What to Order at Gustavo’s: The Dishes Worth Knowing, With Prices

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The old post at this address was about why people like Mexican food in general. You already know why. What you want when you are standing at the host stand in Crestwood with three hungry kids is a straight answer about what to order. Here it is, with prices from our current menu.

Start with the dips

Cheese Dip and Guacamole are $4.99 for a small, and the small is where most tables start. Queso Fundido ($13.99) is Chihuahua cheese with chorizo, cilantro, onions and a grilled chili, served hot in a skillet, and it does not survive long. Chicharrones + Guacamole is $12.99. Mummy Jalapeno Peppers, bacon-wrapped, are six for $8.99, and Mummy-Wrapped Shrimp are six for $12.99 or twelve for $19.99. If the table cannot agree, Gustavo’s Sampler ($17.99) has wings, bacon-wrapped jalapenos, shrimp and a cheese quesadilla on one plate, which is the diplomatic option.

The tacos

Tacos Al Pastor ($18.99) are marinated pork with grilled onions, pineapple, cilantro and pickled onions in warm flour tortillas. Quesa Birria Tacos ($20.99) are Certified Angus Beef roasted slowly with guajillo chilies and herbs until it falls apart. If you want to see what Gustavo’s kitchen does when it stretches, there are Octopus Tacos Al Pastor and an Octopus Tostada under Gustavo’s Signature Dishes.

Fajitas, from simple to ridiculous

  • Fajitas with chicken, steak or mixed, $19.99. The standard, and the thing you hear sizzling past your table.
  • Fajitas Vegetables, $16.99, grilled peppers, tomatoes and onions.
  • Three Little Pigs Fajitas, $21.99. Mexican-spiced pulled pork, bacon and chorizo. Named by someone with a sense of humor and a cardiologist.
  • Molcajete Fajitas, $22.99. Chicken, shrimp, steak and sausage in a stone molcajete with onions, peppers and tomatoes.
  • Aloha Fajita, $22.99, with chicken, steak, shrimp, chorizo and pineapple.
  • Surf and Turf Fajita with steak and crab, $22.99.

Plates from Guadalajara

Gustavo Reyes is from Guadalajara, and it shows on the House Specialties and Signature Dishes pages. Carne En Su Jugo ($19.99) is tender beef and beans in broth with grilled green onions, radishes, lime and cilantro. Cazuelon ($18.99) is grilled steak and chicken with pico de gallo, rice, refried beans and warm tortillas. The Guadalajara Special is $20.99. Pork Carnitas are $17.99, and Molcajete Carnitas ($22.99) put the carnitas over cactus, tomatoes and onions with chili toreado pico de gallo and queso fresco.

For the enchilada people: Enchiladas de Puerco ($15.99) are three cheese enchiladas under slow-roasted pork, peppers, onions and ranchero sauce, and Enchiladas Supremas are $16.99. The Chimichanga is $15.99, which is a burrito that went to the gym.

Combinations and vegetarian plates

Combination plates are $15.99, with no substitutions except beans and rice, and you can add queso for $1.75. The Taco Salad is $15.99 and the Protein Bowl ($18.99) is grilled chicken over romaine, black beans, rice, pico de gallo, guacamole and tortilla strips. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices are available; ask your server which ones.

Feeding the kids

The kids menu is for children under 12 and includes tacos, quesadillas and burritos alongside chicken nuggets and corn dogs, all served with a drink. We have watched a lot of kids in the LaGrange booths go from the corn dog to the quesadilla to a full plate of Tacos Al Pastor over the years. It is the closest thing we have to a loyalty program.

The bar

Every location has a full bar with imported, domestic and draft beer, wine and margaritas. The house beer is Vida De Reyes, a Mexican lager with a hint of jalapeno that Gustavo launched in 2020. It is on tap and by the bottle at all five restaurants and at select retailers around Louisville. There are happy hour specials; ask at your location for the current ones.

Dessert

Fried Ice Cream ($7.99) is vanilla ice cream in a crisp cinnamon shell with whipped cream and chocolate. Traditional Churros ($8.99) come with caramel, sprinkles and vanilla ice cream. Flan is $7.99. Pudin is a Mexican bread pudding with ice cream and caramel. Order one for the table and then order another one when the first one disappears.

Takeout, delivery and gift cards

Every location takes online orders through Toast for pickup, and takeout orders carry a $1.25 charge on top of the menu price. Delivery runs through DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats. Gift cards come in any amount from $10 to $500 and work at all five locations, so a Crestwood gift card spends just fine in Hurstbourne.

Why people come back

Gustavo opened the first location in Crestwood in 2010 after starting out as a dishwasher in Nicholasville. Five locations later it is still a family business, the recipes are the same at every door, and the salsa is made in house every morning. That is the whole secret. That, and the churros.