El Rey

I really wanted to like El Rey — but I hated it (except for the nachos).
1) IDing customers at the door on a Wednesday night at 7:15 pm? #sketchy
2) Having to get my water from a dispenser at the bar? #cheap
3) Allowing customers to smoke on the back «patio» even though the retractable roof is closed and the doors to the main dining room are open? #illegal
4) Pouring a $ 8 margarita in something barely bigger than a shot glass and filled with ice? #ripoff
5) Serving tamales that lack any flavor and tacos of questionable flavor? #sinful
But I did like the nachos.

I had a really terrible experience at this place– fortunately it did not involve their food. Their tacos are great! But I continue:
I came here for a friend’s birthday to get tacos, and it was past 10:30pm so we were ID’d at the door. Which is normal and fine. At the door, the bouncer looked at my ID and looked at me and then proceeds to say «this is funny. This isn’t you. You look black in this photo». Luckily, I had my passport on me, and also produced that for him. After looking at both for a very long time, he finally let me in and didn’t apologize for his previous comments.
I am not upset that he made a guess at my ethnicity, but it is 100% not appropriate to say that the reason you are denying someone into a place is because they look darker and therefore black in one photo versus another. He could have said «I’m sorry, I have reason to believe this is not you, can I have another form of ID».
After being let in, I went to the bar to purchase tacos and let the bartender know what happened and that I’d like to let the manager know. I also noticed it said the word «bitchin» on their receipt and made a comment that it would be nicer for there not to be curse words on a reciept, but as an afterthought.
A few minutes later someone came up to me (I presume the manager) who asked me why I didn’t like the word «bitchin». He then proceeded to explain it was a reference I did not get, and whoever got the reference «got a free drink». I told him my main concern was not their receipts and he didn’t need to justify it to me, but that my main concern was that their bouncer should refrain from making comments on guests races and/​or ethnicities. He continued to go on and on about the «bitchin» comment and I repeated that my main concern was not that. After a while, he asked if they could offer me anything to make my night better, such as covering my bill, and I declined, saying that I did not want to take advantage of them paying for me to just smooth over the issue.
I told them I had already paid for my tacos and that I would just like for their bouncer to not make comments on customers’ races or ethnicities, because that was inappropriate.
Paying for my tacos doesn’t take care of racist comments.
0 for service, but the tacos aren’t bad.

Get the fish taco!!! Get the carne asada toooo!!! DELICIOUS!
The guacamole is great too.
The drinks are just right.
I enjoyed the atmosphere, day or night it’s definitely a cool looking place and very nice when the roof is opened.
I never had an issue with service, they’re SO QUICK at bringing the food out! I love it!

El Rey (recently?) started serving brunch, and I’m a fan! My boyfriend got a breakfast burrito and it was HUGE! For like $ 8 I think! I got the nachos, which were indulgent and delicious, as usual. Unfortunately we didnt partake in the bottomless drinks, but Im definitely coming back for that. Oh, i did have 2 margaritas and was pretty drunk, what do they put in those things?
The main reason Im updating my review is that the server was awesome. El Rey can be a packed nightmare with sassy service, but my experience this past Saturday was very delightful. I think Ill try and only go to El Rey when there’s only 10 other people there!

Tacos are a bit pricy but well worth it. Authentic taste and style. Also they have an array of tequilas to choose from. Will be back again. Cheers!

I was so hungry and saw this place! The food is really good ;) try it out for yourself

A friend and I split a quick Negra Modelo here after a Saturday night concert. I wish we could’ve stayed longer but we were on our way to meet up somewhere else. It was packed (we had trouble finding somewhere to sit for just the 2 of us) and felt really lively and loud. Will try to stop by and perhaps get some food too next time I’m in DC!

Gross tacos. I got the veggie and cheese one– it just tasted like slop. I also got the tongue, which really had no flavor. The chips have too much salt too, but the salsa was good. I really don’t recommend eating here. It’s cheap– $ 6 for 2 tacos– but you can taste why.

