461 Commerce Sq. (just off Sullivant, in the El Vulcan 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.
A special thanks goes out to Graciela, the commenter who recently mentioned Los Guachos to us.
*’Guacho’, we are told, is a slang word used by Mexicans in the north of the country to describe southerners.
35 Comments
May 13, 2009 at 7:08 PM
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.
May 13, 2009 at 9:58 PM
los gauchos is awesome – thanks for the tip. kind of a drive from OTE, but well worth it!
May 15, 2009 at 6:29 PM
[...] by cmhgourmand on May 15, 2009 While hot on the trail of a new Taco Truck something unexpected [...]
May 19, 2009 at 8:03 PM
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.
May 28, 2009 at 10:17 AM
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!
May 28, 2009 at 3:15 PM
Agreed on the pickled onions. We learned that the hard way.
May 29, 2009 at 8:05 PM
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.
June 12, 2009 at 3:38 PM
[...] some amazing food, met some great people and spotted a few other bizarre things too. We thought Los Guachos would be a great venue for a CU meet (meat?) up and we know that the people who have already tried [...]
June 19, 2009 at 6:51 PM
[...] al pastor was a little greasy, but I have been spoiled by Los Guachos and I am not sure that any other al pastor can compare. The horchata was so sweet that it was [...]
June 21, 2009 at 11:52 AM
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
July 7, 2009 at 7:18 PM
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.
July 13, 2009 at 12:23 AM
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.
July 26, 2009 at 5:26 PM
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!
July 26, 2009 at 6:49 PM
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.
July 27, 2009 at 11:30 AM
Yeah, this is a shame. I hope they can get it all resolved quickly – I miss my al pastor!
July 28, 2009 at 10:52 AM
does anybody know when/ if they are going to open again?? i neeeeed some al pastor tacos!!
July 30, 2009 at 10:27 PM
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.
August 4, 2009 at 3:18 PM
Can anyone confirm that they are indeed open? I hate to drive all the way out there and not get any al pastor.
August 4, 2009 at 3:51 PM
Yes they reopened last Friday. Enjoy your al pastor!
August 4, 2009 at 4:20 PM
My belly thank you.
August 4, 2009 at 9:59 PM
waaahoooo finally got my al pastor fix today! Awesome. just as always.
August 4, 2009 at 7:23 PM
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++++++++++
August 6, 2009 at 5:05 PM
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!
August 25, 2009 at 11:34 AM
i wish this truck opened earlier in the day! living on the far northeast side, i still havent had a chance to try it.
August 27, 2009 at 3:48 PM
real sugar Coca-Cola. No HFCS here….
September 13, 2009 at 6:47 PM
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.
September 14, 2009 at 8:03 AM
yes, im finally gonna get to try out the tacos pastor!
September 16, 2009 at 11:32 AM
becke,
bad information! i went there yesterday approx noon and was told they are still only evening hours…bummer.
September 16, 2009 at 2:07 PM
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?
October 8, 2009 at 10:42 PM
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!
November 4, 2009 at 10:41 PM
¡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!
December 4, 2009 at 9:03 AM
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!
December 25, 2009 at 11:17 PM
los tacos son buenos pero son muy lentos me carga la chingada con ustedes voy con una perra hambre y nada que me atienden
February 3, 2010 at 11:44 AM
i moved out of columbus, and i miss this place more than anything else about the city. mmmmmm, al pastor.
July 30, 2009 at 10:39 PM
Excellent news – thanks for the update, Becke.