It's been a while since I have dined there but noticed I did not leave one the last time, so I visited again this afternoon, Droved over this afternoon while we were waiting for a repair man to work on a leak in one of our bathrooms. Got there around 1:30 pm and was a bit surprised. Based on the number in cars in the parking lot, I expected a less than full house. Not sure where they parked but restaurant had a very good lunch crowd. Walked in and was immediately seated and my server took my drink order. I just ordered my regular Unsweetened Tea with Lemon. Before I ordered, I asked if I could substitute beans for the rice. Funny thing being that while I was raised in the South, never acquitted a taste for rice. Was told I could which is what I expected so I went ahead and ordered. For my main, I ordered a Steak Quesadilla Fajitas along with the beans in question and Crema Salad. Did not have to wait long before it was brought to my table. Started with the customary Nacho Chips and Salsa. Nice bit of heat but not overpowering. Portions are generous and the food is excellent, Nice and hot right out of the over. The Steak Quesadilla Fajita was excellent thought a bit greasy. The beans were very good and not cooked to a mush and the Crema Salad was nice and fresh. I took a little of the Salsa along with a bit of my Salad added it on top of the Quesadillas. Made a nice compliment to each other. My server was excellent and did a great job. She was there whenever I needed her and out of sight when she was not. This restaurant in tucked into a little strip mall next to a Food Lion. Very clean and well organized and from what I could see, very well managed. Will be back to try other things on the menu in the near future. read more

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We ordered to go and would 100% order again!! Food travelled well, and would love to have a sit down experience, too!

The food here is cheaper than most mexican restaurants, however, the chicken on the fajitas comes in the form of the small skinny, half of a pink finger length. The portion size is alright. Despite the size of the chicken being small, the food was still tasty. The servers are quick and friendly. The interior is nicely decorated and cozy. read more

Worst beef burrito I've ever had. Not sure what discount store they bought this canned sauce from but it was completely gross. The sweet tea is good. read more

El Rey Mexican Restaurant - Beef Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Lincolnton, North Carolina

Food was good service was very fast and great environment the queso Is really good but I didn't really like the chips read more

El Rey Mexican Restaurant - The fajitas were very good the chicken was like small pieces the sweet tea is very sweet and amazing - Mexican Near Me - Lincolnton, North Carolina

Had lunch here with my parents and brother the food was pretty good and affordable. If you're looking for affordable and good food try them out . read more

We eat here alot because the food is good and the prices are good. I will say I have to agree with alot of the other customers on the to go orders and how they are packaged. Also the girl who checks you out is so rude, not just occasionally but every single time. Friendly staff and a revised packaging strategy will help El Reys go far! We love the food! read more

My goodness, this is truly an authentic Mexican experience. The food is the bombdiggity. Simple as that. The service is swift and efficient. Get there early or on time when they open or there will be a wait. It's delicious, highly recommend. read more

Greeted quickly,taken to our seat. Chips and salsa arrived immediately. Drink order taken promptly. Husband got pina colada (really good and creamy). I tried the Victoria beer highly recommend. We spilt the El Rey nachos also very good. Atmosphere was typical Mexican style restaurant. We got there early but it got busy fast. read more

El Rey Mexican Restaurant - Victoria beer was really good! Give it a try - Mexican Near Me - Lincolnton, North Carolina

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This place has great food. When ordering Togo, your order is prepared pretty fast. The only problem I have is the front staff are consistently rude. I have ate here close to 10 times now, always ordering Togo. They hardly ever repeat your order over the phone and are in a hurry to hang up. When you are there, they act like serving you is the worst thing in the world, even if you are extremely polite to them. I'm a nurse, I serve people for a living, and even when they are rude to me I serve them with a smile. The Togo/checkout experience is just terrible. read more

Food is good..staff is pleasant prices are average. We go a few times a year. It does need an overhaul for cleaning.

