BY NICHOLAS BRANDT

Tacos El Gavilan emerged onto the scene with a running start as a local chain of about fourteen restaurants around the LA area. Locations have already popped up near WCHS with two along Azusa and one in La Puente, and these locations have been met with praise from enthusiastic Facebook users that go so far as to make their own “commercials” for the growing enterprise. It’s hard to say whether or not the chain deserves the hype it has received that puts it at the forefront of Mexican fast food in LA, and the only way to find out is to check it out.

Walking into the location less than a mile north of campus, my first impression was how well-organized the place was. There was no shortage of chairs and yet lots of room to walk around and admire the setup they had going for them. The location has lots of windows, large televisions playing the latest football matches, and a surprisingly clean design that strays from the typical color displayed by most restaurants. The white with red trim around the store does work well, to my surprise, and its aesthetic is short, sweet, and to the point. While by no means a full-on restaurant meant for sitting down, eating in isn’t that bad of an idea either when the drink machines offer a variety of options from the usual soft drinks to aguas frescas and champurrado.

However, the good news and promise falls short of what I anticipated walking in. With a name that puts “taco” first for all to see, their tacos are okay at best with nothing much to say about it that sets it apart. In particular, the asada tacos don’t hold a special place at all when it comes to the meats offered. It has great texture and some good taste to it, but nothing else is very notable that would warrant a craving. Where the restaurant truly shines lies in its options to add things to your plate and make it sparkle. Cilantro, onions, and red sauce not only flavors up the normally unimpressive dish, but it serves as a touch-up for the perfect social media photo.

I can’t say that I expected the world from what is a fast food place. The purpose of fast food in the first place is to give hungry patrons something to eat when food at home or at a sit-down restaurant isn’t an option. The closest comparison that I can make to Tacos El Gavilan is in King Torta. Both establishments do what they can to pay homage to Latin American cuisine while still putting forth a strong fast food presence in LA. In my opinion, the crown should be passed to Gavilan for the time being. Though it does a better job of representing the culture within the food, King Taco has a grease problem that can be a turn-off for those that don’t bring enough napkins to sop it up.

Overall, I would safely back the claim that Tacos El Gavilan deserves a fair amount of the hype it has been receiving from critics in Southern California. It doesn’t have a leg to stand on against authentic Mexican cuisine, but the next time that you want to head out to Taco Bell, reconsider for a moment and give Gavilan a try.