Los Guachos Taqueria

Los Guachos Taqueria is our absolute favorite Mexican spot in Columbus! It’s delicious, not too pricey, and has a super fun atmosphere.

Okay, so here’s the thing. I love Mexican Food. Always have, always will. But, I didn’t realize that I loved real Mexican Food until I found Los Guachos Taqueria on Godown Road. It’s life changing and you’ll feel the same after you visit this fantastic little hole in the strip mall restaurant. 

Let’s start with the basics. Los Guachos started as a taco truck and then evolved into two locations, one (the best) on Godown & Bethel Road, the second in Gahanna on Cherry Bottom Road (not as good as Godown Road). When you pop on in the restaurant, there will typically be a line of people waiting to order from the counter and head to their seats.

It’s not a waiter style restaurant, just a heads up. Or you could be like us and order carryout so it’s not obvious that we ordered the entire menu. They are best known (literally nationwide thanks to The Food Network) for their al pastor tacos.

If you aren’t familiar with al pastor, it is pork smushed together with a bunch of traditional spices and chiles which is then served on a spit (similar to shwarma) and then served with pineapple.

Since I (Hannah) don’t eat pork, this is The Beard’s bread and butter and he believes it’s one of the best things since sliced bread. If you aren’t in the mood for tacos, you can get the Gaucho Burrito with all those fixings with a little extra goodness in the form of cheese and a few extra veggies. 

If you choose to dine in, you’ll get to hang out in some pretty funky wooden chairs before nomming on your meal.

On each table, there are a few different sauces, a medley of these peppers and onions and a bowl of limes. Usually I’d be a little turned off by the fact that there is just a wide open bowl of food items but somehow this seems all part of the authentic experience, so I look past the germaphobe issues. 

The sauces at Los Guachos.

If you looked inside our fridge right now, you’d notice that we have a slight obsession with condiments. So whenever we are at a restaurant that willingly puts these on the table, we’re going to test them all.

The green is an avocado-esque sauce that is slightly sweet and a perfect mix if you order anything with sour cream. Don’t ask why, it just works. The red salsa is hot.

As in, I can have a small dot of it and be sweating. But, it’s also absolutely delicious. So, if you don’t mind a little workout while you eat your tacos, dive on in to the red salsa. 

The prices at Los Guachos.

I haven’t yet mentioned the absolute best part of Los Guachos. The price! Hello, it is so affordable. Our typical order looks something like this “one fried fish taco, two al pastor tacos, one steak taco, Gaucho Burrito, steak quesadilla, chips and salsa and hmm maybe also let’s get a steak volcane.. or two.” Total? About $22. Every time.

Plus, they have daily specials which are pretty fantastic. Those al pastor tacos I mentioned earlier? Yep, two for one on Mondays (after 4pm at Godown, all day at Gahanna). Do yourself a favor and get to Los Gauchos before you ever visit another un-authentic Mexican restaurant.