“ There food is amazing !! And there staff are wonderful people. They get busy so call in your order if you are in a hurry. They recently got new booth /tables it gave it a lot more space for people to sit down. ”

“ What is there always a line? Because it's great food. I always look forward to visiting this place in SJ. Aguas frescas and great tacos. Órale carnales ”

“ The birria ramen was excellent! You should add it to your regular menu! Great price, too. ”

“ Small restaurant very authentic food we really enjoyed we will be going back prices are reasonable ”

“ Best Queso Tacos in town! I'm so addicted! They are extremely nice people. We highly recommend this restaurant and their Tacos! ”

“ Just to be clear, the one missing star is for the pieces of fatty gristle found in the first couple of bites of my Carnitas burrito from my last visit. I originally reviewed this restaurant back in 2017 and only gave them 2 stars because I had a strangely negative experience with them. Back then, someone had been cooking the Carnitas with cinnamon, of all things. It ruined my tacos, and it was difficult to get past. Also, at that time, their red salsa tasted VERY weird, so that surely didn't save those poor tacos. Fast forward to 2024, and neither of those things is an issue at Taco Shop El Rey anymore. In this updated review, I will discuss the current experiences I have had when dining there. The Carnitas now tastes just as it should. Delicious, home-cooked pork flavor, usually seasoned to perfection. (On my last visit, it had been too heavily salted, but the salsa helped balance that out). And someone apparently has taken the cinnamon shaker away from the chef because in my past visits, there has been no sign of that weirdness, not in years. I don't live in the area, and I seldom have reason to be on that end of Sonora, so I feel fortunate to get there 2-3 times a year. I usually order the Carnitas or chicken in one form or another. I can now happily recommend either one. The salsa bar they offer is something I wish more Mexican food purveyors would consider. It's SO refreshing to have CHOICES! I like many of them, and I am never disappointed. They are all flavorful with varying degrees of Scoville heat. The shop owners provide everything you need to take some to your table or for take out customers. I would change only one thing. I would label the choices. I realize that's a challenge to do, but customers should be able to decide from what is available regarding spicy heat. BOTTOM LINE: Taco Shop El Rey is a small place, and there's not much in the way of ambience. If you're expecting a grand dining space, you will be disappointed. The staff are usually friendly and very helpful. For the size of the establishment, there is a good amount of seating, which seems to accommodate those who choose to stay there and dine. Take out gets a little bit difficult because people must either take up seating to wait for their order, wait outside, or risk being in the way of others who are ordering, waiting, or eating, but things seem to flow fairly nicely unless someone has an extremely large order. The food is tasty and fairly portioned for the price. If I had one thing to change about the food, it would be to suggest that during food prep, the cooks be mindful of stray bits of gristle and fat getting mixed in with the different cooked meats. It's very unpleasant to find gristle or fat in your mouth when you are trying to enjoy a flavorful meal. That said, I can now happily recommend Taco Shop El Rey as a viable and enviable contender to the other available Mexican food places in Sonora. It's both enjoyable and affordable. It's also nice to see that there's a restaurant in town that has made improvements on both their menu and their service. We're not getting a lot of that in the world these days, so it's a rare and very much appreciated treat. Time to get over to Taco Shop El Rey and enjoy something wonderful from their menu. I don't think you'll regret it. ”