Two stars only for a good margarita and the employee running this bar trying to make it into a Chargers fan club. (when I say trying, it’s cause no Charger sign/​memorabilia was inside … Not even a flag)
Came here for the Monday night Charger/​Steeler game and this place was practically empty. I saw a handful of other Chargers fans but never saw Arthur Z, the manager of this bar who invited Chargers fans to come out. Even told people to where charger gear for HH specials
When we got to our table, the server told us the specials were a $ 5 margarita and $ 4 Pacifico beer. I ordered the margarita and my boyfriend (BF) ordered a Pacifico. I also asked for chips and salsa… $ 5… These chips were STALE and cold! The salsa was bland! I asked for more salsa and I didn’t know they were going to charge me $ 5 for an extra salsa !!! WTF!!! I am a native San Diegan! The only time you get screwed with asking for more salsa is when you are eating Mexican food north of the 8 or eat in Old Town !!! And even then, you pay 50 cents for an extra serving not 5 bucks!
Then to food, I ordered two carne asada tacos and my BF ordered two carne asada tacos and a quesadilla. We got 3 carne asada tacos instead of four. Then when my BF asked for another beer, the server said he gave him a Corona Light and asked if that’s what he wanted… WTF! I thought he said the Pacificos were on special and that’s what my BF originally ordered !! The server never said he changed the beer!!!
The tacos were greasy and the meat was horrible tasting… Server never came back to ask how our food was and never gave utensils! I needed salt for the crappy salsa and never got it.
We left before half time and I’m never going back. Horrible service

Super loud and crowded on a Saturday night, but admittedly in a fun way. And even then, getting a seat somewhere usually isn’t impossible. They have all the right tequilas behind the bar. I ordered a margarita, and the bartender very willingly redid it when I said it was way too sweet for my taste.
The food is really good, better on quieter nights. All the tacos come on corn tortillas, making gluten free ordering pretty easy. And you can order them one at a time, which I love.

Went to El Rey for happy hour on my first night in town visiting DC. It was recommended to my friend that I was visiting from a friend. Her friend told her that the margaritas were good and strong. She wasn’t lying. The margaritas here are on point! You will definitely feel them after having a few. During happy hour the pitchers are only $ 18 and we got about 3 drinks each out of one pitcher (about $ 3/​drink) or you can get a single drink for $ 5. So pitchers are the way to go if you ask me! What I liked was that even though the margaritas are pre-​made they did not have that awful acidic margarita mix taste that gives me heartburn if I drink too many. I’m not sure what their recipe is but I’m a fan!
My friend and I shared some chicken nachos. They were okay and just served as something to snack on as we were drinking. The food is not the star here — those margaritas are! I probably wouldn’t choose to go to El Rey outside of happy hour but the specials and drinks are enough to draw me there for happy hour!
We tried to get a table in the outdoor area/​garden but had no luck. We ended up at a high top table inside.
My only complaint is the counter-​style service. I would much rather have a waitress serving the tables. It’s not a huge deal but it would be nice not to have to fight to get to the bar and place an order.

This place sucks. Avoid. The drinks are just ok and pricey, the food is luke warm and mediocre at best, and the staff have an attitude bigger than life. Really, there are too many choices out there to waste your time and money on this place.
And, allow me to set the scene… To get in, I had to zig zag through a group of wasted twenty-​somethings who looked like they might puke on me. Nice.
I walked in and the «door man» was sat to the side of the door at a little bar, eating nachos slathered in cheap, Sysco cheese. I mean he looked like a guy eating nachos at the bar?! But, when I had the audacity to walk in past him he dropped his cheesy chip and stopped me, demanding my ID. He snatched my wallet from my hand, reviewed my ID for an extended time (i guess this is the result of operating on one brain cell). He pushed my wallet back into my hand, said nothing, and turned back to his plate of muck.
I then went and sat at a table and waited. And waited. And waited some more. When my waiter finally materialized it was with a similar attitude to that of the doorman. I began to sense an uncomfortable and unwelcoming theme here. He asked me what I wanted to drink and shoved a menu in front of me. I asked about a pitcher of margarita and his response, you would have thought I’d asked him to decipher the meaning of life…
I walked out.
I recommend you avoid this place. I live in the neighborhood and was there for opening night. They pleaded with us not to take to any social media as it was their first night. For good reason. The food was no good. Things haven’t changed much.
After my experience this evening, I went to Lauriol Plaza instead. A tried and true DC favorite.
If you want a good alternative in the same neighborhood as El Rey, I highly recommend El Camino. It’s a newer, small, neighborhood bar in Bloomingdale. Nice staff. Good food. Good drinks.
El Rey is a noisy dive that serves up crappy food with a HUGE side of attitude.
Who needs it? Meh…

Met up with some friends midweek for some drinks and snacks, just missed happy hour but still ordered my fill. Nachos and tacos were tolerable but not particularly flavorful or tasty. Drinks were strong.
Service was hit or miss. One of the bartenders had a really aloof attitude, very standoffish and removed. I was sitting, drinking, and dining at the bar but when I asked for a glass of water he directed me to get up and go down to the water station at the end of the bar. Weird considering my friends had also gotten water from their bartender, who was very friendly. Luckily I wasn’t sitting by the water station though because when it came time to fill it, the barback was a bit careless and poured water all over my friend. He was apologetic though so we were able to laugh it off, just wanted to warn everyone to raise their umbrellas at water cooler refill time.
Besides that, it was a cool atmosphere and I’d go back if someone was having an event/​hh but I probably wouldn’t suggest it or go on my own accord.

