El Gordo Fine Foods

Yummy! Delicious South American eats prepared while you wait.
One star off because the signage is terrible (I walked past it twice trying to find it) and their hours are inaccurate on Unilocal so they closed about 5 minutes after I ordered.

Great way to try new foods. A lot of choices, just ask and they will help you out. Only change would be the taco vender, ok food but nothing I would go for again. Stick with the charros and empanada venders. Do not be taken back by the confusing outside, step inside and try it out.

10 dolars for 3 big empanadas! The taste is great and they have a lot of kinds and options. The spicy empanadas are VERY spicy!

Don’t get on the owner Louis Vega’s bad side, anyone else’s stomach turned by this video of him brutally beating a graffiti tagger?
Killed my appetite and I will be taking my business elsewhere.

As everyone knows, Toronto is a city mostly populated by dumb excuses to spend the salary you inexplicably moved here for. But Gordo’s makes an amazing chicken empanada that is like a spicy handheld chicken pot pie, and it costs $ 4. Don’t get them too late in the day, though, or they’ll be dry. The guy who sells empanadas is a wonderful and friendly person.

It’s a fast empanada fix. Good crust but the stuffing in mine was a tad dry. Will try some different flavours next time.

El Gordo Fine Foods is the umbrella name for everything in and around Pancho’s Bakery (as seen from Augusta) and is known for their empanadas. Always changing and morphing, this mini mall of South and Central American food delights me in new ways every time I go into the place and get greeted by the churro guy in the front. (The latest being an awesome shared patio out back!!!) I understand these guys busting themselves trying to make a living by serving up what they know — snack food from back home. This is as good as it gets! No pretentiousness or surly wait staff to greet you or ignore you or aggravate you, just really good food. Yesterday I tried Ramillo’s tostadas because my usual (Don’s Taco stand) was empty. I was blown away by Ramillo’s incredible beef tostada with the presentation, pride and care that was so obviously poured onto that little plate. Crunchy-​crispy fried tortilla topped with tasty bits of beef, incredible savoury hot sauce, bits of shredded beets, lettuce, tomatoes, a wonderful mix of flavours! I will be back to try some of the other tostadas he makes soon! Highly recommended!

Must have bad taste. But got a churro from here. Meh. Was not to amazed. I must return!

Only had mixed vegetable left when we got there but these piping hot pockets of goodness were stuffed w/​tons of vegs and cheddar cheese. Crust a bit salty for me though so make sure you have a beverage handy.

I went here the other day with a friend, deciding that I wouldn’t get any food, but since munching on some of his empanadas, have sorely regretted not getting any for myself while I was there. The biggest question is, how did I manage to get my friend to share any of that? It’s too good to be giving any of it away!
They also have pupusas and churros and all things wonderful in this low-​key latin food mart.

El Gordo is at the back of Pancho’s Bakery. The tostadas are extremely delicious although seem a bit pricy for their size. I had a Tengo tostada that was a spicy mixture of chicken, beans, avocado and red onions. The flank steak tostado also seemed to be fairly popular. You may have to wait a bit since there is always a lineup.

I had heard all the rave about Agave Y Aguacate, but when I dropped in the other day there was a lineup of about 8 ppl and I didn’t wanna waste time. I decided to go past the lineup to the back where a guy had some round dough thing on the flat grill. Turns out it is something called a pupusa, which I’ve never had before, but it looked good!!!
After quickly going through the list, I settled on a Santigo Verde, which was described as spinach, garlic, and chorizo. I wasn’t really sure where all that stuff went but it turns out he takes a big ball of dough, makes a well and stuffs it inside and closes it up. Then he flattens it and on it goes to the grill. It was about a 6 min wait for the pupusa, but well worth it! He takes a lot of care in making the plate of food for you. It comes with a little bit of meh coleslaw, some other really refreshing salad, and three dots of really hot, but oh so good, sauces that I think he said were made from habanero peppers. There was also a small scoop of chunky guacamole made from fresh avocados I added a small cup of fresh lemonade he had on the table.
$ 6 for a pretty amazing meal.

I originally came to El Gordo to check out Agave Y Aguacate but after waiting 15 minutes while the cook was chatting with someone who didn’t look like she was ordering anything, I gave up.
Instead I had a chorizo empanada from the station that’s furthest in the back on the right. When he asked if I wanted a spicy one, he also advised that there was either chipotle or jalapeño. I opted for chipotle. For $ 3, it was delicious. Just enough spice for a kick (but I wouldn’t call it spicey, I’ll have to try the jalapeño one next time), stuffed with bits of chorizo, spicy and it had a nice crust. Perfect to take on the go since it isn’t messy.
In the front of the store, they have all their baked goods. Churros are made fresh (you can see machine churning out the dough) and are fantastic. I have to resist every time I come to Kensington.
I do love my cheap eats.

