Quick Take:
Location: Lakeland (in The Joinery)
What Mike Ordered: The Krunchwrap (Full Video Review Here) and One Of Each Taco (Carnitas, Beef & Chicken)
What Katie Ordered: Cheese Quesadilla + Chips & Guac (+ Split My Tacos)
Gluten Free Options: Yes (Corn Tortillas)
Vegetarian Options: Yes
Final Score: 4/5
Price: ~$10–20 per person
For our twenty second stop on our Polk Food Quest, we decided to finally make our way into The Joinery in Lakeland and visit Gallito Taqueria.
We actually LOVE The Joinery, we've just somehow never prioritized it because we knew it was an easy one to hit whenever we were hungry but didn't know exactly what we wanted while leaving the house 
That said, Gallito Taqueria has two locations, one inside our Joinery in Lakeland, and another inside Sparkman Wharf in Tampa.
Wf actually gave them a double challenge by deciding to not only give them a full review (this article you're reading), but also do a 10-Second Pass Or Fail video, putting their Krunchwrap up against a Taco Bell Crunchwrap.
You can watch the full video on Instagram or Facebook.
But don't worry, we obviously ordered tacos as the "main" challenge!
By the way: if you're new here, the concept of my Polk Food Quest is simple: every week I try a local spot, order the most common thing people get, try a few extras, and rank it on taste, value, vibes, and overall.
This week: tacos!
Which means I ordered one of each type of taco (chicken, beef and carnitas), a Krunchwrap, a cheese quesadilla, and chips & guac.
How Does This Work?
I order the standard item for that category (for Gallito Taqueria that's tacos), plus a few extras so I can get a full feel for the menu.
Then I rank the experience on four things:
Taste | Value | Vibes | 
Overall
Taste focuses on the standard item.
The rest reflects the entire experience.
Taste: 4.5/5
Gallito Taqueria is solid.
They don't have the best tacos I've ever eaten, and they didn't blow me away enough to give them a 5/5 — BUT, I would recommend them to anyone who wants great LOADED up tacos (tons of meat) and a trustworthy menu (everything we've ever eaten here has been awesome).
Here's a quick breakdown for my quick scanners, though:
- Tacos: We tried every single type of taco, and they were ALL good (chicken, shredded beef, carnitas). The chicken was our favorite, and the carnitas was our least favorite (don't love the charred taste, personally); but they were all jam packed with meat.
- Krunchwrap: This was super fun to review, and it was SO good. If you missed the video above, I ranked it head to head with Taco Bell's Crunchwrap in a full video on Instagram and Facebook. Spoiler Alert: This won and was EASILY twice the meat as Taco Bell.
- Cheese Quesadilla: Katie is the cheese quesadilla girl — and she said it was "good". Didn't blow her mind, but then again, it's not that unique, so we'll just take that as a passing score.
- Chips & Guac: Their sides might be expensive, but they give a LOT of food. Full bag of chips, plenty of guac; and both taste great.
We've also had their street corn in the past and that's a side that stands out if you don't need chips to share.
Vibes: 4/5
The Vibes at Gallito Taqueria are a solid 4/5.
Being inside The Joinery, right outside of Downtown Lakeland, automatically make the location itself rank higher than most places.
That said, the hospitality and service you get isn't going to be up to par with what we'd consider a 5/5 for Vibes.
Remember, Vibes are ranked on:
- The Physical Location
- Hospitality/Service
- The Interior/Space
And Gallito Taqueria isn't like walking into Haven Coffee or Lovebird Chicken where even though it's a QSR (quick-service) you still know they are trained on hospitality and the people will always be amazing.
They were nice enough to help me get one of each taco and turn it into a combo, but they definitely weren't thrilled to be taking orders or helping people.
The Lean Squeeze
The lowest-calorie, highest-protein, most satiating picks on the menu — chosen by Mike, who spent a decade in the fitness industry before The Polk Squeeze.
Mike's Pick: Grilled Mojo Chicken Tacos
Two tacos, grilled chicken, mojo salsa, onions, cilantro. Grilled chicken is about as clean a protein as you'll find on a taco menu. A pair of these lands somewhere in the 400-500 calorie range depending on portion, well under the carnitas or birria options.
Alternative Picks: Shredded Beef Tacos
If chicken isn't doing it for you, the shredded beef is the next best call. It's braised, not fried, and the roasted red salsa keeps it simple.
Mike's Note: I'll order the Grilled Mojo Chicken Tacos on their own, skip the combo upsell, and ask for extra avocado salsa if I want more volume. It's not a "diet" order, it's just the smart way to still get tacos.
Value: 3.5/5
Before I explain why I'm giving Gallito Taqueria a 3.5/5 for Value let me first give them a massive compliment...
As I mentioned in the Taste section: Everything we ordered was packed to the gills.
The tacos were loaded, the Krunchwrap was twice the size of a Taco Bell Crunchwrap, they give a full bag of chips with plenty of guac, and the cheese quessadilla was a good size.
That said, this definitely isn't a value meal.
Making your oder a combo, with a drink and a snack (though the snacks are a good size) is an extra $10.
That means if two people are eating together you're looking at potentially over $40 for two "combo meals", at a quick-service spot.
For that reason, while the value is still great, I'm giving it a 3.5/5 overall.
Still solid, just not "great".
Overall: 4/5
Gallito Taqueria ends with a great score of 4/5.
The Joinery is filled with incredible options, and Gallito Taqueria comes in competing with the best of them.
Everything we had was amazing and they do NOT skimp out on the meat; they come LOADED with food.
I recommend giving their Krunchwrap a try if you want to switch it up, but every single taco was awesome and Katie loved her quesadilla.
Would I bring my visiting family there?
Absolutely.
We love going to Joinery, so headed there and being that close to Downtown Lakeland, while also giving everyone to option to get whatever they want is already a perk — but if I had to say "Would I specifically bring my family there if the ONLY option was Gallito Taqueria", I'd keep my answer as a solid yes.
Here’s how I’d sum up Gallito Taqueria:
Tacos are the move here, and the chicken is the one to order.
The Krunchwrap is the real surprise though. It's at least twice the meat of a Taco Bell Crunchwrap, and it won our head-to-head easily.
Value is where it dips a little. Loaded portions, but combo it with a drink and a snack and two people are looking at $40+ at a quick-service spot.
The vibes lean on the location as much as the service.
Being inside The Joinery outside Downtown Lakeland does a lot of the heavy lifting, the hospitality is fine but not five-star.
With a 4/5 overall, Gallito Taqueria holds its own against the best of what's in The Joinery, and the tacos and krunchwrap alone make it worth the stop.
Before You Go....
Hey!
I want to know what you think of Gallito Taqueria inside The Joinery in Lakeland.
Leave a comment below.
The more you share, the better, but anything is appreciated.
Each comment helps The Best Of Polk articles and eventually, the yearly awards!
Have a place you want me to try?
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