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After reading the many reviews on these establishments, and getting opinions from TJ residents at work, I finally made the journey to try some of San Diego's finest tacos. Yes I was a little confused on the ordering system, but once I sat down with my four little street tacos I was in flavor heaven. It is such a simple taco but the few ingredients come together so nicely.
I will definitely be back again and again.
The best adobada tace I've ever had - the pork was so fresh it nearly melted in your mouth. Great carne asada and a really great tostada. Quesadilla also. Everything we tried was incredible. A bit awkward trying to figure out how to place orders ( I was the only gringo in the place, but went with a girl who spoke spanish fluently so didn't feel too out of it).
Anyway, highly recommend this place.
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GOOD GRACIOUS, GREAT BALLS OF FIRE!
just when i thought that i had my top 3 mexican late night eateries solidified in stone, tacos el gordo broke all definitions of what i had of authentic QUALITY late night mexican food.
i drove 25-30 minutes (i got lost a couple times) into the hoods of national city for these tacos and they were well worth the drive.
the name, tacos el gordo.... or FAT TACOS is not false advertising. i wasn't sure if i was about to have a heart attack from the grease or if it was from the astonishment of the abundance of meat packed into my little baby tortillas. i mean... there really was A LOT OF MEAT.
i decided to try a taste of a few of their many tacos:
pork adobada: i had 2 of these beautiful wrapped babies, and they were my favorite. extremely flavorful, topped with some sort of a cilantro sauce and onions. i squeezed a little lime on them, and they were perfect. nice barbeque flavor, and you can taste the natural sweetness that IS the other white meat.
asada: a delight, with some avocado to add some moisture. again, lots of meat but nothing overly spectacular.
chorizo: mmm, sausage. salty, but delicious.
lengua: the ever tender, ever flavorful cow tongue. don't let this section of the cow anatomy scare you. the meat is just so soft and so tasty. there is no excuse for not trying it just because you think tongue is gross. humans eat much worse things, if you know what i'm saying.
i washed it all down with an orange BANG!
the service was quick. the prices were cheap. the food left me a satisfied grin for hours.
if i had to pick anything negative from this experience, it would have to be the creepy stares. but i guess i had to expect that. it IS national city. and the asian girl in the corner ravaging her paper plates would be stare-worthy. (so, i was hungry)
oh and if this is worth anything, my friend that accompanied me was mexican and said he comes here solely for the adobada because the rest can be made at home, but the adobada is unmatchable.
i'm coming back to try the sopes and quesadillas.... SOON.
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My girlfriend and I have a passion for Mexican food. Well, maybe all food. Although you would never know it by looking at us. We decided to revisit this location for the second time since our first time was out of this world. She already Yelped this one on the first visit.
I must say the carne asada taco with the works was the best I have ever had. And I have had more than a few tacos. We ordered the sopes with everything as well. She loves anything with cheese and the sope has plenty. The limes at the salsa station were as fresh as I have seen (no brown on the edges).
We again ate more than the family sitting next to us (and they did notice). That is o.k., we are actually proud of it.
Great twice, 5 stars
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If you miss your TJ tacos this will be a good choice in South Bay San Diego ! Love tacos de lengua there!
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This place is...my god can words even describe it? It is the holy grail of taco shops. The creme of the crop. Really. Their adobada tacos are to die for, packed with flavor, made to order and just done RIGHT. I order like 8 adobada tacos, grilled green onions and chiles and a horchata and I'm one happy man.
I really can't write an overly long review proclaiming how good Tacos El Gordo is, cause when it comes right down to it, it's just the B-E-S-T there is. Order just one adobada taco, or one of their other great tacos and you'll find out just how great their food is.
It comes down to being plain old great food done the right way. A must try and a must come back.
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I checked this place out the other day with a friend.
I did like the adobada tacos, but the carne asada tacos had some grisly, vein-y meat going on. Make sure to get the grilled peppers and green onions and the salsa, both are super tasty. Essentially, it's just like street tacos in TJ, but waaaay more expensive. For two street tacos, a little quesodilla and a soda each, our total was around $17. Especially considering that in TJ the same meal would run you around $3 each, including a beer!
Overall, a great chance to get street tacos without trekking south of the border.
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Tacos El Gordo gets 5 out of 5 from me.
Fast service, great food (very greasy, but tasty) and good prices.
I like their small quesadillas that come with white cheese.
The tacos are delicious.
