461 Commerce Sq. (just off Sullivant, in the Club La Boom parking lot).
614.638.8806
Open Tuesday – Sunday, 4pm – 12am (open till 2am or later on Fri/Sat)
OK, four words: spit roasted al pastor. While Los Guachos has an abbreviated assortment of other meats (lengua, asada, tripa) there was no doubt that the al pastor is what brings the people in. And bring ‘em in it did – I don’t think we’ve ever seen any truck as crowded as this one (save, perhaps, for during the Taco Truck Tour…)
As the operation at Los Gauchos is easily the most open to view of any truck we’ve been to, the experience starts with observing the lynchpin of the operation – the ‘guacho’* manning the spit. With one long slicing motion, he separates a generous pile of al pastor from the spit which drops into a tortilla in his left hand. With a deft flick of the wrist, a thin slice of pineapple is separated from it’s place atop the spit and is caught atop the freshly sliced meat. A dash of cilantro, and a sprinkling of diced onion, and you now have the Los Guachos specialty – the al pastor taco. Our man at the carving station knocked out plates of 5 and 10 of these tacos all evening long – and crowded though they were, orders were dispatched with ease.
There’s something about this layout – the open truck, the groups of people sitting on the hoods of their cars and contentedly munching on tacos, that glorious rotating mass of glistening meat on display(!) – that lends a pleasant, ‘evening at a barbecue’ vibe to the occasion. Inevitably, though, it also raises expectations.
So, yeah, how were the tacos? Well… our reactions ranged from wonderful, fantastic, delicious, words fail me, to pinch-me-I’m-dreaming good. As far as we’re concerned, this is now THE place for al pastor. Between four of us we ate 20+ tacos, and these things aren’t small. We were all plotting our return as soon as we had taken the first bite.
Los Guachos also serves tortas, quesadillas, and gringas. The gringas are definitely a highlight too – similar to a quesadilla – a toasted flour tortilla covered in a thin layer of grilled and caramelized cheese with the meat of your choice (go with the al pastor again), onion and cilantro.
Los Guachos also scores high on the condiments. Unlike most other trucks they have large bowls out so that you can serve yourself with cucumber, radishes and two different pickles (one jalapenos and carrot, the other onion and red chili). They also have bottles of red (fairly hot and slightly sweet) and green (mild, refreshing, cilantro based) sauces.
To sign up for a Taco Truck Food Tour that includes a visit to Los Guachos, click here.
*’Guacho’, we are told, is a slang word used by Mexicans in the north of the country to describe southerners.
A special thanks goes out to Graciela, the commenter who first mentioned Los Guachos to us.
Just tried them, and all I’ve got to say is…oh my. Best al pastor tacos in Columbus, hands down. And FWIW, they told me when I was there tonight that Tuesday is B1G1F day for al pastor tacos. I know where I’ll be next Tuesday night.
los gauchos is awesome – thanks for the tip. kind of a drive from OTE, but well worth it!
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Went tonight enjoyed it tremendously. I guess I went on the B1G1F night by accident. My pops and I ate 9 together and had a coke = 10 bucks.
OMFG! Wow. Well worth the trip. Best pastor I’ve had outside of mexico or chicago. Go. Go NOW! BTW, the pickled onions and peppers are deathly hot….. very, very good, but very hot!
Agreed on the pickled onions. We learned that the hard way.
My boyfriend and I checked out Los Guachos this evening and loved it. (This was my first time eating from a taco truck.) We went back for seconds, although my eyes were bigger than my stomach. Living on the West Side of Columbus, I think we’re in Taco Truck central. So, we’re committing to taking advantage of this under-rated amenity.
Thanks for such a great resource, btw.
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los tacos estan deliciosos pero lo unico que no me gusta es que se tardan mucho….pero vale la pena esperar…para probar los mejores tacos de columbus
NOTE: The below was in response to a person who posted here under two different names (verified through IP address) for the purpose of conducting a smear campaign. This will not be tolerated ever, and the offending posts have been deleted.
—–
I am happy to just let the city’s fine code enforcement folks interpret and oversee these things… just like I do with any other restaurant or mobile food vendor.
While I appreciate your… umm… curiously strong degree of interest in the matter, I will simply ask you to refrain from posting on it any further. Your point has been made, and additional comments regarding this issue will be deleted.
went here for the first time tonight, and had the al pastor tacos. A little bit of a drive, but it was well worth it. Ill be back tommorow.
