The next time you find yourself in need of a few tamales or some fresh, homemade carnitas, truck on down to South 16th Street to the new, improved El Rey store. The feat of navigating the crowded aves of the south side are a lesson in driving skill. There's a Me First sort of mentality to getting in and out of the Cesar Chavez area that makes for going to El Rey both tasty and exciting. Take the low-rider Honda Civic out for a spin and enjoy the sights of hoochie mamas, cowboys and carts of fresh farmers cheese.
The new store, located across the street and a block north of the old store at 1023 South 16th, is enormous and unmistakable. The parking lot is much larger than the old one, which was a chore to maneuver. It's still crazy busy, but you're not going to have trouble parking here.
A welcoming entry, with large crates of fresh tomatoes at the sliding door, signs in Spanish & English and a much brighter store front. If you enter though the east doors, you'll not have any difficulty finding the new lunch counter. Flanked by wood pillars and covered with a pergola, the sitting area was bustling full of families quickly putting away tacos & chips. Speed is really the essence here. The turnover is snappy, the capacity calls for one to order, eat and get the hell out, but not in an imposing way. Really, this is possible. It doesn't feel like Fuente's, with plates flying around and waiters throwing the check in your face as soon as you've decided not to order that 3rd round of margaritas. El Rey just has a pace that makes for down and... well... not dirty dining.
We found a spot under the pergola, dragged over a highchair that was floating about (no boosters) and flagged a server immediately. The menu is very basic but dirt cheap: tacos, enchiladas, plate lunch, tortas, meat quesodillas and mole. The required element of ordering is going up the counter and checking out all of the fabulous stuff that's NOT on the menu. If it is, I didn't understand it. The meats are all piled high in large trays. Barbacoa, carne asada, carnitas. You'll also find empanadas, pre made flautas, and a host of other fried things that I would like to try.
The wait staff was friendly, speaks basic English and if they don't, they fake it well enough. I ordered a cheese quesodilla that doesn't appear on the menu. They had no problem obliging. Getting it to our table was a more time consuming task, but it was simple and perfect for a 2 year old. I also ordered a carne asada taco for the Kid, as she is a lover of all things meat. That was harder to eat, but if they don't mind picking at the smaller bits, when ordered plain, it's suitable for any child.
For the willing, tacos come with raw onions, cilantro and tomatoes. Service arrives with a basket of El Rey chips and three salsas. Various levels of heat, two reds and one green salsa that I assumed was made out of tomatillos. Smoky and not too hot, it was definitely my favorite, mainly for it's unique creaminess. We tried the barbacoa and carnitas, in tacos as well. The carnitas was flavorful but too fatty for me. The barbacoa was amazing. Imagine pulled beef, with spices of cumin, pepper and garlic. The carne asada for The Kid was tender and tasty, the quesodilla plain but just right.
You can order the traditional sides of rice and beans and they usually have guacamole, but were out that day. (Odd considering I could SEE guacamole in the deli- they must insist on making it themselves,admirable) The lunch plate looked like enough food for three people and even though we were going for a quick lunch, I had food envy looking at all the other tables surrounding us. I would, given the time, have gone into more adventurous areas of food consumption. The various meat mixtures were tempting and looked spicy-licious.
The traditional limonada, horchata, Jaritos and Coke products were at hand. No liquor, dammit, you'll have to grab a lime and a six-pack and wait until you're at home for that kind of behavior. Water is an option but takes longer, so if you happen to love the spicy salsas, order a couple of glasses to keep you cool. Otherwise, patiently wait for your overworked server to come back, admire the wonderful murals that adorn ever single bit of wall space in the place. That's a lot of wall, since the ceilings are at least 200 feet tall.
Once you've paid at the counter and tipped more than 20%, take a tour of the new facility. You'll walk right into the deli and produce area. The pulpo salads and other ceviche dishes, lime marinaded fish salads, look enticing. The produce is fresh and clean, the isles are nicely laid out and bright. The only gripe I had with the experience at El Rey was, having a newly potty-trained child, I had to witness the mess that was the bathroom. It definitely could use more upkeep. There was no changing table either, and that, my friends, is a staple that I will harp on for the rest of my existence. Open a restaurant, install a Koala-Bear-Care Station ASAP. It baffles me that something so simple is always overlooked, especially in a store where children are always present. Should we lay them on the floor? Or maybe in the bakery?
Find yourself at El Rey, pick up a simple but tasty lunch or dinner for 2 adults and 1 child for under $10, it'll make you really happy. I promise.
