yellow food truck with the words "tacos el gordo" in red and a mural wrap around the bottom depicting cacti and desert dunes
— Leave a Comment

Review: Tacos El Gordo – Shillington

yellow tube man with the word "tacos" waving in front of a yellow food truck

I love almost everything about food trucks: the convenience, the speed, the price. But I always struggle to keep up with knowing where to find them, if they are even out on a given day. 

But Berks County’s newest food truck is easy to find: Tacos El Gordo has a permanent location at the corner of Lancaster Avenue and Museum Road in Shillington. 

Tacos El Gordo officially opened on September 1. It’s the fourth location for the Lancaster County-based Mexican restaurant fleet. In addition to a brick-and-mortar location in Ephrata, there are two other food trucks with permanent locations in Lancaster and Lebanon. 

yellow food truck with the words "tacos el gordo" in red and a mural wrap around the bottom depicting cacti and desert dunes

I stopped by on a Wednesday afternoon, a week after opening day. 

It was around 11:30 a.m. when I pulled in. An inflatable tube man emblazoned with the words “tacos” flailed in the breeze to beckon in customers. 

The truck is located in the parking lot of Jade Garden. The restaurant, with its low-slung awning and dark windows, stood in stark contrast to the bright yellow truck with the mural of cacti and dessert dunes wrapping around the bottom. 

the menu for Tacos El Gordo in Shillington, PA

When I stepped up to order, I was told about the Wednesday special: $12 for a burrito and soda. According to the menu, burritos are regularly $15-$16 so it was a great deal that I couldn’t pass up.

(I was also told about the Taco Tuesday special: four tacos for $8, which I will certainly take advantage of in the future). 

After placing my order, I grabbed a drink from one of the two coolers sitting in front of the truck and just a couple minutes later, I had my food. Outdoor seating was limited to a single picnic table under a canopy along Lancaster Avenue. Rather than hang out, I took my food back home to Wyomissing. 

blue plate with a burrito, a cup of yellow rice and a cup of guacamole

I unwrapped the burrito which was still hot inside the foil wrapping. All burritos are filled with beans, lettuce, tomato and your choice of protein – chorizo for me. 

The burrito wasn’t huge, but it was stuffed full. The chorizo was finely ground and not very spicy and it felt like a good ratio of ingredients inside. 

blue blate with a burrito cut in half, a pile of yellow rice and a cup of guacamole

Unlike most places that I’ve visited, the yellow rice was served on the side instead of wrapped in the burrito. It also came with a small cup of guacamole on the side. I put a scoop of guac onto every bite until the green stuff was gone and took a forkful of rice after every bite. The guac was definitely a welcome addition, helping to bring everything together while adding the distinct creaminess of the avocado and herbiness of the cilantro to it. 

Overall, I was happy with my choice and would go back again, especially for the $12 deal. 

Tacos El Gordo provides all the advantages of a food truck – fast service and lower prices (thanks to the lower overhead) – with the predictability of a set location. And you’d be hard-pressed to find a more high-trafficked location for a food truck in Berks County. 

Hopefully, those ingredients all come together for a long-lasting business. 

BCE Review
Food: Good
Ambiance: Fair
Service: Excellent
Price: $$

Tacos El Gordo
450 W. Lancaster Ave
Shillington, PA 19607

More Mexican Restaurants in Berks County

More Berks County Food Trucks

Food Trucks Mexican Reviews
two halves of a quesadilla with a cup of consomme
— Leave a Comment

Review: Casa Cortes Mexican Restaurant – Mohnton – CLOSED

exterior of Casa Cortes in Mohnton

Editor’s Note: Casa Cortes closed the Mohnton location at the end of August 2026. The restaurant’s original location in downtown Reading (Casa Cortes – 39 N. 9th Street) is still open or dine-in, takeout and delivery. La Casa Del Rincon is now open in the space.

In June of 2025, Casa Cortes Mexican Grill expanded to a second location when they opened in the Stabon Plaza shopping center in Mohnton. 

One of the first blogs I ever wrote was at this location, back when it was Maniaci’s Bistro. That restaurant achieved infamy on an episode of Restaurant: Impossible, closing a year later. 

The restaurant space has changed many times since our first visit. After Maniaci’s, it was the second location for Sofrito. More recently, it was home to Briano’s Italiano. Casa Cortes opened in 2025, adding a second location to complement their space on 9th Street in Reading.

restaurant dining room with orange walls and booth seating

Based on our experience, it feels like Casa Cortes has the chance to stick around.

Guests entering are greeted at the takeout counter, which had a steady stream of customers during our visit. A swinging door separates the entryway from the dining room with its brightly colored walls and booths in shades of yellow, green and orange. 

red paper-lined basket filled with tortilla chips next to a blue bowl of red salsa

We had arrived shortly after 5 p.m. and were the only ones in the dining room. (Though we could see a table had recently cleared). Our server brought a basket of chips for us to enjoy while we looked over the menu and ordered drinks. 

The chips were good, and we really enjoyed their salsa. It was thick and mild, and it tasted fresh. 

glass of horchata on a table with multi-colored chairs in the background

Julie and I both ordered horchata, and those drinks arrived after a few minutes. Served in tall Pepsi glasses, the horchata was good with a nice creamy texture. It didn’t have as much cinnamon as some versions which made it easy to drink. 

burrito cut in half to show bacon, egg, cheese and avocado inside

The menu is not as large as some places, but I was surprised to see two sections of breakfast specialties. After confirming that they were available all day, I decided to have breakfast for dinner, ordering the “everything-but-the-kitchen sink” burrito. It came filled with steak, bacon, egg, avocado, tater tots and cheese. 

I love a good breakfast burrito, and this one did not disappoint. The burrito was fully stuffed, heavy on the meat with just enough egg and cheese. Everything was good, but it needed a little sauce to bind it together. The mild green sauce was the perfect addition.

two halves of a quesadilla with a cup of consomme

Julie loved her birria quesadillas – tortillas filled with birria beef, Oaxaca cheese, onions and cilantro, served with a cup of consomme (broth) for dipping. It was a savory delight, hearty with braised beef. The consomme had plenty of onion and cilantro for added flavor.

Birria is always good, but this one was excellent. 

burrito cut in half with chicken inside and tortilla chips on the plate

Jakob ordered a burrito with chicken tinga. It also included rice, beans, lettuce and cheese. Normally, he would have ordered ground beef, but it’s not one of the protein options at Casa Cortes. Even so, he really liked his burrito. It was stuffed full (it was a regular entree, not a kids meal) with delicious pulled chicken. It came served with a handful of chips on the side, which was a little weird after having the basket of chips, but it was more than enough food for him anyway. 

For Lukas, the fussy two–year-old, we ordered the chicken fingers and fries (not pictured). The chicken fingers were actually pretty solid, and the fries weren’t bad, but I look forward to the day when he starts to eat other things. 

We brought home half of Jakob’s burrito and about half of Lukas’ meal as well. (Both had filled up on the chips and salsa).

Our total bill was about $65 for the four entrees and two horchatas. The entrees were priced in the $10-$15 range which is about average for the amount of food. 

The food was great. The only thing that could have been improved was the service. Despite only one other table filling while we were there, our server visited infrequently and it seemed to take a while for our four drinks to arrive. 

Still, we would go back. And we would gladly check out the original location in downtown, too, for another taste of Casa Cortes. 

BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Service: Fair
Ambiance: Good
Price: $$

Casa Cortes Mexican Restaurant
360 E. Wyomissing Avenue
Mohnton, PA 19540

More Mexican Restaurants in Berks County

More Restaurants Near Mohnton, PA

Closed