Went to Los Guachos today to try the tacos al pastor – the guy working there told me they had been closed by the city and did not know when they would re-open. Something about getting a new spit for the al pastor?!? I was really looking forward to the food . . . hope they’ll be back open soon!
That blows! I love Los Guachos. And even though I understand the need for the city to hold inspections, etc. I think they’ve been getting a little bit TOO overzealous lately.
I’d glad sign a waiver absolving Los Guachos/the city/whoever of any responsibility if it means getting my Tuesday fix.
Katie – if/when they reopen, it’s well worth the trip. Given the choice of ANY taco truck fare in Columbus, Los Guachos wins hands down.
Yeah, this is a shame. I hope they can get it all resolved quickly – I miss my al pastor!
does anybody know when/ if they are going to open again?? i neeeeed some al pastor tacos!!
They will be open again, tomorrow night (Friday). We stopped by on our way home from running errands and talked to the guys, they said they will also most likely offer some specials tomorrow to thank their regulars for their patience. The new spit has been installed and looks great.
Excellent news – thanks for the update, Becke.
Can anyone confirm that they are indeed open? I hate to drive all the way out there and not get any al pastor.
Yes they reopened last Friday. Enjoy your al pastor!
My belly thank you.
waaahoooo finally got my al pastor fix today! Awesome. just as always.
This was the 1st stop on our Columbus Taco Truck Tour. As recommended by a friend, we stopped by for some pator tacos. They were OUT OF THIS WORLD! The hot sauce & mild sauce were excellent, the cucumber/radishes were a nice refreshing touch & the service was warm & helpful. I fear that no other pastor tacos will live up to those from Los Gauchos & their flame thrower style cooking method with pineapple chunks!
A++++++++++
Best al pastor tacos I’ve experienced. Very tasty. I can’t wait to go back on Tuesday for BOGO day. I’d like to sample other menu items, but these tacos are addicting!
i wish this truck opened earlier in the day! living on the far northeast side, i still havent had a chance to try it.
real sugar Coca-Cola. No HFCS here….
A heads up – starting Tuesday, they will have new hours 11am-12 midnight, Tuesday – Sunday. Yay for extended hours! And a few new menu items too.
yes, im finally gonna get to try out the tacos pastor!
becke,
bad information! i went there yesterday approx noon and was told they are still only evening hours…bummer.
Strange, that – they both have a sign up listing the new hours (to the right of the window you’re ordering from) and the guy in the truck told me as much.
Wonder what happened?
Love the tacos! Best I have ever had. But I love the conversation and cooks the most!! It is great to go somewhere and see people that are happy you are there! LOS GUACHOS ROCKS! Thanks guys!
¡Gracias por venir a verme el otro día! ¡Ustedes chavos son los mejores! Mis tacos fueron fabuloso la otra noche, incluso si ustedes me dieron la orden mal. Pero no hay problema!
Second taco truck on day four of the Taco Truck Tour. Los Guachos was amazing! The original idea was to just pick up some pastor for myself on the way to a friends house. After experiencing the amazing aromas and sounds at the truck I ended up getting ten al pastor tacos for the group because more people needed to be exposed to this place. While I was warned that the pickled onions and peppers were hot, I had no idea how wonderful they would be. Additionally, I was amazed that the amount of meat on each taco was so generous in addition to being unbelievably moist and tender. Thanks Los Guachos for the wonderful meal. I will definitely be back!
los tacos son buenos pero son muy lentos me carga la chingada con ustedes voy con una perra hambre y nada que me atienden
i moved out of columbus, and i miss this place more than anything else about the city. mmmmmm, al pastor.
Just ate there tonight for the first time and the al pastor tacos hit the spot!!! So delicious. Will definitely be back for more!
Since it’s getting warmer, they are now opening at 4:30, Tuesday-Sunday! There goes my diet….
Now that is good news.
los tacos se tardan mucho eso es porque hay mucha gente pero si no gustaran; nadie esperaria por lo cual no habria gente y no tardarian
I think we hit them at a good time because it wasn’t slow at all, and man, so good. Thanks for the review.
Forgot to add that our daughter declared the taco de lengua her “favorite taco evah,” so. There you go.
Every time the urge for tacos hits, I’m off to Los Guachos. You simply cannot go wrong with their tacos al pastor. Pure win, plain and simple.
No somos los unicos pero si los autenticos!!!
Thank you to all for a nice comments.
Now you can visit us at losguachostaqueria in facebook.
