Have you ever had real Mexican food? I don’t mean taqueria style, like Betos or Gualbertos, nor do I mean any of the popular Americanized chains like Chevy’s, and I definitely don’t mean Taco Bell, The Taco Maker, Del Taco, or any other similar abomination. I mean real home-style Mexican food.

There are several places in Utah where one can eat good Mexican food. One of the best, however, is El Gallo Giro. Their menu is expansive. On it, you’ll find the customary foods you would expect at any Mexican restaurant, such as tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and the like. But you will also find things like a delicious grilled chicken, Menudo and other soups, grilled nopales (the leaves of the prickly pear cactus), and a wonderful shrimp cocktail. Their shrimp cocktail, or coctel de camarones, is not the American style kind that you might be used to. Theirs is done in the Mexican style: it comes in a large mug or bowl with the peeled and chilled shrimp mixed into a sweet tomato sauce. To the shrimp and sauce are added avocados, onions, cilantro, lemon juice and wedges, celery, and some other wonderful things. It’s beautiful and delicious. Definitely something you should try. The undeniable king of their menu, however, is “El Molcajete”, or “The Rock”.

The Rock is is a veritable feast which can easily serve two regular humans, or one Joe. The rock is, as the name implies, a molcajete which has been baked in an oven and then filled with their grilled chicken, carne asada, chorizo, shrimp, grilled nopales, shrimp, grilled spring onions, and a delicious sauce. The Molcajete is served with tortillas to eat with the contents of the giant rock. It’s really something quite spectacular to behold.

El Gallo Giro also has a couple of family plates that looked quite wonderful. One of these days, we’ll order one and let you know how it went. They are served tableside on a grill, with rice and beans and lots of tortillas. That brings me to their beans… El Gallo Giro has, unquestionably, the best frijoles I have had in Utah. Bar none. They are fantastically smooth and savory. I’m sure they’re made with lard, so they’re probably not very healthy, but they’re wonderful!

In addition to the wondrous offerings we’ve already described, the restaurant has two appetizers that are worth mentioning. The first is a queso fundito, which is a fajita skillet full of melted cheese and a bit of carne asada. This comes to the table bubbling and steaming, and smelling wonderful. As it sits, the cheese on the bottom and sides burns and crisps up a bit. It’s fantastic to dip your chips into while it’s melted, and once you eat all of the melted cheese, you can peel off the crispy bits stuck to the skillet. It’s just perfect!

The second, and no less fantastic, mentionable appetizer is their fresh guacamole. This can be ordered with or with out a jalapeño, but either way, it’s made tableside. A few minutes after you order, a waitress will appear, bearing a tray with a molcajete, some avocados, a small bowl of pico de gallo, and a chile (assuming you ordered one). The waitress will grind up the ingredients in the molcajete and then present it to you. I suggest adding a little lime juice and salt, but this is some of the best guacamole you will ever taste. It’s wonderfully fresh, and beautiful to behold. Just wonderful.

Now, if you’re still not convinced, let me tell you about their beverage selection… They have the usual array of sodas (if you’re into that sort of thing), but they also have a daily array of aguas frescas, and a juice (licuado in Spanish) bar. Their aguas frescas are made daily, and the selection changes, you will almost always find horchata, but we’ve also seen mango (basically lemonade but made with mangoes instead of lemons), strawberry (made with strawberries, sugar, and milk), watermelon, mixed berry, and others. These are served from the traditional large jugs, from which you can help yourself. Definitely just the thing on a hot day, or with a hot meal.

Finally, not to be missed, are their salsas. They have the traditional salsa bar with several flavors of salsas, pickled jalapeños, limes, radishes, shredded cabage, etc. Their salsa, however are just fantastic. They range from fiery hot to somewhat mild, but their flavors are bright and clean, and they have a wonderful aroma and texture.

So, what are you waiting for? Stop reading and go to El Gallo Giro for some fantastic food! (Come back and finish reading when you’re done though!)

–Jason