The newly opened El Gallo in Tianmu bills itself as the best Mexican restaurant in Taiwan on the back of its menus. While that claim may lend itself to hearty debate — Eddy’s Cantina in Tamsui and La Casita each have their own passionate devotees — El Gallo might very well be the best-looking Mexican restaurant in the country. The main dining room is filled with shimmering tiles, warm hardwoods and lit with glowing, stained-glass ceiling lamps. The back room, which is available for dinner parties, is truly a revelation: mint-green walls are offset by framed folk-art tapestries with a rainbow of appliques, white furniture and a giant planter in the middle of the room filled with flowers, lush green leaves and branches that curve up to the high ceiling.
El Gallo’s menu, which offers a comprehensive range of authentic dishes, does its surroundings justice, with many of the ingredients used imported from Mexico. For our appetizer, we ordered los nachos supremos El Gallo (NT$300), which was topped with just the right amount of cheese, sour cream, beans and pico de gallo and, unlike many other nachos we have eaten, did not become soggy within a few minutes of arriving at our table and stayed satisfyingly crisp.
Entrees range from NT$280 to NT$550. For our meal, we ordered enchiladas muy machas (NT$450) and carnitas, or roasted pork (NT$380). The enchiladas were delicious, with generous pieces of juicy chicken wrapped in a toothsome, flavorful tortillas topped with savory cheese. I wish the carnitas had been just a little more succulent, but the flavor was rich and the meat tender. The pork is served on a plate with salad, while yellow rice, refried beans, pico de gallo and salsa are artfully arranged on the side in small, rectangular dishes so you can craft your own do-it-yourself tacos with a choice of either white flour or corn tortillas. The restaurant offers brunch from 11am to 2pm on weekends; options include huevos rancheros (NT$280), chilaquiles (NT$300) and burrito de huevo y queso (NT$280).
ADDRESS: 42, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 7, Taipei City (台北市中山北路七段42號)
TELEPHONE: (02) 2874-1366
OPEN: Monday to Friday 11:30am to 3pm and 5:30pm to 10pm; Saturday and Sunday 11am to 3pm and 5pm to 11pm
AVERAGE MEAL: NT$350 to NT$700
DETAILS: Chinese and English menus
ON THE NET: www.elgallotw.com
El Gallo’s bar offers a selection of cocktails and a list of wines imported from Chile and Spain for NT$700 to NT$1,500 a bottle. Selected wines are also available for NT$150 a glass. I had the restaurant’s signature drink, la margarita El Gallo (NT$250). It was as sweet and refreshing as homemade lemonade — and surprisingly potent.
The restaurant’s ambiance, attentive and quick wait staff and the elegant presentation of its food makes El Gallo a good location for dates or dinner parties, but it is also family-friendly — on a recent Sunday evening, a couple of tables were filled with parents and their young children. El Gallo has only been open since the middle of last month, but is already bustling. Our party of two secured a table quickly, but reservations for larger parties are recommended.
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