Gringas en Gahanna: Los Guachos

The front of Gahanna's edition of Los Guachos

I was cruising the northeast side of the metro after a good solid bike workout looking for a combination of two things: something that would kill some time before I had to pick up my spouse and some unfussy replenishment for dinner. I initially focused on the Easton area: perhaps a burger at Flip Side would sate my cravings, or perhaps sampling a grilled cheese at the newly opened Melt in the Easton Gateway area.

Then I remembered Gahanna wasn't too far away. Gahanna's restaurant scene has been growing by leaps and bounds with places like El Arepazo, The Barn at Rocky Creek, Superchef's and 101 Beer Kitchen recently or due to setup shop in town. I did a little quick research on my smartphone to see what I could find and uncovered a surprise.

Los Guachos? In Gahanna? Perhaps it's because I live a lot closer to their original brick-and-mortar location on Godown Road in Northwest Columbus that I was not aware of this lovely fact. But now that I knew this, my destination was set.

Los Guachos' Gahanna sports a brighter and seemingly
larger space than its Godown Road cousin, but the
decor and food remain the same.

Opened in September of 2013 in a strip mall off Morse Road just outside I-270, this second brick-and-mortar for one of Columbus' most well-known Mexican eateries basically brings the decor and style of their Godown location into what seems to be a slightly bigger and brighter space. Not surprisingly, televisions broadcasting Spanish-language channel programming (in this case, a Liga MX  soccer game) were available for patrons to watch. And yes, all those creations that have made Los Guachos a favorite of many are here for the ordering as well.

All the items typical of almost all taquerias (the pickled vegetables and array of salsas/sauces) and unique to Los Guachos (their unique red onion/habanero/soy sauce blend) are also here for diners. Last year's Columbus Food Adventures Taco Truck Tour brought my first exposure to the latter combination, something my spouse and I wouldn't think would work but does so brilliantly (in fact, we have often composed our own version for garnishing many of our home-cooked Mexican-style meals.)

Los Guachos' meal garnishments, including their unique blend of
sliced habanero peppers, red onions and soy sauce, were heavenly
on my order of gringas, volcanes and juanas.

Their famous Gringa, accompanied by their delicious al pastor de trompo, melted cheese, pineapple, onions and cilantro on a crispy grilled flour tortilla was a must, but I wanted to do some venturing on items I hadn't had the chance to try yet. The Volcanes essentially was a mini-quesadilla of sorts, while their Juana is something of an open-faced double-tortilla. The proteins that accompanied these creations (the suadero (beef brisket) and lengua (beef tongue) were well prepared; the latter was one of the better versions I've experienced.

In a way, this experience here pretty much cements the thoughts that crossed my mind when I first bit into that Gringa from Los Guachos' anchor taco truck in the Hilltop area of Columbus. Los Guachos' brick and mortar locations produce really good versions of their various offerings. But there is something about their mobile setup that kicks their creations to a higher level.

By all means, drop by Los Guachos' locations in Gahanna and Northwest Columbus and visit them often. But if you do make their brick-and-mortar locations your primary destinations, by all means supplement these visits with an occasional visit to Sullivant Avenue and their original taco truck (more currently closer to a taco rig.). Order some of your Los Guachos favorites from there; if you're lucky like my spouse and I, you'll reach that brief nirvana of mind-blown status.

Los Guachos
1376 Cherry Bottom Road
Gahanna, OH 43230
(614) 471-4717
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Other locations:
5221 Godown Road (Northwest)
Columbus, OH 43235
(614) 538-0211

3990 Sullivant Avenue (Hilltop)
Columbus, OH 43228
(614) 493-1874