MSG, me thinks. The chips and salsa here are fantastic! I can't get enough of the salsa and sometimes think I could just sit and eat that. We ordered the Burrito Carne Asada and a Classic Chicken Taco. I love the chicken taco. It bursts with flavor! The options for a shell are flour, hard corn or soft corn. I always order mine with two soft corn tortillas. The tacos come wrapped, but I find this so unnecessary and cumbersome. I'm going to eat it right now - at this table - in your restaurant - so, I don't need it wrapped. :) The Burrito Carne Asada didn't get such rave reviews. There was A LOT of rice in it and the beef (was more like steak strips) lacked flavor. After the meal, we both started to feel the effects of MSG. I would bet they use it for flavor (maybe they forget to use it on the Burrito). I'm almost certain it's in the chicken and the salsa. Too bad, because I really love this place, but I can't eat MSG and feel good. read more

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Showed up at 9:04pm on Cinco de Mayo they the food for a catering gig. Hostess went to seat us and a server said they were closed even though the OPEN sign was still on. They just lost a 150 person paid charity catering gig... Wouldn't even let us order to-go! read more

I just wondering, why the workers in the restaurant are not using a face mask? There were 3 cooks in the kitchen and the girl on the front and just ONE cooks was using a face mask. not even the girl wish was the only one taking orders and serving the orders to go. I didn't order after seeing that. read more

Food: Low quality, small portions, and bland for the prices. Great attentive and apologetic service. The computer was down,and we had to wait 45 min for the bill to be told that we could pay cash, luckily we had enough cash because the alternative would have required waiting for the owner to arrive. We live locally (within walking distance), and we were looking for a convenient place for yummy burritos and tacos. Needless to say we will not be returning. read more

Service here is always excellent. They are very polite and nice. The entrees are very authentic Mexican dishes. Great beer selection as well read more

Carne Asada tacos are the bomb. We brought our family here for some tacos to chow down on at the beach and it was a hit! We all got the carne asada tacos with either corn and flour tortillas and we had wished we ordered more. It was fairly empty on Saturday afternoon which was nice for those wanting to dine in. The guacamole on the tacos was so good. The flavors were so on point. Parking wasn't bad when we went but if it's the dinner rush I bet it gets crowded. The chips are also delicious so don't miss out on a couple. read more

This place is decent but definitely not worth the rating. I ordered the enchiladas since the menu mentioned their "famous red sauce." So disappointed. Famous red sauce is straight of a can. Yes. I can taste it. I can also tell since the tortillas were rolled and clearly not cooked in sauce (they're just covered). Also ordered two carne asada tacos. Meat was okay, a little bland for my liking and definitely didn't like the tortilla (not street tacos). They don't even carry horchata. But I give three stars for marketing since I still came in and dropped $50. read more

I just paid $7.00 for this "small" guacamole and it didn't even come with chips. Total rip-off. read more

El Gringo Redondo - Mexican Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

One of the greatest places for quick Mexican in the South Bay....I'd recommend the Verde Wet Burrito with shrimp and black beans...delicious. read more

Had to give them 5 stars because I honestly can't come up with anything negative to say about them. Never had a bad bite there in the years of going, be it at Hermosa (RIP) or Redondo... the fajitas and the Xcholti soup are my go to's, but always enjoy a chicken taco or 2 once in a while. Their refried beans and salsa is really good too...I'll buy a pint of salsa from them vs a grocery store every time. The negative reviews I'm seeing about the prices, I don't agree with. The portions are quite big so there is a lot of bang for the buck. I can get multiple meals out of the fajitas and the tacos aren't little street tacos. They're filling. read more

My daughter in law ordered catering from here for my grandson's first birthday party. It was ready on time. Everything was fresh and hot. Everyone raved about the cheese enchiladas and the chicken flautas were just about gone. It was very professionally packed for transport. Everything was clearly marked. Thank you for making our day easier. read more

Had tacos catered from here for a birthday party. Very professional and gave us exactly what we wanted for an on time food pick up. The taco bar was perfect for a party of 25 people to serve themselves and plenty of variety. read more

