April 25, 2022
In the spirit of the warm weather on the horizon and the luxury of enjoying meals outdoors, I had the urge to try one of Omaha’s local food trucks, Taqueria El Rey. El Rey is a brick-and-mortar restaurant as well as a traveling truck, often located in the Family Fare parking lot on Saddle Creek.
It’s not easy to find good food that comes with a good price tag these days, but El Rey is no scam. A large entree item for $9 is quite respectable in my book.
Their menu is split into four sections: tacos, burritos, tortas and miscellaneous items such as a nacho plate or a quesadilla. The menu also includes the extensive list of meat fillings one can choose from, which makes for an extremely customizable ordering experience.
In order to comprehend the full scope of what El Rey offers, I ordered from three of the four sections: carne asada tacos, a carne asada torta and a chorizo burrito. The woman who took my order promised it would be out in a short five minutes, and she was right on.
The most delicious item I had the opportunity to try was the carne asada taco plate. The steak was tender and juicy with a distinct lime flavor. Paired with the sprinkling of onion and fresh cilantro, I was left wanting more than the four tacos that came in my order.
My second favorite bite was the carne asada torta. While it fulfilled the basic requirements of a torta, I felt like something was missing. The steak on the sandwich seemed to be seasoned less than the tacos, which left my taste buds in want. Nonetheless, the avocado and lettuce added an element of freshness that a quality torta should always provide. My favorite part of the sandwich was actually the bread, also known as telera. Crispy on the outside and doughy on the inside, the floury telera saved this sandwich from being just average to an above-average munch.
The final meal on my list is the chorizo burrito. When I return to El Rey, there is a very slim chance I will be ordering this again. There was nothing inherently wrong with it, but there wasn’t anything particularly special about it either. The chorizo had a decent flavor, and the burrito was balanced with a small amount of beans and rice. After chowing on it, I felt like I had just finished a microwaveable breakfast burrito from the grocery store. It didn’t stick out to me as a delectable, intentionally crafted food truck burrito that was made with love. Burritos can bring a lot of joy to this world, but this one just seemed to fill up space.
All in all, visiting El Rey was a positive experience. Upon my return I will likely stick to a classic order of carne asada tacos. There were many other meat options on the menu I would be willing to try as well. El Rey’s speed of service paired with their genuinely cheap prices make it an opportune choice for a lunch stop or dinner pick-up on the commute home. Additionally, their various locations give easy access for people all across the Omaha area. I will definitely be ordering one of their homemade horchatas as my drink next time I stop by.
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