Ah, Guzman y Gomez, where have you been all my life.
I've known that this chain has been around for a while in Sydney, and it was only a matter of time before it made its way up to Brisbane. The first store location in Queensland was in the Emporium complex at Fortitude Valley, but this was a bit too far too travel for me to get my Mexican fix. Thankfully as they have expanded they have moved out into the suburbs and plonked a new store down in the brilliant new expansion of the Carindale shopping centre.
While GyG may be a chain store, the quality of food presented is quite high and towers over the generally low-quality food that has been available in Brisbane in the past (Montezuma's anyone? - ew).
Mexican food is definitely the new black in terms of 'fast' food and GyG is the best that you will find. All the classics are available - Tacos (hard and soft), burritos (in wraps or in a bowl for a gluten free option), Quesadillas and of course Nachos. There is a range of different meats to try of varying heat intensities, including barramundi which is great for a change every now and then. Of course, I tend to stick with my favourites and the slow cooked shredded beef just can't be missed.
A little station is off to the right from where you place your order, and here you can help yourself to additional bits and pieces like jalapenos, red onion, coriander and three different types of Tabasco sauce... my word of advice if you like hot food is to try the lesser known varieties of Tabasco available here including a smokey chipotle blend and a hot habanero chilli version.
GyG has a variety of drinks on offer that you generally won't find in other locations, including frozen margarita and sangria (only for adults of course) and a range of Mexican soft drinks 'Jarritos' - try the Mexican cola flavour! A good selection of beer is available, and you can even order Corona by the 'bucket' where it will come served as a bucket of ice with 5 Coronas in it for $30 - seems like a good deal to me.
Waiting times are very short, even when the store is full and the staff are always cheerful providing a happy environment in which to enjoy the great cheap food. read more