El Rey Taqueria

Great spot for tacos and tortas. The new rotisserie chicken garlic torta was great (especially with added fresh jalapenos). The service was fast and friendly. The dining area was clean and the bathrooms were extremely clean which is unusual for restaurants these days. Overall great experience.

It was very busy, but I applaud the quick service that was given. Food came out quick and was very tasty. This location on washington is by far the best one I eaten at. Keep up the good service! 👍🏼

The staff is super friendly! really clean and quaint. The Cuban style shredded beef is delicious! But the plantains are a must try. Super glad I got to try them out and really recommend you do too!

Very good fast food. Cuban with a Mexican flair. Love the red salsa. They have some vegan and vegetarian options. Also, check out the fresh juices and espresso drinks.

I love this place. Great food and good prices. Their chicken tortilla soup is best i know. And they cook bacon perfectly!

Close to my work and I go here sometimes I usually get the half chicken but this time I tried the fajita torta. They have a new way of doing it now and it was real good! I got it at the drive thru and had no problems. The drive thru here is weird if it gets backed up it will overflow onto Shepherd. If this happens just pass and enter on Washington and park.

I have been a customer of El Rey Taqueria for five years. Cuban fast food with a Mexican twist ….I love the food and the employees that wait on you. They all have a great attitude. Everything that I have ever tried is great. They also have coffee and espresso and fresh squeeze juices. I visit frequently at least 2-3 times a week. 👍🏼

Food was great and the workers were nice. Customer service was great. Definitely will return again.

Cuban night! El Rey is a great FAST spot to grab some good food. I did the Havana Plate tonight with a small cantaloupe juice. The Havana plate is a pork dish full of flavor. And I never forget to order the cantaloupe juice. It is so good and refreshing.

Decent spot for Cuban/Mexican food but ultimately it felt a bit overpriced for the taste/quality. The tacos were pretty good although the Ropa Vieja stood out as the best, for sure (tried the Cuban, Al Pastor, and Grilled Shrimp). The Al Pastor and Grilled Shrimp felt a bit light on the toppings. Although the Cuban was my second favorite, the Ropa Vieja was the only one I'd order again. I wasn't super impressed with their Chicken Tortilla Soup (a lot of good reviews for it). It was just okay, in my opinion. Didn't love the jalapeños floating in it -- it could have used more flavor/seasoning instead. Overall, the price tags were heftier than anticipated and in my view, not quite worth it.

Got one of the cuban tortas. The torta was huge had a lot of meat and plantains paired well with it. It was pricey though for one sandwich, so not sure if it was worth the price.

I really enjoy the food here! Any of their locations you visit will be consistent in quality and service. They're both very convenient and offer a drive- thru service. I generally get the Ropa Vieja Plate or a Cuban sandwich. They also have really good cortaditos!

I am obsessed with their chicken tortilla soup! Hands down the best I have had anywhere. It has the perfect amount of spice, broth, and delicious rotisserie chicken. I generally get mine via Uber Eats and they package the tortilla strips, cheese and avocado separately. I also order extra chicken to give me extra protein, so it's loaded with chicken. This is the perfect soup for a cold day or if you are feeling under the weather. I will start trying other things here but for now, this soup is everything!

Breakfast taco this morning was delicious. I got the fajita beef and I think they used two eggs in my little bitty taco which was brimming. Lemonade was delicious too. Will be back.

Food was pretty tasty and filling. The staff were very nice and kind. There was a lot of seating available, perfect to get quick bite to eat!

I love love love el rey. The food is always very fresh, prices are affordable, and the mexican-cuban fusion sets them apart in Houston. I've been here a bunch and my go to order is consistently the cuban taco, horchata, and chicken tortilla soup. The three taco plate combo is a great deal. Their cuban coffee is amazing as well. A great houston staple restaurant!

This place rocks! Excellent baked chicken and Cuban or Mexican sides. Love this place... fast, fresh, healthy, solid. Clean and attenuated staff. Highly recommended

Solid and pretty decently priced. The drive thru was there when my husband and I had a super late dinner craving at 11 pm. The service was quick and the burritos were got were solid for the price. The green salsa we preferred and overall for the convenience and price - would go again!

El Rey had been on my bucket list for ages! Unfortunately, a recent evening order was a little more like El Principe than El Rey. The Chile Con Queso seemed like a spot on match for the Tostito's Queso I used to eat growing up. It also didn't come with chips, which was fine, but I'd that's the case please label your menu accordingly. The giant burrito was giant! I mean, this thing is massive. Easily two meals. I got the Mexicana aTaste was okay. It could have used more flavor, but admittedly, I didn't add any of the included salsas, so I will do that with my second half. El Rey wasn't bad but there wasn't a wow factor for me with the Mexican side of the menu. Will explore the Cuban side in the future and report back.

