Ha! 30 minutes after ordering the server came back to tell me they were "out" of what I ordered. She explained they are "just a bar" and the food comes from a nearby cafe. Next time I'll go to the cafe. Maybe. Otherwise it's a loud bar with loud people. And my dinner companions were really not thrilled with their bland dinner. read more

We went when it was super busy (my employee's band was playing). Despite the crowd, the servers were on point. We had the taquitos appetizer- tasted home made! El Rey Cadillac Margarita was great as well. We will be back! read more

El Rey Cantina - El Rey Cadillac- yum-o! - Mexican Near Me - Camarillo, California

We were having a great time when all of a sudden the music was pulled mid song and the soccer game was blasted so loud we could barely talk. The announcers were screaming in Spanish it was totally unnecessary. We asked if they could put the music back on and were told "No, they're going to keep the game". The service was not great at all. We were waiting 15-20 minutes on drink orders and even longer for her to come check on us to get them ordered. It was bottled beer, nothing fancy. She was very nice, but she either needed more help or more focus. The food is different every time we go. it's not prepared to match the description on the menu. I was hoping this would be our new spot, but sadly we won't be back. it was definitely the soccer blasting that killed it for us. read more

Some changes, but really enjoyed happy hour, they have a live band who plays really excellent old-school music (Soul Machine I think), and the place was packed just for the band. read more

We went to see live music by Soul Machine. I had no expectations as to the band or this restaurant, but was very pleasantly surprised. The food was delicious, they had some good bourbons (and bourbon ice squares!) and vegetarian selections. They even had my very favorite beer on draft. The band was superb as well. Will definitely go back. read more

We came for Bloody Mary bar (unfortunately they did t have it today) luckily it was happy hour all day and Elvis band the blue moon boys, they were awesome. Food and drinks were great, service friendly but a little slow read more

See all

We finally tried this local treasure. We found fantastic street tacos, a wonderful El Rey wet burrito and amazing guacamole! Plenty of vegan options too! Not to mention great margaritas! This place has a very casual, relaxed vibe that feels very welcoming. The staff is all very helpful and friendly. We will gladly return very soon. read more

Plate was hot to the point my girlfriend burnt herself... food wasnt even hot horrible service we will never comeback again! everything seemed frozen. Server almost never checked on us. 5 dollars for fries?? read more

We have tried this place multiple times and each time gets worse and worse. They're glasses are filthy. One time I came and there was bright red lipstick on my glass (I wasn't wearing any lipstick), the waiter brought me another glass and that one has lipstick on it as well. Another time they brought out my beer in a goblet and there was tajin in my cup along with grease droplets on the outside of the glass. I asked for a different drink and they brought an empty glass with tajin on the glass as well and they said "they're all like this"........disgusting. They started charging $3 for chips and salsa. We had to walk to the bar and get our own napkins. This is the typical service we get when we come. I would not recommend this restaurant. read more

El Rey Cantina - Mexican Near Me - Camarillo, California

See all

There were four of us that went to El Rey on Sunday Jan 15 to see a band. We ordered from the Happy Hour Menu (which is all day Sunday), on separate checks. When it came time to pay, one person was overcharged $6. Not good. We sent the check back for correction, got the right amount. The second check came, and we were OVERCHARGED AGAIN, this time by $20!! I sent that check back for correction, and the "corrected" check came back with still an overcharge! Absolutely ridiculous. We are not going back. Watch your wallet and double check your bill if you want to try this place. read more

This place is delicious! I've eaten here 3x and all three times I've had a great experience. The chips, salsa, & guacamole are delicious, the food is amazing. I love the atmosphere of this laid back loungesque cantina. Great service & vibe! read more

El Rey Cantina - a bowl of food on a table - Mexican Near Me - Camarillo, California

Great service , friendly Well priced Great bar and cocktails Live Music a little loud but that's ok Great time Great atmosphere and really cool decor read more

I was just at this cantina on Saturday with the wedding party we were about 20 people. I could tell the waitress was a little overwhelmed in the beginning but she handled everything with ease. We took a lot of her time but she was very friendly and patient with us! The shots and alcohol were so good. A little strong for some but the majority of us thought they were great! We had nachos, elote, wings and carne asada fries. The food was great and so fresh! We will definitely go back when in town again. read more

El Rey Cantina - The ceiling of the bar - Mexican Near Me - Camarillo, California

Carnitas tacos were good I recommend getting Cassandra as a server if you can she is very attentive and response and professional

