Go south of the border with the flavor-packed, affordable fun of El Gallo Giro in Provo
Mushroom Quesadillas and Tacos Mr. Joe are available at El Gallo Giro on Tuesday.
Tacos Mr. Joe are available at El Gallo Giro on Tuesday.
Complimentary chips and salsa are available at El Gallo Giro.
Mushroom Quesadillas are available at El Gallo Giro in downtown Provo.
Though I’ve never been to Mexico and can’t speak as candidly about authenticity as I might like, there’s something great to be said about El Gallo Giro in downtown Provo.
Located on University Avenue, the Mexican restaurant has been a local fixture since 2001, and is still going strong with great food and a large fan base a decade and a half later. In an area where it’s make or break for smaller, locally grown businesses, that in and of itself is a pretty impressive accomplishment.
El Gallo Giro was first reviewed by the Daily Herald in 2006, about five years after it opened. With another decade under its belt, we decided it was high time to give it another go, and found ourselves impressed by not only the similarities between the service, food and location, but also the differences.
The restaurant has a cozy, darker interior with beautiful wood beams crossing the ceilings and wood paneling accentuating the walls, giving almost a rustic feel to the business. Televisions mounted in the corners of the room softly played on a sports channel, while the walls glowed from the light of miniature lantern strings adorning them. The interior provided a taste of Mexican culture with the added benefit of comfort, and, though the dining room was crowded with long tables through the center and separated tables on the walls, we never felt anything but at home and comfortable.
If dining in a crowded room isn’t for you, El Gallo Giro also offers a fun patio dining option, with a few tables spread out on a deck and in the area surrounding the restaurant’s entrance, giving diners a chance to enjoy the warmer weather and evening sun outside while they eat.
The location is the same as it was last time the restaurant was reviewed, though the updated décor was an added bonus. On the not-as-positive side of things, the menu is still only available at the counter of the restaurant where you place your order, meaning it can get a little crowded and could be difficult for some people to read. The good part? The helpful cashier was more than willing to walk us through each part of the menu and what each item was, and a website, elgallogiroutah.com, is available as well, granting access to the entire menu and pricing beforehand, if you’d rather know what your options are.
One thing expressly noted in El Gallo Giro’s last review was that the prices were competitive and reasonable, meaning there’s a lot of bang for your buck. After 10 years of inflation, I’m extremely impressed to point out that great prices are still the case, whether you’re ordering from the combo menu (healthy portions with an equally generous side of rice and beans), or even from the special BYU menu (still a healthy portion with generous sides).
The house special on the menu offers guests an entire smoked chicken with two sides for $17.75, which, so we’ve heard, is a pretty giant portion, available also in quarter and half portions. The restaurant also offers a diverse a la carte menu with cactus, stuffed peppers, huarache (a type of flat bread-style corn cake), French fries (we ARE in America) and gorditas (a stuffed masa cake with cheese and meat) among other things, with a seafood menu, breakfast menu, guisos (a kind of Mexican stew), quesadillas, burritos, street tacos, tortas (essentially a Mexican sandwich) and combo deals.
The amount of food options is overwhelming to say the least, especially when combined with the meat choices, including steak, pork and beef barbacoa, chicken, Mexican sausage, marinated pork, tongue, pork stomach and skin, intestines and beef head. Yep. Seriously all of those, but with much more appealing, Spanish names (for example, lengua for tongue, chicharron for pork skin and tripa for intestines).
Our group went less adventurous and stuck mostly with the steak and barbacoa options, testing out the burritos, tostadas, tacos, enchiladas, chimichangas and sopas (all from a variety of combination options).
Before the food came, though, we took the time to check out the fun little salsa bar and stock up on beverages, which are included in the combo meals at no extra charge. Other than water, the options are relatively limited (lemonade, watermelon juice, colas and Dr. Pepper) unless you purchase bottled drinks, but we loved the authentic flavors and didn’t have much time to contemplate drinks since our food arrived so quickly.
We barely reached our table before a server had arrived to make the fresh guacamole we ordered right in front of us. It was absolutely delicious when finished, and a cool experience to see her mix the avocado, lime and other ingredients to taste. Combined with their fresh salsa and tasty chips (cooked fresh in-house) you’re hard-pressed to find a chip-and-dip combo more delicious or better suited to diverse tastes than the ones at El Gallo Giro. The salsa and guac were refreshing and not too spicy, and the chips were the perfect amount of crunch. We honestly ended up using all three on our meal.
My meal, the Bandito Burrito, was the last to arrive (though it still came pretty quick), and I could see why there was a delay: it was a massive plate entirely filled with burrito, green sauce, rice and beans, with a light zigzag of sour cream on top. Though I wasn’t absolutely crazy about the cilantro nestled inside, I absolutely loved just how many flavors were packed into each bite, and I had plenty of extra to share with my fellow diners as well as to take home.
The enchiladas were a particular treat with a flavorful red sauce, and, in the combo we got, served as a perfect pairing with the chimichangas.
We also had sopes, which came with a choice of meat, as well as rice, beans and a drink. They were definitely a favorite of the group, especially considering the cost: just $6.25 for two, off the BYU Deals menu. Sopes, for those unfamiliar with the term, are savory corn cakes topped with meats, sauces and vegetables to taste, and, as served at El Gallo Giro, exceeded our expectations for exquisite flavors.
Taking a note to focus on the sides, the rice was a particular favorite of our group. The flavoring was subtle, but delicious enough we found ourselves eating it plain rather than mixing. The beans served as a better addition to the main course, more soupy than textured, they still had a solid flavor.
Ultimately, our experience far exceeded our expectations, and we loved both the quality and quantity of food that we got, as well as the incredible service that accompanied it. The only thing we would caution is to keep an eye on the cups. As comes with years of use, most of the furniture and dishes had a clean, but homey and aged feel to them. Though everything appeared excellent overall, we did get a glass with a little lipstick on it from a previous user, a pretty minor issue considering the high quality of everything else.
EL GALLO GIRO
Where: 346 N. University Ave. in Provo
Hours: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday
Prices: $1.29 (a la carte items) – $37.95 (for the family platter). Most meals range from $6.25 to $7.99
Info: (801) 377-2571, elgallogiroutah.com