Stopped for an early dinner and it was great! Pleasant attentive service. We both ordered fajitas and they were delicious. Top shelf margaritas set the pace for a relaxing experience! Absolutely, HUGE portions!! I had the Fajita Vallarta and it was awesome. The coconut sprinkled on top was actually delish! Their guacamole is very tasty and fresh! read more

El Rey Mexican Restaurant - Fajita Vallarta - Mexican Near Me - Lincolnton, North Carolina

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El Rey is on top of the list of my favorite Mexican restaurants. I think the secret is out because I can honestly say I have never had to wait longer than a few minutes to dine at any Mexican restaurant and on my most recent visit to El Rey, the wait was 20 minutes and they are operating at full capacity. The menu is extensive. I can easily make a meal of the Queso Fundido appetizer. The service is quick and efficient and the staff is always friendly. I have loved everything I have ever ordered from here. read more

El Rey Mexican Restaurant - Fajitas! YUM - Mexican Near Me - Lincolnton, North Carolina

Food was really good . The people serving us were rude and not friendly at all . Never clean our table when we finished with our plate . When leaving asked for drink Togo and just got attitude. Won't be back there ! read more

Typical Mexican restaurant, I ordered the enchiladas supreme, very good and huge portions

Food and service are always great. My wife and I eat here at leat once a week. There are a few times it gets busy, but food and extras are always top notch. read more

Food is always good. Large servings. As of service I always get it to go but they are very nice at check out. The ambiance is very nice.

Restaurant is a pleasure to visit. It wasn't too crowded and/or noisy. The background music was not harsh, but pleasant. Server and host was prompt. Food was delivered in a reasonable amount of time and delicious. It was actually more than I expected, but was worth the price. This is a great place for a date night. read more

El Rey Mexican Restaurant - Nachos Fajitas- steak - Mexican Near Me - Lincolnton, North Carolina

Great value for the price. Lunch specials are huge and food is fresh cooked to order. Nothing special in terms of flavors but well done. Lots of menu options for vegetarians as well as meat eaters. read more

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This used to be my favorite restaurant in town a few years back. Now I'm not sure if they've changed management or what, but everything has gone downhill. The food is pretty good, but the service - both dine in and to-go - is terrible. I physically went to the restaurant tonight after trying to call at least 10 times and no one picked up the phone. So I went in, waited 5 minutes for someone to acknowledge I had come in, and then placed an order. There were folks waiting for pick up orders and others dining in, and only two women running the whole show. This isn't their fault, it's the fault of management that the whole place is understaffed. 15 minutes later I come back, and it's the same scenario. When I finally get my order and get home, the top of one of the containers had completely collapsed and food and juice had spilled all in the bag. Like another poster mentioned, the way they package to-go orders is horrible. And this has happened to me multiple times with their to-go orders. The cherry on top is that the food was cold. I'm sad because I used to love this place, but it has gone so downhill I think our family is done with them. We have come back again and again, and each time it's the same problems. read more

El Rey Mexican Restaurant - Chicken Milanesa - Mexican Near Me - Lincolnton, North Carolina

Solid Mexican fare in Lincolnton. Service was great and the drinks were large and refilled as needed. Food was good, I had a combo with a taco and chicken quesadilla and refried beans. My chicken quesadilla and beans were really good. My taco had a taco shell that was stale and the meat was not very flavorful. They did, however, put a lot of cheese on it. Chips and Salsa were great as was the cheese dip. We'll be back. read more

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So I have been here quite a few times on my visits from California. Never had issue until tonight with a waitress who really didn't want to be there. Started mouthing off to my daughter in law and when my daughter tried to talk to the Mgr. This girl started mouthing off with name calling and profanity. I left a tip way less the I should have and I feel bad about leaving her anything at all because she didn't deserve anything. So good luck El rey, we won't be back... read more

El Rey is a Tex-Mex styled restaurant. It was very busy the night we went (a Thursday). The table was not very clean when we were seated. Three people brought food and beverages to our table, one of which was our server. They forgot parts of our order, but fixed it. We had appetizers, runny cheese dip and pico, then I had carnitas, which were good, but they brought me flour instead of corn tortillas. I just gave up at that point. They did have drink specials with a full bar, and the margs were good. Pro tip, pay at the register instead of pay your server, that took a minute to realize after dinner. I might try a second time down the road, wondering if this was just a super busy evening or new/inexperienced wait staff. read more

