Gomez Salsa

So I’ve been on the Bakersfield train for awhile and I’m not a OTR regular. Usually just special occasions like birthdays. So its always Eagle or Bakersfield. OTR is just too hipster mixed with frat boys and I’m more of a sports bar kinda gal. ANYWAY. I saw how great the reviews were for Gomez and Mexican food is my bae so I had to try it when we decided to spend my birthday at 16 bit.
Key for new people: fill out the form before hand or at least look it over so you aren’t so confused. We were prepared and had our forms ready.
I waited at the bar with friends while my boyfriend went and ordered our food. Only con it literally took forever lol. But it was well worth it!!!
Get the turtle. Seriously. My life has been changed. Mine was filled with Rice, Faijita veggies, Barbacoa, corn sals, gomez salsa (house Pico), cheese, lettuce, and sour cream. Life. Changed. Best part is I was just two drinks in so it isn’t like I was intoxicated.
I work in Oakley/​Hyde Park area and will be making the trip down to get lunch probably once a week.
Diet. Wrecked. But it’s so worth it.

I went to Gomez for the first time tonight. I was super excited to go, but left pretty underwhelmed. When we got there, the line was a little long, nothing crazy. After ordering, we ended up waiting about 25 minutes for our food, which seemed like a while for a burrito (AKA turtle), even considering the small crowd. They were out of chorizo, which I was super bummed about, because that’s what I was planning on ordering from the moment I decided to go! I got barbacoa instead, and it was fine. Didn’t really taste like much – I prefer Chipotle’s barbacoa. The rice was also really bland. But the pineapple salsa was really good! We also got chips and queso, which was disappointing. The chips were stale, and the queso was NOT good… I threw it away. It had a strange flavor that I couldn’t quite place.
Also, I’m a 120-​pound woman… I ate a turtle, and I left still hungry! The turtles really aren’t THAT big… unless you just want a couple of bites, it’s definitely not enough for two people!!!
Overall, I wasn’t very impressed. But I’d definitely be willing to give it another try.

Get a turtle! You cannot go wrong with this delicious huge tortilla with a cheesy crust on top.
Great, fresh, affordable! Perfect for a late dinner a or a midnight Saturday snack

Probably my favorite tacos in otr. The turtles are awesome too and definitely more popular but the carnitas tacos are my go to here. Try them on taco Tuesday with a beer from half cut next door.

Updating my review because we went there to try their brunch recently. I had only ever had their regular menu there, but brunch was just as good as their lunch/​dinner menu is! So delicious. I crave their turtle on a weekly basis! We also had mimosas with our breakfast turtles and they were delicious.
Sidenote: you can order and pay in advance on the OTR app and pick it up. We have done this once and it worked out well.

Listen. This place gets five stars, hands down. I wasn’t even inebriated (just a few drinks in) when I ate at Gomez, and that Turtle is the BEST faux Mexican I’ve ever eaten! The line was pretty short when I went because it was a pretty chilly night, though I suspect it’s more crowded in milder months.
Here’s my order if you’re a first-​timer and the ordering seems intense: Rice, beans, chorizo, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, guac, gomez salsa, and the pineapple salsa. The pineapple-​chorizo combo blew my mind. Goes excellent with a draft from HalfCut. I would point out that I’m a pretty big eater and a full Turtle is an immensely large portion. If you’re avoiding a food coma, I suggest splitting it with a friend.
In sum, this little taco stand is a marriage made in heaven with HalfCut (a bar with board games!). Can’t wait to go back!

No idea how I haven’t reviewed Gomez yet, but we are here at least once a month. Sometimes once per weekend. This is my fiancé’s favorite restaurant in the whole world… Mention Gomez to him and his eyes light up. Their online ordering app is sometimes finicky but saves so much time in line if it works.
What to order — Turtles! Nothing more to say. Love their turtles, love the customization, love the crispy tofu and love the salsas. Portion sizes are amazing (huge) and the quality is always consistent. It’s good for brunch, lunch, dinner or 1am snacks. I want it for lunch right now.

