America’s big birthday should be celebrated with a sensational Mexican dish

1 hour ago 1

Ben Groundwater

That one place in: Las Vegas, US

Tacos El Gordo, Las Vegas.

Where

Tacos El Gordo

Why

Is it a little ironic, even insulting, to mark the United States’ birthday this way? I figured given the nation’s July 4 Independence Day celebrations, the 250th anniversary of the home of the brave and the land of the (somewhat) free, I should talk about a restaurant in the US. But the one that immediately came to mind was not exactly American cuisine: it’s Tacos El Gordo, a casual, Tijuana-born eatery that makes extremely good Mexican food.

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But don’t take this as an insult, American amigos. Take it as a nod to the supremely great cuisine that’s available north of the border, the sort of regional, delicious and affordable Mexican cooking that we don’t often find in Australia.

The Tijuana-born chain’s Vegas outlet serves a mean taco.

So if you’re in Las Vegas, please, carry yourself away from the Strip. Not too far, just a block away from the Wynn, though in a place far removed from the celebrity-chef restaurants in glitzy casinos.

Tacos El Gordo is in a strip mall, an otherwise soulless place of car rental joints and pawn shops. The eatery is basic, with separate counters for each style of taco: patrons have to line up multiple times if they want a selection, and then line up again to pay at the register. But trust me, it’s worth it.

Order this

Tacos, obviously. The chorizo tacos here are sensational, though don’t miss the lengua (beef tongue), the suadero (beef shoulder, slow-braised and succulent) and the cabeza (beef head, the parts chopped small and grilled on a hotplate). With salsas, white onion and queso fresco, you’re in heaven. God bless America.

Eat it here

For excellent tacos in Sydney, call in to Olotl in Newtown (olotl.com.au). In Melbourne, head straight to La Tortilleria in Kensington (latortilleria.com.au). In Adelaide, try Que Onda Wey (queondawey.com.au).

Tacos El Gordo has outlets in Las Vegas and San Diego. In Las Vegas, the easiest to visit is at 3041 S Las Vegas Boulevard. It’s open every day from 10am until late. Tacos cost about $US4.50 ($6.50 each), including toppings and salsas. No bookings required (or even possible). See tacoselgordobc.com

Ben Groundwater is a Sydney-based travel writer, columnist, broadcaster, author and occasional tour guide with more than 25 years’ experience in media, and a lifetime of experience traversing the globe. He specialises in food and wine – writing about it, as well as consuming it – and at any given moment in time Ben is probably thinking about either ramen in Tokyo, pintxos in San Sebastian, or carbonara in Rome. Follow him on Instagram @bengroundwaterConnect via email.