STOP everything and GO!!I’ve only been here twice now but that was twice this week. I went myself and then I had to take my wife back for our date night.I’m gluten intolerant so I got the enchiladas. I got el pastor, shredded beef, and Carne. The el pastor was my favorite.Each sauce has its own very unique flavor. Each meat also has its own flavor. Unlike some restaurants where everything tastes kind of the same.The first time I went I was extremely hungry after snowboarding and I was seriously slapping my leg and moaning the first 10 bites. The second time I was almost as impressed.Salsa - When I went for lunch I was given chips and salsa with one salsa. It was so unique. It was absolutely delicious. But I hesitate to describe it because I don’t know if I can do it justice. It looks still have carrots in it which sounds disgusting but it was incredible. When I went for dinner with my wife we were given three salsas with our chips. Two salsa Verde‘s and the same one I was given at lunch.Chips - their chips taste very fresh and I assume they make them fresh on site.Sauce - they have a green and a red enchilada type sauce that goes over the burritos or enchiladas. They do half on one side and half on the other. It is absolutely incredible! Super complex flavors and fresh taste.Beans - The beans are amazing. They aren’t too runny but they aren’t just a blended up slop of thick mess. Thick enough you can eat with a fork, but just barely. Is there a word for beans like El Dante is for noodles? That’s kind of how I would explain the bean when you bite into it. Not dry and crunchy but not just mushy.Without hesitation I will say this is the best Mexican food I have ever had. A close second would be Oscar’s tacos in San Diego California and some place I ate at in Mexico. I give it a 9 out of 10. They put these purple or red onion things on some salad on the side of your plate. My Mexican neighbor makes those onions a much better so that’s why I give it a 9 out of 10. I asked for a lime and salt to squeeze over my salad and it improved it a lot. I wish those onions had a little more flavor and a little more salt or something.Atmosphere - when you look at the building from the outside you expect a Batos or a Rancherito‘s type of restaurant where you go to the front and order. However that is not the case. It is a sit down restaurant. Prepare yourself for a lack of comfortable ambience or luxury to put it politely. I don’t mind and I’m not judgemental but if you are a posh person you’ll feel uncomfortable. I still think you should go and get over yourself. Haha. The food is worth it, trust me.Staff - The Hispanic gentleman who cooked my food both times is super nice and speaks English. He came out to talk to me both times and he’s very friendly. The girl who is the waitress is very kind. She is very shy and soft-spoken and has a thick accent. There was another girl in the kitchen who was kind and gave a very nice wave and smile as we were leaving.Restrooms - they were clean.Parking - parking is behind the restaurant and there is a little walkway on the north side of the building that is covered. Came in handy as it was raining the night me and my wife went. Looks like they put some money into putting that covered walkway in and also a wood deck with picnic tables on the front of the building facing the street.
Pretty much the epitome of a hole in the wall Mexican place. It's so hard to find a good Mexican place, and this one is worth going back to.Great street tacos, especially the birria tacos. A little more expensive than some other places, but the quality of meat is noticeably better. Everything we tried was great with one exception - don't order the fried fish taco. It was literally a fish stick in a tortilla. Everything else was good. Service was fine - it's such a small place I don't think they really need a server, there was one server and she basically just brings the food from the order counter to your table which is about 5 ft. Overall the food was better than most- I would definitely come back.
We had a chance to eat at this restaurant for the first time the other night-what a great surprise! This is hands down, the best Mexican food I've had here in Utah. The portions were huge, presentation was excellent, and the food was absolutely delicious. The physical place may not look like much, but if I want ambience, I'll go to a much more expensive restaurant and be charged high prices for tiny portions of food. I want a delicious meal at a fair price and this is exactly what we got. I asked Alberto (owner) what makes his food so different from other Mexican places around town and he pulled up a chair and proceeded to share his love of authentic Mexican cuisine with us. You can tell this man has a passion for what he does and it shows in his food. We are so happy to have found this place and plan on patronizing el Gallo Loco when we are hungry for a great meal. It helps too that this is a small locally owned business and as owners of our own small business, we are happy to support places such as this.
I read a few of the reviews before I posted mine. Seems weird to give somebody a one-star review when you don't read the menu and you're surprised by the prices. I've been here many times including last night. My wife and I had two awesome meals with a couple appetizers and we were out the door for $42. I felt like we got a lot of food for what we paid. Every time we come here we feel like we are actually in Mexico. The food is very good and feels a lot like restaurant we have visited in Mexico. They always do a very good job with the presentation of the food. My wife commented that if they had a nicer location they could easily charge twice as much for their food. The quality of the food, the presentation, the flavor, the quantity, all of it is very very good.
Unfortunately, we did not listen to the warnings in the other reviews and were overcharged for our meal when we visited.We ordered two $10 burritos and two $6 margaritas, and the bill was $45 (without tip). It is really disappointing because the food was actually pretty good, and we would have returned had the pricing been transparent.I hope management decides to let the food quality speak for itself and stop relying on dishonest business practices.
No military discount.Got the full chicken.Some parts were better than other sides, little hard for me to rate only because it wasn't seasoned all around.Like the fact ot had onions, but they need to work on seasoning the whole chicken.Rice was awsome, beans were runny, tortilla was good.Over all 4 out of 5 only because it was ok.Not perfect, but ok.
Really good food!! We’ve been back a few times. Take a a little bit longer, especially if busy but worth the wait.
Authentic Mexican, good service , but pricey…
Wow, Wow and Wow. What a great find. I have lived in Sandy for 10 years and visited for the first time. Had their nightly special which was fresh tamales and also ordered the ceviche which was spectacular. Food was delivered very quick and there was no wait for all. Many choices for alcoholic drinks if desired. All in all it was a great experience and we will definitely go back. Kudos to the chef and waiter for the great food and service.
Excellent food, Alberto is so friendly and welcoming. It's like showing up to family dinner. I just ask him to surprise us, and he never has disappointed.