Try to speak spanish here, it's a lot of fun and this is REAL Authentic mexican food (I sometimes go to their Tijuana location too)
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I was so confused on how to order food and needed to stand around a bit to swallow my pride about not figuring it out and then had to ask someone how the hell do I get me some tacos! You know that translate into the big league of authentic food! It makes sense once it's explained to ya. I'm not going to help you out because hopefully I will be there when your there looking retarded and a newb, so I can laugh at you and then feel bad and help you out :P
Whatever you order, don't be stupid and not get everything or without the sauce because you basically just killed the tacos. They shouldn't even ask, like soup nazi style, and you get them how they make it. NO BUTS! BUT BUT BUT BUT NO! It's for your own good buddy. Kill that diet plan for today, it will be worth it.
My favorite was the adobadas and the sauce on the cow tongue was mMMMmmmm! I might be crazy, but I didn't really like the carne asada, but the guac was awesome!
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Ive been going to Tacos El Gordo since they opened their first US operation in 98. I used to frequent a location in TJ prior to that. What can I say that has not already been posted. You will be hard pressed to find a better taco North of the Border. Ive had everything on the Menu. I'm still a big fan of the carne asada.
I would like to add one thing. Its comical to me that people complain about prices being higher than in Mexico. WTF!!!! The time and cost of doing business in the US is very different then Mexico. Codes and regulations mean no open-air taco stands thus rent is much higher. It takes much longer to even start a business here. The permit process in much more lengthy in some cases it takes years. Ill gladly pay $1.85 or even $2.00 for these great fu%kin tacos.
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The lady who made our sopes was really nice too, explaining what everything was, and granting my request of "easy on the butter" (because they definitely slather it on!)
My first time having sopes, yum! They were like tacos...But with CHEESE, and with a crispy corn tortilla on top--like a chip! Dude. WITH CHEESE.
My bf and I ate as much as the Mexican family of 6 next to us. Yes, we're gross. We wanted to try everything. Smaller restaurant than the one in Chula Vista.
Dug into my tacos and sopes before I remembered to spritz some lime onto them. I was mad at myself.
They give you a nice plate of fried green onions and peppers too. If you can't take spiciness, don't eat the seeds!
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Tacos El Gordo is good but there is a better one you'll never know about not unless you go to TJ and it is called Tacos El Russo. They have the best gorditas, mulas, and tacos you could ever eat. They are kind of small and smokey cause there is hardly any ventilation at there stand but it is so good!
Awesome TJ Tacos come to Nasty City. This is my hood, I went to Sweetwater (Go Red Devils!), and cruising Highland wasn't illegal for a long time... this place would have fit right in back then.
Better late than never, and they are exactly, I mean exactly, like the tacos you get off Revolution at 5am when there's this light coming down from somewhere and you're wondering why... then you realize it's the sun ready to warm you up because the Tequila didn't work out so well.
Adobada is the bomb, and asada with just guac is, well, the 2nd bomb.
Not to mention quality horchata, and if you say it without the H they just might not laugh at you. They always laugh at me, cuz I'm funny as hell at 5am, I'm talking about you.
Oh, and they used to do this cool thing where the taco plus tax = exactly $2. I don't think they do anymore, but that was fun.
Best tacos north of the boarder.
I'm not in Nasty City too often these days, but I happened to be rolling through the 'hood on President's Day about to stop by the original Roberto's Taco Shop when I recalled that the Yelp highly-rated Tacos El Gordo #3 was further up on Highland. I am so glad I stopped by.
I love how they have a line of grills with three cooks serving up the different types of tacos. I stuck with the tried and true tacos de asada, de azteca, and the tacos de adobada for four tacos total. This was more than enough food for me, even though they looked small. To top it off, I had to have some of the horchata as well.
Eating the tacos cleanly is pretty much impossible as the tortillas can barely hold all the ingredients thrown onto them. I wish there were more TJ-style taco shops north of the CA-94. It'd be great if this place opened shop in Downtown SD (yes, we need more decent late night taco shops down here!).
If you're craving truly authentic tacos, and not just some California burrito or carne asada fries, swing by here for a treat.
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This is the only taco stand in San Diego that stands above all others. The meat is always marinated to perfection with fresh onions, cilantro, and salsa. The tortillas seem homemade because they are so soft and fresh. The tacos are small (T.J. style) which I consider a good thing because it gives you the opportunity to try a variety. I recommend the adobada and the carne asada. Don't forget to squeeze some fresh lime on it and get the grilled green onions to go along with it.
Do not confuse this location with any of the other Tacos El Gordo! Even though they are all the same name, this location has the best tacos.
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Tacos el Gordo has been a culinary sanctuary of mine for years. As you South Bay kids know, this place started as a humble taco rotunda in Tijuana.
