Tacos El Gordo in Downtown San Diego
When Scott and I did a quick staycation in Downtown San Diego, he was adamant about taking me to Tacos el Gordo, which happened to be 2 blocks from the hotel we were staying at. The restaurant has been serves up authentic tijuana-style tacos for over 40 years. The corn tortillas are handmade, use the freshest ingredients, and guacamole and salsas are made from scratch daily. When you first go in, you’ll see there are multiple stations, each one will be serving up a different type of meat/taco or dish like tostadas, sopes & quesadillas. So go grab the tacos or dish that you would like, and then pay for them at the cashier. Don’t forget a yummy drink like horchata!
I’m told this place usually has an insane line out the door, we stopped in on a Thursday afternoon around 1PM or so and Scott was able to walk right in. He got us the adobada, carne asada, and chorizo tacos. Other tacos they have include suadero, cabeza, buche, lengua, tripa, and azteca (see the full menu here).
Tacos el Gordo has 7 locations across California & Nevada, see location details here. We went to the Downtown San Diego location, which is walking distance from Petco Park Stadium & the SD Convention Center (both 15 minutes or under walk). It’s much more convenient and easily accessible if you are walking from a nearby establishment (if you’re already staying in Downtown SD), versus having to drive in speifically to eat here because parking is hard to come by. You’ll have to find. parking garage, street parking or valet - but this specific location is currently partnered with the ABM Horton Plaza Parking, offering 3 hours of parking with validation from the restaurant for a flat $10. Just make a half day out of it!
As of March 2024, tacos are going for $3.94. I could pass on the carne asada next time, but the adobada (spiced pork) was delicious, meat so tender, and I like the little spicy kick. We kept toppings simple and truer to a street taco with onions, cilantro & limes. I love that you can get sides like fresh radish, and grilled peppers. Since this location had outdoor seating, we were able to take Lucky!
