Reviews of El Rey (Restaurant)

Armany Plouis

My first and last time. I had the worst experience. My food was all over the place and I’ve been calling this whole to speak to a manager about the situation and my calls keep being forward. Don’t waste your time there other more authentic Mexican places where you’d get way more for your money.

Carmelia Ferrell

Food & drinks good. Crowed

Jules Polynice

I love their el pastor quesdilla. Fun environment.

Yan C

Cheap, fast service. The margaritas tacos are good. Music's not too loud and you could still hold a conversation.

Jack Prömmel

Always a good place for happy hour!

Juanique McNeill

Amazing atmosphere! Reasonably priced and GREAT FOOD! The staff is always nice and accommodating. I really enjoyed the shrimp nachos. Awesome deals on margarita pitchers too. If you're don't want to sit down they have a convenient front window. Mostly used for the light night hours. If you don't like this place I'd be very surprised.n

Jens Witter

Great place, we prefer the dos equis with frozen margarita.

Richard Andreas

STAY AWAY! The bouncers here are racist and rude, i got racially profiled by the African American bouncer who's missing a tooth, for being Asian. He mistook for another guy who is intoxicated and decided to not let me in, but decided to let all my other friends enter

Rowa Kodi

The best margarita ever!

Sheldon Campbell

The margaritas and tacos were very good. We went on a Saturday afternoon and the place was packed. We managed to grab space at a common table. Very fun, festive crowd.

Sogand Ka

Great margarita! Fast service and plenty of seats!

Imade O

Overcharged my credit card without my consent. This establishment stole $20 from me

Ben Concepcion

I came looking for tacos with a friend who was carrying home a slice of pizza.They made her stand outside while I ordered. The tacos were too expensive and the place was just downright rude.

Michael Cunningham

A little pricey for what it is, but the environment was cool. $4 tacos is a bit much. You can get better tacos for cheaper elsewhere. But if you're looking to cut loose on a weekend (and maybe have some Mexican food) it's not bad.

Jesse Duarte

Love their happy hour! Pretty authentic food and grear atmosphere!

DeQuetta Tyree

Great food and drinks

Tim Bellomo

Great for late night tacos. Try the pastor quesadilla. It's excellent!

Rachel Vig

Fantastic place. Well maintained. Fun environment Good Drinks. Diverse Crowd... would recommend to anyone.

Gloria Anderson

Great tacos! Margaritas are super strong!

Mike Ross

This place has a retractable roof they open depending on the weather. In my opinion it’s has the best shrimp tacos in dc. I say that because the sauce they put on the tacos is Marvelous.

Laura Lauder

Super fun bar to hang out with friends, lively and crowded, cool space

M DeAvies

Great deal on pitchers of margs and the food is pretty good. Gets a little loud but still a great space.

Rafael DeJesus

Great street tacos, strong margaritas and a nice place to chill

Omroy Spencer

Great tacos and a nice choice of taco types.

Roniqua Jeffries

Super fun atmosphere. Great happy hour food and drinks.

Cella Wella

The strawberry/pomegranate margaritas alone are worth a visit to this place. The atmosphere is pretty cool too.

Brandon Petelin

Actually like the restaurant/bar, but they overcharged me on my bill. They presumably added to the tip I left on their own, which unfortunately happens at certain DC establishments.

Cassandra Green

Food was delicious. Service was great and attentive. Great place to have a girl's day out. Very noisey if you are on a date. Atomosphere was appropriate for bar.

Francisco Hernandez

Great fish tacos

Jackie Filson

El Rey is a great (but wild) happy hour spot that gets pretty crowded and has extremely strong margs. Def a good go-to spot tho with decent eats but the nachos are wack.

Sean Collins

I been here a few times with a friend of mine. I liked it and it was fun. It reminds me of a bar back home in my hometown called Mas. But honestly, I think this bar has a better atmosphere in DC though. I ended up meeting a girl the night I was here hopefully it works out. I would come here again to drink and chill.