Ordered the tortilla soup and it was awful. Tasted like jalapeño water. No flavor and inedible. Ordered from here twice, thinking the first time was just a bad batch of soup. Other locations are amazing but don't go to this store!!

I'm glad the awful traffic (from numerous road constructions on all the roads that led to this little shack) didn't deter us from finding them! Otherwise, we would've missed out on this truly unique Cuban food!! Hubby and I ordered the Cuban style chicken rotisserie. One kiddo ordered the Cuban sandwich, and another kiddo got the chicken enchilada. All are amazing! The chicken is super tender. It's just overall flavorful. I believe we will be coming back for more anytime soon! Service was great too. Food came out fairly quickly. To top it off, we tried their coffee and my goodness, that one packed a caffeine punch for sure!

Honestly, this taco joint really hits the spot. A Taco plate with a soup on the side was the perfect portion for two people. I honestly loved every single one of the tacos we ordered. However, I think the Ropa Vieja was my favorite. The Tortilla Soup is also quite nice and freshly prepared. However, I think the tacos really stole the show. The Horchata was also super great! - Ropa Vieja Taco - EI Rey Taco - Beef Cuban Taco - Tortilla Soup - Horchata

I made an order with DoorDash at 5:11pm . Called at 5:12pm to adjust my order because DoorDash doesn't allow to remove stuff from your order . I spoke to ALEX and he said my order was done .... I explained to him that DoorDash doesn't give me the option to remove toppings . He cut me off and wouldn't let me talk . Literally 1 minute of placing my order . Worst customer service ever. I'm making this post and I'll be speak to the manager in the morning . I go there frequently and have no issues , Alex should get fired .

i love this place. multiple locations but this one is my fave. prices are really reasonable for the portions and quality. did i mention there's a drive through if you're on the go!? my go-to's are the 1/2 rotisserie plate, chicken cuban taco and the kale salad. yummm yummm yummmmm!!! the queso is absolutely delicious and the lemonade is homemade and very tasty, most definitely worth it. this restaurant does not disappoint; i've been coming for years!!

Staff was real nice, and the tacos came out quick, perfect location. It was nice that they added extra toppings that I'd didn't see on the menu like shredded cheese.

This place sucks as* It's a bunch of tucuahces taking orders doing tiktok dances Food is cold and taste like caca. The store is so dirty. If you eat here, that's a bold choice

Egg shells in my breakfast taco. Tortillas cold. This place used to be so good. $10 breakfast was terrible.

Attention to details of the order! Having gone there for several years, Yu can't remember any order that was correct. If you go through the drive thru, you had better check your order before leaving.

Honestly it isn't bad for fast food But it isn't like reallllyyy hood I'm giving it a four because of the convenience of having a drive thru and ability to use my card

Great breakfast burrito 10/10 The drive through was super convenient too. The price could be a little lower but it didn't take away from the experience

I wanted to give this place more stars but I had to ding them for portions. Okay, so I came here with some friends from our ministry after celebrating one of them moving into a brand new apartment complex nearby. I thought we were going to a Mexican eatery but then found out it was also a Cuban place. Yup, they had one of my favorite dishes, the Ropa Vieja which is shredded beef sauteed in a tomato-based sauce. I wanted to make sure it was legit so I asked if I could actually sample a little so one of the guys gave me a small little cup so that I could sample it. It was pretty good, tender in a nice-tasting tomato sauce. I went ahead and ordered the plate which came with black beans, rice, and plantains as most Cuban dishes do. However, what a big disappointment when they called my name to pick up my plate at the counter. They really skimped on the Ropa Vieja! I thought, was it because I had ordered a small sample to try it so they were serving me less than normal? There was a very small serving of rice and they somewhat piled on the plantains to probably hide the fact that they were going to stiff me on meat they were serving me. Whatever the case, after paying the $14.99 price tag I didn't enjoy my meal very well at that point. I also ordered the melon drink which is cantaloupe juice and so my total bill was over $18 which gave me a little sticker shock! Anyways, it left a bad taste in my mouth that I probably wouldn't return here again if they're going to be that way about it, or at least if I had to because friends wanted to dine here, I'd definitely get something a little less costly because the serving size you get doesn't merit the price you have to pay.