Al Pastor, Carne Asada, Adobada, and Cabeza. Damn!
The quesadillas are mackin' as well.
My most recent trip involved a close friend that had also been craving the adobada. We had three of each - con todo - and of course with cebollitas, chiles y sal.
I would stack the tacos adobada against ANY dish from anywhere in the world in terms of flavor. Pound for pound, the little gems satisfy.
Do you think you have a meal that could compete? Bring it. I would love the challenge.
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This is the only Tacos El Gordo location I've been to. I'll just repeat what everyone here is saying: the best tacos!
I loved the carne asada tacos, but what I really really love are the tacos de adobada "con todo!" The adobada has a nice kick in them, which is balanced well with the cool, creamy sauce on top. These tacos are great with lime juice.
A friendly reminder: you won't find chicken or fish tacos here. It's all good though!
I have yet to taste the more daring tacos. Hmm I'm curious about those tacos de cabeza...
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Based on the yelpers I made the trek from La Jolla to Natty City and found myself in foodie heaven eating:
Tacos de Adobada (Spicy Pork)--carved off the rotisserie
Tacos de Suadero (Beef Shoulder)
Tacos de Asada
Tacos de Chorizo
Get your tacos con todo...usually onion, cilantro, and a special sauce or guacamole. These TJ street tacos are small, with double corn tortillas and soooo flavorful. Don't forget to ask for the free salsa in the fridge behind the cashier. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for an authentic taco experience.
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I went there Saturday night...food was excellent as always. The only thing that bugs me is that their prices seem to go up every year. It's now $1.85 per taco but don't get me wrong, the tacos are still delicious...almost as delicious as authentic tacos from TJ. During peak hours, you may not be able to find a seat to eat in and unfortunately if you get the tacos to-go, they tend to get a little soggy by the time you get home. Yummy still, worth the price if you don't want to drive to TJ.
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The new Alberto's. I'm wondering why they haven't expanded out yet. WAIT, maybe that'll be asking too much since the Roberto's chain has branched out to other iterations and the quality has gone down since they started. Wait, is that possible? LOL!! j/k. T-A-G is DA BOMB!!
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They have bomb ass mulas = TJ style Tacos for cheap. I haven't gone there in a while but boy, I was in a state of longing after having gone there one desperate evening with friends.
Now it was only recently that I've been acquainted with these precious little handfuls. When I was a kid and my parents and I took drives out to discover new dishes, I wasn't too thrilled with these tacos. They were tiny and filled with nasty deep greens. They looked silly to me and I didn't get why they were popular among the local. My mom wasn't too thrilled with them and not even to this day.
When my favorite taco shop Zapata's was still open, I was excited they served TJ style Tacos in a good portion (to watch my consumption intake). They were filled with your basic necessities: energy, protein, vegetables and leafy herbs.. (onions and cilantro). But Zapata's closed recently, and I was forced to find a replacement. Taco's El Gordo became the place to be. One late evening, my friends and I were coming from a staggering event where the one thing on our minds were TJ style Tacos. What we got seemed like 20 tacos for 20 bucks. Or something along that price.
All I have to say is that this place offers a good price range with top notch food. I once was invited to a Mexican party where they had their very own staff of TJ style Taco cookers. It was a glorious day and I can remember that occasion every time I go to Taco's El Gordo, now.
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shit is disgustingly good--the adobada, the carne asada, the tongue, shoulder, head (eh, maybe the head wasn't so great; that's what HE said :D) were all bomb b-bomb bomb bomb (to be read in the melody of sisqo's thong song).
knock 1 star for price. BUT THEY'RE WORTH IT.
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I've gone to Tacos El Gordo eversince I can remember they've been around in Tijuana. Eventhough, they aren't the best tacos I've ever had. The resturants they've opened here in the US are only half as good as they are in Tijuana. Here the meat just sits around being rewarmed for possibly hours. They're highly over-priced.
Pros: A good cure for a late night taco cravings without crossing the border.
Cons: Prices, meat not too fresh at times.
Roommate says I'm going to be one of those crazy pregnant women who will have high demands when the cravings come. Why? Because when I crave something, I HAVE to have it. She knows, she as well as my other roommate, previous roommates, and my fellow foodie friends have all been there with me during my late night craving-for-_____ nights. I don't care how far I have to drive or where I have to go, I will get my ass (or someone's ass) over there. I kind of fear the day 10 years from now or whenever I do get pregnant since those cravings will be even more severe.
