My first trip to El Gallo Tropical was to try their fish tacos as part of my goal to find the best fish tacos in/around Hamilton Township. I'd known about them for years, but they were kind of out of the way for me. The place is small and unassuming, which gave me high expectations, as sometimes I find myself having lower expectations for a more "Mexican" decorated place (I'm wrong as often as I'm right). As far as the Fish Tacos went, they do not serve the Baja style fried fish tacos that I'd grown up on out west, so it was a downer when the plater arrived and I saw the tacos filled with chopped fish cooked in broth. That said, at least the taco was well filled and the fish had a very good flavor. The broth turned out to be a major issue, as the (very tasty) single layer tortillas were soaking up the broth while I ate the first taco, and the second and third tacos both split at the seams and fell apart after one or two bites. A second tortilla may have prevented this debacle, but I won't order fish tacos here again. I'd have loved a fish soup made in this style. The next visit I tried Tacos de Tripa (fried pork intestines), which is my current go to taco style. They were very good, and I enjoyed the heck out of them. They were nice and crispy as I'd requested, and the excellent tasting tortilla made them an excellent choice. My wife had a cheese tamal that had ribbons of poblanos inside as well, and it was also very good with the poblanos providing a nice balance to the heaviness of the cheese. I'd get both again in a heartbeat. My third visit was at lunchtime, and I opted for a Torta de Chili Relleno--essentially a chili relleno sandwich. It wasn't the first I've ever had, and it's a fave torta when I see them on the menu--which isn't often. The torta arrived with a nice sized chili relleno along with the usual smear of beans, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and a couple pieces of queso fresco served on a lightly toasted roll. Overall, the torta was very good tasting, and it went down nicely. However, I wish they used a little firmer roll instead of the soft one they did use. The torta was big and warm, and a crustier roll would have been better. The soft one used was near to collapsing under the weight of the ingredients. Fries are an option on the many torta options for a couple dollars extra. In retrospect, I'd have liked to have added a layer of fries to the sandwich for a little extra kick. All in all, El Gallo Tropical is a place I'll continue to go to. The staff is very friendly, and the menu is extensive (too big?). Although I had them initially at three stars after my first visit for fish tacos, the second (4+) and third (4-) visits have raised them up, and I'm rounding up to a four. read more

El Gallo Tropical - Fish tacos. -- very good flavor, but very wet, and tacos two and three fell apart quickly after soaking on the plate. - Mexican Near Me - Hamilton, New Jersey

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Just WOW!!! Best tacos I've had in a long time!! Order takeout and ate half before leaving their parking lot! Everything was delicious and you can 100% tell how much love that's put into their food! Service is speedy and staff/owners are incredibly friendly! Definitely need to check it out if you're in need of some authentic Mexican food! read more

El Gallo Tropical - Mexican Near Me - Hamilton, New Jersey

Excellent. Huge menu, everything we've tried was perfect, always nice and crispy with fresh ingredients. Their large beverages are HUGE (see pictured). They also squeeze fresh orange juice there, which is fantastic. read more

El Gallo Tropical - Mexican Near Me - Hamilton, New Jersey

possibly the best local mexican food i've ever had in New Jersey. absolutely delicious and very kind staff. 11/10 amazing. read more

El Gallo Tropical - Mexican Near Me - Hamilton, New Jersey

This place is FANTASTIC. Try the pupusa! The mole is so delicious. The staff is so nice and everything was fresh, very tasty. 10/10 loved it​ read more

Delicious and authentic Mexican food. The atmosphere is more hole in the wall than fine dining which adds to the appeal for me. The staff is always welcoming and friendly. read more

We were in the mood for Mexican food last night, but have been disappointed recently by the offerings around us. We gave El Gallo Tropical a try, since the reviews seemed pretty good. Boy, we were NOT disappointed in this place! Cheerful decor, friendly service, and EXCELLENT food. We started by sharing a Botana Tropical - the guacamole was so fresh and the quesadillas and flautas were delicious. We knew we were off to a great start. We followed that with Bistec a la Tampiquena, Mole Oaxaqueno, and Chicken Fajitas. The meats were cooked perfectly, the sauces were flavorful, and you could taste layers of flavor in every bite. Everything was prepared with a lot of love. We are definitely going back and looking forward to trying the soups, other enchiladas, and exploring many of the other menu options. read more

