by Bottom Line: Taco Rey is serving up some darn good Mexican food in large portions, and their red sauce really delivers on the burn.
There is a little taco joint on West Ave., close to Blanco Rd., that you will want to stop at if you are in the vicinity and looking for some spicy Mexican food. I actually drove by it many times when I worked in the area and always thought of paying the establishment a visit but never got around to it. But when I was soliciting suggestions for spicy food in the city for my Spicy San Antonio page, several people recommended Taco Rey because of its red sauce. So I finally stopped in, and I can say that this unassuming little place is serving up some good food and spicy salsa!
I ordered the pirata taco, which comes with beans, cheese, and fajita meat (beef or chicken—I got the former). I also ordered the gordita, which comes with picadillo meat, beans, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, cilantro, and sour cream (you can also get that with asada, pastor, tripa, barbacoa, chicken, or carne guisada).
A basket of warm tortilla chips was brought out to get my meal started, and there were bottles of the red and green sauce on the table. Plus, they brought me a bowl of fresh salsa. The latter has a good, fresh taste with chunks of vegetables and plenty of cilantro, along with notes of cumin. (And did I taste some bacon in there? Perhaps the veggies were sautéed with bacon fat?) That salsa is quite tasty, and I would say it is approaching Medium heat on my scale.
The green sauce is a bit runny, but it has a good green chili taste along with a little tang and a touch of sweetness. That one was closer to Mild on my scale but still rather enjoyable. The red sauce is where it’s at, though, and I could have downed a bottle of that! It is a thicker sauce with a notable tang, followed by a nice earthiness and a slight sweetness. I’m going to guess that chili de árbol is one of the ingredients, and that kicks it up to beyond Hot on my scale.
Once the taco and gordita arrived, I took a look at the latter and realized that alone could make a meal. Instead of one thick corn tortilla cut in the middle and stuffed, this gordita has two tortillas used like buns. The tortillas are quite tender and tasty, and my guess is that they are made fresh in-house or at a local tortillería. The crumbles of ground beef are quite big and well-seasoned, with a bit of char. The beans act as a nice complement to the meat, while the lettuce, tomato, and cilantro are quite fresh. They were a little heavy on the sour cream, and next time I will order it without because I am not a big fan of that condiment. But this was still one excellent and very filling gordita.
Of course, I still had the taco, and that acted as a nice kicker to my meal. The beef in the pirata had some chew to it, but it was not tough and it was well-seasoned and flavorful. The beans are a notch above your typical Mexican restaurant, and I am going to guess there is some bacon fat or lard in there. The thick flour tortilla is freshly made and cooked up so that it has just a little bit of char to it.
With both of these items, I would dab on some of the three different salsas, and each time the red sauce was the winner for me. It did not take over the dish, but it added some good flavor and a nice kick of heat. Those who may not enjoy spicier foods (we weep for them) may prefer the green sauce or fresh salsa. But if you are looking for some burn, you will find a lot to love in Taco Rey’s red sauce.
Needless to say, I was rather stuffed after my meal and decided that a small salad would be a good choice for dinner that evening! And at $4.95 for the gordita and $3.50 for the taco, you can’t do much better than that price-wise these days, even in the drive-thru. Considering that the gordita was a meal in itself, I could have gotten out even cheaper, but I was glad I tried the taco. I will definitely be making more stops here in the future to try some of their other selections, and I will also be adding this establishment to my Spicy San Antonio page because that red sauce qualifies them for that list.
Taco Rey
11825 West Ave #100
San Antonio, TX 78216
Phone: 210-341-3030
Website: https://places.singleplatform.com/taco-rey/menu
Hours:
Mon – Fri: 6 AM to 2 PM
Sat – Sun: 7 AM to 2 PM