Los Gauchos – We like your Facebook page and we love your al pastor Gringas!
Good news: Los Guachos is apparently doing huge take out and call ahead business.
Bad news: If you didn’t realize this, go over, and just order, the wait is really, really bad. I went with some friends tonight and they were filling to-go and phoned ahead orders very quickly, but we waited at the truck over an hour because we told them we wanted to eat there. Call ahead, or tell them you want it to go. :/
Tuesday nights are half-price taco nights – they’re always crazy busy. Haven’t had an hour wait on Tues., but it’s always much much longer than it would be any other evening.
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Is Los Guachos opening a restaurant on Go Down/Bethel? The place got the same name and they have a sign that said the best Al Pastor in the city. If they are the same people that will be sweet!
Indeed they are – same people, too. We talked with them at the truck yesterday and they said they’re looking towards early December for their opening. As with all restaurants, though… they’re open when they’re open. We’ll keep on top of it and expect a review on alt.eats when it’s open.
I guess I will gain some weight since I live down the street from that place.
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST FOOD ON THE PLANET. YOU GUYS ROCK!!!
Does anyone know if the sit-down restaurant is open, and if so, where?
Where is the easy part – on Godown just north of Bethel. When they’ll be open is tough to say, they’ve been working hard on the space but have no set date as of last contact with them.
I was there yesterday and the guy at the counter said they’re opening the restaurant on Thursday 1/20/11. It used to be a Turkish place so it makes perfect sense because I bet the vertical rotisserie is already set up!
Taqueria los guachos los invita a la apertura de su nueva localidad En 5221 godown rd tendremos muchas ofertas y variedad de tacos Todo empisa a las 3:00pm y asta k el cuerpo aguante ayi te esperamos no faltes
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Buenos Suerte Los Gauchos para su restaurante nuevo – Los Tres Amigos.
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Just FYI the place off Bethel is awesome!!! No more freezing in the cold. We go there at least once a week.
Porque nuestros clientes lo solicitaron!! LOS GUACHOS TAQUERIA les invita todos los Lunes a nuestro gran especial de dos por uno, buy one get one free, tambien disfruta con nosotros los Miercoles de grigas!!!
GRINGAS NIGTH!! ONE GRINGAS FOR ONLY TWO BUCKS
GRINGAS A SOLO $ 2.00 DOLARITOS!!
NO FALTES TE ESPERAMOS!!! 5821 Godown Rd. Columbus Ohio
Tel: 614-538-0211
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Yum
love this website and love Los Gauchos! went last night for the first time and it won’t be the last time – we are bringing friends next time. It’s too good to miss!
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Best tacos in town!!! i go here every tuesday when they have their special!!! ricisimo!!!
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Went to Los Guachos truck tonight, they were closed! Please tell me this is a temporary thing. So disappointed!
Last year, during the winter, their operating hours were reduced to Tues, Fri, Sat, Sun. They may be on that same schedule now.
Ok this is like awsome. I was a otr truck driver for 15 yrs and spent mucho time in mexico and l.a. and fell in love with true mex tacos i used to bring home tons of these things and my wife and kids loved them as well. when we crash our truck in tx. a few years ago the fridge was packed with tacos from our fav trk in l.a. and the were destroyed along with the truck
so sad. we ve been eating on columbus taco trucks for about 7yrs now so glad the taco trk scene is growing here we were ready to move from ohio to l.a. or the mex border so we could have tacos. we hope to go to the trk or the resturant of this place soon are both still open havent had great al pastor in a few years im dieing here lol i live 100 miles from columbus and drive to columbus just to get tacos weve been to the one on the west side next to the s.s. building on georgesville rd most and love them i love the gauc. they have its awsome dose this place have gauc as well? aslo whens the next tour de taco trco in columbus? thacks keep the taco dream alive we will die with out our taco fixes lol.
Yes, it does have the guac as well. The taco truck tours will resume in april, and you can get your tickets for it here.
honestly i live in los angeles and i can say these are the best tacos i’ve ever eaten in my whole life cant wait till i go back to columbus and eat every day here
Anyone know if the $2 Gringas are at the restaurant only, or does the Truck honor this too?
As far as we know that offer is at the restaurant only. The truck offers BOGO tacos on Tuesday night.
Tried both the truck and restaurant last week. The al pastor is as advertised and the pickled chiles and onions are a great compliment to the food. Liked the gringas better than the torta.
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Where is your truck located?
The address is at the top of this post.
Thank you tacodrew!!!!!
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