Let it be known to the world: I love Mexican food. It’s a challenge for me to find a place that meets my expectations of tasty food while enjoying a few drinks, whether they are foreign or domestic.
Sadly, El Rey didn’t exactly win me over on the food, but the with the killer chill atmosphere and prices they definitely earn a gold star.
Appeal/​Atmosphere
This place is built uniquely with shipping containers, making it different than everywhere else on U Street. It’s rather similar to the Fairgrounds at Nats park. Their outside is pretty nice, and built for all seasons. While my visit to El Rey, we saw the retractable roof in actions, which is pretty cool to see. Note, they also offer an inside section, for those who can’t handle the weather outside.
Everything else
The food is cheap compared to the rest of the places surrounding it and your taste buds will be left satisfied. We ordered the chips, guac and queso and it met my expectations of cheap but decent bar food. I can’t talk about the rest of the menu. My boyfriend and I checked out El Rey on a Friday Afternoon to watch the Women’s US Soccer game (Go USA!!) and it was great; be sure to arrive early, but not too early because the doors open at 5pm. By 6pm, the place was packed and everyone was having a great time – drinks were flowing!
All in all, I will definitely be returning back to try some more comida Mexicana!

I’m usually a fan of El Rey because it is less crowded than its neighbor, Dodge City. I came here a couple of weeks back and this place was PACKED! Not that I minded THAT much, because there was still some places that I could stand without getting stepped on (read: away from the bar).
My beef with El Rey is this: people were dropping glasses LEFT AND RIGHT and the staff was not quick to clean up the shards of glass on the floor. I was walking on glass ALL night. I informed an employee about the broken glass everywhere and he was not quick to clean it up. Definitely a safety hazard for tons of people in sandals. I would say that El Rey should probably work on their crowd control and clean up to ensure the safety of its patrons.

*Rating is based on food*
Nachos and tacos were alright. I was pretty drunk and still not that impressed (you know food usually always taste better when drunk…)
The atmosphere of this place is pretty cool. I like the actual layout and décor– nice and chill place to drink. However, it does get very packed at night, and can become rather difficult to order drinks.

Mediocre margaritas in a converted container.
There’s not much else to add. Went here for drinks recently. Service was spotty, slow and with an attitude and it was early and the bar was barely even busy.
I can’t imagine returning. If you can’t get a, pre-​made, diluted margarita in a timely fashion what is the point?

My first and definitely not my last time at El Rey. I planned an early birthday happy hour with friends before I went to see Alice Smith in concert.
The pitcher of margaritas were delicious and a great deal. You know, I grew up in TX where happy hour margaritas were $.25 a glass and when you stood up from drinking a couple of dollars worth, welllllllllllllllllllll, you just toppled over. I felt just like that at El Rey. If it weren’t for the videos I recorded of Alice Smith singing, I wouldn’t have remembered the concert. Hahahahahahaha
Anyway, I loved my fish tacos. Great cilantro jalapeño sauce, needed more fish though. My friends ordered the chicken nachos and an assortment of tacos. Good food, good prices, good times. We’ll definitely be back soon.

Came here on a Friday night and had a great time! We got there around 11:30PM and had no problems getting in or snagging a table, but by the time we left (1:30AMish) it was full on packed with a short line outside.
Nachos were really good and generously sized for $ 7, enough for two or three people for sure. They had a great selection of beers on tap and bottles AND they even had Micheladas on the menu which was a welcome (and delicious!) surprise.
We were outside in the garden/​patio area, which was perfect for the weather. It was a little too loud to talk comfortably, but still a great time! A good casual spot to meet up with friends with great drinks and food, just don’t expect to be able to have any serious heart-​to-​hearts over the music!

I’m personally a huge fan of this place. Since moving to DC (from Philly), I’ve learned to put a lot less faith in Unilocal reviews. People are usually a tough crowd in this city. So that being said, I think El Rey is a really cool place with decent bar food, great drink prices, and an awesome atmosphere. The entire place is made out of old shipping containers (including the bathrooms), and it has a retractable roof, which is perfect for warmer nights.
I ordered the fish tacos, which I thought were on point for how cheap they were. Listen, it’s nothing fancy, but it does the job and it’s worth checking out.