El Gallo Taqueria

The tacos are delicious and the tortillas are the best I’ve had in PDX. It’s a tiny place and there’s typically always a line but good for them. The guys on the grill are quick and the food tastes fresh. I appreciate that they list the farms they work with on the website. Lastly, I’d love if they had guacamole to go with chips instead of just salsa. Pretty please El Gallo?!

The staff were nice and the place is cute but tiny. The food looked and smelled great but it took over 30 minutes to get 2 tacos, a burrito and pre-​made cake to go. The waiting is awkward for to go because it’s so small and there’s very little space to wait. We saw the special dessert was tres leches (my favorite) and we saw them making the tortillas fresh, so we hoped for the bests When we got home, we were excited for the tacos on fresh made tortillas… Then the tortillas completely fell apart and our tacos were suddenly nachos (with soft nacho chips… Not easy to eat). The meat was tender but not terribly flavorful. The chips and salsa were good but needed salt. And the tres leches cake we were so looking forward to? Well, the cake should be made with three types of milk. And it’s generally vanilla flavored. My cake? It was dry. Not even sure how that’s possible. And the flavor? Cinnamon. A cute and friendly neighborhood spot but we won’t be back.

Tacos one at a time. Eliza and I loved them.

This place is awesome! Small menu with simple items that are absolutely delicious! The tacos are to die for, very authentic. I feel like I’m eating at a place in Puerto Vallarta. You won’t be disappointed!

The best carnitas burrito in Portland! Great space with friendly staff!

Al Pastor Burrito was OK, but not worthy of $ 8.50. Maybe $ 6. The place is really small. Shared a table with some nice random folks. The hype is overrated. Better burritos can be found elsewhere for much less.

It’s all about the tortilla and this one is deliciouso! Not to mention the fillings as well. It was nice to grab and go and sit a near by park on a warm day and enjoy the eats. I will be back and I’ll introduce others to my find.

I can not say enough how much I love this place! I moved here after living in LA and SF and literally wanted to cry with happiness upon my first bite. Their Carnitas is on point, fresh homemade tortillas, even the gringo taco was excellent. Mexican food, specifically tacos and burritos in Portland have been such sad disappointment to me that when my coworker took me to this magical taco land I never wanted to leave… ever so I will be back next week and the week after that…

yeah — been here a good dozen times… guess it’s time to say — fuck yeah… this place rocks!
the food is great, the staff is great.
i have a couple very minor complaints — (i’ll readily admit these are 1^st world problems and nothing really to complain about)
I wish they’d rotate the tap from Alameda Yellow Wolf IPA — only because it’s an 8.2% imperial IPA at 100 IBU’s. I love it… but damn — 2 of these and I can’t go back to work!
and their hours kinda suck.
closed sunday/​monday — and closed at 7:00 PM means I have a hard time getting there for dinner…(my wife and I just don’t eat this early) — so it’s kinda relegated to being only a lunch place for me. :-(

Super delicious street tacos and a great selection of freshly made sauces! Lots of fresh and local offerings!

Their food is so great! I love their carnitas tacos and the rice and beans everything is just so great!

Very good tacos, but more premium price than some other places in town. Have various options from street tacos to boulevard tacos, all of which I’ve tried are pretty tasty on the handmade masa tortillas. I recommend the carne asada, carnitas, and al pastor. Small space though, so don’t expect to sit comfortably if you’re dining in.

I really like the Carne Asada burrito and ingredients seem fresh and of high quality. Areas that could use improvement: length of time it takes to get food, small and cramped space while waiting for burrito, and I feel like the people making the food should have gloves on. The are reaching into food containers without gloves, which seems strange to me. At any rate, good food, just be prepared to wait and move around a lot trying to get out of peoples way. I am glad they are in my neighborhood and will be back to try more. I feel like once the kinks get worked out, it will be even better!

2Dec15 @11:30am.
Not crowded. Friendly fast service.
Ordered several street and boulevard tacos to go.
Small inside with a few tables and counter space.
The shells were fresh and tasty. Larger than others we have had but not quite as tasty. Not sure why but missing something.

I’m currently in the middle of eating, the pastor burrito, and wish I had ordered two. First time eating here, will definitely return. Unilocal tells me I must should write more, but I really don’t need to.

