South Bay across the I-5 from the tideflats, with Tacos El Gordo on Broadway, El Pollo Grill rotisseries and the Otay Mesa border crossing 20 minutes south for Tijuana taquerias.
Tacos El Gordo in Chula Vista is the Tijuana-style trompo taqueria on H Street and Broadway, with the city's canonical adobada al pastor sliced fresh from the vertical rotisserie.
Signature: Adobada taco, Suadero taco, Cabeza taco
Order: The adobada taco with diced onion and cilantro; the suadero for slow-braised beef.
Tip: Open until 02:00 Fri-Sat; the Broadway and H Street locations run separate queues. Cash speeds things.
Tacos El Gordo on Broadway in Chula Vista, San Diego, the canonical Tijuana-style adobada trompo carving handmade corn tortillas until 4am on weekends.
Try: Vertical-trompo adobada taco
Tacos El Gordo in Chula Vista, San Diego, the open-until-4am Tijuana-style trompo carving adobada tacos for around three dollars and California burritos under twelve.
Try: Vertical-trompo adobada tacos under $4
Tacos El Gordo in Chula Vista, San Diego, the open-until-4am Tijuana-style trompo where the late-night queue runs out the door for adobada and suadero.
Try: Vertical-trompo adobada tacos, suadero, cabeza