How To Order at Tacos El Gordo Las Vegas + Taco Pics!

Key Points:

• You order *by meat* at Tacos el Gordo – Get into the line that leads to your desired protein.

• When you reach the front of the line, grab a tray and order the items you want.

• Once you’re served, you pay for your meal & add a drink at the cash register behind you.

For years, I had heard people rave about Tacos El Gordo on social media, but had yet to experience it myself.

While it had been on my “to-do” list, the restaurant’s location on the north end of the Strip left much to be desired. It was in the middle of nowhere.

I finally swung in for the first time a few years back after my inaugural visit to Resorts World across the Street.

My first impressions upon entering Tacos El Gordo were:

1. Holy sh*t that smells good, followed by:
2. Holy sh*t… How TF do I order?

The restaurant was packed to the gills, and there appeared to be minimal structure to the madness.

I’m ashamed to admit that my social anxiety took over, prompting me to abort the taco mission and explore the possibility of eating at Peppermill instead.

Fortunately, the 2-hour wait at Peppermill forced me to face my fears and figure out how to order at Tacos El Gordo.

How To Order

It helps to see the menu board (pictured above). What appears to be a crowd of people in the image are actually in lines behind the type of meat they want.

Adobada (spicy pork), Asada (steak), and Chorizo are the main options, but there are also lines for more exotic proteins like beef tongue, beef brain, and pork stomach.

Within your desired meat line, you can order Tacos, Quesadillas, Sopes, Mulas, and more.

Tacos El Gordo’s adobada (pork) attracts the most fanfare. They had 2 lines open for that specific meat, and most were waiting for it. I opted for the quicker steak line.

One bummer about the system at Tacos El Gordo is that you can’t order multiple meats without waiting in multiple lines.

Since the lines don’t move quickly, the food you’ve already ordered is likely to get cold. I recommend sticking to one meat, or, if visiting with a group, divvying up your order so that different people can order for the whole group in their assigned meat line.

When you reach the front of the line, you’ll place your order with the employee behind the counter. They will then prepare your desired items fresh, right in front of you.

As they get to cooking, grab a red tray from the counter in front of you so they can place your food on it.

You then take your tray of food to the cash registers at the back of the main lobby to pay. There, you’ll be given the option to add drinks to your order.

In hindsight, ordering at Tacos El Gordo isn’t overly complicated. It just appears that way to a first-timer. Don’t let the chaotic first impression scare you away. The food is worth the wait.

The Tacos at Tacos El Gordo

As mentioned, the food is made after you place your order and right in front of you. Even the tortillas started as balls of dough and were flattened & fried immediately before being served.

Below, is one of the 5 steak tacos I ordered, and adobada tacos ordered during a different visit.

Yes, it tasted as good as it looks.

After tasting both, I’d declare the steak taco my favorite in the steak vs. adobada battle, but both were fantastic.

Oddly, every time I post to my Facebook page about the tacos here, I get bitter responses like:

“This place is gross and overpriced”

“Overpriced gristle….”

“Their tacos are average at best.”

“Looks like slop”