An absolutely phenomenal experience, maybe the time I spent on the West Coast hit the nostalgia but this place checked all the boxes (ignore the politics, San Diego is a fun town). Let's start with the vibe - cozy but a split of outdoor and indoor seating pairs well with a decorative style that takes you back to the 80s. The food - several different options from apps to platters to burritos to tacos. The house salsa has a unique flavor profile derived from Chile de Arbol. I went with the OG burrito with barbacoa as the special and the perfectly melted cheese compliments the slow cooked meat perfectly. The specials rotate daily and are worth checking out. The beer menu has a good selection of the usual suspects paired with some varieties sure to satisfy any pallete. Finally, service was TOP notch. Our server was Kyran and we received an answer to every question paired with recommendations that were spot on. Big take away is that the vibe is dope, the service is prime, and the food is satisfying.
El Rey Burrito Lounge
Excerpts
An absolutely phenomenal experience, maybe the time I spent on the West Coast hit the nostalgia but this place checked all the boxes (ignore the politics, San Diego is a fun town). Let's start with the vibe - cozy but a split of outdoor and indoor seating pairs well with a decorative style that takes you back to the 80s. The food - several different options from apps to platters to burritos to tacos. The house salsa has a unique flavor profile derived from Chile de Arbol. I went with the OG burrito with barbacoa as the special and the perfectly melted cheese compliments the slow cooked meat perfectly. The specials rotate daily and are worth checking out. The beer menu has a good selection of the usual suspects paired with some varieties sure to satisfy any pallete. Finally, service was TOP notch. Our server was Kyran and we received an answer to every question paired with recommendations that were spot on. Big take away is that the vibe is dope, the service is prime, and the food is satisfying.
I had really high hopes for this spot. Overall, it was definitely worth trying, but not sure I'd make it a point to go again. The atmosphere had a unique vibe, it's a smaller restaurant, not a lot of seating so a party of 5 had to wait about 40 minutes. Everyone was friendly, but the service was a little on the slow side. For the food, you are definitely not getting traditional Mexican food, but my burrito was tasty for the price. The beer list was rather extensive and they offer tequila flights.
I had really high hopes for this spot. Overall, it was definitely worth trying, but not sure I'd make it a point to go again. The atmosphere had a unique vibe, it's a smaller restaurant, not a lot of seating so a party of 5 had to wait about 40 minutes. Everyone was friendly, but the service was a little on the slow side. For the food, you are definitely not getting traditional Mexican food, but my burrito was tasty for the price. The beer list was rather extensive and they offer tequila flights.
I had a very different experience than most reviewers. First, the atmosphere is great. I loved the shady outside area to include koi fish, although there was an annoyingly loud outside fan. Second, our service was great in that it was fast and responsive. However, they brought out our main course when we had barely started on our appetizer, which meant our food was going to get cold. Our waitress said she would remake the food, which seemed highly wasteful and made me feel guilty. I’m not sure if she actually did remake it or if she just set it under a hot light. Unless a customer asks for items to be served together, it is terrible service to bring them this way. Finally, maybe it is because I grew up in Texas, but I don’t see this food as anything authentic or high end or even that great. The queso sounded good on paper but it had a weird texture and was more cheddary than queso blanco. The fajitas were also quite boring. Fajita meat should consist of skirt steak. The tortillas were also quite meh.