This restaurant has great tacos but they have some other great options too. Tonight I tried the tortilla soup and it was very good. Doesn't have as much of a kick to it as some recipes but that is made up for by the copious amount of chicken that it contains. Someone in our group got the half chicken and it comes with bread and some vegetables. It looked very moist. All in all, you get good value for your money.

Good mix of Cuban and Mexican cuisine. Leans a little more Mexican. Half Cuban chicken has amazing flavor. Highly rrcommend

El Rey Burrito Breakfast is excellent. Small place with not a lot of seating. I also had a small orange juice which was $5 that next time will not get. Overpriced and tasted like Tang. But would love to come back again for breakfast.

4.0 - Burrito, beef fajita 3.5 - Quesadilla, beef fajita 3.0 - Queso 2.0 - Rice 3.5 - Taco, soft, beef fajita 4.0 - Tortilla chips

I like Cuban food and I like Mexican flavors and I like the convenience of a drive-thru. Let's mash them together and see how it turns out! It came together nicely. I love ropa vieja, but I've never had it in a taco before. I chose a corn tortilla and told them to load it up. It worked. The corn tortilla barely held the ropa vieja together, and the corn simulated the rice and plantain flavors in a traditional roja vieja plate. The pico and the sauce pulled everything else in for a successful Cuban/ Mexican fusion. I also ordered a beef burrito. It was well constructed and didn't fall apart after the first bite, despite its size. The flavors were all there, except it was a little heavy in the dairy section. It was almost like the super burritos I grew up eating. Overall, it was a great meal and the drive-thru was helpful when the kiddo was in a mood and getting out of the car would've been an insurmountable task.

I love El Rey. I used to work nearby and ate lunch here for years. Changed jobs and had not been there for years. Moved near by and am a regular again. The fish torta is my go to. It is so good. Ceviche and nachos are also great. I have never been disappointed with anything I tried here. I usual do drive through and service is good.

El Rey is reliably good and SO fast. I love the drive-thru service to grab a quick lunch. I've tried their Three Amigos platter (comes with three tacos of your choice, and rice and beans) with Al Pastor, Ropa Vieja, and El Rey tacos. The flavors of all three of them are great! I would recommend any of these tacos! When I want something lighter as a meal I've also gotten their ceviche, which is served like a salad. It's good, I'm not used to having lettuce in my ceviche, but it's listed on the menu as a salad. I love that they top the salad with A LOT of fresh fish and mango pico. The ceviche also comes with chips so you can add crunch to your bite of fish. Honestly, so convenient and delish. I'm a regular here. Parking situation: on-site, but limited...there's also a drive thru!

Went to this place and tried to eat the Cuban, it was gross but i was hungry so i tried to eat a little more... couldn't do it and i spat it out. The restaurant advertised "fresh fast food", mine was FAR from fresh. The meat was old and dry, i took the meat out and tried to eat just the bread and cheese and the cheese was definitely expired. I honestly think the guy was offended by the way i said quesadilla and went and got the oldest meat and cheese they had and put it in some stale bread for me. My bf got the quesadillas, they looked good but he did not like them. Would never go back here

If Barbie's not in heaven, I'll follow her to HELL REY If she's in Philadelphia, I'm the Liberty BELL REY From the moment I saw her in Pittsburgh, I FELL REY And when we want late night tacos, we will go to EL REY When my hair looks frizzy, she douses me with GEL REY When my Toshiba was dying, she bought her dude a DELL REY Yes, she rents me out, but I doubt she'd ever SELL REY And when we want late night Cuban tacos, we hit EL REY She makes me lick her in weird places, but they never SMELL REY I do anything she wants, and always do it WELL REY In the midnight hour she cries MORE with a REBEL YELL REY And when we are done if we aren't sleeping, we hit EL REY There's more to this story but I don't want to kiss and TELL REY And she's making me get bigger muscles via BARBELL REY Maybe I'm Drake, cuz she used to call me on my CELL REY Now she just nudges me to take her out to EL REY WHAT This is an excellent Taqueria which isn't quite Mexican but isn't quite Tex-Mex, in fact it's more Cubex-Mex, if that's a thing (it is now). It has a strong Cuban flavor although Mexican is the underlying basis for a lot of the items here including the Cuban items. Their tacos are expensive but pretty special, with the ropa Vieja and the shrimp and fish topping the list of many very delicious tacos. They're not huge tacos but they're a little bit bigger than normal which somewhat justifies the price tag. Barbie absolutely loves the Tortilla soup, but only when the cheese is taken out of it because otherwise half the bowl is cheese, which seems very geared towards Caucasians and those with a few extra pounds. The soup without the cheese is actually quite tasty and has generous chunks of chicken in it. The chicken is a little dry but it's not bad. They have rotisserie chicken tacos too, among other great things. One of the best things about this El Rey is that is located in the middle of the SW District aka the Washington Heights district, which means you have plenty of late-night party people coming in here, but not as many as you would think considering some of the incredibly beautiful people just half a mile to the West from about 12am-2.30am on Fridays and Saturdays. It's a perfect late-night stop, and it's open late on many other nights too (though not as late), so come and give it a try. Another great benefit of this place is that they do not mind people coming in here late. So I would give the food somewhere between a 4 and a 5, and the prices are definitely more like a two or three, but when you add in how much Barbie loves it and how late they are open, I definitely have to go with a 5-star rating. Now I'm feeling sad and it's not even summer (so it's not summertime sadness), maybe it's because I'm so young and beautiful, so I'm going to ride another review while listening to the national anthem, after all I have a lust for life and for moving to the west coast, as opposed to most guys who have a lust for video games. So now I'm off to eat at Lana El Rey.