Every once in a while I get an intense craving for a turtle. Though it is a bit of a pain to order at a window and wait while they seemingly make your food from scratch, it is always worth it. I have been in some pretty cold temperatures, late at night with a long line, and everything in between, and its still always worth it. I don’t know why I have never taken advantage of the whole eat it at HalfCut with a beer idea, but I probably will next time. I’ve also tried the tacos and the guacamole and chips and I will be honest, just get yourself a nice fat turtle and that is all you need from Gomez.

Gomez is literally a hole in the wall, but don’t let that detour you. The food is similar to a taco truck in that it is perfect for on the go eating and it’s not very traditional Mexican cuisine. The «Turtle» is amazing! And the portions are huge.
I’m not a big fan of waiting in line on 12^th street’s sidewalk full of drunken idiocy, so if that doesn’t appeal to you either, use the mobile app — as an added bonus, the crowd waiting to order gets super irritated when you pull up, hop to the front and grab your grub!
Feeling Mexican tonight? Get the app and order take-​away!

Gomez Gomez Gomez… I love you. Gomez is great while drunk (DUH), but people tend to forget that this place is also open during the day, when normal/​sober people are out and want to eat.
If you’ve only had Gomez on a weekend around 1am, I highly recommend you checking it out for lunch or dinner one day. My husband and I had the most perfect lunch on Saturday… Ordered two turtles at the window (one chorizo, one carnitas) and walked on over to Halfcut to grab a beer and table. 10 minutes later Gomez brought over our food and we began feasting. Let me tell you, craft beer (Halfcut is amazing on its own) + a turtle is a winning combination. My husband literally said «I think this is the BEST THING I HAVE EVER EATEN» then continued scarfing his turtle down like it was nobody’s business.
However, I do think one turtle per person was a little much… We could have easily split it between the two of us. Overall, Gomez you are perfect… never change.

I’m a fan of the Turtle from Gomez Salsa and it’s been what I’ve consistently ordered there. I’ve had them through the window, I’ve had them at Half-​Cut (next door) and recently I nabbed one at my office via OrderUp’s deliver service (a service I’ve been using a lot over the last few months with good results).
There is a quality of food present here that really can’t be understated. For a mom and pop feeling walk-​up business, they have their cooking plan down. I love that there is a consistency of product. Each time I go, I know what I’m going to get and I know how it’s going to taste. When I’m in the mood for a certain food, I love that dependability. From the crisped cheese on top to the layers of meat and goodness within, this dish always seems to hit just right.
Service has been consistently friendly. Given how much of the OTR drunk crowd they serve nightly, this is pretty amazing and deserves respect. My office-​mates have dubbed Gomez the «wall taco» spot and it’s a term of endearment as we quite enjoy the place.
Recommended!

Gomez reminds me of the amazing taco trucks I frequented during my undergrad days in Cali. Well priced, friendly service, and fresh ingredients.
*FYI, the turtle is huge! It can easily make for two meals.*

I don’t know if it was because I was drunk or if it’s because I main eat Chef Boyarde, but this is definitely the Holy Grail of OTR. We darted out the car in a survival of he fittest manner since there was a crowd already there and met the confusing white order form
This form may work for them in the kitchen but for your average everyday drunken citizen it does not. Once before we stumbled over to Gomez and stumbled away purely because we didn’t know how to order. Luckily this time we took a seasoned vet to get tacos.
Got the tacos and fell in love. The flavors, the tenderness of the meats, and those chips ! I can’t wait until the next time I stumble my way to Gomez because after these reviews and photos I want that Turtle !