** 4.5 Stars **
Kensington Market is changing and so is El Gordo — to an amazing place! They’re adding more Latin flavour to this place with «stations» of different latin and south american foods.
They’ve kept the front of the store as the mexican bakery with the delicious churros but in the back they’ve expanded on the Empanadas with Pupusas and Arepas, each made fresh with their own designated chef. Andreas makes a mean pupusa right in front of your eyes and for $ 3 it comes with a small side salad and guacamole! Best lunch ever? Quite possibly!
The only gripe I have is the lack of proper seating (the reason for the –0.5 star) but apparently they’re still in the transition phase and the layout and seating of the place will be fixed up soon.
I can’t wait to come back here, the staff are friendly, food is tasty and extremely cheap, how can you refuse?!

The delicious smell of freshly made churros hit me as soon as I walked in here. My mouth watered, and I knew I just had to have one, or two. I got four churros which is $ 4.50, and I think a single one is $ 1.25.
The churros were handed to me piping hot, and you have the option of putting either chocolate or caramel inside them One bite, and I was transported back to my childhood. These churros are absolutely delicious! Crispy and covered in sugar outside, slightly soft inside, with the chocolate or caramel sauce overflowing slightly as you bite into them.
They also have a variety of Mexican breads and other baked goods, but I didn’t try any, although they all looked delicious. At the back there is an arepas counter, and their famous empanadas.
The girl who helped me was really nice and sweet, and made small conversation with me. Its nice to get service with a smile!
I cannot wait to return and try out their arepas and fresh breads, also its been a long while since I’ve had their empanadas, so I want to go back and try those again.
Also, they only take cash, though the girl told me that they will be offering debit and credit soon :)

This is a controversial statement: I don’t really love empanadas. They are too much of something for me. Flakey? Too flakey? Also, I’m totally overwhelmed by the 41 (according to Connie T.) types on offer, plus, I always ask for at least three before finding one they have available.
But! I love El Gordo, and their new, ish, delicious arepas! I really recommend an arepa. It’s like a corn-​style English muffin (delicious!) stuffed with amazing, delicious things. My favourite is beef, beans, and plantain but that is maybe because it’s the only kind of tried. The others (chicken and avocado, especially) look great but I am pretty committed to this delicious combo. The beef is of the saucy, pulled variety — so so good. Also they give you a weirdly refreshing sugar cane drink.
I guess the advantage of an empanada is that it is easier to walk and eat. The arepa is a sit-​down-​and-​focus affair (with a fork!), but that’s how I like to eat (minus the fork).
After the arepa, you can get a churro, fill it with dulce de leche, and continue through the market, feeling much much better about your awesome lunch decision.

Forget about the great vintage boutiques, cheap produce and specialty food shops — the BEST thing about Kensington is the variety of walk-​and-​eat snack selections. I thiiiiiiiiiink this may be my favourite of the bunch. (And it’s a good bunch.)
Go ahead, walk in. Push the door latch up, not down. Theeerre you go. Don’t be overwhelmed by the massive chicken scratch menu on the wall; there are many empanadas to choose from, but at $ 3, you can always come back and try another until you find your favourite. Just close your eyes and pick a random, even. Perrrrfect.
Jerk it up a little with some hot sauce if you’re feeling frisky. Me? Well, this isn’t about me, is it — but since you’re asking, I do love some heat on my ricotta-​cheddar-​mozzarella. But if I get the unique and fantastic kimchi-​chicken, then I’ll just keep that mother as is. It’s kind of perfect like that.
You got a little sauce on your chin — ok, it’s gone. Satisfied? Wonderful. Let’s come back next time and try one of their NEW FRUIT EMPANADAS.
**to be continued**

El Gordo, why do you never have my beef and salsa verde available when I want it?
This place is the Baskin Robbins of empanadas, offering a variety of 41 flour pockets made fresh every day for 3 bucks each. I’ve never seen all 41 flavours in the display case at the same time, so I suggest you have a few options rolling around in your head before you actually step up to the counter. My personal favourites? The beef and salsa verde and any of the chorizo mixes.
To fill up that 41-​flavour roster, they had to come up with some creative empanadas ideas, including a flurry of vegetarian options with ricotta and zucchini. The most interesting, though, are the fusion empanadas — beef + chicken kimchi, anyone?
(In other news, South America: Korea is taking over, $ 3 at a time.)

I’m craving for one of these right now as I write this.
With other empanada joints in the market, El Gordo is certainly a place I’ll venture into for cheap snack on-​the-​go.
They have a vast menu of choices but depending on the time of day, they may not have the one you’ve been craving for. Despite this, for three whole bucks you can try a new flavour as you continue your visit of Kensington.

There are few places better to experience the multiculturalism of Toronto than Kensington Market. And while you’re in this ‘hood, do not miss picking up a snack at El Gordo.
Holy, their chorizo Mexican cheddar empanadas are good! We bought an assortment of empanadas from El Gordo but barely made it out the door before scarfing them down.