This place has amazing chips and the burritos are huge. A little more expensive than some competitors in the area but it is worth it.

For take out it just doesn’t get better than this place. I take out for dinner at least once a week and this place is as consistent as it gets. Never a disappointment. The chorizo is absolute gold. Seeing how the menu is so small, I’d recommend that they do weekly specials to spice things up a bit. Otherwise this is the place to eat in the Woodstock ‘hood.

Excellent tacos! The quality is fantastic & it’s obvious that everyone who works there enjoys what they do — making simple, yet melt-​in-​your-​mouth delicious food!
Try the Carne Asada Street Tacos or the Carnitas. Truly authentic & so good no sauce needed.
Venue is small so be prepared to squish in & make new friends.
I’ve taken tacos To-​Go & I live 40 minutes away. They were still warm & ready to eat when I arrived home. Also, easy to reheat the next day.

I grew up in the hood — not that that is particularly relevant, but I’ve seen a LOT come and go in the Woodstock neighborhood since 1952, and not all of it’s been good. El Gallo is a welcome addition to the spate of new businesses sprouting up.
This is a SMALL place that frequently has more folks in the kitchen and behind the counter than in front of it — I think it seats twenty. That’s OK because, what they’re doing in the kitchen is making meals, not assembling them. Everything is fresh, and in such close quarters, one hears the fresh onions being chopped, the pork being sizzled, and the fragrance is something to experience.
I had two carne asada street tacos at $ 2.50 apiece, and there’s certainly no complaint about that. The pork was carefully seasoned so as to allow a novice like myself to survive the heat. Now, I’m no chef, so my next comment is not criticism as much as a spoken wish: I WISH there had been something more on my tacos than dry-​rubbed pork and chopped onions; something like chopped tomatoes, sour cream, some cheese (anything but guacamole). I found my meal to be a bit dry, but good, all the same.
My only real complaint (and this probably comes as a result of my age more than anything else) is the seating, which consists of very hard, unforgiving bar stools. OUCH! As small as the place is, I know they don’t want loungers, but WHOA — I felt my visit there for an hour after the fact. Don’t let this keep you from trying El Gallo — the folks there truly care about your meal and check to see that you’re enjoying it. Customer service — what a concept!

El Gallo Taqueria touts that they make all their food from scratch, and the difference is noticeable. They grill their house-​made, hand-​pressed tortillas when you put in your food order, and the result is a softer and less chewy texture, and more pronounced corn flavor than the bland pre-​made tortillas at many other places. I ordered a fish taco and an al pastor taco. Everything tasted nice and fresh. I like that their fish is grilled rather than fried.. .that always counts extra with me. Also, their al pastor meat is pork tenderloin rather than the usual (and cheaper) pork shoulder that many other places use. The al pastor is grilled and has little chunks of pineapple on it which is a nice touch and adds a spark of flavor.
Unfortunately, the restaurant space itself is small and cramped, with much of the seating along a counter facing a wall, so maybe ordering «to go» would be a good option here. On my visit today, the kitchen was slow. There were only three people waiting for their food ahead of me, and I saw four cooks in the kitchen, but it still took about fifteen minutes to prepare my two tacos. Well, I could attribute the long wait to the fact that good, well prepared food does take time.. .but this was not a full, three course meal I wanted.. .I just wanted two little tacos.

Couple things, I ordered the chips. Damn. they are GOOD! Yes, I have a weirdness about not having free chips offered whilst I wait for what I ordered (come on, that is what I was use to for 34 years of my life, some slack here!). But, even though they are 4 Bones to buy a little basket, they come warm and fresh.
I found a lite meal worth considering is one of their tasty fish tacos, a basket of chips, and a Tecate with lime. Keeps it under $ 11, so not too expensive, but good variation of food and flavors going on. Sure, you might feel a little more taco would have filled you up good and proper, but it will do. I think that would be a good «Meal Deal». a Mexican Coke or Cerveza, Chips, and 2 Tacos (get another taco for free) for $ 10. or a Drink, Burrito, and chips for $ 13? How bout it?
The breakfast burrito is really quite good as well. Nice slight char to the tortilla, the potatoes are well cooked. I can see why people really like them.
All I can say, is as always. do not come here if you really need to get somewhere. I cannot take a break and grab a burro, I would lose all my time. This is Portland Slow Food. Embrace it. The product is a good outcome.
I am excited to come back a try some other items like the Taco Desert. it looks delish.
But having had the chips and breakfast burro, with a happy belly…
A Star is born. Make that 4 stars!

