Recommend: YES Over All: 3 out 5. I. Food: 3 -Taste: 4 -portion: 3 -quality: 3 -uniqueness: 0 II. Price: 2: 1 Taco is $4. III. Customer Service: 3 IV. Atmosphere: 2 V. Venue: 2 VI. Cleanliness: 2 It definitely feels like a meat processing line...get in line and don't mouth off or you get no food kind of feeling. Tacos were good.. not top tier with punches of great flavors but, they will do for a fix when craving tacos. They are lacking quantity on their tacos for the price they charge. Either the price reflects 1. quality or 2. quantity or 3. Venue. Neither of those justify the $4. Oh... Just curious why they have a tipping basket at the front cashier...>>??? there is no waiting service here. Do you tip the cashier for .... taking your money?

Hands down- one of the best tacos I’ve ever had. A must visit when you’re in San Diego. It might look chaotic and intimidating inside because of the crowds, but it was worth the wait. There are separate lines for specific items and they all work pretty quick. You order first and then pay in the back. We ordered a bunch of different tacos and all of them were super flavorful. Don’t sleep on the al pastor!

It is my mission to have el gordo tacos every visit to San Diego! I was happy to not see a line out the door this time but the chaos was waiting for us when we entered! Ordering items from their menu happens in sections. If you want buche, lengua, cabeza, etc. you get in line for that and then if you want carne asada, you have a separate line for that, then adobada, etc…fries have to be prepaid before you can get in that line! So many lines and by the time someone figures out you haven’t paid, well, I’m not sure anyone notices unless you get fries. This place is so popular it needs an updated ordering system and I’m sure they could afford to do it. Whatever the solution, please find it soon. I want to eat my food hot!!! You have to know that the tacos are absolutely delicioso just by the lines. The adobada is thee is so moist…it absolutely is worth the wait. Stay away from the quesadillas because that’s the only complaint I can offer. It was super dry and just messy! Enjoy the gem you have San Diegans! Eat it up until I return next year for some grub!

This place gets really packed for a late weekend lunch rush so be prepared to get your items to-go. The al pastor tacos were the best, as they shave the meat right off the rotating mechanism. The carne asada fries were also great, but the amount for the smaller of the two sizes is a huge amount of food, and a great price! Remember, it is an open kitchen concept, so you will smell like their delicious meats when leaving.

Grilled beef tripe taco is one of the best I’ve ever had. Tongue and head meat are quite good too. Wasn’t too busy on a Monday evening around 830pm. But over the weekends expect the queue to stretch to the road outside.

Tacos were good but not as great as I've heard. They make their own corn tortillas there and one of mine was a little on the burnt side and a little black in quite a few areas which caused the taco to taste burnt. The other taco was good. They do add lots of meat which is really nice. The onions and cilantro looked fresh. The staff wasn't super friendly but they were okay. It wasn't busy when I visited.

As soon as you walk in, you're greeted with smell with the smell of asada, adobada, chicken and other food cooking on the grill. Tortillas are made fresh by hand and put straight on the grill to cook. When ordering, there are three different lines for the different types of meat tacos you are looking to order. I tried all of them including the cactus taco. However, the spicy adobada taco is hands down the best taco of them all. Three tacos should be enough to fill you up. Also order the asada cheese fries. Really good side to split with others in addition to the tacos.

Best tacos in San Diego hands down. Best tacos I’ve ever had. The meat is so succulent, tender, and juicy. All the sauces and things like onions that they put on compliment the meat nicely. They are very generous with the meat and the guac! For anyone new the way it works is that there are different queues for different meats and then for each meat you can choose what taco you want: - Taco: standard soft taco - Tostado: toasted tacos on each end - Mula: soft tacos covered in cheese on each end - Sope: thicker soft taco at the bottom with cheese and a toasted taco on top - Vampiro: toasted taco You can see the pictures below for what some of the tacos look like

First time trying this restaurant. At first when entering it was kind of hard to determine how to place orders and the process. Once we got help in how to order it was simple. The food was great, seasoned prolly and hot. The steak tacos were on point and had that Smokey flavor. Definitely ordering those again. The cheese quesadilla were awesome too. The location was well lighted and no dark spots. Parking was easy and not too hard to find a spot. We went around 4:30pm on a Tuesday. It has a steady crowd of people coming and going. Service was great, people were awesome and can’t wait to revisit!

Best taco in SoCal. Never miss an opportunity to snag some Gordo when in town. The suadero and buche are packed with flavor, the asada has that unmistakable charcoal smoke, and the vampiros are a cheesy, delicious gooey mess. Pastor is as good as any in town, and their salsas are always on point. You wash it down with their classic jamaica or tamarindo, and you got an unforgettable meal. Prices always seem to be going up over the years, but never disappointed by the quality and flavor. Top eats in the area.

