I met an old friend for lunch and we picked a halfway point between my house and her house and it turned out to be Johnstown. Two of the restaurants were closed on Monday, which left this Mexican restaurant that had less than perfect reviews. Like another customer mentioned, if I could've given a 6 star review, I would have. I was waiting on my friend who came in the back door. I was waiting out on the street at the front door. The owner came out to let me know my friend was already inside and escorted me to our table. The menu was expansive and it all looked fantastic. Difficult to choose. I ended up ordering the sizzling fajita plate, coffee, iced tea, and their house flan for dessert. My friend ordered something that looked really amazing that had a mushroom sauce and some cheese. We both all but licked our plates clean. But I did have enough to take some home for leftovers and I'm looking forward to a second meal. The portions were generous. The meat was a good quality, sautéed to a sizzle, just as it was described. The whole meal looked impeccably fresh and perfectly sautéed to the right amount of tender/crisp texture. The hot items were hot and the cold items were cold on different platters. When asked about different items on the menu, they very kindly explained. They checked on us several times throughout the meal to make sure we had everything we needed. I am an award winning retired professional gourmet chef, having cooked and baked for several famous people, including three presidents. Full disclosure---- It is very difficult to make me happy because I am such a snobby food critic. They far exceeded my expectations and we plan to make it a meeting spot for monthly visits in the future. KimO Fredericktown, Ohio read more

If it were possible to give this place six stars, I would! We were seated quickly despite them being busy. Our waitress was friendly quick, and efficient. But the food was outstanding! I ordered the Ranchero Chef Special which is a thin cut marinated steak grilled over their imported blend of wood, then topped with, red peppers onions, mushrooms served with a chicken enchilada and a side of refried beans and topped with their house sauce. The steak was melt in your mouth tender and had a hint of the wood smoke blended with the veggies and sauce with each bite. The veggies were grilled to perfection. A little char. Not too much. The enchilada was divine. The chicken was also fall apart rich and tender and blended perfectly with the sauce. The sauce was a rich, smokey,creamy, red sauce that wasn't too spicy, yet had enough flavor to play with your palette. The beans were real and had that cooked for hours feel and flavor. This is a big boy take your date to location in Johnstown. It would do well in Newark or even Columbus. I would urge you to look past the first few pages of the menu to the house specialties which are grilled items. This is where this places sets itself apart from other restaurants in central Ohio. read more

I live just down the street, so I was excited to see a new place opening in town. They performed quite a change on the interior of this place! It was previously Uncle Johnnies, and previously to that, The Old Horseshoe, so it looked and felt more like a sportsbar before. They've retained some of that with the TVs and the bar area, but it definitely feels more upscale and has more personality now. The changes are evident as soon as you walk in with the foliage and tile used to decorate. I am appreciative of the decor as it gives it a modern, yet still casual, feel. The service has been pretty good here! Admittedly, I was surprised because I first went to the New Albany location and was very disappointed in the service. However, I've been in this location 3 times and have been pleased: I have always felt welcome and taken care of. The staff cares aboout their customers and the management wants to provide a good experience for all and that is clear. I have tried three different meals on the occasions I've been in. The one funny thing is that I am pretty sure I got something different than what I ordered the first time I was in (the week they opened). I was forgiving because it tasted good, it was their first week, and most importantly for me, it was still vegetarian, and I wouldn't have been able to eat it otherwise. Speaking of which, I do appreciate a good vegetarian option menu! They're hitting the mark here with this part of their menu! (I can't speak for much else) I think I found my favorite dish in the menu- the Veggie #2 and #3 are the same, just swapping out mushrooms for spinach on one item, so I'll rotate between them. The only place I'm not 100% in on this place is the drinks. They have fancy cocktails, but I don't need fancy. With fancy cocktails come fancy prices, and that's just not needed for me. I'm more of a craft beer or wine drinker anyway, but unfortunately, craft beer is not their speciality. Maybe I'll go with wine next time? I'll be excited to see what they do with the upstairs as it's a great space that should not go wasted. I do understand it's not convenient to carry trays of food up the stairs, but the bar is nice and we'll see what they do with it. Overall, they're off to a running start and my family will likely return regularly. read more

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We have been multiple times and overall our experience has been good. Fun space. There has been some mixups with our food and even when we have ordered the same thing as a previous time there have been differences in the meals. However, the food has always been good. read more

El Rey Mexican Restaurant - Vegetarian enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Johnstown, Ohio

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I'm completely obsessed with this place! The food is amazing, staff is amazing, the restaurant is beautifully decorated, and the drinks are so fun! I stopped in after an appointment and had a great experience. We have visited the restaurant in New Albany and the experience, food, and staff were both on point. read more