This place is close to where I live so it makes it convenient when I'm in the mood for Mexican food. It's a bigger, brighter and cleaner space than the Hermosa location. I like that they have two giant flat screens that were tuned to Fox News. The wait staff is attentive and the food is pretty good. I usually get the Asher Burrito which is huge and stuffed with scrambled eggs, chicken, black beans and avocado slices. They slather a tasty sauce and melted cheddar cheese on top and comes with sides of sour cream and guacamole. The salsa that comes with the traditional chips is good too, just the right amount of spiciness to it but not overbearing. Great chill environment and if you feel like enjoying the good weather, you could also eat out on the patio. Go here for a good Mexican meal! read more

This place consistently satisfies. Given they have several locations (and a catering service) they obviously know what they're doing to be in business for so long. Family-owned! I love that I can sit outside (which is a rare treat in most of 90277). Not sure who does the hiring, but the waitresses are also consistently wonderful (to look at). ;) read more

Went to El Gringo at 8:44 pm on a Saturday night based on their closing hours being 9pm. We walked in to be told they were closing down and not serving anyone else. Normally if a restaurant posts certain hours, you can still place an order 15 before closing. If El Gringo is planning to have the kitchen cleaned and closed by 9pm, they should change the closing time to 8:30. Very disappointed and will not be going back. read more

El gringo is my to go spot if I am craving Mahi Mahi burritos to go. I never dine inside so my review is for food only. Unfortunately I have a bad habit of always ordering the same thing over and over. El Gringo Fish Burrito has grilled Mahi Mahi fish, beans, rice, lettuce, tomato, onion, cilantro, sour cream, guacamole & spicy fish sauce. It is huge and I can only eat less than half of the actual burrito but it is so yummy :-) I always call in my order and every single time my order has been ready by the time I arrived and they never made any mistakes or giving me a wrong order. read more

I wanted to take my lovely brother to lunch and this is what he chose. El Gringo? Really? I would've taken you to Benihana, or AYCE Korean BBQ or even sushi and you choose El Gringo? Ok, I guess this is ok considering that we're mexican. Here's how I did... We pulled in around 12:30 and there wasn't a table available on the inside restaurant. There were a couple tables outside, thing is....It was pouring. Of course there are 2 four-top tables that 1 douche is sitting at at while his laptop is on the table, his feet are on a chair, his laptop case is on another chair and his european man bag is on another chair. Listen up D-Bag, you're by yourself, you're a geek, you only deserve 1 chair. Leave your purse in your convertible volkswagon jetta. I've been to places by myself numerous times but when I do i take only as much space as I need. I probably wouldn't have cared but the fact that the geek had a purse really bothered me. Get rid of your purse you nerd. Onto my review...... We order a beer and wait about 10 minutes for our table. Once we get seated we get chips and salsa and the salsa was pretty good. I was hungry, so maybe it was average but I needed nourishment. The lunch size burritos are for children. I mean pathetic. We both order the normal carnitas burrito (wet) and it was really good. I wish I could've posted a comparison pic because the lunch burrito is only a couple dollars cheaper but less than half the size. A few beer a piece, a burrito a piece and about $40 with tip. Not bad but not great. When I go to lunch I want a lunch special not a lunch rip-off. Will I again? Yeah, eventually. The food is good. Here's a tip for you El Gringo, why don't you make your lunch special a little more special. You should be embarrassed of your lunch time burrito. read more

I was searching for lunch options near by and finally decided to give El Gringo a try. I went for their soup and salad combo with the pollo negro salad and the Xcholti: "Soul-Chee" soup which they claim is their most popular item. The serving sizes were very generous considering it was a half salad and "cup" of soup. The cup of soup was a huge bowl, a meal on it's own! I thought the salad was very tasty, their spicy ranch dressing really made the salad. The soup was a little bland, I added a couple spoonfuls of their salsa and that made all the difference. By the way, their salsa is pretty tasty. My husband and I couldn't stop eating it! Careful not to fill up on chips and salsa before your meal comes! They also offer a "skinny" menu with Low-Calorie, Low-Carb, and Low- Dairy options. The service was fast and friendly, and they have a few seats outside too. read more

This place is just really bad! I have been few times and every time reminds me that I just really don't like it. The service is just alright. The chips and salsa are really good. I could eat a bucket of it. The rest of the food though is just not good. Poor quality. And the beers are $5.95. I am sorry but $5.95 for a Corona seems a bit excessive. read more