Best tacos on the planet? Possibly! The adobada tacos are amazing. Also recommend the suadero. Def get the carne asada fries as well.

Tacos were very good, fries as well. Quesadilla a bit smaller than expected. Apparently the sauce can be changed to guac. But overall this place is definitely deserving of its reputation.

First of all, I need to mention the security. Not only do they have a guy watching the parking lot but they cameras everywhere. You can keep an eye out on your vehicle while you eat thanks to the TV's in the dining area. Now, the food. The service is super fast. Although the gentleman who made our 18 tacos was awesome and super patient as I ordered and asked questions, not everyone behind the counter was as friendly. There was a guy who didn't seem to want to be helpful with some of my wife's questions. We all ordered the carne asada tacos and carne asada fries. They were SO good! I thought we might have ordered too many tacos but they were so good we had no problem eating them. They definitely do tacos right. I do recommend this place.

This place is the bomb. Mouth watering tacos and it's not expensive. I've down 6 tacos. Delicioso mucho!

If I could have this every single day I would. The best el pastor tacos I’ve ever had. Super fast service. Cheap and flavorful. Worth the drive.

I think these are the best tacos in San Diego. Despite the less impressive ambiance, each variety is exceptionally delicious and authentic.

With over 9k reviews i still have to add mine for reach for 10k reviews for this must visit best taco i ever had place ! Not enough local san Diego and tourists know this place unless you read travel vlogs ! Even have been here still need some time to figure out how the system works. Parking is limited behind the shopper but better than downtown one. Went there past 8pm still long lines in adobada el pastor line , lengua is separate line . I personally like carne asada and it had avocado and tasty seasoning but always no lines . After lined up order food then get the lime and pay at a cashier. Then you can enjoy. Come with 2 person and take it to go. I would recommend. There is security guy inside also helped us explained how the line works.

The tacos were all amazing and the lines were definitely worth the wait, highly recommend this place and I’ll definitely be back anytime I visit San Diego! The drinks were also very solid!

this place is the blue collar taco spot. walk up to the counter order what you want pay and eat. everything is very resonable price wise. and what you get is amazing.

I only give this place 3 stars because the people I went with really liked their tacos. I don’t like when meat has a lot of fat and I have to spit pieces out which I had to do- yuck. I got a plain quesadilla as well but it was way too small even though it was good. Nice staff and cool setup.

One of the best tacos you'll eat in San Diego — a must-try. You absolutely have to get the adobada — it's spiced pork that's cooked on a rotating pit (like shawarma), and it's TO DIE FOR. Topped with flavorful salsas, onion and cilantro. Absolute taco perfection. The taco cabeza (beef head) is also amazing, just a totally different type of taco — rich and beefy! The service is fast and kind, and there are plenty of tables. Don't miss out on this place!

The Carne Asada fries are delicious. The most delicious I’ve had in San Diego. The tacos are delicious and you can taste that the corn tacos are made in house. We even saw them making them. This place is so good and it’s true fast food with the set up as you go to each window to collect what you want. Beef tongue tacos were great too. Honestly everything here is delicious!

Have visited here 4-5 times over the past few years. Pretty good tacos and they give you real meat in them; you can taste really strong flavor of Maillard reaction. Though price keeps going up (price per taco went up almost 50% comparing to 4 years ago), I would still visit for the good tacos (you can actually find other good tacos from street vendors, but may risk your stomach the next day).

This place never disappoints. No matter what state your in this is a great experience.

Best tacos in California not just San Diego. The El pastor tacos are amazing reminds me of tacos from Mexico.

It's chaos on there but the staff works with what management has set up, and they are ALL working hard and doing their best. Lines, lines, lines. Security guard at the door asks what you want and directs you to particular line. You're better going with at least 3 people so each one can get in the particular line of meat. One line for anything adobada, one line for other meats, and one line for fries. Fries, get some, it's the only item reasonably priced and large shareable for two people. I got a medium which would have filled me up on its own. Tacos are almost $4 a pop, so definitely overpriced. Sure, they're pretty CLOSE to the TJ version but the guac sauce was too runny on the day I went. Paid $45 for TACOS... And COLD tacos mind you, because by the time you get your order, you have to wait around a few more mins to pay. By the time you pay and find a seat the food is warm at best. Definitely not worth the price. Tacos are a cheap staple food, and this is more for the hype and convenience of not crossing the border. Hesitant to go back. Food goo? Yes, but it's chaos ordering and it will cool down while you wait. $4 each? Get outta here. Hey, at least you get all the horchata you want, so do yourself a favor and order the smallest option available and keep refilling.