We were craving some mexican, and despite being close by, have never been. We went on a Saturday afternoon at a weird time (later than lunch, too early for dinner). So when we initially got there it was pretty quiet...but by the time we left the place was packed. We were greeted by a server right away and was brought out chips and salsa. We were hungry but not enough so we shared an entree. We got the t-bone steak and shrimp. The t-bone was very flavorful and cooked almost to medium. The shrimp were grilled and were so good. The rice was seasoned well. The black beans were a little mushy, but all in all it was a great meal! I would love to try some other items on the menu. read more

El Gallo Tropical - T-bone steak and shrimp - Mexican Near Me - Hamilton, New Jersey

A hidden gem. I live in walking distance of this place and tried it for the 1st time this past weekend and was pleasantly surprised. I watched as they brought out various dishes that looked delicious. I'm definitely going back to try the seafood soup since that was a poplar dish they kept bringing out and I love seafood. read more

Been coming here for years because the food is well prepared, fresh and flavor is consistent. Today I got lengua tacos, lengua soft quesadillas and whole tilapia with onion butter garlic sauce. Again the fish is flavorful and the rice, I always get extra sides. It's amazing! Keep it up. Authentic and not overly seasoned. I've enjoyed everything I've ordered from El Gallo tropical. read more

Randomly down here for work. Like to support small local businesses. Got tripe tacos and chicharron/queso papusa. Food was excellent. Even the chips/ salsa and the cabbage that came with papusa all fire. Would def recommend. read more

Excellent food ! Always delicious and beautifully prepared - the only place I go for Mexican food

I destroyed this on the car ride home but I assure you it tastes amazing! There are tables inside to dine in but it's not fancy and i tend to prefer take out for this spot. I had three al pastor sopas. For .75 more you can mix your meat types which is nice. The masa dough is made in house. I love mexican but am allergic to jalapeños. This place only had jalapeños in the pico and they were way to remove. Their al pastor pork and pineapple is to die for. Flavorful but not spicy. The green salsa is mild but has jalapeños in it. If you like spicy hot food ask for the hot salsa. So good. Presentation is beautiful if you don't mess it up in the car like I did. I tried what they call the jello textured flan. It was so good and had a caramel liquid that I wanted to last forever. It was a nice size portion and under $3. There is also a cake like slice of flan but I didn't try that one. They do sell Mexican soda and ju aritos but I preferred a big gulp from across the street. Also the restaurant as a couple parking spots to make pick up easy. If the spaces are full I stop at the 7-11 across the street which is very convenient. read more

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I'm always in a mood for some Mexican food, so i was excited to try this spot. The wait was a bit long but they did have a lot of traffic for to-go orders. The food was exactly what i expected, filled with flavor and fulfilling. It was a bit pricey for what we ordered but when I saw the portions, it was totally worth it. read more

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Food was great. Had lengua, al pastor and asada all were Yum! Also ordered some pork tamales also good. Definitely recommend for those missing some good Mexican food. Service was great also great. We got there a few minutes before closing and they still helped us. read more

Ordered steak tacos, went there based off reviews. This was the worse steak taco....burnt pieces of steak, and if not burnt meat was chewy had a lot better at other Mexican places. Hopefully the chef had a bad day but these tacos sucked super dry read more

El Gallo Tropical - Mexican Near Me - Hamilton, New Jersey

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The steak tacos and black beans were the best. Great staff. I will definitely return when in town.

Wow wow wow! This has got to be the BEST & most AUTHENTIC Mexican spot in Hamilton! I like to order something new every time I go but I definitely can't turn down ordering the chicharron pupusas as a side. And the red and green sauce they pair the food with is so flavorful. The restaurant is fairly small and isn't really a place I would personally go to sit down and eat, but the food is absolutely phenomenal!!!! read more

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My wife and I got chimichangas and we are so full and happy. Served with fresh pico, guacamole, salsa verde and sour cream. Can't wait to go back! read more

Delicious hole in the wall HOWEVER it's clean and the staff is very friendly The food is authentic and delicious- this isn't fast food nor is it Americanized so don't go expecting Taco Bell or Tex Mex this is the real deal my friends and we go regularly- my favorite is the chicken fajitas- my husband loves their pork tacos ( corn tortillas) and their burritos are always delicious as well. read more

Food is great. Sometimes it's very busy, even if you're just calling in an order. Nice staff though.

