Alright, so I had this crazy idea and asked if my intern would like to eat grasshoppers one day and he agreed to it. So the last week of his internship, I had taken him out to this cart to seek some hopper quesadilla. It was around the holiday season and it was a battlefield out there with all the tourists getting in our way. After not trying to run over the tourists game, we've finally made it to the stand. We've ordered hopper quesadilla and I've ordered a chicken torta and he ordered a burrito. We were so excited we again went about dodging the tourists on our way back to the office. Finally got back and we ate our lunch. The hopper quesadilla was good. The grasshoppers were crunchy, dry and a bit too salty. It did go better with the guac and salsa. I was able to eat a few bites of it because I had prior experience with eating grasshoppers at another place, which I will go in details in the review on how I handled it. My intern actually really liked the hopper quesadilla and ate most of it. He even wanted to save it for dinner haha. We offered some to the interns and one brave soul did try it and thought it was okay. The other interns probably think I'm a weird supervisor lol. Oh as for my chicken torta, it was HUGE, pretty tasty, and pretty messy. The fillings of the torta kept falling out and I felt like a slob. I mean when we ate the hopper quesadilla the little legs and heads were falling out too, so I guess this was meant to be a messy lunch. We cleaned up the table really good, making sure we didn't leave any leg or head laying around or else they might call an exterminator to come in and shutdown our cafeteria lol. read more

El Rey Del Sabor - hopper quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - New York, New York

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Didn't live up to my expectation. The portion was huge for $9, but the meat was dry and cold, tortillas were stale. Beans were not good either, tasted undercooked. Also I got black beans instead of pinto beans, however I would much prefer to have some pinto beans. The enchiladas I got tasted like they have been sitting there for a while, even though I went to get my lunch at 12pm and the food was supposed to be fresh. I'm really disappointed at this food truck, maybe I'll give it a second try in a few months. read more

El Rey Del Sabor - Beef enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - New York, New York

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I don't know what the deal is with their hours of operation, but finding them on this corner - during normal hours - is always a gamble. I would say they're here about 70% of the time, and that 30% is large enough that it deters me from trying to come here. Wanting tacos and then having your hopes crushed and your dreams reduced to shambles by lunch is sometimes just too much to take. But in terms of al pastor tacos, this is pretty good and one of the best I've had in NYC (including sit-down establishments). My experience here has varied depending on who is manning the truck. The woman tends to skimp on the meat and the tortilla (only 1 per taco), while the man gives huge portions of meat and two tortillas per taco. The meat is decently marinated but lacks the char I feel is a critical component of a successful al pastor taco-eating experience. The (chicken) tamales are good, too! All in all, this is an awesome escape from the wasteland of lunchtime sandwich chains in midtown - when it's here. read more

Day 1: Having returned to the big city on Sunday from an amazing trip to Texas, where my diet consisted of nothing but tacos and Lone Star, I was already beginning to exhibit serious withdrawal symptoms. Crankiness, fatigue, anxiety, irritation. Your typical New York state of mind. This ailment, coupled with my boredom with my regular lunch spot (don't worry Cafe Duke, I mean that in the kindest possible way; you are my first love and will always be my number one), prompted me to Google (I mean Yelp) a taco stand to cure my ills. El Rey Del Sabor. This sounds perfect. But it's all the way on the East side! And it's 90 degrees! But I really, really, really need a taco. I put on my flip-flops and headed to the lobby. By the time I arrived at my destination I felt like I had just crawled across a sandy barren wasteland. Hey! This is my destination, isn't it? The taco cart IS NOT THERE!* Back to Cafe Duke, I suppose. Maybe there is something to be said for the faithful and devoted. Harrumph. Day 2: The situation had become dire. Crippled with hunger and cravings for spice, I even dreamt of dancing tacos last night. Worse, they were doing the two-step. Back to the street. This time I brought my friend Jim along. In my weakened state, my eyes couldn't be trusted. Luckily, El Rey Del Sabor has three locations, so this time we made our way to the cart at 43rd and 6th. Yay! IT'S HERE! The vendors couldn't have been more hospitable. And although they didn't have horchata (or Lone Star), I was completely delighted with my tacos, and even more delighted with Jim's chalupas, this two day adventure was worth every ounce of Midtown frustration and crazy taco dreams. When you go, be sure to bring your tacos to Bryant Park, where, if you're lucky, you can watch four adorable old-timers playing pétanque as you savor your delicious Mexican fare. * If you're like me and just read the address of the 49th Street location and looked no further, you'll probably never find it. If you do your homework, you will discover that there is indeed a cart at 49th and Park. read more