This place had potential from the looks of it, but after I stepped inside, the illusion went away. First, there was no one in this place, always a bad sign at 6pm. Second, we were given salsa that tasted liked La Victoria or Pace Picante sauce, along with semi stale chips. I'm pretty sure the salsa wasn't freshly made. Last, my "chicken tostada" came out as a mound of iceberg lettuce, cheese, guacamole and sour cream. No tostada in sight. After digging through the lettuce, found the overly cooked tostada and some beans and meat. Sadly, the meat was too salty and spiced with weird spices. It was so gross that I ate the lettuce and got the hell out of there. Also, I hate it when I can't order Horchata as a drink. Last, the prices were too high. $4.75 for a taco (no sides) and $9 for a plate full of lettuce with a tostada and meat hidden in it? I think not! Service was hit-or-miss, which is bad when you're the only one in the place. Sorry El Gringo, you strike out on so many levels. I would prefer Wahoos to this place ten times over. Not going to visit this place ever again. read more

Disappointed on other reviews. They do not address the quality of the food. El gringo has very good, high quality MEXICAN food. The chicken soup is the BEST and the burritos and combos are very good. It has been are "go to" MEXICAN food for many years. I highly recommend. read more

Stopped by with my husband to grab a quick meal before returning home from work. The host/server was extremely nice and on it. If this was based on their service I would have given them 5 stars on that alone however I'm rating this on the food. We already knew that the food was going to okay, Mexican American usually means sour cream on the side, tostada bowls and wet burritos. I hardly ever come across a Mexican American restaurant that's extremely good. What surprised me was how greasy the food was and how they were trying to pass shredded beef as carne asada. Any type of Mexican food is only ever good based on their meat alone and theirs wasn't up to par. read more

"Oh. My. God. What....IS this????" Those were the words that came out of my mouth after I pulled a giant LEAF out of my shredded beef taco from El Gringo. Now, the leaf wasn't even the worst part. It just...surprised me, was all. As the McBoyfriend and I searched for some Mexican food to eat (I was starving, by the way -- as I always seem to be when I find horrible food), we decided to pop into El Gringo. I was afraid. The place was empty and it smelled weird. I was also disappointed to see packaged tortillas instead of fresh. Oh well, whatever. I was hungry. I ordered my usual, that I get from ANY Mexican place. Taco, enchilada, and rice/beans combo. It's normally at most $7. Here, it was $10.15 (!!!) Expensive Mexican food?? Alright, but it better be some damn-good gourmet fare. Enter my meal: absolutely destroyed by a blanket of thick, congealed cheese (and I like my cheese), coupled with the fact that there was no flavor. Is "hot" a flavor? And not spicy-hot. I mean temperature-hot. Because the fact that it was hot was the only thing "flavorful" about it. My taco was soggy and sad, filled with the briniest, saltiest, meat I've ever had (and the aformentioned leaf). That meat tasted like it had been floating in the Dead Sea for about a week. Good grief. YES, their salsa is good. But honestly I don't think I've been to a Mexican food place that didn't have good salsa. The fact that I paid so much for this pile of crap made my (still-hungry) stomach hurt even more. I tried, stomach, I tried. *cries* read more

What a great place! Very casual and friendly staff. Yes he BEST salsa I have ever tasted. Food comes out quick and hot and the best employee is Eleaina who takes great care of the customers. All around great place. read more

TAKE OUT STINKS! I live within a block of this place and have kept trying the take out over and over again since they moved in. Soggy lettuce, tons of grease in the take out containers, so, so, sauces. Not worth the price and a short walk. read more