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So this is the third visit to the Johnstown location in the past month or so. I want to give 5 stars so badly but I just cannot bring myself to do it! Food is definitely 5 stars and especially tonight, they nailed these quesabirria tacos! Their salsa is also very fresh tasting. I had my food 5 minutes after I ordered (I timed it). The last couple times I've been here and ordered the same tacos and they did not come with limes even though it says that it comes with limes on their menu, so this time I told the waitress when I ordered to bring limes with my meal. Well, they brought limes and then when I got the check they had charged me extra for the limes even though the menu says the tacos come with limes! Then I was charged $17.00 for these 3 small tacos the size of street tacos! These tacos are amazing but not $5.66 each amazing! After my waitress brought my tacos I didn't see her again until I had been done eating for about 10 minutes. The food at this location is fantastic but their customer service and attention to detail is semi-terrific. The table next to me flagged down a host to ask for their waiter as he had also not returned to check on them since they received their food. The atmosphere and decor is also nice at this location but after tonight's visit and the lack of service and being charged for limes that already come with the meal on top of the overpriced tacos for the portion, I don't think I will return to this restaurant. This really upsets me since their food is so good and I love their Birria tacos, I just can't justify paying those prices for the portion size/amount of tacos and lack of service. I wish this business the best of luck, I know they can do better. read more

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Excellent Mexican food! Perfect margaritas. Efficient and friendly service in a clean and spacious dining room.

no greeting. just walk in and find a seat. wait for menu was ok. person asking for drinks has limited English. drinks came fast. ordered street taco...corn shell. it became a soaked mess with the shells being soft shell. nicely prepared but it fell apart and I picked at it. I should have taken a picture but didn't. doubtful we will spend any more money there. read more

Food was very good. Had some communication challenges with our server. I will definitely go back. Menu was extensive & so many things I'd like to try. read more

Wow! What a great dinner and experience! Went for an early New Year's Eve dinner with the family. Food was excellent! Started with the elote ribs which were phenomenal! Also got the traditional guacamole which was very tasty, but more chunky than I'd like (literal chucked avocado). Family had fajitas, quesadilla, enchiladas and I got the steak patron and it was cooked to a perfect medium rare! Everyone loved their food. Kids ate two orders of quesadillas! And don't get me started on the drinks...delicious. Service was great, and the ambiance was so fun! They even brought out fireworks for the kids! Come on Johnstown...let's keep this place open for a long, long time!!! read more

First time visit to El Rey in Johnstown. Definitely bright and lively remodel of the previous Old Horsehoe/Uncle Johnnies building. Add sparklers when pitchers or flights of margaritas are delivered. Service was very attentive (may be a little too attentive) as they have plenty of staff roaming the restaurant. The food was a little above average and better than the other place in town. We had the taco flight. Each protein was well prepared and flavored. The downside is that each taco had the same "toppings" on the protein so they weren't distinct in their own right. Also had Barria Chimichangas. The Barria filling was delicious but the deep fried crispy exterior became soggy with the queso sauce deluge on top. We will try it again with appetizers and drinks. read more

I've only been here twice, but El Rey has impressed me each time. The food is amazing and the drinks are really well made. Looking forward to going again. read more

The food is and always has been amazing! The service is phenomenal and we absolutely love our bartender, Fausto! He was attentive and was great at keeping a conversation while attending to drink orders. Come check out El Rey in Johnstown! read more

A little of the beaten path for some people but it is worth the trip! Standard chips/salsa are free, which seems to be going by the wayside at some places. The decor, is bring and vibrant & very welcoming. The amazing thing about the food, is the the rice and beans are EXCELLENT. Generally, an afterthought, the rice/beans are very flavorful. The food is equally as amazing. It is definitely worth a visit & there is also a location in New Albany, Ohio, which is equally good. read more

Excellent Mexican food in Johnstown. We were surprised to find this gem. Really quality food for the $$, and the presentation (especially the drinks) was outstanding. read more

Finally, a great restaurant in Johnstown!! We went Saturday night around 6pm. It was busy but only had to wait about 15 minutes to get a table. We ordered the Cantina bowl with carnitas and burritos with red sauce. Both were very good. Can't wait to go back. read more

The wait staff was great, food was excellent. Suggest a bench for seniors to set while waiting for a table.

I was very excited for a new Mexican restaurant in Johnstown, but our visit last night around 8 PM was underwhelming. Midway through our meal, around 8:30, staff were cleaning up and stacking chairs on the table right next to us, which was distracting and made us feel rushed, even though the restaurant doesn't close until 10 PM. The wait staff weren't very warm or conversational, and the food itself was nothing special. Overall, I'd recommend trying one of the other Mexican restaurants in Johnstown instead. read more

I have to say, this was such a great move for El Ray to become the part of Johnstown, Ohio. The atmosphere is beautiful, the staff are so professional, so energetic and happy every time I've gone in. The food! Where do I begin. Wow! So authentic, so delicious. Everything I've tried is cooked too perfection . It's hot when it arrives to your table. The staff are making the necessary visits to our table to be sure we've got everything we ask for, the drinks, including the adult beverages, are spot on and full of spirit. The kids enjoy the sparkling devices that come with some of the drinks. It's 4th of July in a glass. If you ask, they provide lights inside the glass of tea or soda for the kids and even for us older kids who don't partake in alcoholic beverages. I'll be patronizing this amazing, authentic El Rey Mexican restaurant in Johnstown every Saturday. Thank you for coming to our tiny farming community. read more

Huge menu to choose from. First time here and started with a taco flight and the spinach chicken mini chimi's. Tacos were very generous and excellent taste. Mini Chimi's were also very good. Service was good and prices were fair for the amount of food we received. Great atmosphere! Will definitely add this to our dining out choices! read more