Everything is always excellent. Authentic food. They are very consistent in presentation, taste, quality and quantity. My go to restaurant for years. read more

Got some tacos and Flautas there recently and I cant tell that the food is really great. The flavor is on-point and its absolutely amazing as well. The food portions is amazing too. So many wonderful great options. Its a casual dining place but my wife and I totally enjoyed the food so much. read more

It is a small restaurant and I have gotten a few dishes from them. Pass on the tacos, very dry and lack flavor sadly. The nachos with carne asada on the other hand are very good! Would definitely order that again. The tortas are really big but also a bit dry. What makes this place worth wild is the sopa de marisco (seafood soup). Both the red (spicy) and white (non-spicy) are delicious although the spicy one does have more flavor and the spice gives it a kick but not to the point where it is unbearable to eat. The soup contains a variety of seafood and overall is very delicious with tortillas and they give you onion and cilantro to add to add to your soup and a lime. Would recommend adding a order of rice to put in the soup. The soup is really worth your wild to any seafood lover out there! read more

Extremely dry carne asada . Worst I have ever had worst carne asada taco I have ever eaten in my life . So dry and and almost inedible.

We found ourselves in an area a little unfamiliar to us but very known for Latin cuisine after watching my daughter sing at a Trenton Thunder game. I knew we just had to try authentic spot so I turned to my trusty Yelp app and noticed this place which was highly rated by some fellow Yelpers whose opinion I trust greatly. They did not steer us wrong! Our large party was seated in the uber casual joint without issue, without ressies on a Sunday just before dinner time. A couple sitting at a table larger than their party actually gave up their seats for us and moved to a smaller table! How nice! A sign of things to come! The menu is very extensive!! Empanadas, tacos, tortas, flautas, huaraches, tostadas, chimichangas, burritos, alambres, fajitas, cemitas, pupusas, ensaladas, sopas, molcajetes, enchiladas and so on! It's written in Spanish but gives the English translation underneath. They offer almost every kind of meat you could Imagine... al pastor, shredded chicken, beef tripe, beef tongue, ham, pork, chorizo, steak and more...if you can imagine. Camarones included lobster, crab, clams, mussels, shrimp and whole fish. Veg-heads, don't run away! For us they offer a plethora of sides as well as cactus, potato, cheese and veggie stuffed dishes. Our party of 7 all absolutely LOVED their meals!! Too many to remember, but all said to be outstanding. Hubs said it was the best burrito he's ever had. We all agreed that while we live nowhere near the restaurant, we would all head back just to come here again! It was THAT good!! I mean, really, really delicious! If you find yourself in the area, DO NOT miss a super authentic meal here!! I can't imagine it gets better than this! Prices were very fair. Service was fine. They offer breakfast and takeout, have a kids menu and grab and go items such a flan and chips. They also make gorgeous fresh fruit and veggies smoothies! read more

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I think the food here is really good and I think the people that make the food are very passionate on what they do read more

Damn good authentic Mexican food. It is better than On the border. The chimichanga is delicious.

Good quality food, very delicious. We usually take out and the order takes a while but it's worth it, just plan ahead.

Let's start by saying this... Eating ass on a hot summer day would be WAY better then eating here. The food was absolutely disgusting. Quesadilla- flour thing cheese and the more dry chicken you've ever had. Had no idea what chipotle sauce was AND had no Queso... what Mexican place doesn't have melted cheese. Empanada... horrific tasting slop inside. Service was horrible. Lady has no idea what she was doing. Food took way to long to come out... people started to leave. FYI... GO TO CHILI'S you'll get a way better meal. read more

El Gallo Tropical - Quesadilla's.... enough said. The rice was from the dollar store and wasn't cooked - Mexican Near Me - Hamilton, New Jersey

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Such good food. Generous portions, and tasty. Had never tried this place and ended up going up going back three days in a row. Nice people working there. read more

Returned today for lunch after an absence of almost a year. There are so many Mexican or Guatemalan restos in the area now, that it took me 12 months to return with trying a new place several times a month. The space is basically as before, although the tables have been moved around and the sombreros have been taken down. South of the Border music playing a touch too loud, and the Mexican soaps on the HDTV muted, leaving a lot of facial expression without voices. My Torta Carnitas (Grilled Pork Sandwich) was stuffed with shredded pork, lettuce, tomato, queso fresca and mayo. The Roll was for this "small" sandy was larger than a typical Kaiser, with smooth skin and soft, fresh textured body. It held together well, although it required considerable squeezing to compress it sufficiently to fit in mi boca grande. I also saw a fruit drink at another table that looked very tempting. I inquired about it and discovered that they make fresh fruit smoothies and shakes for a few bucks. I got the strawberry shake and it was cool smooth sweet berry addicting succulence. I skipped dinner tonight because this meal was so satisfying. So good to be back. Turns out the first place visited when I arrived in Hamilton was perhaps the best. read more