This is THE taco spot in San Diego. You cannot come to SD without making a stop here. There is no other place in California where you'll get tacos as authentic as they serve here. The safest choice is their pastor. Grab a tray, wait in line, make your order, take a good look at their process. Authentic maize tortillas tossed onto the drippings from the pastor, the heat of the lamps pushing the smell of caramelized pork right in front of you. I'm starving just remembering this place. Mind you, sometimes this place can get rowdy. They've got a security guard up front and a dedicated parking lot in the back, so you'll be fine majority of the time.

Still amazing!. Stands out as a taco shop in San Diego Head and shoulders above anywhere else... Which is impressive in its own right. Their tacos are so good. It will ruin tacos anywhere else in the United States.

This place has been BY FAR the best taco shop I've been to. The food ingredients were fresh, and the tacos were not too spicy, nor overcooked/dry AND the food portions were decent. There was plenty of table space inside and out for small or large groups. Parking may be a challenge in the back buy you can use the street curb. I highly recommend this place if you are in the area and want some authentic tacos.

So if you are looking for Taco Bell type food this isn’t your cup of tea but if you are looking for food made fresh in front of you then you have to come to this spot. They make the tortillas right in front of you. Fresh ingredients are there specially. If you are looking for a legit horchata this is your spot!

This is some absolutely delicious food prepared authentically. If you're looking for the real deal, this is it. It's a food hall style place with seating inside. There's street parking and a parking lot. Try to not go at peak times as it can get a little confusing in there with the lines crisscrossing and knowing how/what to order. This place is popular and their food is fantastic.

Great taco restaurant. Theres a long line to get food but it was worth it. The tacos are small sizes but tasty. They have beef head, tongues and guts too but we didn't try it. Their adobada plates were good. The price was reasonable also. The restaurant was cleaner than most Mexican restaurants.

Had reasonably high expectations and was blown away, the tacos were phenomenal. Didn’t get a chance to try the pastor but everything else was delicious

Long wait in line to order, but it was worth it. The Vampiros are excellent. The sodas are good to try as well.

Pretty good stuff, flour tortillas was over cooked. The fries was delicious with toppings but the fries itself was little mushy. Overall it was delicious.

Best tacos of my life, period. Made fresh to order. I am disappointed i had breakfast earlier and can’t eat any more. Absolutely recommend this place.

Best tacos in town, fresh and authentic. Always busy which is a good thing. However, you have to be looking for seating because it’s so crowded. If you are visiting from out of town and want to try authentic Mexican tacos, this is the place to go.

Great tacos! But the lineup is a little bit a mess and confusing. You need to line up at different windows for different things and when there are many people there it can be quite a unpleasant experience.

Closest thing you’ll get to tacos from Mexico. By far the best tacos in socal and pretty comparable to TJ.

Very tasty food but a little confusing when you walk in because you're not sure which line to get in to order what!!! Eventually we figured it out.....lol

I, finally made it in due to every other time I go in the lines are around the building! It is not a bad thing but speaks volumes about the restaurant. The Taco de Lengua (beef tongue taco) was simply delightful! The Taco de Nopal (cactus taco) wasn't bad but I felt that there was too much cactus that overpowered everything else in the taco. We got all Adobada (spicy pork) food we could to try it all out! All the Adobada was great and well worth coming to eat which I would recommend! At the end of the day they follow the three rules of keep it clean, keep it fresh, and keep it simple! It is just one of those 5 star restaurants with 1 star prices which can't be beaten! Update September 19th 2021: I am going back through all my reviews of restaurants to be more stringent and to compete my due diligence of each. I have set forth three rules that all restaurant will need to follow to get a three star rating. The three rules for restaurants is the keep it fresh, keep it clean, and keep it simple! Getting a four or five star will become harder, but not impossible! Why? Well, people rating poor restaurants as five stars when they are barely a two or three is commonplace in Google Maps and I would like to fix this problem.

Amazing food! Be sure to get into the right line for that you want to order and then pay. Great place to go for a variety. There's indoor and covered outdoor seating. Its a big space but people move through it quickly. Would recommend it and have again!

I know tacos and this place offers some of the best tacos you can have. Food is made fresh in front of you. I love their adobada (spiced pork) tacos topped with yummy salsa. I visited this spot on a Saturday afternoon and it was busy, but buy that I knew I was in at good place. Most people got their food to go so I didn't have much trouble finding a place to sit.