The new store, located across the street and a block north of the old store at 1023 South 16th, is enormous and unmistakable. The parking lot is much larger than the old one, which was a chore to maneuver. It's still crazy busy, but you're not going to have trouble parking here.
A welcoming entry, with large crates of fresh tomatoes at the sliding door, signs in Spanish & English and a much brighter store front. If you enter though the east doors, you'll not have any difficulty finding the new lunch counter. Flanked by wood pillars and covered with a pergola, the sitting area was bustling full of families quickly putting away tacos & chips. Speed is really the essence here. The turnover is snappy, the capacity calls for one to order, eat and get the hell out, but not in an imposing way. Really, this is possible. It doesn't feel like Fuente's, with plates flying around and waiters throwing the check in your face as soon as you've decided not to order that 3rd round of margaritas. El Rey just has a pace that makes for down and... well... not dirty dining.
We found a spot under the pergola, dragged over a highchair that was floating about (no boosters) and flagged a server immediately. The menu is very basic but dirt cheap: tacos, enchiladas, plate lunch, tortas, meat quesodillas and mole. The required element of ordering is going up the counter and checking out all of the fabulous stuff that's NOT on the menu. If it is, I didn't understand it. The meats are all piled high in large trays. Barbacoa, carne asada, carnitas. You'll also find empanadas, pre made flautas, and a host of other fried things that I would like to try.
The wait staff was friendly, speaks basic English and if they don't, they fake it well enough. I ordered a cheese quesodilla that doesn't appear on the menu. They had no problem obliging. Getting it to our table was a more time consuming task, but it was simple and perfect for a 2 year old. I also ordered a carne asada taco for the Kid, as she is a lover of all things meat. That was harder to eat, but if they don't mind picking at the smaller bits, when ordered plain, it's suitable for any child.
For the willing, tacos come with raw onions, cilantro and tomatoes. Service arrives with a basket of El Rey chips and three salsas. Various levels of heat, two reds and one green salsa that I assumed was made out of tomatillos. Smoky and not too hot, it was definitely my favorite, mainly for it's unique creaminess. We tried the barbacoa and carnitas, in tacos as well. The carnitas was flavorful but too fatty for me. The barbacoa was amazing. Imagine pulled beef, with spices of cumin, pepper and garlic. The carne asada for The Kid was tender and tasty, the quesodilla plain but just right.
You can order the traditional sides of rice and beans and they usually have guacamole, but were out that day. (Odd considering I could SEE guacamole in the deli- they must insist on making it themselves,admirable) The lunch plate looked like enough food for three people and even though we were going for a quick lunch, I had food envy looking at all the other tables surrounding us. I would, given the time, have gone into more adventurous areas of food consumption. The various meat mixtures were tempting and looked spicy-licious.
The traditional limonada, horchata, Jaritos and Coke products were at hand. No liquor, dammit, you'll have to grab a lime and a six-pack and wait until you're at home for that kind of behavior. Water is an option but takes longer, so if you happen to love the spicy salsas, order a couple of glasses to keep you cool. Otherwise, patiently wait for your overworked server to come back, admire the wonderful murals that adorn ever single bit of wall space in the place. That's a lot of wall, since the ceilings are at least 200 feet tall.
Once you've paid at the counter and tipped more than 20%, take a tour of the new facility. You'll walk right into the deli and produce area. The pulpo salads and other ceviche dishes, lime marinaded fish salads, look enticing. The produce is fresh and clean, the isles are nicely laid out and bright. The only gripe I had with the experience at El Rey was, having a newly potty-trained child, I had to witness the mess that was the bathroom. It definitely could use more upkeep. There was no changing table either, and that, my friends, is a staple that I will harp on for the rest of my existence. Open a restaurant, install a Koala-Bear-Care Station ASAP. It baffles me that something so simple is always overlooked, especially in a store where children are always present. Should we lay them on the floor? Or maybe in the bakery?
Find yourself at El Rey, pick up a simple but tasty lunch or dinner for 2 adults and 1 child for under $10, it'll make you really happy. I promise.
EL REY MEXICAN PRODUCTS INC. & EL REY LUNCH COUNTER
916 SOUTH 16TH STREET 414.643.1640
KID RATING: 3
PARENT RATING: 3
BETTY BON VIVANT RATING SYSTEM: 1-5
1 = ABSOLUTELY NOT WORTH THE EFFORT, SAVE YOUR $ FOR GIN
5 = WOW, I WOULD STRIP NAKED AND ROLL IN THIS CHOW IF I WAS A DOG
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