Tacos El Gordo

Mexican restaurant · Gaslamp

Tacos El Gordo

Mexican restaurant · Gaslamp

511 F St, San Diego, CA 92102

Highlights

No-frills Mexican counter-serve joint featuring Tijuana tacos, mulas, loaded fries & more.

511 F St, San Diego, CA 92102 Get directions

tacoselgordobc.com

@eater

"No taco exploration is complete without a stop at this old-school taqueria that’s respected on both sides of the border. The taco institution started in Tijuana before branching out to Chula Vista, the Gaslamp Quarter, and Las Vegas. The bustling late-night shop offers tasty tacos stuffed with adobada, carne asada, cabeza, or suadero." - Helen I. Hwang

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@eater

"The Gaslamp location of this Tijuana-style taco specialist is always busy but lines move quickly, meaning that Comic-Con attendees can fuel up between panels with its famous street tacos and more based on handmade corn tortillas and meats like carne asada, adobada, and lengua." - Candice Woo

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@eater

"Arguably the most famous taqueria on both sides of the border, Tacos El Gordo has been a landmark in Chula Vista where the Tijuana-based taco institution opened its first San Diego location. Its newer outpost in the Gaslamp gives downtown a welcome late-night option for tasty tacos filled with carne asada, adobada, cabeza, suadero, or tripa." - Mario A. Cortez, Candice Woo

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@eater

"The legendary taqueria got its start in Tijuana in 1972 and has been dishing out tasty carne asada, adobada, suadero, and tripa ever since. Thankfully, there’s now a location in the busy Gaslamp Quarter to satisfy taco cravings in the midst of bar-hopping." - Helen I. Hwang

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@eater

"For a quick San Diego snapshot, savor tacos at Tacos El Gordo." - Candice Woo

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stephanie tsai

Google

A friend recommended the Lengua taco in San Diego, and it impressed with its tender texture, juiciness, and rich flavor. Despite arriving around 3 PM, the restaurant was still bustling with customers. Seating on the second floor was limited, so we waited a short while for a table, and the lack of air conditioning made the space feel somewhat stuffy.

Naathan Phan: Magic Asian Man

Google

In my opinion, their adobada tacos are the best tacos on the planet! (And I've had a LOT of tacos from around the USA and Mexico.) Their asada/adobada/anything you'd like fries are also to die for (and come in 3 different sizes for any size appetite or sharing situation). Be sure to ask for extra of their delicious salsa roja!

Lingchao Mao

Google

Every taco has a different flavor and mixture of ingredients. The cabeza was our favorite, very tender. The spicy pork looked yummy but was not spicy and had not much flavor. Very authentic overall. The servers were nice. Fries were a huge portion for only $3.

Kim Long

Google

Amazing flavors and such fast service. Everyone is so pleasant and helpful. The tacos, el Vampiros, the salsa, the guacamole, all are incredible and you must try them both! The pork is incredible. Worth it to wait in line! We will probably each a late snack here everyday we are here.

Andrew Tan

Google

Super authentic, super tasty tacos and experience. Makes you feel like you’re south of the border Lines can get long but it moves fairly quickly and if you’re not sure of how things work, do not worry, they are willing to help out. What I would suggest is taking a look at the menu first if you don’t already know what you’re getting. Once you do that, go into the line which many times can go up the steps Once you get to the front, the workers help guide you to the spot you need to go to to order and get your food. If you go in groups, if you see a table available, would recommend grabbing it. They also have some more tables upstairs. The meat was very juicy and with all that flavour can get get messy, so make sure to grab lots of napkins I w oh so totally recommend this taco spot. Great job overall

Cassie M

Google

I was wondering if these tacos were worth the chaos. It was almost anxiety provoking with how many people were hearding into one small space. Plus, there's different lines for different tacos, so it takes a couple of times trying to figure out where you needed to be exactly. In the end, the tacos were freaking amazing. Juicy, smoky, and seasoned to perfection. Try going during the week or during the day for a less stressful experience.

Hector Espinoza

Google

Great taco spot to eat at when in San Diego. It was recommended for me to try them and wasn't disappointed. The lines wrapped around the building but the service is fast. The only thing I wish is that they had some spicy salsa by default. Can't have good tacos without the heat. Parking is a challenge. There's a parking garage a short walk away.

Stephanie Grasso

Google

Was recommended by our Uber driver so we thought him being a local and him recommending we expected it to be much better. Guess it's more touristy. No Ice foe drinks and had to sit upstairs as there wasn't any other seats available. It was so hot and not really able to enjoy. Try another place as there are taco places just about every block!