Don't get me wrong, the food is always good. Our office places an order for 12 people about once a month. The issue is the fact they always get the order wrong. Today someone did't get to eat their tacos. Received only one order. The order was placed on line so there's truly no excuse. What do we need to do to get the order right?

EL REY IS THE BEST!! I love El Rey for a multitude of reasons, I am surprised I have not left a review before. Please go and check this place out, you will not be disappointed. Great tacos and the best chicken tortilla soup. The beef Cuban taco is the best. They put beans in everything though, so make sure to tell them no beans if you aren't into that like me. They even put beans in the breakfast tacos so make sure to say no beans if you want "regular" breakfast taco with just egg & meat. Don't forget lots of green and red salsa, both are delicious! The fried plantains are an amazing sweet treat to add onto any meal. Their hours are a big reason I eat here a lot. I often workout at night and eat dinner at 10 or 11pm, unfortunately almost every restaurant is closed by then except El Rey! They are open 7am-3-am so really there are just 4 hours in the whole day where they will not serve you. A lot of businesses' reduced covid hours have cost them my patronage. Finally, I recently have discovered the ICED MULATA, and it is hands down my favorite iced coffee beverage. It is an iced latte, double espresso into horchata instead of regular milk. The light sweetness of the horchata is not overpoweringly sweet and mixes perfectly with the bitter espresso. It's truly delightful. I have never been one to buy coffee on my way to work but recently I have been craving this and ordering these in the morning. PRO TIP: order ahead online and your food will be ready in 10 minutes after ordering. Perfect for grab and go on the way to work.

This is a classic spot that always does me right! It's more like a home-style place but everything I've tried there is always really good & flavorful!! Good service, too. Nothing over-the-top they're just taking care of you...the cantaloupe juice and Havana Plate is a must for my money. highly recommend!!!

It was a delicious quick meal that totaled $30 for two people. $15 for the carne asada plate and $10 for the torta. A bit on the pricy but it was homemade and tasted fresh. The horchata is a bit sweet like sweeter than usual but it was creamy and tasted good. All in all I'll be returning highly recommend it.

Their Cuban Taco is amazing, that alone is way better than anything you'll find at Velvet Taco or Liberty Taco. They still don't have the best homemade corn tortillas but still one of the better places for tacos in Houston.

I've driven by here so many times and it's always seemed PACKED, so I knew I HAD to give it a try. 10/10 worth the hype. My boyfriend and I shared the Havana and Ropa Vieja plates and a queso. Everything was DELICIOUS, but some honorable mentions: - The Havana pork was so juicy, rich in flavor, and TENDER. Literally so so tender. - I'd come back for the plantains alone. HOLY MOLY those plantains were amazing. I'd pay for an entire plate of just plantains alone tbh. All the dishes were affordably priced and heaping portions. I can't wait to come back and bring my friends!!!

I've been going here for many years, going back to the first location on Ella. I ate there twice a week and when I moved near the Washington Ave location I ate there regularly. Since moving away, I have only been a few times a year. This used to be the best place for tacos and tortas in town. Now they have changed everything, had a Torta yesterday and it was completely different, overcooked chewy meat covered in so many poblano peepers I couldn't taste anything else. This was the 2nd time, I thought I ordered the wrong thing last time, but it appears to be a "new" torta. A real shame, went from the best to the worst.

