Fans passionately defend Guzman y Gomez as the Aussie chain's US expansion fizzles

Opinion: Aussies are rallying around Guzman y Gomez after the local fast food chain's dramatic failed expansion attempt in the US.

Guzman y Gomez, better known as GYG by locals, announced it would be abandoning its attempted American expansion this month after it failed to take to its version of healthy Mexican fare.

The US already has Taco Bell and Chipotle dominating the country's Mexican fast food industry, not to mention thousands of independent restaurants run by authentic Mexican cooks.

Still, there's nothing like good old Aussie tucker, Mexican-style – but American customers beg to disagree.

"I've had the Mexican food in the US and GYG simply does not compare," one Redditor shared on the AusFinance thread where the closure was shared.

"Very overpriced," another said.

"Guzman Y Gomez is essentially the McDonalds of Mexican food," one scathed. "Their burritos are just okay, they won't make you sick or anything but they are pretty ordinary when compared to the competition."

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Another said: "GYG is meh, Mexican inspired at best."

Still, it's not all bad news, particularly for Aussie fans.

In announcing its retreat from the US, the company instead pledged to double down on its Australian expansion – fantastic news for a country that already loves its GYG.

Aussie fans of the brand use words like "quick", "healthy", "customisable" and "tasty" when describing the menu, which includes the famous chicken burritos, one of the chain's highest sellers, followed by their burrito bowls.

"I Uber their mini bowl or nacho fries at least once a week," one fan told nine.com.au.

"I am a GYG girl through and through," another said.

"Every Friday night my sister and I get a post-work feed, usually their mini-chicken burrito bowls in a meal combo. At $12, it's hard to complain and I don't feel awful after.

"Their chips are the greatest in all the land, perfectly zingy and seasoned."

One diehard fan declared: "GYG is excellent and I shall not hear any blasphemy against it.

"The bowls are a great healthier fast food options, and the Cali burrito and quesadilla are great if you want a cheat day."

Others visited GYG at the end of a fun night out.

"One time when I was drunk I had two GYG chicken tacos (the hard shell ones). I got a side of guac and dipped to my heart's content," one fan said.

"It was a genuinely life-changing experience. I'm DONE with drunk gyros. From now on, I'm a drunk taco girl."

"Their beef nachos with habanero and jalapenos added is the best combination to ever exist – and is an actual godsend when I'm trying to eat healthy but don't feel like cooking," another said.

"The portion size for the price is pretty good too, I've found."

"Australia is NOT known for having good Mexican, however I consider it to be perfectly tasty," said another local GYG lover.

"The veggie burritos are really quite good."

Some Aussies are struggling to understand how GYG could fail so epically in the US, having been founded by two New York natives in 2006.

Childhood best friends Steven Marks and Robert Hazan famously missed the authentic fresh flavours of Mexican cuisine they had grown up with in America.

Having clocked a geniune gap in the Australian market for fresh, clean Mexican food, they decided to recreate their own.

Guzman y Gomez was born, and now operates over 240 locations in Australia, Singapore, and Japan.

Sadly, the American adventure is over, with all eight Chicago restaurants shuttered immediately.

Which is fine, because now there will be more GYG for us!