I know from first hand experience that El Rey can make a really good taco. And I also know that El Rey can make a really bad one too. I have had both. I first stopped by this 6th Avenue food cart about two weeks ago, and thought their beef taco was bordering on near perfect. The meat was tender, juicy, and lightly seasoned to perfection. The accompanying dressings and sauce were in just the right proportion. Four stars I thought to myself! Now, fast forward two weeks later, I drop by again, order not one, but two tacos and what a disaster. I go to the park, sit down, unwrap my package and find that I have two tacos with really tough, dry meat piled onto a double tortilla with only a dapple of sauce. What a disappointment the second time around, so I can only give two stars for the second. Consistency is important! read more

Oh taco Gods you have blessed me with the beloved moist taco that I long for. Juicy, wet and tender. A squirt of secret sauce on the taco takes me to ecstasy. Try to slowly savor each tasty but you cannot control your hunger and devour them in a blissful trance. Wipe your mouth on your arm and dive in for round two. Two minutes later you are done, looking for a smoke. A nap is not far off. $2.50 a round. Make sure to get the Lengua and Pastor. Splash the Salsa Verde (Chipotle was tasty too) and some Cojilla cheese on them. . read more

Great little food truck that's typically located on 43rd and 6th Ave. It's definitely authentic (especially by New York's standards), and while I'm a huge fan of al pastor, I would recommend the chorizo first, and then the spicy pork. In true Mexican fashion, they serve their tacos with onion and cilantro and will ask if you want hot or mild sauce. They also heat up the tortillas on the cooktop with a little bit of oil, and their tortillas are very quality corn. read more

Good salty beef torta, a messy lunch but a delicious one also.

I freakin love this truck. I have never eaten food from any other food truck before them since I am always a little weary of the food being very safe but this food is fantastic. I usually get the chicken tacos, and they are so good. Just be aware that adding guacamole will cost about .50 cents extra. The chicken quesadilla is also fantastic. The spicy sauce that he puts on top just takes it to the next level. I also had the chicken torta once, which was good but those tacos are the best. The chicken empanada is also good but it's not the best I've had. I can't comment on any of the beef or pork since I don't eat either. read more

I grabbed a few tacos at El Rey Del Sabor this afternoon at around 1pm. Wound up waiting on line for about 5 minutes before ordering up my meal. I only tried 2 of the carne asada (beef) and 1 of the al pastor (spicy pork) tacos. I loved that they served them on corn tortillas and not flour ones. I also loved that they served them with onions, cilantro, and a bit of hot salsa. However, I wasn't a fan of the dollop of guac that laid upon my tacos. I'm not a fan of guac on traditional Mexican tacos. The beef could have been a bit more tender. I blame that on the fact that the pieces of beef were a little too large and should have been cut into smaller portions. The tacos al pastor were pretty much right on - minus of course the guac. All in all I thought my meal was good, not great, but definitely good. I'll be back in the future I'm sure... especially on a beautiful day like today when I can people watch the tourists from a nice little seat in Times Square. For $7.50 ($2.50 a taco) I was completely stuffed. In the future I'll probably just settle on two tacos instead of three. read more

If you want Mexican food with NO FLAVOR this is your place. I would save your money and go somewhere else. No hot sauce and no flavor in my chicken quesadilla. The guacamole is also sub par unfortunately. read more

Best Mexican I've had in NYC, and I can say that honestly living in CA now. It's just a cart, but the food is way bigger than what you get at Chipotle and cheaper. The burrito (carne asada) is huge and flavorful. If you want good hearty Mexican, go here. You won't regret it. Always wanted to try the tongue, as I heard it was very popular, but alas, never got a chance. read more

This isn't quite as good as the Mexican food carts in, say, Jackson Heights, but I'll take it. Great veggie tacos for a reasonable $2.50, excellent hot sauce. Side note: someone please open up some decent food carts west of 7th Ave. read more

I order from here once a week. Quick and yummy! I tend to order the chicken platter with guacamole.

One of my absolute go-to midtown gems. Great tacos, enchiladas, chalupas in great prices. Chorizo and al pastor tacos properly dressed in cilantro and chopped onions - you won't be disappointed. read more

Was in search of something a little different than the typical midtown lunch and this food truck hit the spot! Originally ordered the beef Torta but when it came time to add the meat, the guy asked if I wanted pork instead, which he said was much more flavorful. When the cook speaks, I listen, and glad I did. Perfectly toasted buttery bread, plenty of (flavorful and juicy) meat, lettuce, black beans, tomato, guacamole and as requested, hot sauce, made for an extremely satisfying, albeit messy, lunch. I would note that there is nothing really healthy about it and there was a fair amount of shame standing there waiting for my torta as the Chop't customers exited nearby with their perfectly manicured salads, but it was well worth it. I'll definitely be back at some point. read more