I was so excited to go through the drive thru and grab a Cuban sandwich. I don't know what has happened, but they are NOT as awesome as I recall. I received tons of ham and pork slapped between two pieces of bread. No cheese, no pickles, nada.... Guess I have to find a new place.

I have been here several times cause the shrimp tacos are the BOMB but today will be my last time. The Hispanic lady with the blue hair at the cash register was very rude. First off, I handed her my payment in hand, after repeating my order 3 times for her to comprehend, she puts my change on the counter rather than in my hand. I let that go but I asked for no shredded cheese on my tacos and still received tacos with it on there. Upon leaving I asked for some more ice in this hot ass lemonade and she did it but with a tude. I said thanks and she just ignored me like I'm a ghost. I usually have a good experience here but today was just inappropriate.

This place CANNOT get it right. I want to preface this by saying that I am not one to leave reviews. In fact, this is the first one I have ever left on this site. Rather than leaving a bad review, I usually just won't go back to a place if I dislike the service or have issues with the quality of food. That being said, the quality of the food here is fantastic and the reason for me leaving two stars instead of one. The reason for the 2 stars has nothing to do with the food, but simply is a result of their inability to put together a taco with just bacon, egg and cheese. The breakfast tacos here are amazing on the off-chance they actually get your order right, but I can honestly tell you that in my experience, the likelihood of this happening is below 50%. The breakfast tacos here come with beans and they are pretty tasty with the beans if I do say, but it's not my cup of tea so I always ask to get mine without them. For what ever reason, they are insistent on stuffing my tacos with beans or forgetting to put the cheese and sometimes both. I have been here at least 10 times within the past year and I cannot remember the last time they actually got my order right. The last few times I've gone, I swore I would never go back but the tacos r just so darn tasty that I can't keep myself away. I keep going back on the false hope that they might one day get my order right and make up for all the other times, but I've recently realized this might actually be impossible and I should learn my lesson. The food here is too good for the service and I really hope to see some improvement the next time I inevitably go back to restore some of my faith in this place.

My second day in Texas and I'm craving some tacos and found this place on yelp. Very friendly staff place was super clean and their staff followed Covid laws. All wearing mask and gloves. So as you can see in my picture I didn't order the tacos because from the pictures driving to this place I saw the ropa vieja and i said Yum!!!! The taste was amazing the portions were perfect plantains were perfect!! The portions were perfect leaving your stomach with no space for dessert t how can one resists i saw some amazing homemade muffins I had to get one for the next day with some chai Latte. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who lives in Houston Texas or anyone visiting. 5

Headed home from a concert that ran delightfully longer than expected, an acquaintance of mine wanted nachos, but was adamant that she did not want Taco Bell. After doing a quick yelp search for Nachos, this place popped up, and it did not disappoint. The nachos were delicious though the bottom layer of chips was pretty dry, would maybe request a side of cheese next time. I ordered 2 beef fajita tacos myself, and they were great. Both contained a good amount of beef as well as lettuce, onions and cilantro. I passed on the tomatoes. The green salsa was just hot enough to add flavor, though not as hot as I'd prefer personally. If you're near Washington Ave. and have to have nachos after hours, I would 100% recommend this place.

Worst experience i've ever had at a el rey to date. Ontop of having to wait over 20 minutes for my order of plain beef fajita tacos, the order was completely wrong. Don't think i'll ever revisit this location..

Been going here for 10+ years. Fantastic tacos at a reasonable price. My favorites are the Cuban Chicken and Al Pastor. If you're doing the drive through make sure to check the food before you drive off as they have been known to mess up orders a bit.

One thing I can say is that my food is always fresh when I come to this location. I ordered the grilled fish taco which comes with slaw on top, and I also ordered the Cuban taco with beef which has some sweet plantain goodness. I also really enjoy there tortilla soup and the small is actually a decent size to be a meal. Sometimes they are stingy on the salsa but other then that's it's pretty good. I wish I didn't have to pay extra for the sauce that is on the fish taco bc if I could get that sauce on other tacos without and up charge I definitely would because that sauce is the best.

Yeah. Fish tacos were perfect. L oh tyke but if plantain, little salsa, little , beer. Epic!!

I would have never thought to go here for a salad, but a friend recommended their Kale Grilled Chicken Salad, and it's pretty good. There's cranberries, cabbage (not particularly a fan in this case), and pistachios. The dressing is very light and not too sweet, so I can appreciate that. I usually get their fish tacos (delish), fajita taco, or chicken tortilla soup (so perfect for the cold weather), and my son loves their chicken quesadillas. Don't forget to finish off your meal with flan for dessert and limonada to drink!