I haven’t had a great breakfast burrito since living in Santa Cruz and frequenting the Chill Out Burrito café’s there. But praise the breakfast gods, for I have found another fantastic breakfast burrito here (better in fact). Get it, you won’t be sorry. Even if its dinner time.
I’ve had their other burritos, and I like that they always are on the healthier side, with lots of fresh ingredients, and a choice of black or pinto beans. But they are a bit dry for my taste. I think they expect you to douse it with salsa later (so it doesn’t get soggy), but I’d like the non-​breakfast burritos a lot more if they had a guacamole option vs. just avocados.
As far as the size of the burritos others have mentioned… With a little self control these are two meals for me, so the price is right. Though I just now inhaled an entire breakfast burrito, and feel like I need to be wheelbarrowed back to bed for a long nap.

I ordered a burrito to go.
Positives: My burrito tasted pretty good, and the girl at the register was very friendly.
Negatives: I waited for 15 minutes for a burrito, despite there being 4 staff members and only 2 customers. My vegetarian burrito cost $ 9 which seemed overpriced for the burrito size, especially when Laughing Planet is right up the street.

Round 2. I loved my burrito. I do not know if they make their flour tortillas fresh, but they are awesome and this time I had pollo. I also tried the «melt you face off» salsa and it was the bomb. They start at $ 8.
Its still super crowed and such a small space. In fact, the one table in the back had bar stools at a low table which even made it more awkward, but I do recommend the burritos as a go to!

Yes, it’s small. Yes, there is limited seating. And yes, the line is a bit cumbersome when you’re waiting to order. But would you rather have a great neighborhood taco joint with fresh ingredients, a friendly staff who knows your name and a line going out the door… or a shitty one with no line at all?
Exactly.
The food is amazing, always fresh and made to order. This is no Chipotle-​esque assembly line operation and as a result, you will wait for a bit. But if you are among Portland’s many food enthusiasts, you are used to waiting for great food. I recommend the Works Taco with carnitas, which tastes like the greatest mariachi band on earth, playing La Bamba inside your mouth.
Now, to the guy who says he’s had better Mexican food at Taco Bell, I can only say, wow… just wow. Was your mouth attacked by a shark, rendering you devoid of the ability to taste food?

This place is very poorly designed. Only one person can be at the order counter at a time because the front counter is right by the inward swinging door.
You also don’t need to have a sign saying to limit your sauces because they are made by hand. I’m pretty sure most taquerias make their sauces by hand and then giving me shit for grabbing 7 sauces for my wife and I for our 2 burritos… That made me download Unilocal and write this review.
Have had better Mexican food at taco bell. Your bland beans and over use of cabbage was the reason I needed more sauce (not even that good) to add some depth of flavor.
Will not go here again. Over priced and over rated.

Located in what can only be described as a shoe box of a store, El Gallo is going to become a household name. I got two tacos – the Gringo, and The Works, both of which were. SO. DELICIOUS. Best tacos of my life. Will eat here all the time.
GO THERE.

Like being served in a train car, the new El Gallo is «cozy,» vibrant in color, food and flavor with great service.
Our fish tacos were stellar! Did you know they make their tortillas to order? Me, neither! But, they do, and damn are they good!
I am not a fan of their burritos (I don’t like their flavor), but their tacos are awesome!
Brick and mortar El Gallo is everything and more cart El Gallo was, with an extended menu, including items for kids, and an add on of bevies and desserts: caramel flan and tres leches cake, made especially for us by one of the employees who has been a pastry chef for 20 years. Hot damn! I can’t wait to try them!
Seating is delightfully cramped, unless you get the prime window seat at the front. Prices are very affordable. Cash and credit cards are accepted, and they’re open for lunch and dinner.
Bring yourself to El Gallo! You’re going to love it!