I jokingly call this place MESSY TACO because by the time I get back to the office my bag is dripping and by the time I'm done eating I need to get out the industrial cleaner for my desk. But that's a good thing, right? You don't want your tacos to be not be overflowing. I recently had a vegetarian taco, or actually several, and I was just SWIMMING in taco. I was able to skip going to gym. Which was also due to the hot sauce which I believe is derived from the chipotle, at least the canned, smoked ones. This is my idea of health food, for sure. read more

Not bad, I'm sure not everything is equal. Burrito was fine, but constructed poorly. Flavor was there but not amazing. Convenience to taste to price to location wise, this isn't bad. You can do better, you can do much worse. read more

Too salty, got spicey pork torta. The food was ok, greasy, tasty but not so cheap for cart food. Not sure if I'll get anything here again.

I work a block away from this cart and El Rey Del Sabor is probably the best taco truck in town (unless you know differently!). The food is flavorful (They are the king of flavor right!?) and spicy! The guys working the cart are friendly and they make all the food to order right in front of you. I ordered 3 chalupas, rice and beans all for the good price of $7.00. The chalupas, well, they weren't really chalupas. Chalupas are supposed to be thin and crunchy but really they gave me regular taco tortillas. So what I really got were 3 tacos and rice and beans. They're a little skimpy on the meat but everything together was filling. Rice and beans? Well....they were rice and beans, same old boring stuff you get anywhere else. For 7 bucks as a midtown lunch, can't say I can complain.....even if they weren't real chalupas! read more

For a food truck I'd say it was alright but definitely affordable. I tried their chicken quesadilla but the chicken was a bit dry. I also wasn't aware they smother the top with salsa, guac and sour cream. It was overbearing. I would have gotten it on the side if I was told they blobbed it on top. I'd like to come by again soon and try their tacos as they seem to be a bigger hit on yelp. read more

Really good and cheap empanadas and tamales! I usually get the chicken tamales or the beef or chicken empanadas. Love them all but prefer tamales to feel slightly healthier since they're not fried. Just make sure you don't go too late before they sell out. Only downfall is they're not always there. Everyone I've dealt with is super friendly and nice. read more

So I had a craving for tacos de lengua out of the blue. I went to yelp and found the El Rey Del Sabor taco stands near the office. Score! The guy at the grill was working hard, but still managed a smile. What great customer service. Too bad the taco was only mediocre. I expected lengua to be tender, but it was a bit dry. Sauce was bland. I guess I'll have to look elsewhere for a good taco. Why is Midtown such a desert for cheap and good Mexican food? read more

This is more of a 2.5-3 Star review Food: 3 / 5 Service: 4 / 5 Value: 2 / 5 Food: Tried the chicken enchilada, and don't have any really big complaints. They could have cooked the store-bought enchilada shells a bit longer, as they still had a weird raw-ish taste. The chicken itself and the sauce were not unpleasant, but neither did the combination really stand out. The light squeeze of sour cream and dusting of Mexican cheese didn't add much richness or fight any of the heat being so sparse. Rice and beans on the side, not a whole lot in terms of flavor, but not bad either. All in all I'd say the food is adequate. Service: Nice and friendly enough, but there was no line, so no idea if the service/speed is any good when there's no rain and some length of line. Street Value: for $8 I was certainly expecting a bit more in terms of portion size and quality of product. Considering you can get more noteworthy food, in bigger portions, for less money, the value really isn't there. read more

I eat at this truck every few weeks, since it is around the corner from me. Authentic tacos. I think chicken is better than all other flavors; beef was a bit tough and underseasoned. But it's legit for NYC. read more

They make a terrific Pork Torta. One of the very best in a town that is not known for great Mexican Food. Make sure you get it with the Chipotle Sauce. The tongue is also braised to perfect tenderness and can be ordered as a Torta or Taco. They also serve a wide variety of other Mexican specialties, such as Huaraches, Sopes. Upon occasion they have even offered Chapulines (grasshoppers) to the more adventurous nosher. Their menu is surprisingly more diverse than some brick and mortar places. There are other carts and trucks that get more press attention in the city like Calexico and Mexicue, but I think the food here is not just more authentic, it is simply tastier. read more

I decided to try el rey del sabor today after reading the reviews below and I ordered a few tacos al pastor but in all honesty I've had better. The hot sauce was spicy and it either overpowered the 'pastor' or the pastor had no flavor, that's not to say the hot sauce was unbearable but that's all I tasted. they did heat up the tortillas properly which in my opinion is the first step to a great taco... at least they got that part right. Oh I almost forgot... I asked for the green sauce but got red instead.... minor details... read more

Anyone know where this cart went? Been eating there once a week or more and then 3ish weeks ago it disappeared.

Best tacos in the area. I tried the soft pork and salty beef. They were amazing. I'm sold