Every once in a while, maybe once every couple of months, I will have massive cravings for tacos like real authentic right across the border Mexican street tacos. Ever since I came to college in San Diego and ventured off into the horizon on the TJ Bus and experienced the gloriousness of cheap-dirty-who-knows-what-kind-of-meat-that-reall y-is tacos and hot dogs, I get random sudden cravings. Yesterday was one of those days so at around 11PM, my friend accompanied me all the way from La Jolla to National City so I could satisfy my taco craving. After burying our faces into 4 tacos and a quesadilla, I felt fulfilled, happy, and had wonderful dreams of adobada.
Forgot to ask them for flour tortillas but it's okay, I was still ecstatic. They were delicious and I can't wait for my next taco crave night when I return again.
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My favorite taco spot north of the border, hands down. Don't need to go into detail as others have, but if you're searching for the perfect pork taco, you don't need to look any further. Make sure you wash it down with a nice cold Orange Bang.
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"You go get the Carnitas and I'll get the Lengua!"
They totally perfected the tacos here down to the way you order them, TJ style. A separate window for each kind of taco. Makes sense!
Every taco is a very different experience too, where I notice they put different salsas and toppings on each kind. If they ask you "everything on it?", trust me just say Yes, or Si!. Cause They KNow what they're doing. The tortillas are fresh fluffy moist and there isn't a morsel left of anything in my hand when I'm done.
SO GOOd... and So worth the drive.
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Off the hook. Only set back is the price but you know for the amount of time you save having to go to TJ to find tacos like this its well worth it anyways...Pork Taco's, Beef Taco's and QUesedillas are the jump off for sure and make sure you try there sauce....
Hands down the best tacos on earth. Who is El Gordo and How Can I Marry Him? Extremely casual and well priced. It's fun to watch them cook, too. Delicious, fresh corn tortillas, tasty salsa, fresh beef, just enough cilantro and onion when you order "con todo." The carne asda tacos are so amazing I never have room for any other kind. The Tijuana location is A+ as well, in the Zona Rio.
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I love this place. I'm from the Bay and I'm telling you... I can't wait to take a trip down south to get me some PORK TACOS with EVERYTHING on it! yuumm. I would recommend this place to anyone. They're so good.
I know this is a recurring theme in my posts, but here it goes again. Why can't they serve food like this in the Bay Area? I am really a snob when it comes to Mexican Food, My Grandmother (en paz descanza) was Mexican and a restaurantuer and her food was of course so good. The crap they pass off as Mexican food in the Bay Area is disgusting. I ask you where in the hell did they get Super or Regular Burritos? All of the taquerias here don't serve up the excellent food such as the food served here at Tacos El Gordo. Anyways, back to El Gordo.
These are the best street tacos I have had in the US. I direct the following letter to Mr. Gordo:
Estimado Senor Gordo,
Espero que al recibir esta carta Ud. y su familia se encuentra bien de salud. Por favor Senor Gordito, le ruego con el amor de Dios, mande uno de sus hijos gorditos para el area de San Francisco para abrir una taqueria para ensenar esos gringuitos que son tacos de verdad. Se lo agradeceria mucho.
Atte: El guero
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My weekends are spent here, scarfing down tacos de buche and tripa by the pound. These give the best tacos in Tijuana a run for their money and even when I'm over there, I'll still head down Constitucion to go to the flagship El Gordo because no one else has the taste and variety that they do. The staff for all three restaurants I've been to in SD and TJ are consistently friendly and accomodating, and deserve praises. I think I even bowed once.
Definitely worth the drive around town or across the border. Make sure to tip!!
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Here comes my first review:
So I went with my friend out to this place and it was great. It's a little venture away from UCSD but well worth the drive. The tacos are very good, but not as good as on the other side of the border. They were still very tasty. The adobada and the cabeza (cow head) are the best tacos that they have here. The adobada is very tasty and very well seasoned. The cabeza, if you can adjust to the taste, is very tender and soft. The chorizo and the asada were ok, however I felt the chorizo lacked as much flavor as the adobada and the asada was a little more chewy than it should have been. The quesedillas are not worth it, considering that they simply just put cheese on the taco and make it double the price. A little disappointed in that aspect, however if you want tacos that are similar to the ones in mexico without actually driving across the border, this is the place to go. They even give double tortillas.
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My first impression of El Gordo three years ago...Pretty decent size taco at a pretty decent price: $1.10 per taco. My impression of El Gordo three days ago,..."Good God!!" , it's like a 1.85 per taco!! One thing is to increase the price of a taco, but at least keep them at the same size and quality.
Jacking up the price, and down sizing the taco!!! A win win situation... I don't think so...maybe for "The Fatty".
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Great food and fast. Probably the best tacos in San Diego. Recommended.
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