Gordo Ninos may share its NASA Road 1 address with a Chevron gas station, but this Clear Lake-area gem has quickly become a destination restaurant for taco-loving Houstonians. The splashy space, located in the back corner of the Motu convenience store, is owned and operated by Galveston native, chef Trinidad “Machete” Gonzalez. With purple-hued signage and decor, including velvet ropes leading to the counter and a wall lined with photos of its celebrity guests, Gonzales has truly made the humble space his own.
“Sometimes people are skeptical because of the location, but once they try the food, they come around,” Gonzalez says, laughing.
And there is plenty of food worth coming around for, as the menu is just as intriguing and vibrant as the restaurant’s locale. Gonzalez’s claim to fame is pastor street tacos topped with Lean sauce, a bright purple dairy-based sauce that decorates many of the items on the menu. “We put it on our street tacos, spliff tacos, burritos, double cup elote… even pizza! It’s a universal sauce.”
Lean sauce, which is relatively mild in spice with an aioli-like consistency, is a nod to lean, the cough syrup laced drink that local rappers have long incorporated into their flows. Gonzalez trademarked the name when he opened Gordo Ninos and bottles the prized sauce at an undisclosed location for sale at the restaurant. “We make it offsite here in Houston, but keep the location under wraps because it’s a secret recipe.”
The condiment undoubtedly sets Gordo Ninos apart from the bounty of taco shops around town, and gives the food an added element of local color that Houstonians love. Not surprisingly, the shop is well represented on social media, with diners sharing pictures, videos, and reviews of tacos generously drizzled in Lean sauce.
Gonzalez knew he had something special on his hands when he created the sauce, which took nine months to develop. Back in 2017, he worked as a chief steward on cruise ships, spending one month at sea and one month at home. As a way of passing the time during his month off, he sold pastor street tacos, drizzled with his special sauce, for $1 in the parking lot of a closed mechanic shop. “I was vibing out with it, and I realized I started getting a lot of regulars,” he recalls. “That was pretty cool.”
After months of the grueling one-month-on-one-month-off schedule and an emotional plea from his son, Gonzalez pondered to himself, “What the hell am I doing wasting my life in the middle of the ocean?” He decided to jump ship, and put all of his focus into his budding taco business. “I wanted to bring street food back to Houston,” he admits. “I wanted to let people know that you can get good food on the street side.”
Before eventually opening his storefront in 2021, Gonzalez made the concept’s presence known throughout the state with pop-ups in Houston, Galveston, Austin, and on the Kemah Boardwalk. Through the process he built a loyal fanbase, and there was plenty of excitement when he settled on a location for Gordo Ninos. “A lot of people know I’m here, but we get random people that walk up and say they learned about us through Google reviews. Among the walk-ins, Gonzalez says, are a number of NASA astronauts who have ventured in for a bite. “That was a cool childhood dream come true.”
For now, Gonzalez is happy with his unique restaurant setup, but hopes to bring Gordo Ninos inside the loop in the future, with his eyes set on POST Houston for a second location. Until that day comes, the spirited chef will entertain a brief stint at the bustling Downtown development when he participates in DiningOut Events’ second annual Top Taco festival, to be held at POST Houston on Thursday, April 24.
The Chef Machete Takeover
Gonzales is taking over DiningOut Houston’s social media stories on Wednesday, April 2 and invites people to witness a day in his life as a chef and entrepreneur. Catch the complete takeover on stories, and in our highlights, and learn how you can enter to win a giveaway for two tickets to Top Taco to watch the chef compete for Houston’s best taco and two bottles of his famed Lean sauce. The giveaway runs through Friday, April 4, with a winner announced on Monday, April 7 in DiningOut Houston’s stories.
Gordo Ninos, 1419 NASA Road 1, Houston