I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this place yet after going several times. The criteria for this review is based on two categories: food and service. I would give the food 5 stars, hands down. The turtles (their specialty) are like a fancy crunch wrap from Taco Bell except ten times better. You can add whatever ingredients you want from the order form and it always turns out delicious. I’m not a sauce person, but whatever is in their Gomez sauce is amazing.
The place does lose a star for service. Although they are efficient at fulfilling the orders themselves, there needs to be a better system in place for the process of ordering. On any given weekend night, the line wraps around the block and it’s a complete disorganized cluster. People cut in line or end up waiting for way too long because they don’t make their way to the front. I’m confident that there has to be a better way! I still really enjoy coming here because the food is just too good to pass up, but I highly prefer to go during off peak hours when it won’t be a 35 minute+ experience.

TheBombDotCom.
I’ve been here before and got a chicken bowl with chips. it was good and better than Chipotle.
But my real review is for the Turtle!!! I waited too long to taste this amazing turtle! I got mine with chicken (super tender and flavorful). Add some corn salsa, guacamole, and sauce and you have the best meal ever. Really hits the spot after a night out drinking.

My boss ordered takeout and when I looked online for the menu…“OH MY!!!” Now I understand why people kept talking about their crazy menu. To read it, go from the top of what style of food do you want, I wanted to try this infamous turtle style. Then go DOWN the graph Paper and order one thing from each section. The office ordered a turtle, quesadilla on roids, and small tacos. It was a hit! This food definitely reminded me of the street mex food in San Diego. THANK GOD!!! I have been yearning for a good greasy burrito in many many years!
Anyway, the portions were pretty large. Can almost share with another person if not famish. The Chicken turtle was pretty darn good. The ingredients were pretty fresh and brought a lot of flavor to the food. The chicken was very juicy and had some spice to it. I will definitely come again to try other concoctions they have!

I have been wanting to go to this place for sometime now and finally had the opportunity to go and eat here. I went on a Sunday and all they had on the menu was their brunch menu. I really wanted to eat their beef tacos. But instead my best option was to get the Cincinnati burrito. I was not truly impressed with this burrito. this particular burrito had too much combinations packed together that did not give it a good flavor. I found myself taking a lot of different things out of the burrito. Since I am still in search of great Mexican food, I will need to go back during the week to try their tacos, chips and salsa. hopefully it will change my mind about this place.

So I love this place. I’ve had the tacos, and I’ve had the bowl. I love the selections and different salsas, as well as the price vs portion. Gomez will fill you up, assuming you are like me and want the WORKS on your creations.
I’ve also been at an event with Gomez catering and it was loved by all. As much guacamole as you want!
But my new favorite thing? …BRUNCH! Aw yeah, this literal hole in the wall is now in the Sunday brunch game, and they have brought it strong. Several types of turtle await your hungry eyes to pick the winner. I can’t lie, it was a hard choice. I ultimately went with the Over-​Hog. Bacon and sausage sit along the eggs, peppers, onions, and potato to wow you awake. These turtles are more expensive than their regular counterpart, but it’s still a lot of food. I contemplated making it two meals but ended up finishing it in one. I was full. I was very full. They’ve also got breakfast tacos and biscuits and gravy if you’re into that.
Go there. Do it.

Gomez is amazing. Great priced, great food, pretty legit service even though it’s just a walk up window. Everyone who works here is always nice and helpful even when busy. My only complaint is that I don’t think their Guacamole is that good and they give your a really small portion when you order it for your chips.
The only way Gomez could get better is maybe if I just walked up to the window and they just put all their food in and around my mouth.

What is a turtle?
CRUNCH WRAP SUPREME, but fresher. It is a phenomenon of flour tortilla with your choice of meat salsa cheese and lettuce and vegetables beans or rice all wrapped up and then fried. Oh there are fried corn tortilla chips inside as well! And as everyone has said the portion is huge especially the amount of meat.
The Barbacoa in mine was just okay, a little muted in flavor and somewhat dry. The pineapple salsa, fajita veg (zucchini included! Yummy and innovative), and cheese crust really made it! For $ 8 I would get it again!
I also tried their fish taco just to see how they stand up to local taquerias. MAZUNTE and bakersfield are still superior! Although I did appreciate their fish was batter fried too.