El Rey

El Rey is located at 2013 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA. This location is in the Center City West neighborhood. This business specializes in Mexican Restaurants and Restaurants.

At the intersection of retro diner and shady Mexican border town, you'll find El Rey, Stephen Starr’s Mexican spot in the former Midtown Diner space on Chestnut Street. Starr may be the muscle, but the real star of this show is chef Dionicio Jimenez (formerly of Xochitl). Jimenez mines home-style regional Mexican flavors in dishes such as spice-kissed short rib enchiladas and chiles en nogada...

At Stephen Starr’s “funky” faux dive in Rittenhouse, the “reasonably priced”, “classically tasty” Mexican fare is “not too heavy” and goes down even easier at “happy hour” (“$1 tacos? yes, please”); descriptions of the service range from “attentive” to “spaced-out”, and while many report “mucho noise” in the main dining area – the “young crowd” doesn’t seem to mind.

This former diner still feels diner-like, with vinyl booths and mismatched lighting and lunch-through-late-night service. Chilaquiles, tacos, and enchiladas are authentic and satisfying, and the vibe feels more Austin, Texas, than Rittenhouse Square. It's a great place to dash for a quick meal -- even at the old counter -- but be warned: It's easy to rack up a big bill on guava margaritas alone.

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