My first trip to El Gallo Tropical was to try their fish tacos as part of my goal to find the best…read morefish 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.