Amazing flavorful food! The Alambre is wonderful: steak, chicken and bacon together in a sizzling pot with bell peppers, onions, cheese, spices---WOW! Served with rice, beans, guacamole salad, and tortillas for $15, enough for two people. read more

Food is decent. My issue is with the service and staff they have, time and time again I get sat with rude waiters as well as the woman that checks you out after you are finished, very unprofessional. read more

Service is horrible. Our food was made wrong and at 8:45 they said too bad we are closed. We want correct your food or serve anymore drinks. We always enjoyed going here but no more read more

What a great little Mexican restaurant! Not only do they have an extensive menu but the food was on the table before we knew it. The waitstaff were very friendly and accommodating too. It is rare today to go into a restaurant that you never visited and everything is perfect. We will be back with family and friends. June 22 2019. Dinner for two. Molcajette de mar and shrimp burrito's. The Molcajette could have fed four people. Very friendly wait staff. Another five star visit. read more

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Service and food very good. Prices are great ! Clean place. Large variety on food to pick from.

I eat here once a month.Tried a lot of different entrees,never had anything I didn't enjoy.

Great food and great prices. My Hispanic bf lives in Charlotte and everytime he comes over to my place he wants to go to el Rey's. He says it's the best Mexican restaurant he knows of. read more

I have been to El Rey several times trying to give it a chance. Drinks are terrible, food has no flavor, service is not that great. Glad there is a new Mexican place in town! read more

Great food. Served a huge amount for a great price. The service from the staff is good and the ambiance is good too.

This place seemed better before COVID hit. Service and food quality seem to have gone down. Hopefully they get it together and make a comeback read more

Food, and service was amazing. There were 14 people at our table and we had our good within 20 minutes. Couldn't recommend this place more.

Large plates. Fast service. $1.00 tacos on Mondays with drink purchase. The tacos are stuffed with ground beef or shredded chicken. Full bar with daily beer and sometimes mixed drink specials on weekdays. Friendly fast staff takes great care of you. Several flat screens showing soccer and sports. Multiple visits and really don't have anything to complain about. read more

The 1 star is not for the food, the food really is about a 3.5 out of 5. The 1 star is for how they package the to go orders. They always try to pack everything into 1 bag and today when we placed a to go order everything spilled over onto the floor board or the pickup. If you are ordering for 3 or more MAKE them take everything out and put it into 2 bags. There is no excuse to force that many orders into 1 bag. Now I have to clean my vehicle due to the poor packaging. read more

This is probably my favorite restaurant in general, very good services with excellent staff and fantastic food. The food is very affordable and very quick to your table hot and ready. If your a big eater I would highly recommend their Fajita El Rey. read more

Amazing carnitas!!! Perfectly flavored with bits of fat accompanying the meat. We also ordered the steak burritos fajitas(fajitas wrapped in a burrito drizzled in queso), which came with lots of fresh lettuce. Everything was well flavored. Found this gem during a road trip to Asheville. read more

Used to be such a great place to eat. The food was always great, but the service has gone way, way down to the point I won't even eat there anymore. read more

Yep...! My favorite in the Lincolnton/Hickory/Morganton/Statesville area... Have not had the chance to try many in Gastonia (none that I can rave about) so I will leave them off. Been @5-6 times now and can honestly say this is the best in the area! Don't agree? Please let me know who is better; I will head there in a wag of a finger! When I go someplace new, I order the guacamole first... if it's good (I mean really good because I make a mean guacamole) I will order off the menu. If the meal is good I will return and give it another go... and if the results are as good or better, I will start talking about em' Now; El Rey... please don't screw this up!!! Keep up the good work cause I will keep coming back and talking about you but, if you start dropping the ball (much like I did with Mi Pueblo in Statesville) I'll downgrade you and express my disappointment...! Cheers read more