El Gallo Giro
714.549.2011
I know I put this place as “Fastfood” but let me explain why. You walk up to the cashier and order your food, then wait a few minutes and you get your food. There are no seats except for the few bar stool counters by the window. A great place to get lunch to-go or just stand by the bar counter and eat.
I had a bit of trouble ordering because my coworker Ed told the cashier to only speak to me in Spanish since I was trying to get better at it. (She told him she wanted to practice her English haha) I got by most of the way until she threw a curve ball at me but I passed with little mistakes. 🙂
This place has solid Mexican food and I think it stacks up with Sinaloa in terms of quality. They make and sell their own tortillas and it also has a bakery where you can but Mexican sweet bread.
I won’t write about atmosphere, because it does not seem appropriate. It feels like a small Mexican market that sells food. Well it is I guess but not much on their inventory except tortillas and baked goods.
If I had to compare, Sinaloa was kind of messy and felt like a good local Mexican restaurant, while El Gallo Giro felt more clean and almost like a real Fast food joint. Their menu was on a large LCD screen and everything.
Food
Okay I only had the Torta, but it was damn good. It might seem kind of pricey at first but the amount they give you and the taste makes it more than worth it. I had the Torta de Al pastor (Torta sandwich with marinated pork) and I was in love. The Torta bigger than any other place I’ve been to and they full it with meat, veggies and a lot of avocados. The meat was really well marinated but not overbearing. It wasn’t heavy ,which was a plus, and the size was more than satisfying. I couldn’t believe I finished the thing, my coworker Ed told me he only had half before and he was stuffed.
We got a free Chicken Tamale probably due to the Mexican hookup, but it was really good. When I looked at it, it looked kind of heavy and bland because even the inside was yellow (it almost looked like they didn’t marinate the chicken in any sauce), but one bite and I was surprised. I guess looks aren’t everything. The chicken was not dry at all and was well seasoned, the skin of the tamale wasn’t dry as well.
They had the whole lineup of beverages as well. They had the Horchata, Tamarindo, Jacaima, and Memey. I had the tamarindo and it was good. You can really taste the tamarins in the drink and it wasn’t too sweet. It went really well with my Al Pastor. My only negative comment was that it was a bit pricey for a drink. I know they make it themselves and all but $3 for the small (medium) was a bit much, especially when considering that there were no refills. It was really good but if you drink a lot of liquids like I do when you eat, you might want to think about it first. I ended up paying another $3 for the refill because it was good but I was also really thirsty.
Overall, this place is really good, and of course it had to be.. It was recommended by Mexicans. (Oh but doesn’t mean every Korean restaurant recommended by young Koreans are necessarily good.. Haha) if you like Mexican food, go check it out. You wont regret it.
And a side note, please don’t tell me you don’t like Mexican food, when all you’ve ever had was Taco Bell or Baka Freah.. That.. Really doesn’t constitute as Mexican to me
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