Los Gauchos
 Columbus, Ohio        Date of Visit  12/22/15         
 http://los-guachos.com

Was totally surprised to hear a spot in Columbus even got a look, let alone a place on Food Network’s Top Five…especially on the taco episode. We still haven’t found our way to Hot Chicken Takeover but we did get to the tacos. We also found a couple of other stops for adventure including a beer soaked deli, a bakery and a lot of popcorn.
 



 


 
 


Not A Lot Of Space For A Lot Of Hungry Folks
 

Las Gauchos, the one of two we visited, is in a little strip plaza and I can’t imagine risking anything but takeout during busy hours. The first thing you see after walking in is the huge bees nest (shout-out to Jegunda) of pork rotating on the spit with a pineapple crown. We’re in business.

The next thing I saw were the two bowls on each table. Huge, the first was filled with lime wedges and the second a mix of marinated veg studded with several rings habanero, a little wot-wot for your taco, if you’re interested.

First, they make three beverages in house, a horchata (a sweetened rice drink) with a very sweet and lightly starchy flavor, an hibiscus water which was much sweeter than it was flowery – fortunately, and a non alcoholic Pinacolada which (even though I detest coconut) was extraordinary. Usually don’t care much for really sweet beverages either, this is way sweet, doesn’t matter. I had two and the rest of Steph’s second.
 

 
 


The Soooo Not-A-Gyro They Are Known For Al Pastor. I Don't See Any Bees.
 


Delicious Unique Beverages
 


Bowl Of Citrus; Bowl Of Kick
 


And Sauces To Match
 

 

We ordered three tacos, beef tongue, chorizo, and the vaunted al pastor (bees nest pork mountain) plus nachos, a burrito and a gringas(?). The nachos we started while waiting for our fourth and they consisted of fresh fried chips covered in mozzarella, pico and sour cream. We chose the brisket, which was fine. I wasn’t overjoyed by the whole nacho package, in fact my favorite part of the whole plate were the slices of cucumber and radish on the side. Not a typical side as far as I know but they were really refreshing.

The burrito was the el favorite with chicken, melted cheese, refried beans, onion and cilantro. It was tasty but dry and really needed the punch of the big bowls or hot sauces on the table to really turn it into something.
 


Brisket Nachos Were Pretty Ho-Hum
 


As Was The Solid Chicken Burrito
 

The tacos. I so wanted to be blown away…especially by the al pastor, I really wasn’t. The tongue was tender but didn’t offer a lot of flavor. Neither did the al pastor for that matter. The chorizo was much better, working its way through the corn wrapper and at least making an appearance. The spicy red squeeze bottle and the refreshing green one, either or, or both helped but didn’t erase disappointment.

There was something on the menu called a Gringas. The menu says they’re famous Grilled flour tortilla, melted cheese, onions, cilantro, pineapple, and marinated al pastor. Sounds a lot like the al pastor taco, ‘cept flour instead of corn tortilla, cheese, and a slice of pineapple. This HAS to be what they were talking about on the tube. The changes don’t appear significant, but they make the whole thing come alive, spectacularly alive. All four of us instantly tasted the difference. Going back, I would skip the nachos, skip the tacos, skip the burrito, and fill the table with Gringas and Non-alcoholic Pina Colada. There is happiness there.
 


Was Disappointed by The "Best" Taco Al Pastor
 


The Tongue Didn't Do Much Either
 

 


The Chorizo Did Have Some Flavor Popping Through
 


Boom Goes The Dynamite, Which Is What The Gringas (Whatever It Might Be) Is...Dynamite
 

  Ratings  
 
Food

Service


Ambiance

What's Best

What's Worst


Overall
 
  C+ C C A C C+  
        Gringas!!! The Rest    
 
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