El Rey Del Taco — Restaurant in Hayward

The king of the taco (El Rey del Taco) has arrived in town! Just a hop and skip away from la casa de mis padres, this is sure to be my go to spot whenever I'm in the area.

The run down strip mall El Rey del Taco is located in has definitely seen better days, but don't let this deter you! As a matter of fact, as long as I can remember, this area has always been in the same condition, and it creates more of an authentic hole in the wall feel instead of being too posh.

In addition to El Rey, the popular Volcano Island Korean restaurant a few doors down is also a local favorite. Both of these establishments combine to create a rather solid culinary destination in this otherwise non-descript plaza. Furthermore, Lai Young has been an institution for many decades for frozen dumplings and potstickers.

As far as El Rey goes, I have so far only sampled the meat platters, and I must say I have been quite impressed! Whichever you choose, whether it's carne asada, pollo, carnitas, etc., portions are absolutely massive! All are extremely fresh and flavorful to boot.

Service is polite, but not chatty, and very efficient. There is no indoor seating, as the shop itself is quite tiny inside, but there is a very cute parklet in the lot with room for perhaps ten guests or so.

The DIY salsa bar is ample with fresh ingredients, although everything is very exposed when the lid is open, so do be aware of this if it is a concern.

I'm always quite excited to return to my old stomping grounds because because there is a plethora of dining options all within walking distance. With that said, in a very short amount of time, El Rey has lived up to its namesake, rapidly ascending to become the new king of the neighborhood! I now have yet another reason to come back...

This is a hole in the wall kinda place, off the Main Street surrounded by condos. There used to be a place that sold these massive wet burritos that my whole family loved so I figured I give this place a try. I have to say at first I thought the tacos were a bit pricey at first but then I saw how much meat they give you it’s massive and they were seasoned well. I have to say I was impressed not the best tacos I’ve had but they give you a satisfying amount and it will leave you full rather than filling like you want more. They have good customer service here too, the cashier was nice and polite. I’ll most definitely come back to try other items off their menu like their birria tacos and a wet burrito.

(Revised) I came back for their wet burrito with carne asada and green verde salsa. I had to change my score from 4 star to 5 star. Their super burrito was massive as big as my head. They also gave me half an avocado and sour cream on the side. This thing was packed full of meat, beans, and rice and the flavor of that salsa omg it was so good and the heat was there, just the right amount of it too. I need to come back and try it with the red salsa. This has to be one of the best burritos I’ve had....

This place is in an old strip mall shopping center. It used be a salvadorian restaurant before and they were ok. This place is much better. The food tastes pretty good . The burritos are huge and the tacos are regular sized tortillas( not street taco sized) and they were loaded with meat. Customer service was good. There's really not much seating her but it's OK I always take it to go. They have good salsas and sliced cucumbers. They also have pickled onions with habeneros (which are delicious) and slice pickled jalapeños. I think this will be my new go to spot for...