This Ain't Tucson: Orlando-based 'Gringos Locos' serving up Tex-Mex on UCF campus

(This college football season, Arizona football beat reporter Justin Spears is trying out popular restaurants in towns the Wildcats are playing in. Up next: Orlando, Florida)

ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando is littered with a variety of renowned food spots besides Disney World.

But as much as I wanted to review a Mickey Mouse-shaped churro, the oysters and Gulf of Mexico red grouper at The Boathouse in Disney Springs or the panoply of restaurants provided by Matt Murschel, the UCF football beat writer for the Orlando Sentinel, I had to find a late-night spot after the 56-12 thumping Arizona took from UCF. 

Less than a half-mile from FBC Mortgage Stadium sits "Gringos Locos," an Orlando-based Tex-Mex restaurant that was founded in 2009. Gringos Locos now has four restaurants in Orlando. 

Restaurant: Gringos Locos

Food: Tex-Mex, tacos, burritos

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The rundown: "We pride ourselves on serving the finest, freshest products we can produce. We use fresh, never frozen 100% beef, chicken is cut in house and our pork is slow roasted for seven hours. Fresh tomatoes, onions, cilantro and jalapenos are cut in house on a daily basis. The tortillas we serve are shipped direct and we fry the chips and hard taco shells daily. Our beans come in a bag, not a can. The sofrito for our rice, our salsas, marinades and queso are all made from scratch … Well, you’ve got the idea." — GringosLocos.com

The order: "OK Jorge" burrito (beef, pinto beans, rice, salsa verde, cheese, lettuce, jalapeños and sour cream) 

The final verdict: The empanadas and chimichanga were enticing, but the OK Jorge was recommended by the workers at Gringos Locos, which was a solid choice. The ingredients tasted fresh, albeit chicken would've been a better complementary protein for the burrito. For a $12 burrito (I miss the days of burritos sold for $5), it was a delicious and filling, so it was worth every penny. However, the tortilla could've been stronger. It struggled in the fourth quarter and collapsed, so the last few bites were eaten with a spoon, but it was delicious nonetheless. Due to the struggling tortilla, Gringos Locos receives a 6.8/10 score.