Let me caveat here first. I'm from Texas and have lived between Austin and San Antonio my whole life. Then I moved here. I've had my fair share of great Mexican and Tex-Mex food. There are certain things that I love about my Mexican food. My taste and standards are pretty high but while I'm out here I try and go in with no expectations. "We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto."
The Review:
I don't live to far away from this place and see it often when I'm driving to and from my house. Once morning I decided to go in for breakfast and see what this joint was about. I went with a friend on Tuesday morning around 10ish. We walked in and there was no one there. It's really small, hole in the wall, divey. Honestly that's what I'm use to when it comes to Mexican food places...especially the good ones. Service is mediocre. Our server started speaking to us in Spanish assuming we "Hablan Espanol." Yo hablo poquito espanol. I'm really rusty. I'm not even comfortable ordering food when I know I can.
The menu was what we expected the typical tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas etc. I've noticed a big thing out here are tortas which I've had before but they were few and far between in Texas. Since we were set on breakfast that's what we got. We were disappointed because the breakfast selection was very slim. There were a few plates to choose. We were bummed because we didn't see breakfast tacos. I've since learned out here that the breakfast taco is non-existent. I haven't seen them anywhere. If anyone out there knows a place, please holla at your girl. We settled on food Huevos Ranchereros for my friend and the Chorizo plate for me. Food was ok. Nothing exciting...honestly since I'm writing this weeks after I can't really remember anything significant. I remember the Chorizo is different from what I'm use to but it was decent.
Will I go back to this place? Eh maybe if it's late and I'm desperate for food. This place is open 24 hours. I feel bad giving this a lousy review but I know there's gotta be better out there. I wanted to like this place but I couldn't This is a great big city and there's tons of places to eat. I'm determined to find a Mexican food place that will fit my fancy.
I don't know what this ruckus is about from the previous negative reviews; I rather enjoyed my TWO steak burritos, and I LOVE burritos. Â Kinda sucked I had to buy two because of the $10 credit card minimum, but that was just used as my lunch for the next day! Â The lettuce was fresh as compared to other burritos I've had, which the lettuce would get nasty after a day in the fridge. Â The flour tortilla was nice and crispy, and soft where it should be. Â Steak was great, and it seems like they make their own verde sauce? Â It was creamier, not as spicy as I'd like, but still very good! Â Very enjoyable burritos, and I feel bad that others have not had as delicious of an experience there as I did! Â I'll be back for more!!! Â (^.^)
Review Source:METHINKS not is right!
First, let me just say.. I was hungry, STARVING. I was desperate and I was not familiar with the neighborhood, but it was the only place that was open 24hours besides the usual McDonald's and Burger King. So I gave little bravo a chancey. Let me just say, no second chances for this place.
Service was horrible so bad, I wanted to pick up menus and start taking orders for some customers who were not being helped. I was a waitress, so I know what its like to work with a bunch of tables and drunk people. However, there was only one other table besides mine. Besides the service, the waitress came to take our order and if you really read the other reviews she really does look at you like you're are a dumb motha-fuc(BEEP)er. At this point all I wanted was one taco, which at that point I wasn't 100% sure I wanted. I do not like cilantro or onions, they just do not settle well with my stomach. When I told her this and if I could just have lettuce and tomato on it, she gave me a blank stare and asked me if I was sure like three times ( as if she couldn't understand) which I know damn well she understood, because she was fluent in English and Spanish. Maybe I should have used my high school Spanish lessons to communicate with her, then maybe she would have only asked me once if I was sure, or maybe she would not have given me the death look.
I don't know and I will be quite frank- I DON'T CARE! I will not come back, I did not get sick, thank GOD! But there are so many other places were service and food are a lot better, especially in that area there are plenty of other taquerias to venture to.
Ugh, WHAT a dive.
But at 3am you have to lower your standards slightly and focus not on the unsightly rooster-oriented art and garish border town decor, but on the fact that the counter staff will let you order as many tacos as your stomach can handle with a minimum of fuss. Miss Fussypants at the counter WILL stare at you as if you are an idiot if you don't either speak fluent Spanish or fail to order with proper emphasis on the right syllables, but you can circumvent the awkward correction process by simply pointing as you order.
The food takes a LONG time to cook. But I like to think that the extra cooking time means fewer bacteria survive the purification-by-fire process. Plus you can enjoy the company and leers of some of Chicago's finest 2nd shift factory workers and drunken "young bloods." Latino men are Shakespeare eloquent after seven(teen) beers, treating you to sonnets about the "juicyness" of your bosom and how fine your "booty" looks as it rhythmically sways as you walk up to get your food.
I could go on for PAGES about the inappropriate behavior of the restaurant patrons, but it's about the food - which is clean, cheap, tasty, and has never made me sick. That's a huge step up from a lot of late night eateries. El Gallo Bravo is a Mom & Pop operation, it's open late, and they don't control who eats there, but the cook will threaten rowdy folks with a spatula. Get your food to go, ask for a large orchata to drink during the wait, and book it with bag in hand.