Extremely rude server. Not ok to yell at us. Also they are scamming by overcharging on happy hour items. Charging full price on Sunday happy hour all day items. Tried to correct the bill several times. Overcharged our table by $26.00. The first time it happened, we thought ok it was an accident but the 3rd time we knew it was a scheme. A lady in my party (who is a bartender at another bar) told her she knew that game, the staff became hostile. When the woman in our party told the waitress that her full breast was showing (had come out of her shirt & yes you could see her nipple and kids were around), she responded by saying the lady in my party was rude and said she can never come back. They gave her the bill and was overcharged by $6. We had to embarrassingly wait while they fixed the bill. Then we (on a separate check) didn't get our bill. We waited and waited. She also forgot about my drink so I didn't eat my spicy food I got because I had no drink left. So even though they kicked out one lady in my party, we couldn't leave without our bill. So we all had to sit there while she had tears in her eyes apologizing. I had not been able to have lunch with this woman in a restaurant in 6 years, and this is how the reunion went. We were overcharged on our own bill by $20. We tried correcting it twice. It was still wrong so we just left the amount of cash that we felt was correct, too scared to leave a credit card in their possession for fear of over charging or fraud. The band was SO loud that we couldn't hear each other at all. There was a toddler at the bar! Not near the bar, actually belly to the bar. That will definitely be reported to ABC, and we will never go back there! Pic of receipt for proof. Been living in Cam 23 years and have never been kicked out of any restaurant ever. I was polite the entire time. The staff needs training big time. read more

El Rey Cantina - Incorrect charges - Mexican Near Me - Camarillo, California

I phoned in an order for chicken fajitas to go. I picked up my food and it was done when they said it was going to be. The lady that took my order and took my payment was very nice. The food was delicious and carefully packaged. read more

I like El Rey Cantina. Compared to the French Bulldog, my friends and I came here afterwards and this place was more of a cray cray happy hour spot. The decor is really eye-catching with a bunch of random vintage stuff and the place doesn't get crowded so it felt like it was just only us :D Drinks are reasonably priced here and they range from $4-$9. I ordered a PBR for $3 and a bottle of Corona is $5. I also had a vodka and juice well drink and that was VERY strong. I haven't tried their food but one of my friends ordered a quesadilla and that looked pretty good. The service as pretty fast for food and drinks which I definitely liked :) I regret not ordering any food actually because I got really badrunkadrunk at the end of the night lol They play some cool salsa music that my friend and I danced to but the employees encouraged us to dance more toward the spacious dance floor than between the high tables lol :P Good times here for a place to get ratchet haha ;D read more

El Rey Cantina - Vodka and juice? Regardless, it was a VERY strong drank! - Mexican Near Me - Camarillo, California

Great service and great food. One of the best place to go in Oxnard, CA. The carnitas is very taisty.

The service is always good here but the waiter we had tonight was great! So polite and on top of it. Used to love going here to watch Thursday night football... Now I only enjoy taco Tuesday with limited patio seating. The taco prices went up but the margaritas are still strong! All the tacos are pretty good. Heard they had all you can eat too on certain days. Hopefully we can get back in there soon to watch some football and drink schooners! read more

Wonderful! Food, ambiance, music, drinks, customers, all is great about this place!! read more

Nachos were too plain. Fish tacos did not taste fresh. Took us 30 + minutes to even get acknowledged by the waitress and another 30 min to get our drinks. I was charged for 2 beers that never made it to the table. I decided not to leave a tip because of the bad services and long wait. Come to find out my card was charged, an extra $20 dollars that I did not authorize will never go back. read more

El Rey is a classic but has slipped so far. Cool feeling inside but that's about where it seems to end. We orders the carne asada plate to split and it was the thinnest driest most unseasoned inedible piece of meat I've ever been served. The beans were undercooked and unseasoned and the rice was unseasoned as well. We don't send food back for a variety of obvious reason so I'll just never go back. Drinks were okay but way way overpriced. My wife ordered a Patron margarita and they charged her for a patron plus a whole margarita so it came out to $24 which seems insane. Service was fine but not great. Save your money and eat at home - just get Taco Bell and a handle of Costco Margarita for $7 and you'll be much happier read more

Great Service and their food has really improve from last year to today. Their wings were very tasty and the street tacos so full of flavor. Love their service Daniela was very pleasant and has a great charismatic attitude even under staffed. read more