Bradley Hughes

Used to love this place. In recent months it has gone far down hill. I will definitely be looking elsewhere on U street.

Gabriel Felix

Great drinks. Food is pretty average. Not many options for a pescatarian or vegetarian.

Rowan Afflerbach

The frozen margaritas are amazing. The carne asada and vegetarian tacos were good too.

A T

Excellent tacos and elote!

Jan Ziegler

Great casual mexican fare with drinks tacos and burritos. Love the ambiance with the container and the service is always nice!

Short and Sweet

Great atmosphere, good prices. Margarita pitchers are a bit too sweet though could improve on that.

Gustav Lo

Great place for music to go and chill with some friends and drink some beers. I enjoy coming to this place frequently and having their tacos and margaritas are pretty good as well.

301 Jeff

50/50... It can be packed and live middle of the day Saturday into the night but it's been decent, at best, on summer Friday night's. But if you're a dude and you dont like cover or swanky dress codes this is a very good move and ya lady friends can enjoy. Late-ish menu too.

Jamila Jenkins

Happy hour food prices are decent. Always come for the shrimp tacos and steak nachos and of course the margaritas. You haven’t had el Rey until you have had the frozen margaritas.

Elle Robinson

Late brunch visit. Service was okay. Margarita pitcher was delicious! The burritos we ordered took a little long but was still good. I would return. Great atmosphere, relaxing .

Hale Simmons

The small tacos are outstanding. Very authentic feel inside the courtyard and helpful staff.

Zwegchen

Reallllllllllyyyyy good Mexican food without a line. Nice folks and friendly faces.

Edward Low

Great environment that wasn't super crowded for the Caps Stanley Cup game 6. Nachos were incredible. Drinks were good. Uncertain of price since someone else in my party paid. Walking distance to metro. Good area that isn't crazy like the other night spots.

Aima A.

Tacos were good and service was friendly and fast.

Tania Peters

Really tasty tacos! It was happy hour, so we had to wait longer for our service person to get back to us each time. Otherwise, it was cool!

Lynora McLaurin

Food was good, atmosphere was okay (urban vibe good hip hop/R&B music), service was bad! It was also expensive in my opinion, but I'm not from the DC so it could be typical for the area.

Lee Mejia

Best Nachos in DMV I highly recommend

Michael Anderson

The drinks are strong and the food is average but affordable. It's a lively place but it's super crowded in my experience. Still you can have a great time. The bar tender Kenny is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

M. Jenkins

Wouldn't let me in to eat at like 4 on a Saturday which seemed really early. I get it's a bar but people under 21 are allowed to eat food especially since they have a menu with a seemingly good selection, I dont even drink. It was disappointing. Will write another review when they deem I am legally old enough to eat their food.

shageT2

Was visiting Washington DC and was super excited to find a cute hipster Mexican joint. It was a Saturday night during Howard's homecoming so it was very lit. First I will speak on the atmosphere. The bar stretches far into the back where there is a lot of seating. There multiple booths which make it perfect for parties. I was with a party of six. All the way on the back is practically the outdoors, a great area to smoke. There are also heaters around that area, ftw. We ordered two pitches of margarita (one traditional on the rocks, the other frozen strawberry). The server told me about their vegan taco that was not on the menu and I got super excited. I also got their tamale (which had cheese) and chips and guacamole. El Rey definitely made my time in DC worth while. Will be back one day.

Pryscilla Magloire

Amazing authentic Mexican food with great prices....

Rayshon Person

I love their taco's and the margaritas are great to help wash them down.

prathijamusic

Poor quality everything. Do not recommend even as a last resort.

Jared Kiste

Cool patio, and I loved the concept. There was plenty of seating and space. They had a good price happy hour, and the margarita wasdelicious. It's a great place to be when the weather is nice.

Brooks Richards

Great food, great people. Bit loud but not excessive.

S-2 playlist

Food was quick, tasty and reasonably priced. The court yard bar was an awesome space

N H

Great staff, great drinks, great food, and great people. I love coming here on any day. I recommend the nachos.