Or stay and chat up chola Jenni from da block if you think you can take her sloppy-drunk boyfriend.
I keep making the same mistake coming here again and again because of the fact that they're 24 hours.
Last night I should have gone to bed hungry.
Six chorizo tacos for my friend and I that were burnt black, on tortillas that were over-cooked to a raw-hide consistency. Â We hollered at the chef to take our meat off the grill as he sat there and watched it scorch right in front of us.
As we tried to eat them, we kept getting smiles and glances from across the restaurant. Â I couldn't help but feel like we were being made fun of.
I considered walking out right then because I was so pissed off, but I finished one taco, paid my tab and THEN left. Â That horrible hell of a meal cost them money and time to make, after all. Â That's certainly not how you treat a couple of politely drunken paying customers.
I was out-&-about late one Tuesday night after attending a jazz concert at Elastic (further south on Milwaukee Ave.).
To be honest, I was looking for something cheap and only modestly filling. My first choices would have been the fast food stands on Milwaukee south of Belmont; but at this time of night, they only serve motorized customers. (How can they miss this glaring hole in their service?! How difficult or expensive would it be to put in a walk-up or bicycle-up carry-out window?)
There was also the possibility of the newish La Pasadita Express two blocks east on Belmont, but I had had its burrito. I didn't want to eat that much, and I didn't want to spend that much.
_This_ was the restaurant that was open to pedestrians (& bicyclists - somebody pulled up on one while I awaited my order).
Having read these other reviews, I feel I have to note that something has changed here over this span. {Every time I ride on the eastbound #77 Belmont bus, it rolls past this venue. The bus always misses the green light, so it sits here for a minute. I look inside.} I didn't detect any foul odors.
I ordered the burrito carne asada ($4.40). It's about 6 inches long. All its burritos are made with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheese, & beans. The cooking time was average. The TV was tuned to Univision. There were two other diners in the venue.
I took it home. There was a couple of tough, grisly chubs of meat in the burrito. I tried both of its hot sauces. This was a venue in which the mild salsa went better with the burrito.
In conclusion, there was nothing either spectacular or horrible about this burrito. It was solidly three-stars.
But if its management reads this review, I must impress upon you that you have to improve your offerings, especially now that La Pasadita Express has opened two blocks east from here. Currently, La Pasadita Express closes at midnight. But if it senses there is a market for people in the vicinity wanting a burrito at (let's say) 1:30 am; I think it could easily adjust its hours to go later into the night.
Transit options: The #77 Belmont bus runs by here _all the time_. One block west is the #53 Pulaski bus, which also runs on this stretch of Pulaski all the time. The #56 Milwaukee bus ceases running at 9:45 pm southbound, 10:55 pm northbound.
Imagine Napoleon Dynamite saying "GROSS."
And that's how you'll feel after going here. To many other reviewers, yes, I found the same...the only reason it's 24/7 is because at 3 AM nothing sounds better than tacos!
We went in, to discover it's cash only. So, after trotting over to the Walgreens and then back we missed our first chance at escape. The waitress made us feel like idiots by asking questions in English and I now see this is their intimidation tactic to make you shut up and just point at something on the menu!
I can't remember what exactly we ordered, other than chips and salsa...which was the world's most bizarre sauce....and a mixture of tacos. I do, however, remember watching them cook the taco 'meat' thinking WTF IS THAT?!?! I could have sworn it was tongue, heart, brains but NOT chicken! Â In the end, the food was delivered and my boyfriend and I looked at each other with sour faces and decided it was best to just pay for the food and leave without eating it.
Moral of the story: AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Run for your life before eating here!
THIS PLACE SMELLS DISGUSTING, THAT SHOULD SAY IT ALL. Against my better judgment, I chose to ignore this obvious fact one night when all the other restaurants in the area were closed. Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting. I'm literally fighting the urge to vomit just writing this review. It was some of the worst Mexican food I've ever had - even their rice doesn't taste normal! How can you fuck up RICE?! But seriously, can someone that's been here please explain what that SMELL is? It was like a cross between an Asian nail salon and a chlorine-rich swimming pool that's been left to ferment. Sick.
Review Source:I tested out El Gallo Bravo the other day. Â I drove by and realized it was the closest 24/7 Mexican restaurant to my apartment. Â Thus it was critical that I sample the food to find out whether it was the closest good 24/7 Mexican restaurant to my apartment. Â The answer is yes. Â I tested out my standard steak taco dinner. Â I noticed the restaurant to be more Mexican and Americanized. Â Soccer was playing on the tv despite it being Sunday afternoon. Â Sure enough my tacos came with cilantro and onions instead of the lettuce and tomato. Â This is not a problem as I love my tacos both ways. Â I was not disappointed as the tacos were solid, the meat was well cooked and the service and value were good. Â Add to that 24/7 hours and EGB has a new customer.
Review Source:
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