El Rey Cantina - Yummy drinks - Mexican Near Me - Camarillo, California

Came here on a Sunday afternoon before Cavalia. The place had a few patrons but, was pretty quiet and mellow. It took our waitress about ten-fifteen minutes to bring us a menu. We immediately ordered drinks as we were in a rush. It took her an additional fifteen minutes to come back and asked for our drink orders.... we looked at her in disbelief, and told her once again what we had ordered. We ordered the chilaquiles and the breakfast sandwich thing. Along with food, we ordered the bottomless mimosas as it was $16 per person. The chilaquiles were beyond disgusting! Served with mildly warm enchilada sauce. Little to no cheese and sour cream. The dish was disgusting and boring. My friend enjoyed her breakfast sandwich, no backlash on that. The young lady was nice, but she just took forever! There was a point where my friend wasn't finished with her mimosa but asked for another one so by the time she was finished it would be there. The waitress had yet to bring the mimosas due to the fact that she was waiting for the glass? Okay! One glass per customer. There was also a young man helping, he was truly charming and cane through when our waitress was no where to be found. The establishment is pretty cute, the way it's decorated and all, but the service and food was extremely terrible. read more

I only come here on Taco Tuesday and the last time I visited I thought to myself- man this place has really gone down hill. The service more than anything isn't the greatest. My friend and I had to stand around and wonder if we had to seat ourselves and then once we were finally seated it took about 30 minutes until anyone even acknowledged us. Out of all of their tacos their carnitas are the ones with the best flavor. Even their habanero sauce (which used to be my favorite) is watery, lacking in flavor and is NOT SPICY at all (where did the habanero kick go?) . My favorite margarita is the "El Flaco" which includes tequila, fresh lime juice, agave nectar and a splash of soda water. It's surprisingly stronger than a regular margarita without all of the added sugar and calories. Their chips and salsa are just sad. The salsa has not flavor and the chips are too greasy and bland. Final thoughts- will I frequent this place again? Probably, since it's one of the only few places that still offer Taco Tuesday deals on Tuesdays. Will it be often? Most likely not! But, I am always optimistic that restaurants will take their customer's recommendations and complaints into account and strive to make it better. Hoping for the best because this place really has potential to be as great as it once was! read more

Wow.. What a find.. My neighbor bright me here and I must say this is my new hangout. Friendly wait staff and customers.. You need a mood changer.. Ask for it read more

El Rey Cantina - Great tacos... You also need to ask for a "mood changer" - Mexican Near Me - Camarillo, California

One of my favorite Mexican restaurants in Camarillo. The food and the drinks are great and the service is too! They have great happy hour specials and daily specials as well. Their salsa is fantastic and they are very generous on the refills. You can dine inside the restaurant or people watch as you eat on the patio. It's a fun atmosphere and cool place to make friends with fellow patrons. We come here pretty often and never have an issue getting a table. read more

Since the new ownership the service has gone downhill. Came in last Sunday and literally we were the the only ones in there with three or four servers standing in the back texting on their phones. I had to go up to ask for service, they brought menus did not even ask for a drink had to get back up and ask for a drink. As other people came in the same thing happened, and in fact, customers had to wipe off their own tables. This is not the first time this is happened, and the only reason we stayed was because of the music otherwise I would never go back. It used to be a regular for me. Once we finally ordered our food and drinks and food came first and had to ask again for the drinks. This now seems to be coming from this place as I read other reviews and listen to people talk. I hope they can get their act together. read more

I like to go here for Taco Tuesdays. $1 Taco's and $3 Corona's. It's a great bar to hang out with friends, and occasionally meet knew ones. Diverse crowd. Sometimes incredibly busy, sometimes rather quiet, I sit at the bar, get great service all the time and I definitely enjoy the good food. read more

We used to come here often for taco Tuesdays. We came again today and it was a disaster we arrived about 11:50, and they didn't take our orders until 12:15. We didnt receive our drinks, chips, and salsa until 12:45. We still havent received our food, and we are trying to get our stuff to go, but everyone on staff just seems confused. This is the last time we come here. Update: Its now 1:15 and we were handed our food as we walked out the door. read more

Kind of weird this place tries shoving politics down people's throats with anti newsom flyers at every table. No one was wearing a mask including staff handling food. Service was so slow and food came piping hot (I burnt my tongue). Not an authentic Mexican restaurant and I definitely won't be returning. read more

Food is average. No Dessert options, No steak fajitas, limited food options and healthy options

Food is good enough, but I was very excited to come for trivia and margaritas. My team has won trivia several times now and they give us a gift card, which is a great prize...if you could use it! For the last several weeks they say their gift card reader is broken and they don't know when it will be fixed. WHAT?!!!! You give out gift cards but can't use them? You'd think they'd have an alternative way of reading the card but apparently not. Just seems very sketchy. Also, they could use more servers because we barely get to see a server and have to keep reminding them to bring stuff we asked for, but I guess this is a problem everywhere right now. Overall just a disappointing experience but trivia's fun. read more