Amanda W

Great little bar made out of cargo crates. Strong margaritas and very yummy tacos. Fun with groups. Big back patio.

Matthew Sutherland

Food is not great. Atmosphere is super broy. If you respect yourself dont bother.

Marie Mangano

Food was great, drinks were delicious and the atmosphere was awesome

Ameyally Baker

I took us about 45 min to get in. Not because of the line, but people at the entrance will not let us in, even though that a bunch of people were leaving. When we finally got inside environment was cool and it was not really crowded. Cool place to have drinks with friends, if you are willing to accept the waiting time. Two best things about this bar are that they don't let it get too crowded and isn't not too noisy.

Katlin Barrett

I haven't been in a while because my friends complain I always want to go here. Going into this bar is like going into another world. The layout and design of the bar is so unique and I think it's made out of shipping containers. The back of the restaurant has great light and when the weather's nice they can retract the roof. The drinks are delicious and the tacos are too. Sometimes they're closed for private events which is not fun but this is one of my favorite restaurants on U Street. I hope this review does not result in me not being able to get a table.

Anthony D. Oakes

Great drinks....strong but good. Great prices. Great food.

Stephen Kostyo

Fun vibe and solid margaritas

Matt Morais

Loved the open air feel and the margarita pitchers were phenomenal

Will Stallworth

Great tacos and service. I liked the DC, Al Pastor, and fish.

Matthew Pruitt

Great taco bar!

Khyla Noel

This place sucks the bouncers are rude, the food is actually nasty, I won’t be back ever.

Rights Champ

This is a great space for margaritas. The crowd is mostly college aged people, so the staff treats you as such. You'll need to show ID at the door. The front bartender with brown hair is on the line between rude and inattentive. This is NOT a place for a date meetup or mature gathering.

Kevin P

Tacos are very delicious and the atmosphere is great. Slightly over crowded if you go on a weekend night, hard to find a table to eat at. But plenty of standing and bar room which is what I prefer anyways. Can't go wrong with El Ray

Anthony Shelton

The nachos are amazing. Get them with meat unless you don't eat meat. The frozen margaritas are good. Can get a little crowded on the weekends, but that shows how good the food and atmosphere is. The food is authentic Mexican. The music is ok.

Angie A

I've never gone here and not had a blast. The drinks are great, although they can certainly sneak up on you...;-) and whatever they put in the nachos is incredible. Great spot to hang out day or night!

Esse Darden

Service, food and drinks were pretty good. Had to sit at a dirty table - all the empty ones were trashed. It was at least 5 minutes before someone came to straighten up then asked if the abundance of empty glasses and trays was mine

Benjamin Behrmann

A bit expensive, but good tacos and margaritas.

A. Thomas Grunley

I’ve been to El Rey twice and enjoyed it more each time. I really like the restaurants overall ambience and the staff couldn’t have been more friendly. They serve some outrageous margaritas and — plain and simple — these people can make a taco as well as the best of the best. Try the Thai Shrimp tacos - then thank me! Highly recommended restaurant.

Lora Mitchell

I just syumble upon this place walking down U St . The music was popping and the service was great. I'm impressed that even on a Wednesday this place was basically packed.... I'd definitely return on a weekend

Steven Ariza

Great Tacos, a little on the expensive side but delicious. Not a fan of the clienteles but will continue to eat more Tacos there. Inside bar service is a little confusing with having to order at the bar, but while sitting in the outdoor area you get full service. I'll do what I'm told to just eat tacos.

RaymondGW

The tamales are huge! I was about to order 3 and the bartender said nah. He was right. I was more than fine with 2 and only because I was super hungry. Stick with the regular or Cadillac margaritas though; many of the others don't feel like they're worth the price tag.

Ivania V. Esquivel

Good margaritas if you’re looking for strong drinks, good ambiance if you’re into loud places. Open patio when it’s not raining, tacos are alright.