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5 stars with a warning! I just visited El Gallo for the first time. I ordered a Carne asada taco and a carne enchilada taco (which I pointed to when I ordered) and tostones. They told me 20 minutes which I thought was a long time but I was starving and the place smelled delicious. When they rang me up, I found out that they had made me two entrees instead of 2 tacos so I ended up waiting longer why I waited on the tacos. When they rang me up the second time, I found out that instead of one taco each they had given me two orders of three tacos each soooo more waiting. After almost 45 minutes of waiting I finally got my two tacos and tostones... Why the 5 star review then? Because the food is just that good. And in spite of the language barrier and the torturous wait, I would absolutely return. The tostones were crispy and delicious (even after sitting out for 15 minutes while the order was being fixed). The tacos were filled to the brim with well seasoned meat with soft, obviously fresh tortillas. None of the food was the least bit greasy. So if you only speak English, make sure you find a way to get your order in correctly but it's totally worth the effort for the food quality. read more

El Gallo Tropical - The long awaited tacos! - Mexican Near Me - Hamilton, New Jersey

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Best Mexican food in the area! We always get their food for takeout and we are always really happy with our choices.

Awesome little authentic spot! The portions are huge, fresh and affordable. Service was good. They only have can or bottle drinks that kinda stinks but, worth the inconvenience. Look forward to eating here again. read more

El Gallo Tropical - Chicken Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Hamilton, New Jersey

First time here. I've read about it before when I searched for Mexican food but never tried them. Went here the other day for a work lunch and very disappointed in myself for never had gone there before now. If you're looking for a classy, pretty, take your prom date place. This isn't for you! If you want real Mexican food with the feel of being in Mexico. This is the place for you! It felt like a place I visited after stepping out of the resort area in Mexico. Menu had plenty to choose from. I chose the mixed meat gorditas with spicy pork, chicken, and beef. It was delicious. It came out piping hot. I was happy! Someone else got the nachos and that portion was huge! Everything was just very delicious. The only downside was that we chose to eat in and it seemed like a lot of people were there to pickup so I don't think we got our food until most of them were taken care of. So a little on the slow side but I feel the food was worth the wait considering they still came out fresh, hot, and delicious. read more

El Gallo Tropical - Mixed meat gorditas! - Mexican Near Me - Hamilton, New Jersey

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A co-worker and myself stopped in one afternoon for lunch as we were in the mood for good Mexican. Yelp came to the rescue and we love this place!!! a return for sure! I had the mixed empanadas. Really good. I loved the fact how light it tasted and wasn't greasy at all. I will return and try other items that caught my eye soon! I gave 4 stars due to the fact it lacks little curb appeal. It's very basic simple no frills place so not the place if you want higher end or linger long over your meal. Otherwise friendly staff and fantastic food. read more

We LOVE this place! My Dad and I stopped by on our way through town, even though there are only seven reviews on Yelp, and it was AMAZING! Easily one of the absolute best Mexican restaurants I've ever been to. To start, we got the beef nachos, and they were out of this world!! We couldn't stop moaning and talking about how good they were. We also got a chicken burrito (for me) and chicken enchiladas with rice and beans (for him). Just to warn you...an appetizer and two entrées is A LOT of food for two people. The waitress looked at us like we were crazy to order that much, and we soon found out why! The portions are HUGE. The nachos could've easily been an appetizer for six. They came on a big platter piled way up high. The burrito was an average size burrito I'd say (maybe slightly larger than some restaurants), but it was way too much for me to finish after eating almost half of the delicious nachos. And that was actually really disappointing, because the burrito was SO GOOD! I'm started to get depressed that we are only traveling through for one day, because I really want to go back and eat there again! El Gallo Tropical is incredible -- that's really the only way to describe it. It's a total hole in the wall with blaring Mexican music and telenovelas (yes, at the same time), but they have an outrageous menu with tons of options, great friendly service, and insanely good food, especially for this area that doesn't have a lot of decent restaurant options for somebody who isn't interested in bar food or pizza. I would highly, highly recommend this place to anybody in the area or who happens to be passing through, and I can't wait until we take a trip back here next year so that I can come devour more plates from this one-of-a-kind find that will surely not be found disappointing by any Mexican food lover! read more

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This was very good! My first and not the last time I will visit. Such a good experience. read more

El Gallo Tropical - Such an excellent experience at this gem in Hamilton. Very good chimichanga. - Mexican Near Me - Hamilton, New Jersey

Delicious family owned eatery. The Al pastor nachos are our favorite. Worth a try if your looking for a Mexican joint.