The weather was cold, chilly enough to where we rushed to get inside a warm building with delicious, easy on the wallet food.

We walked into El Gallo Blanco, a Mexican restaurant located at 2838 Portage St. in Kalamazoo.

We entered the building and were instantly rushed with the sweet sound of Spanish music coming from the speakers. The rhythm was enough to get me all warm and fuzzy inside even if I do not understand Spanish.

There is a counter set-up right as you enter the door where you order the food to eat in or take out. The people who work at El Gallo Blanco speak both Spanish and English. So, even if the only Spanish word you know is “uno,” you can still go there and enjoy the food.

If you eat in, there is a complementary serving of chips and salsa. The salsa is made in the restaurant fresh every time. As a person who has to eat the mild salsa from the supermarket, this salsa was all right with a sweet, long-lasting taste that was not too spicy.

You can also order a drink when ordering food. At the time, there were a couple different drink choices. I chose the melon drink. It contained a crushed melon mixed with water and sugar. The large size of the drinks was like the extra-large from McDonalds, and it only cost two dollars. It was a great price considering it is large enough to last for two other meals.

After only a little while of waiting, our food was ready. The waitress brought it over and stopped to chat for a minute. The servers are friendly and are willing to tell more about the food.

I tried the chicken Tamales. It was nothing like I thought it would be. As a person that has never had Tamales before, this was such a great surprise. At El Gallo Blanco, one Tamale is $1.25, but six Tamales are only $4.99. Some other great food choices are the Torta  at $3.99, three Enchiladas for $4.99 and Quesadillas de Maiz for $7.59.

At El Gallo Blanco, the prices are fantastic for the quality and for the quantity. At these prices, El Gallo Blanco is a great place to go and eat up the authentic Mexican food. The food is great for a perfect afternoon atmosphere for a group of friends.