Marvin J

El Rey is a very cool space for a decently priced happy hour on a Friday night. In warm weather, the outdoor patio is adorned with televisions and high tables that are good to hang around with quick service on food and drinks. It can be very crowded at times which is a downside, so arriving early is critical. The bartenders are quick to try to get to everyone and the margarita pitchers don’t taste watered down.

Anna Sumner

The food is very flavorful and fresh. My favorite are the Thai Shrimp tacos and the nachos with chicken.

Zach Stone

El Rey is one of my favorite happy hour spots on U street. The only problem is that it is sometimes too popular for its own good. Good tacos and margaritas with a really cool atmosphere. The outdoor area is really cool to hang out in when there aren't too many people there.

Michael Jakim

Went for drinks. Nice atmosphere. Open ceiling in the back. Very nice

NIkisha Lango

Tacos are small and the drinks taste water-esque

Mircea Munteanu

Fun spot for some Mexican food and margaritas. Tacos were good (but double the tortillas people!) And the margaritas were strong; real strong. Super loud.

Richelle Coleman-Warren

Really like this place. Friendly and inclusive of all people and great atmosphere, beverages and food. Take friends there and enjoy the indoor outdoor space!!

Robert Downes

Food is amazing. Tacos

luis Martinez

Great fish tacos! Margaritas could be better tho

Tosin Akinduro

Dinner (nachos) was good. Very cheesy but could use more chicken. Quesadillia was delicious. Get the not -frozen margarita (pitcher $30-something) which is very reasonably priced (at least first). The frozen one is good too(pretty swirl design) , just doesn't pack the same punch. No cover charge to get in. Bathroom is quite small but clean. Staff is very friendly and attentive. Cool vibe inside. Smokers have an area, indoor, where they can smoke without exiting the building (it's bc the ceiling is open and we'll ventilated. Parking tough in that neighborhood. You are better of taking an Uber or public transportation. Definitely return to try other items...

jason w

Great low-key Taco joint. Great tacos, good cocktails and beer selection.

Vic

Yummy little tacos. Will definitely be back

Nathan Peak

Great place. I'm sure it's a different vibe at night but on weekend afternoons it's a great place to grab a margarita or beer and a couple tacos. Especially if weather is nice and roof is open.

Troy Mitchell

Very festive update can't believe this is a place on U Street love the food love the atmosphere very enjoyable With Friends

Erica Carter

Bartenders were rude and the food was awful. Not much redeeming about the place in my experience. There are a ton of Taco joints in the area pick a different one and maybe you'll have better luck.

Catherine Runyan

El Rey will absolutely satisfy your craving for Mexican! You can order small plates, which allows for good mix and match options! As far as I know, it's seat yourself and order food+drinks at the bar, so fair warning for anyone looking for a sit down table service meal.

Lisa Kavjian

Great outdoor space but drinks were OK

James Turk

good, always very loud, sometimes very slow

David Cain

Great food n drinks

Bellini C

best fish tacos I've had and inexpensive! really good margaritas also!

Mia Ross

The tacos are lit, but if you go later in the day its incredibly loud

Jeff Bemis

Lively place with very friendly staff.

David Bryant

Happy hour lasts until 7 and has $21 pitchers. Great place and atmosphere, but fairly loud.

Aarian Taylor

One of my favorite places in Washington. Great environment, even better food and drinks!

Jayson Grey

Never a complaint unless you can count good drinks with a good strength as a complaint.

Steve Bivens

This is a unique situation. I was victim of handicap discrimination. 3 of my friends were celebrating their birthday and me being the designated driver, tried to enter to take care of my passengers. There were two bouncers – a nice gentleman and a woman. The woman decided I was “too drunk” because I walk with a limp. I walk with a limp because I was born paralyzed and have a physical disability. So after this “bouncer” decided I was too “intoxicated” to enter the establishment, she immediately called the police. My partner tried to explain the situation, and the “bouncer” exclaimed horribly inappropriate responses and slander. This is a horrible institution and I significantly dissuade anyone from ever providing business to a place that encourages handicap discrimination.

