Exterior: 4/5
 |
| Oh, that good ol' December 6:30pm darkness. |
Gordo's looks like what you would get if you looked up "local taco place" in the dictionary. It's unassuming but you know what it is immediately when you look at it. (Their sign always has fun dad jokes, which helps attract attention.) They're on a fairly busy road convenient to a shopping center, although they're not IN the shopping center which might not be an asset for them. I'd imagine they're a nice stop for folks coming home from BorgWarner or Stellantis.
Ambience: 4/5
 |
| Festive! (My kid loved sitting in those plastic chairs in the foreground while we ordered.) |
 |
| Looking back at the counter. |
 |
| A lot of the booths had been repaired with duct tape or something similar. I wasn't impressed but my partner thought it was charming. |
I got the impression that a lot of the Gordo's customers come through the drive-through or do pickup, because it was just us in the dining room for most of our time there until a couple of folks joined us toward the end. That might explain why the inside was a little ramshackle. But what decor they have is colorful and fun and there's a nice informality to everything that keeps the vibe homey. There was only one guy in the back and then one guy taking orders on a paper pad and then bringing out the food. I felt back for the guy in the back, but he was being as efficient as he could.
Variety: 4/5
 |
| I appreciated this distinction. |
 |
| We didn't order this, but my partner was intrigued by the idea. |
 |
| A crispy bunuelo! |
There's a decent amount of stuff here for a counter-service joint. They have tacos, burritos, nachos, taquitos, tostadas, enchiladas, quesadillas, and meaty dinner plates. They also have sopapillas and bunuelos for dessert, although when I ordered a bunuelo for the baby the guy at the counter didn't know what that was, so I guess they don't sell very many of them. There's also an eat-this-giant-burrito challenge and if you'd don't die in the attempt you get to be on the Wall of Fame. Honestly, for a restaurant with one guy cooking, that's an impressive level of variety.
Quality: 3/5
 |
| Chips and salsa |
 |
| Sampler platter with a taco, taquitos, a casuela, and a beef enchilada. |
 |
| American-style steak tacos |
The stuff here was drastically hit-or-miss. Some of it was awesome, some was Cathy-aack-worthy. The tacos were great - nice tortillas, too. On my sampler platter I really enjoyed the taquitos and the taco and the enchilada was ok. But the rice and beans were criminally flavorless and the salsa was pretty much just shredded tomatoes despite the fact that I ordered the medium-heat one. My partner, who prefers his Mexican food on the gringo side, thought everything was pretty spectacular, and I want to mention that to establish that there's definitely a market for this kind of thing even if it wasn't up my alley.
Kid-Friendly: 5/5
 |
| My 5YO loved his quesadilla, which was pretty much just a tortilla and shredded cheese. |
 |
| The baby, for whatever reason, really latched onto the salsa. |
The best thing about the kids' meals here is that they're CHEAP. You get an entree, a side of rice or beans, and a drink for $3-4. They also have six different entree options, so if your kid is (unlike mine) inclined to be adventurous they can try lots of different stuff in that comfortable price range. And when the kids got a little squirrely I took comfort in the fact that someone had clearly already destroyed our booth at least one, so whatever havoc my 5YO created crawling all over in his seat seemed ok by comparison.
Would Eat Again?: Yellow Light
My partner and my kids all had a great time here, and since it's in between our house and the baby's daycare I can see myself asking my partner to drive through and pick up dinner from Gordo's on the way home. It would have to be tacos, though. The tacos were the best thing there. I realize that shouldn't be a revelation when I'm reviewing a place with "Taco Shop" in the name, but with that extensive of a menu I wanted more things to be cool. But the tacos? They're legit.
Comments
Post a Comment