El Rey Cantina - (Near East Ellijay, GA)

4 /5 sara ibrahimi: The food was decent but service needs some work. The food came out under 20 mins but our server kept disappearing especially after we received our food. The boys liked their meals (enchilada combo & chicken Fajitas) but what my sister and I ordered, it was a bit unexpected. I ordered the combo 2 tacos that comes with rice & beans (beans were very good btw). It was served in a hardshell instead of the soft corn tortilla Im used to. The other order was the Beef steak a la Mexicana which was dry and is usually more saucy when ordered from other restaurants. The restaurant was very spacious and inviting. We were greeted and sat quick.

1 /5 Etienne D-B: Absolutely disgusting. Do NOT eat here. We went to El Rey Cantina expecting tacos, and what they served us was an insult to food: a stale shell stuffed with old lettuce, cheap dairy cheese, and flavorless minced meat. No onions, no cilantro, no salsa—nothing. Just sad, tasteless slop. When we complained, the woman working there told us the menu “includes Mexican food too,” but the menu was completely unclear—Tex-Mex and actual Mexican dishes were all mixed together. How is anyone supposed to know what’s what? When we pointed this out, she shrugged and said, “99% of our clients are white people, so we don’t separate it.” That was not only offensive, but also completely false—many restaurants do separate Tex-Mex from authentic Mexican food, and it should be obvious to anyone who cares about their customers. On top of that, she was rude, dismissive, and arrogant. Instead of listening, she doubled down, basically saying she doesn’t care about clients like us. And the food? The meat tasted like absolutely nothing—just salty mush with no flavor at all. The lettuce was old and disgusting, the cheese looked and tasted cheap, and even just looking at the plate you could tell it was going to be horrible. Nothing about it was appetizing.

1 /5 Amreta C: Went in for dinner and was seated right away. Someone brought us a watered down salsa and chips. Walked away when by boyfriend tried to talk to her. We waited and waited watching people walk by us. 3 people looked over at us but never came over to take our drink orders. We watched other people be seated after us and immediately a waitress appeared for them. We ended up leaving and the lady in the green shirt was smiling and waving at us “bye” as we left. I spoke with the manager and immediately they all started talking at the same time. He offered us a free meal and I explained it’s not about the money it’s about service. I won’t be coming back even though I frequent the area regularly. I hope others get better service. We ended up eating at Tapas and Tequila in Blue Ridge. They are great we highly recommend them.

5 /5 c: I love the food and atmosphere here, its a very warm and welcoming environment with a friend staff that treats you like family! I come here atleast 2 to 4 times a week when Im in town for a few months! The service and food are always top notch! Ive been to all the Mexican restaurants in the Ellijay area and this is always my go to!

5 /5 Leon Jenkins: This place is a gem. Spacious dining area. Nice art on the wall and the food was remarkable. Birra is becoming more and more popular and if you want to try it done right at a fantastic price. I don’t know why they don’t have a line out the door. I got the house special birra burrito and it was phenomenal. The lettuce was crisp and fresh. The meat was melt in your mouth tender. I will definitely go back there.