On the morning of my 46th birthday, I decided I wanted a good, hearty Mexican breakfast—the kind where, instead of being expensive and upscale, you can practically lick the grease off the griddle.
I turned to my girlfriend and said, “Let’s go to El Rey.”
Located at 4401 NW 23rd, Taqueria El Rey Family Restaurant #4 is one of my favorite spots in town. I’ve eaten here more times than I can remember but, in a selfish effort to keep it to myself, I’ve never written about it for this site.
But now, morbidly deciding it’s time to shine a flickering light on my personal tastes before I die, I figured I’d let you in on the secret. The only catch? You have to promise to leave a little something on the dedicated salsa bar.
My girlfriend and I arrived at around 9:00am, just before we went to Feria Latina for necessary birthday provisions. I gave them the order at the counter, and as they got started I filled my cup with their various juices, starting with the mango.
Typically, I don’t go for an appetizer before lunch or dinner, but since it was my special day, I started off with the good ol’ Breakfast Burrito ($6.25). Unlike the microwavable versions you might be used to, El Rey’s hasta mañana was a flour tortilla stuffed with eggs, cheese, potatoes, and breakfast meats.
Each bite brought a cloud of steam that momentarily fogged up my vision, reminding me this wasn’t fast food you cry over in your car. This was a sit-down, recalibrate, and purposefully devour-the-burrito kind of meal, possibly drenched in green salsa.
After filling my cup with tamarind juice, next up was a Mexican breakfast staple: Huevos Rancheros ($8.25). El Rey’s are truly tops, coming loaded hashbrowns, refried beans, rice, and an armload of fresh tortillas.
What can I say? The spicy huevos and plentiful hashbrowns are best when loaded into a tortilla, eaten taco-style. Even without the tortilla, it’s incredibly flavorful, and the beans and rice are far better than a sad bowl of cereal. Aye-aye-ai!
For my girlfriend, I gave a gift to her in the form of her new favorite breakfast dish: Machaca con Huevos ($8.75). This savory machaca is made from spiced beef that’s been dried, rehydrated, and cooked with eggs, onions, and peppers. It’s served with refried beans, rice, and of course, more tortillas.
Her taste buds practically exploded. The spiced beef, scrambled with eggs, onions, and peppers, was intoxicating—so much so that I had to steal a tortilla full for myself.
El Rey—“the King” in Spanish—really wears its royal crown well. While their lunch and dinner deserve their own write-up, the breakfasts alone are worth getting out of bed and driving to this taqueria.
Whether it’s your cumpleaños or just another day, you’ll be glad you did. Cómpralo ya!
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Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78.
