There is a general consensus for those who live in or visit San Diego that Tacos El Gordo is the area’s must-hit spot for tacos.

Well, the hype is real.

The spot’s hype lies in its three locations: two in Chula Vista and one in San Diego.

While Tacos El Gordo serves quesadillas, tostadas and fries, folks come through those doors for one thing.

Tacos.

Tourists and locals can try nine different types of meat in their tacos: suadero, cabeza, buche, lengua, tripa, azteca, chorizo, carne asada and adobada.

Tacos El Gordo has a unique setup where there are multiple lines inside the restaurant, each separated by the customers’ choice of meat. Once the customer collects all the tacos they want, there is a separate counter to pay for a world-class taco experience.

However, almost always, the lines of carne asada and adobada are the longest.

And for good reason.

The carne asada tacos come in a soft corn or flour tortilla topped with chopped onion, cilantro, salsa and most notably, guacamole. The guacamole is the perfect complement to the juicy grilled steak.

No extra salsa needed.

The same goes for the adobada tacos. Abobada is spicy pork topped with onion, cilantro and the signature creamy avocado sauce.The consumer can add a squeeze of lime to cap off the perfect taco experience, along with a side of pineapples for no extra cost.

There is a split within the Tacos El Gordo fanbase of which meat choice reigns supreme. At any Tacos El Gordo location, customers will notice how the packed lines inside vary from day to day. The abobada line will be ridiculously long one day and the carne asada line on the next.

To top it off for college students, they can get Tacos El Gordo pretty much whenever they want. The taco shop is open until 2 a.m. every day, and the Broadway location in Chula Vista is open until 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

Whether you think Tacos El Gordo is the best tacos you’ve had in San Diego, there’s no denying its popularity.

The first Tacos El Gordo location was in Tijuana in 1972. Then in 1998, the first location opened up in San Diego.

Twenty-one years later, it has become the signature taco shop in San Diego. With the immense popularity of the restaurant, it expanded to Las Vegas when its first location opened in 2010. Now, there are three total locations in Las Vegas.

With the authentic flavor of Tijuana, Mexico inside a soft tortilla, Tacos El Gordo has grown to be a staple for anyone who is in San Diego looking for an amazing taco experience.

No salsa needed.