El Rey Mexican Bar and Grill

I stopped by El Ray Mexican in Novato and ordered a burrito. It was decent in size and filling, but the flavor was underwhelming and could use some cilantro, more seasoning or depth. The atmosphere reminded me of a Denny’s that has been converted into a Mexican restaurant, casual and straightforward with plenty of seating. Service was great and the overall experience was comfortable. Even though the burrito did not impress me, I would be willing to come back and try other dishes to see if they deliver more flavor.

Over a week ago, we were driving south to San Francisco through Novato when we decided to stop for dinner, and Mexican food won the majority vote! We chose a new place called El Rey. We arrived around 7:30 PM, and the restaurant wasn't busy since it was a Sunday evening. Looking at the menu, I was immediately drawn to the ceviche. We decided to start with guacamole and chips, share the ceviche, and order a Quesadilla con Carne Asada. The guacamole was fresh and well-made, the ceviche was exceptionally delicious, and the quesadilla was very well-prepared and tasty. Our server was friendly and helpful with our questions, and we even shared a few good laughs. The service was excellent. El Rey has been a local spot in Novato for many years. It is family-owned and known for serving tradition

This place is interesting. Overall, it's ok to good. However we have had a bunch of inconsistent experiences here. Sometimes the service is great! Sometimes the service is terrible. Sometimes the food is great. Sometimes the beans are bland and the rice is crunchy. Sometimes you show up and it's Loud AF and there's a really drunk dude doing loud drunk things and the staff doesn't do anything. We typically don't go on Friday or Saturday. I will hand it to them, they have a great bar and every kind of mexican drink you can think of. Their menu is great and I like getting the fajita plate here. It's great to share with your significant other (or other friends) My daughter LOVES the octopus tostada here. I think this place can be GOOD to GREAT if consistency was achieved. Simple things

I had three incidents at EL REY restaurant that were not good. to incidences were with their fajitas when I had beef and chicken the first time and combination with shrimp the second time. The second timeIt was sizzling so I was picking food. Chicken was all stuck together.It seemed like everything was overcooked; some meat was burnt there was shrimp, but I had to take the tails off.. I was so starved, especially the second time that I tried to pick the meat and other items that weren’t overcooked and managed a tortilla and a half of food My sister had soup which seemed to be good for her The first incident had to do with the restroom when I sat down I got scolded by very hot water in the toilet: don’t laugh: I went to Kaiser to get checked to see if it caused a burn. I should’ve gone to T

A little out of town, and sitting next to the decidedly bleak shopping area that features the DMV, this places misses out on a lot of passing traffic. But it is definitely worth visiting. The food is great, and the service far superior to a lot of the other Mexican restaurants in the area.