I always get the veggie burrito and it was always great. Their salsa is awesome and they give you plenty. Here's the problem...VEGANS BEWARE! It seems like they serve the veggie burrito with refried beans by default, but I was told after having several of those, that only the black beans are vegan but I don't know what makes their refried beans non-vegan. To make it vegan, I always ordered it with black beans, no cheese and no sour cream and I prefer it dry instead of with the sauce on top. What's left is the tortilla, rice, black beans, lettuce, tomato and guacamole. To be safe, I usually emphasized by requesting that it be made vegan just in case. Anyway, I went there last night and followed the usual routine. When the waitress understood that I wanted it vegan, she told me the rice was made with chicken stock. I understand that some places put butter or animal stock in their rice so that's not too surprising, but I wondered how long I'd been getting non-vegan rice thinking it was vegan. I asked her about the beans and she said both the refried beans and black beans were both vegan which contradicted previous information I'd received. Finally, she told me they put MILK in their guacamole. Seriously?! Why would anyone put milk in guacamole!! Eliminating rice and guacamole was just too much so I excused myself and left. I'm grateful that someone finally told me the truth, but it would have been nice to see these hidden ingredients in the menu in the first place. Also, the staff seems confused or uninformed by the ingredients so having it on the menu would eliminate these problems. I've been coming here for a long time and I've always liked this place which is why I struggle with giving them only a 2 star review instead of the 5 stars I would like to have given them. I would only consider returning if they could be more vegan friendly and also clearly specify ingredients in their menu. I will really miss their salsa. read more

El Gringo is a solid Mexican joint for this Gringo. It's a great little spot if your in the neighborhood, or after a long day day at the beach. The space is nothing special, but its certainly an upgrade over the place that used to be there before called Miguel's Burrito House which just scared me. The chips and salsa are fantastic although make sure you get a soda or an ice cold beer because the salsa is a butt-kicker! First thing you'll notice is the prices are high for a whole in the wall. That's the only reason I didn't give El Gringo 4 stars. They do however, give gi-normous portions which eases the sting slightly. Im a huge fan of their Machaca and their Chille Relleno is pretty good as well. Burrito's are large and can be ordered "wet" with all the fixings. El Gringo is great for takeout and parking is pretty ample because it's located in a small litle strip mall. Another great deal is their Taco Tuesday...essentially is a buy one taco and get one free. Don't be put off by the 3 and 4 dollar taco prices...they are huge and when you get one free on top of it....you'll definately be muffin-topping out of your jeans when you leave. Overall, standard, tasty Southern California Mexican at slightly high prices. read more

You can't go wrong with 2-for-1 Tuesday taco night. Plenty of food and yummy too. The salsa is spicy though, beware!

How does this place have only 3 stars?! Its blasphemy. I'd like to begin by praising the chips. Hot, salty, and served with a delicious salsa that, while to spicy for some, really hit the spot for me. We ordered the carnitas burrito and chicken enchiladas with red sauce instead of the menu listed green sauce. I'm sure there is a pretty general expectation on how enchiladas should taste, in a good, homey way. Well, these pretty much nailed it. Loaded with dark meat (you are given a choice of white meat with no veggies mixed in or dark meat) mixed with bell peppers and onions, these came drenched in a delicious sauce and served with such delicious pinto beans. I'm usually not really a pinto bean kind of gal, but these were exceptional. Who knows what was in them, but I can tell you, they were delicious. My friend got the carnitas burrito in which, the carnitas had been smashed on the griddle and charred to perfection to reveal crispy edges on each bite which maintained crispiness once wrapped up into the burrito. Overall, I woke up wanting this the next day, which seldom happens with Mexican food for me. I googled "El Gringo Downtown LA" only to be greeted with a lack of results and the page navigating me back to the south bay. I'll definitely be back! read more

The food remains consistently fresh and delicious, no matter what. The service is also friendly, kind and attentive. The cool 70's music makes it the perfect spot to sit in the sunshine, eat great Mexican food and relax. read more

Typical commercialized Mexican food. Their version of chicken soup is a bowl of Top Ramen with shredded chicken in it.