Will Schanno

My favorite taco place in the DMV and possibly ever. The whole vibe of the place is great, normally a rowdy crowd if that's what you're going for, and great tacos. I go for the carne asada. El Rey is also a great stop before going to 9:30 Club or U Street Music Hall

Travis Pryor

Solid food and decently priced drinks. All in all a good time. I just wish it wasn't always so crowded.

N P

Foods good prices a lil high on drinks

Keiosha Hunt

This place has become more trendy over the last few years and is very popular for pre-gaming. A lot of college students frequent this restaurant so I wouldn’t suggest coming here on a weekend night unless you’re ready for a lot of noise and a line to get in only to not be guaranteed a place to sit. Food is decent, margaritas are strong as they should be. Once you place an order the food is usually pretty quick to come out. Beware of the loud young adults though...

Monica Stein

Typical Tex Mex food and drinks. Good for late night eats. My friends and I like to go after work sometimes. Nice indoor/outdoor vibe . One thing I dislike is that because the building is essentially made of shipping containers the sound bounces off the metal walls making it really noisy in there.

Stephanie Sapienza

I’ve been coming here for years, back when I lived in NW DC, and now that I live in College Park I still go whenever I see a show at 930 Club. I cannot say enough about their nachos, which are my favorite of all time. The fish and shrimp tacos are also superb. This is one of the few places I go where I’ll attempt to get in even when it’s utterly swamped, because service is good and fast. The open air (with tarp/awning) back porch is a lot of fun on a warm night or even in the winter.

Sahil Rahman

Caught the world cup here and had a great time. Good food and drinks at an affordable price

DJ Mim

Fridays nights are extremely busy there around 8p. We were lucky to grab a table as other people were leaving. Once seated, you have to place all orders at the bar....there are no servers. The bartender gives you a table sign with a number and your food is delivered to your table. My favorite tacos at El Rey are always on point: Thai Shrimp and the DC.

Bob Sherman

Great place for a late quick bite!

Kate Melde

Always a great time at El Rey

Jon-Alan Carlton

Food was good I went early on Sunday. So we got to sit anywhere, normally the place is packed so get there early. The food was worth it!!

Mindy Lanie

Good drinks and tacos. No captioning on the TVs, so hard to follow what was on. Bar service only when I was there.

K Nelson

Great for drinks, nachos and good energy

Raven Pickett

Great celebration spot. Great drinks and music. Kind of small

Dennys Duran

Great Mexican food!

Jose Barrera

No Parking, No parking on a Tuesday evening. Spent 30min driving around and decided to leave. Good luck if you do go.

Jackie Pile

Satisfactory

Amy Brown

Bar is good, food not great for vegetarians. I like spicy food, but the vegetarian tacos (one of two veggie options) are just so so spicy

Charles Clatanoff

Great atmosphere, great tacos, great happy hour specials

Karen Healer

Delicious causal place for tacos and other light Mexican fare. The food is very fresh tasting. It can be chilly in the cooler weather if the heat lamps aren't on fully, as with tonight, so we left our jackets on. They also have a nice carryout late night window. The vegetarian options are limited but delicious.

Sasha Kelly

Good for happy hour, drinks are crazy price after

Liseth Garay

Meh, nothing special. My friends and I arrived right around 5 for the happy hour....the service was slow despite the fact that it wasn't very busy. Nachos were okay.

Chi-Chi O

Lol El Rey is my favorite place for margarita happy hour. The margs are delicious, cold, and best of all, strong. The first time I came, I made the grievous error of ordering a pitcher to myself because it was so cheap. Do not do that, yall. Share the pitcher with your friends or your life will be forfeit.

Dewayne Carter II

Good food and drinks. Nice place to come with friends

Aatish Roy

Good vibe and location

Luis Garzona

Excellent atmosphere great food amazing customer service love it

Negin Sobhani

Fake lines to make a fake crowd for a fake place. #aintnobodygottimeforthat

Chelsea Graham

Delicious tacos and nice beer selection. Cute location.

Emeka Okafor

Dope outdoor, indoor setup. Everything a Mexican place should be!

