Sound the alarms! El Rey has updated their menus and we get to see them first! The shiny new items will be launched for the world to try this Monday, 3/18, and I hate to brag, but we’ve not only got the new menu here, but I’ve also had a chance to try some of these things. Oh lawd, it’s gonna be good. Once the Monday launch hits, be sure to try the new stuff from both the food and the drink menus. I’ll be behind the bar Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday night next week; come say hi and tell me what you think!
And don’t worry: your pork enchiladas and nachos estupendo are still there. Only a couple of lesser-ordered menu items have been axed and one or two have been tweaked; the other changes are all new stuff. I promise if things had been shaken up too much, I’d be the one leading the protests down Fairview Avenue to make Cloverdale great again. This new menu is just a refinement of something already amazing, and I can’t wait to get my hands on that salsa león picante. Ready to see what’s new? Read the updates below or click to scroll straight to the menu.
- Good bye armando…hello pineapple
The armando salsa (the spiciest one) has been replaced with a more flavorful, still spicy, pineapple habanero salsa called salsa león picante. The best way to try this one will be to order it as part of your trio. The other salsas, guacamole, and queso are remaining the same. - Now with TWO chickens
The old menu offered one style of serving up chicken: grilled. The grilled chicken is still on the menu, but it’s now sitting alongside “pollo tinga,” or shredded chicken. - And TWO beefs!
The beef has also has a new friend: barbacoa! Grilled steak remains on the menu but you can now order your steak pulled by ordering “barbacoa.” Pro tip: both the pulled chicken and pulled steak are a bit faster to prepare than the grilled. Want to cut down on your food time? Order pollo tinga or barbacoa. - Spinach salad gets a redo
The old menu has four salads: three I’m crazy about and one I don’t care for. While the spinach salad remains on the menu, it’s changed up a bit with a slightly different preparation and new dressing. - The new dressing: dijon vinaigrette
I haven’t had a chance to sample it yet, but you know it’s sure to be amazing. It’s replacing the old orange chipotle on the menu and can be used on any of the salads, though it will come by default on the new version of the spinach (see previous point!). - Two new street tacos!
Two tacos that recently made the special street taco board are here to stay: barbacoa and pollo tinga. The kitchen is pretty confident in these new meats and want you to wrap ’em up in a tiny tortilla and eat them all the time, and I strongly agree. - Not a menu change, but…
The burrito section has been reworded to make it clear you can order yours naked. That’s right, I’m talking about a tortilla-less burrito. We’ve always been able to order burrito bowls at El Rey but now it’s right in front of our faces: you can ask the kitchen to just throw a bunch of tasty things in a bowl, hand you a fork, and let you go to town. - And finally: drinks!
Our favorite margaritas are staying on the menu but the seasonal cocktail list is about to rotate again. Be prepared to say goodbye to a few of the things we’ve been drinking since November and say hello to things like the “Baracuda” and the “Never Enough.”
And that’s a wrap! Come by to El Rey next week to try the new things with me or send in your thoughts on the new stuff through the Facebook or Instagram pages. And read the full menu, below to see the complete changes.