Funny thing has happened over the last year or so..... I would go to El Gringo on a pretty regular basis (usually for their Taco Tuesdays) and it was a good deal. Granted, i never liked their carnitas but all the other stuff on the menu was pretty good. Then I was on yelp and saw some poor reviews and decided to see for myself....well they were right (unfortunately). My last experience there was on about a week and a half ago. I got two tacos, one crispy fish (my previous fav.) and the Asada. When the plate came out I was pretty surprised. The tacos were smaller than before ( idk if it was downsized for taco tuesday or what). And now you HAD to buy a drink (not that I wasn't going to). I was mildy happy with the fish, but the asada was weak. I can safely say that this place has been downgraded from 4 to 2 stars with all the other forgettable Mexican food spots in LA. Time to bring your A game, Whitey. P.S. The "margaritas" have no tequila in them....just FYI. read more

Slightly more expensive then a comparable mexican restaurant such as Lupitas or El Sombrero or Sions. Salsa tastes like it is tostitos brand salsa... if you like that kinda thing. Chips were cold and we had to physically get up to go get more because the waitress disappeared for a good 10 minutes... after coming back immediately grabbed our drinks and went to refill them, at least the service is good.... nope... she filled it up with the wrong drink. Meat was chewy and fatty and the flour tortilla must have been old because cutting into it was very difficult. Had the El Diablo burrito by the way and aside from the chili pepper flakes on top there was nothing hot about it. Will I come here again? Nope. read more

"Not answering the phone because we're too busy". Im sure many businesses would be happy to be in this situation, however, when only accepting take out orders you would think that answering your phone would be a priority. read more

I can only give 1 star for the excellent staff and service. But based solely on the food, if you're looking for authentic Mexican food, the title of the restaurant should tell you everything. Food needs salt in every item ( soup, quac, beans, enchilada,ect, ect..),very bland. The soup tasted mostly of water with a hint of chicken packet flavoring and the chicken within it tasted like a dry bland rotisserie chicken. read more

Just went here for lunch today because we had a coupon... that we forgot to use. This restaurant is small but quaint we sat our selves at the direction of the hostess/waitress. Our waitress was very helpful, friendly and got us our drink order right away and gave us chips and salsa. The salsa was good I would say the same as most Mexican restaurants. They had a lunch menu I picked the Jr. Burrito with shredded beef with rice and beans. I threw on my usual Tapatio and it was eating time. When all was said and done with not much left on my plate I felt satisfied.. I mean full / stuffed... The food tasted good. The service was GREAT! I just got done reading all of the bad stuff below about service but I am here to say the opposite we had one server and then a second one came and filled our drinks by the way love the uniforms.. That is my inside joke. The only bad thing I can say about this place is the price for lunch was in my opinion too much. I would not go back unless I had a coupon or they lower there price. I think a fair price for what I had would have been $7 not $9.50 plus drink. I will recommend this restaurant to those who have a little extra lunch budget. read more

El Gringo has great food. The service is friendly and fast. The prices are excellent for the amount of food given. The only thing we missed was desserts. I was so looking forward to a flan or deep fried ice cream. Maybe in the future they will offer it. read more

When "Baja Fresh" has a better salsa selection than your Mexican Restaurant, your restaurant blows. I ordered an enchilada plate, and I pretty much got a pound of cheese melted over some tortillas and tomato sauce. This was bad Mexican food, but it was also just bad food in general. I need to find some great Mexican food in the South Bay, not just some place that puts La Victoria salsa on all their plates! To end on a positive note, at least the waitress was friendly... And cute! :-) read more

3.5 My stars: (5=epic "best of") (4=really tasty and want to go again and again) (3=good and will go back once in a while) (2=fair, might return for a visit if there was some glimmer of hope) (1=avoid at all costs) Go or No? Go. Tease: El Gringo is a fairly well known Mexican/American restaurant in the Torrance/Redondo area. Why I went: I've always wanted to try it... When: 8/7/13 Food: My wife ordered a carne asada taco, and I ordered their street taco plate. The carne asada taco was tasty. The seasoning was heavy...a shade salty, but not much so that it wasn't good. The street tacos are 4 small tacos. I got 1/2 w/ chicken and 1/2 with carnitas. Both were excellent. The chicken was really moist and tender. The carnitas were pan fried at the end and had a nice crispiness. It was kind of odd compared to many other places...but very good. Everything tasted fresh. The salsa especially! Service: Very good! Hints/Final thoughts: We were told the burritos and their soup are the most popular...but we opted for some lighter items. Next time, we might just up the ante! read more

Always love this place! The pollo negro salad is amazing as is the xolchi soup..,love them! My son is addicted to their veggie quesadilla. The staff is sweet, the salsa on point! It's a great lunch or dinner choice! read more