Went here during a UFC fight last night and had the most fun we have had in a while. The bar was crowded and busy. There was a live band playing rock oldies. Issac was our server and we really loved him. He took care of us with a smile on his face even though it was a full house and we knew how busy he was. read more

Limited food choices, mixed drinks not very good. Way too loud and service was not good. Manager had son working there and was catering to him and not the customers. read more

This place was ok at most. The food was hot and fresh, however it was bland to me. My waitress Hailey sucked. She didn't follow up once our food came and instead of checking on if we needed anything she was in the corner on her phone. There was a gentleman who was great as far as servicing us, I just hate that I didn't get his name. The homemade chips and salsa was really good. I got a pomegranate/ grapefruit drink. It was a 7.5/10. I really liked the ambiance and the vibe. read more

DO NOT COME HERE: EVER!!!!!! Thy have Absolutely no clue as to what Mexican food is their menu is a joke their waitresses are pathetic the place is pathetic it takes way too long to get your food and the beer is not even good I don't even know how people still keep coming to this place I recommend for you to go somewhere else this place blows blows blows the service is not even good there is no WOW factor here at all!!! NO HOMEMADE SALSA!!????? Tapatio????? WHAT JOKE!!!! It's like going to a bar and eating frozen dinners and being in North Dakota!!!!! Hire some MEXICAN waitresses and change your menu !!! Coming from true MEXICANs !! El REY?? EL JOKE!!!!! You suck -!!!!!! No MEXICAN music ???? El REY sang by legends such as Vicente Fernandez!!! THIS PLACE IS PATHETIC!!!!!!!!!!!! Laina, we never ever got offered your homemade salsa your chips were horrible your appetizers were horrendous!!!! There was absolutely no wow factor to your place at all at all we wanted to pay and get the hell out of there immediately. We ended up going down the street to a corner business and had some appetizers beer wine and shots with absolutely amazing service ever we paid over $200 just there and that we just got an amazing tip that just shows you how it is so important to be so connected to your employees and to your customers you should be ashamed of yourself if you were there you should've come to each table and introduce yourself you have a very very bad service very bad business you shouldn't last very long sorry but it's the truth read more

Went there today to have lunch with a friend while I waited for my daughter to finish an appointment. If I said this was the worst experience I've had at a restaurant it would be too generous. I understand Covid makes things a bit tough so I had this in mind when I sat down. Side note they weren't even that busy to be able to explain this non-sense. 3:00 pm ~ sat at my table of choice 3:02 pm ~ owner comes over and takes my drink order 3:03 pm ~ another customer rolls in with a dog chilling hard af in a stroller 3:30 pm ~ still no drank, stroller lady already mad as hell because where tf is her drank? 3:45 pm ~ still no drank but they finally took our food order, stroller lady already talked some sh*t, canceled order and left 4:00 pm ~ still no drank, no food and my dumb ass is still sitting here "being patient" 4:15 pm ~ I'm not sure why we had to remind them we ordered food annnnd drinks but there we were. 4:20 pm ~ food shows up, still no drank and the server's fly was open in my face while he sat the plate down. Nothing like a side of draws with your asada fries. 4:30 pm ~ after deciding choking to death because of no drank was not going to be a good look, I went inside to ask for water only to find they are serving people INSIDE when they shouldn't be. These folks are all eating and drinking while we dumb asses sitting outside ... 4:40 pm ~ remaining item I ordered showed up aaaannnnndddd no drank!!! Asked server to just pack it up so we could leave. Why did he come back to the table with the food boxed but no check? Sir can we get the check? 4:45 pm ~ check comes and I go inside to pay because they probably would never have come back. 4:50 pm ~ while still standing there waiting for my card open fly server appears from the shadow behind the bar, bare hand grabs a lemon wedge and threw it on a napkin to give to a customer. Worst part about this is the owner didn't seem to care as she was busy behind the bar laughing and drinking with the customers that were sitting inside at the bar. Then to add insult to injury people that showed up after this train wreck service got their drinks right away. I still don't have a drink. read more

Great food, atmosphere and an infectiously kind and happy owner. Would love to return!

The food here is killer. They also have CBD no sugar added drinks which is awesome if you aren't drinking. Thanks for the awesome tacos to the kitchen crew and chef read more