El Rey Restaurant

When I was driving back to LA from Harrahs casino, I decided to try El Rey since it was right off Highway 76.
First off all, the waitress with the tattoo was very friendly, and she was very attentive.
I ordered the Flats plate, which had 2 large flautas, rice and beans.
The food was excellent.
It was 111 degrees out, so I decided to eat indoors, but they do offer patio dining in the back.
There is a lot of parking and the restaurant is located in a strip mall next to a mini store.
I will definitely be coming back.

Classic Old Mexican restaurant, combos of tamales, enchiladas, tacos and burritos with rice and beans. The shrimp fajitas were tasty and the carnitas plate was fantastic. Pitchers of Margaritas were priced right but we’re made with bottled margarita mix, so too sweet for my taste. I prefer my margaritas made the old fashioned way with fresh squeezed lime juice but those would probably be to pricey. Stick with bottled beer to enjoy with the chips and salsa. Nice patio outside. Service was good, and they refilled our waters and brought us more chips and salsa. Great spot and I look forward to stopping back in next time I play golf down here.

Been coming here over a decade. Its a place thats good & local. As a family we have our usual favorites and we enjoy everytime! Love to support ma & pa type places. Worth the stop in when driving the back roads between casinos!

Superb. We’ve been there twice now and have no complaints. They have an excellent house margarita that does not cost an arm and a leg. And they seriously have the best carnitas I have ever had. We highly recommend them. Cute outdoor patio and a wood fire inside!

What a great place. Staff is super friendly and the food is great. The combination plates are huge!

This review is so overdue that sadly I can’t remember all the details. I do remember that we ate outdoors and the décor was charming and the atmosphere lovely. I asked the waitress if she knew what on the menu was vegan. She said she had never heard that term before and when I explained what it meant, she seemed surprised at an entirely novel concept, but in a really friendly and kind way, which was nice. I know I had the guacamole and chips and the guac is Mexican style, which means it’s mostly just mashed avocado with some lemon and it was great. And, I can’t remember now, but the waitress explained that either the rice was vegan and the beans were not or vice versa — but she helped me to order what I could and though I remember there weren’t many options, the friendliness in dealing with the questions made all the difference to me. There aren’t many restaurants in the area so even with the lack of vegan options, or at least clearly marked vegan options, I’d probably go back if I was in the area and hungry. It’s right near Nurtured by Nature, the otter sanctuary.

Just left el rey. ive eaten here for the last year at least twice a month.
The food is so authentic and consistent time after time. I usually have the flautas but today I had the chicken chimichanga. So good I gaurantee it doesnt get any better any where else. There chicken is the best, and ive eaten at most mexican places in north county. It is always worth the trip from carlsbad. Just go
Trust me on this one.

GREAT FOOD GREAT SERVICE — Every time we visit Pauma Valley we make sure to stop by El Rey Restaurant for a great authentic Mexican meal. The food is always delicious and the menu has just about everything Mexican. Tonight I had the Chicken Guacamole Tostada and it was perfect.
However the highlight of my meal was the frozen Strawberry Margarita I got talked into. It was FABULOUS and not overly strong, so I could still walk out of the place. Others in my party had the Chicken Quesadilla, which was equally wonderful, and Chicken Taquitos, which were more than any one person could finish in one sitting. We all left with «doggy bags» and will continue to enjoy our meals tomorrow!
As always, we enjoyed great service and a really warm and inviting ambiance. We will most certainly be back on our next visit to Pauma Valley.

8÷26÷2015
Tonight I had dinner at one of my favorite Mexican Restaurants.
This place is a solid 3 ½ Star place! Not quite a 4. It’s off the beaten path on Hwy 76.
It has a fair amount of indoor seating as well as a nice outdoor patio for dining. The food all in all is not bad and they have a nice menu selection to choose from. The margaritas were very tasty but a lot on the weak side.
(A bit stingy on the liquor)
The Service is always good as the servers always have a smile on their face and do their best to fill your every need. There’s plenty of parking and a nice little market next-​door should you need to take anything home.
If you’re out this way stop and give this place a try for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Enjoy.

I have to give 1 star and im only being generous because the last time i ate there the food was decent. Today, as I was cutting pieces and eating my Chimichanga, i notices a black stringy thing. I pulled it out of the inside and it turns out to be a large dead black spider. I brought it to the waitresses attention and they were atleast nice enough to offer to make me another one and not charge me but i wont be eating their food ever again. Just hope i dont get sick now.
If you look at the left side of my plate you will see the spider i pulled out.

Everyone here is wonderful. You walk in and you walk into a mexican restaurant environment just like if you were in mexico. Restaurant is clean and smells good. Food is very good you can’t go wrong in ordering any item on the menue. Jonathan the Chef is great. Lorena and Laura waitresses are very good at what they do. Love this place if you ever visit Pauma Valley stop at El Reys Restaurant great people, great food and great price.

Great little Mexican food place to eat. Margaritas are really good. Small town atmosphere with friendly service. Carnitas are excellent. Perfect place to stop after leaving Harrahs. Great patio area which reminds me of being in Mexico.

We noticed this restaurant on our way to Julian and wondered if was worth trying. We love Mexican food and enjoy trying new places… we drove back by on our way home, and noticed the parking lot packed with cars so decided to give it a try. The food and service was both excellent. The salsa and chips were great too. The salsa is a little on the spicy side but I like it that way. I will definitely eat here again. I had the cheese enchilada and bed taco. The beef is excellent.

I ordered the carnitas specialty tacos. The carnitas were cooked perfectly, they had a good amount of crunch and full of flavor. We sat on the patio next to a nice rock water fountain with pretty Blue Jays near by. Really good quality food. I wish I lived closer so I could eat here all the time.

I must say we have gone to El Rey many times since my last review and the service has been much better. The food is always good and drinks are great.

I agree this is a great alternative to casino restaurants. The food is more American than Mexican. They use too much salt in there cooking. Prices are very good. The Margaritas while not authentic tasting are still good and very generous in size. Lots of locals eating here. Stand by for it to be very crowded on the weekend.

Love this place– a little on the gringo side of cooking but good. Shredded beef anything is good. Yummy and big nachos. Abondigas soup is not authentic tasting but is good and satisfying anyway. Great and strong margaritas and sweet waitstaff. Only thing we didn’t like was the ground beef taco — very bland.

Excellent alternative to casino restaurants. Good service. Great shredded beef.
My favorite thing here is anything with their shredded beef — flautas, a burrito, or tostada. The chips and salsa are usually quite good also, although sometimes the salsa could be a little thicker and spicier.
Their service is very friendly and reasonably fast. I’m not a regular but have never had a problem with service or being seated, as another reviewer suggested. They are very nice people in my experience.
There are not a lot of choices in this area so it’s great for that reason as well. It’s a small place though and service can definitely be impacted when a very large group comes in or it’s just a really busy night.
They’ve been there forever and if you ask, the waitress might tell you some cool stories about Bill Murray, who used to come in often.
Saludos, El Rey!

We were driving by on our way home from a work detail looking for something to eat and we stopped here. Perfectly quaint little mexican restaurant. They were empty at 1pm which isnt that strange in that area i guess. The place was super clean and the server was nice. Food came out in a timely manner and the shredded beef was delicious. If I were ever in the area again I might just stop by and add a margarita to my order!

New to area and fortunately El Rey is really quite good. Excellent service, 4 star margaritas, recommend the shrimp fajitas. Fireplace working on cold days, great outdoor patio with fountain and they allow dogs out there.
California Native