Carnitas El Rey — Restaurant in Ventura

If your idea of carnitas is juicy, fresh, large portion size and quality then Carnitas El Rey is the spot! After hearing local business owner; TikiGirl Briana rave about this place I had to try it!! You are greeted with "Holas" and smiles from EVERY single person working- not to mention, inviting murals, beautiful colorful mexican decor and the most adorable dolls on the walls. The floors and counters looked and smelled sanitized, and a worker was sweeping and preparing for the dinner rush. Customer Service is amazing, I even forgot to grab my glass bottle coke and by the time I made it to the side exit, a gentleman was at the door smiling with cold coke in hand. If you are dining in, there is plenty of seating and a salsa bar. If you are taking out, as I did, your items are packed nicely and neatly with plenty of Pico de Gallo, onion & cilantro and Salsas. Just be prepared to be caring literally pounds of food because Carnitas El Rey doesn't skimp on the meat!!! Will be back again and again.

Hot tip: large restaurant only parking lot is...

Ordered a beef burrito. This is the first time in my life I threw out a half eaten burrito! The portion was large but it had very little flavor. The issue was the beef had so much fat that was having to spit it out. That high amount of fat was starting to make my stomach hurt. It was just gross. I believe with the price of beef being so high, the restaurant is trying to save money by not removing the fat. Also, my friend ordered a 12 taco platter to take home. He was also extremely disappointed. One other issue is they have a salsa bar with NO to go containers! Some additional salsa might have made my burrito a bit more tolerable. With so many choices of Mexican food within a 1/4 mile of this place, I would look elsewhere. I will say, I do regret not getting the carnitas. Because that meat actually looked good. Either way will not be coming back. In fact, there are other "El Rays" restaurants in Ventura county that...

If you want caritas this is your place. But note that carnitas is the ONLY meat they have here. Food can be ordered a la cart, but it seems that a family style meal is more preferable here.

The carnitas is very good. Perhaps a bit under-seasoned but they provide some salt packets to adjust salt to your taste.

The tortillas are fresh, and the rice and beans really stand out. The salsa verde was more spicy than expected so watch out!

Would go again if in the mood...