Diana Mendez

Steak nachos is the best

Hector Flores

It's a spot to chill with friends and girlfriend and boyfriend or husband and wife. The environment is very great In a really enjoyed the inside

Norka Rodriguez

Always check your expiration dates. Great place to shop for Latin dishes. But always check exp date on things!

K9LVR K

I absolutely love the food and the drinks at this place. It's no frills but the service is super fast and the quality is high. I am a Mexican food expert and these tacos are the best in the city IMHO. The margaritas are good too. Prices are great by DC standards. If I could lodge one complaint, it's that the place is super loud. But that's due to the fact that it's made out of shipping containers and concrete and its a hip, sort of a bar scene. Don't take the folks there.

Kolle Devereaux

Atmosphere is fun and having a bar that is built out of shipping containers is definitely a novelty. The food left much to be desired. I've noticed that the DC area uses pureed beans on their nacho dishes. The cheese was a sauce of some sort and the dish became soupy rather quickly. The tacos are better than some other local venues but not anything to write home about. I would come back for the atmosphere, but not the food.

Jonathan Garcia

Great food for Happy Hour. Their margarita pitchers are by far the best in DC. During the summer, this is a definite hit spot as the entire back of the restaurant has a retractable roof. Nice beer selection, not your typical draft beer which is cool, supporting different brewery’s. Great spot to pregame at before a night on the town on U street’s strip

Samantha Persaud

The nachos here are pretty great, but everything else is a little off for me. Drinks are very sweet, and it is overall a very noisy restaurant. Draws in a college crowd.

Ali Taylor

Great happy hour specials. Very busy bar

Endrenia Hanley

Was my bday celebration and I had a blast! Drinks are reasonable and the crowd is super energetic

Sonia Lopez

Amazing thai shrimp tacos!!

Ji Yoon Ahn

Watch out for the 20% included gratuity which they charged our family of four. My family doesn't speak English and when we brought it up to them, they just quietly brought the new check...

Alana Phillip

Cool spot, no cover. Frozen margaritas were good.

Lisa Zimmermann

Great outdoor patio spot with shaded areas. Perfect for a summer margarita.

Ursula Rodriguez

Prices are ok. Food is tasty. Just don't expect real Mexican food. The area is nice to do some shopping around.

James Hudgins

Me and my old lady went here a few months back. Note: They do not allow you to bring in containers of any kind so leave your water bottles at home. Anyways, the food (and margs) are slamming and they overall look and feel of the place is chill. If you are looking for a chill pre-game joint El Ray is for you.

Riley Hope

Great place to meet friends for a drink or three! It does get crowded relatively early, but is an absolute gem of a spot!

Jorge A. Bustamante

Really enjoyed the drinks. Will be back for the food.

Mari Coo

El Rey is a pretty awesome place!!! The drinks are strong (got 2 margarita pitchers) the tacos were soooo good!!! I forgot to take pictures of the tacos but we got the DC Taco, Al Pastor, Pescado, Chicken Tostada, chips and guac, Shrimp Thai, and a second chips and guac. Everything was soooo good!!!! But the guac was good but slightly bland initially, I think it was because it was made fresh do not much salt was put in; I would say a little salt, pepper, and lime juice remedies that though. The service was good and the environment was really great. Make sure you have your ID out at the door!!!

Dvonte Walkerbey

The need new staff they are disrespectful asap

Gloria Ikekpeazu

Great Architectural space and awesome Magaritas. The price is just right as well.

Michelle Morgan

Great appetizers and good drinks

Gus Campbell

Best Mexican brunch I’ve had in DC! The chips were delicious and available with a variety of dips. The tacos were unique and tasty, and the margaritas were strong and delicious. It wasn’t too crowded at 11 on a Saturday, but it started to fill up as we were leaving. The back portion of the restaurant has a retractable roof that turns it into a great patio that is perfect for a summer day. Also, the decor was unique and fun - the walls of the restaurant are shipping containers.

Rashad Pace

Great tasting tacos!