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    El Rey

    4.2 (36 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 1 week ago

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    Marci P.

    Well I tried here twice before submitting my review. Both times the food was good but the service was not. If it was just the food then I would give them a 4. Both times they forgot our appetizer and didn't check on us to see if it came until they brought the rest of our food. The first time the server rarely came to our table, drinks took a long time and they had no clue how to split the cost of a meal between others. They also had a large group come in when we were almost done with our meal and had us move tables! Pick up all of our food and drinks and move down to another table! This most recent time the meal I ordered was suppposed to be portobello mushrooms and shrimp. It came out onions and shrimp without portobello. I asked about it and they said oh we are out of them. Only after I asked did they then bring me regular mushrooms instead. Usually if a restaurant is out of part of your meal they tell you and ask if you want something different. I won't be back to this location and hope they figure out service before the Johnstown location opens.

    Laura F.

    This restaurant sits off of New Albany Rd., East and takes up the former space of the local Cantina. This is a wonderful addition to the New Albany culinary scene The menu is buried enough to keep everybody interested in coming back the entrées are generous and when you leave, you don't feel hungry And let's talk about the cost... The price plates are a spot on They could be a little lower, but quite honestly the quality that you're getting and the portion sizes match the pricing so no complaints here Staff is friendly and attentive. The drinks aren't weak or too strong. I'm very happy El Ray has arrived! I will be back again and again again the coffee that sounds

    Michael G.

    Former Local Cantina location I'm told, so the bones were all in place. Fast paced, loud, beautiful murals, and the walk down the hallway to the bathrooms is a sight to behold! Huge TVs all around. Nice patio in the corner lot. Plenty of free parking. Huge menu with moderate pricing and moderate portions. The have a Josper grill which is unique in Columbus. We shared the filet and shrimp salad. Each were done perfectly. The steak was prepared well but lacked some natural flavor. You get 3% discount if you pay with cash and not a card. Service is attentive. And there were plenty of staff doing all kinds of things. Nice place for sure, but the casual Mexican category is huge. I hope this works out.

    Drink Menu
    Anna H.

    Beautiful atmosphere, good service, attentive bartenders, comfortable seating, large drink and food selections. The complimentary chips were warm & the server brought 2 salsas for us at the bar. My honey tequila cocktails were lit up and tasted just right. The spinach chicken mini chimis were in a large bowl and a perfect match with the drinks. If we were destined to lose Local Cantina, this appears to be a lovely replacement.

    Dana C.

    So tonight, I stopped in to get food to go and decided to go with the queso birria tacos. $15.50 for 3 just tacos. 3 corn quesadillas filled with the birria meat. I do feel like there was a good amount of meat in each one. My problem lies in the queso part as you can see in the pictures there's basically no cheese. I found a little bit at the bottom and my second problem is you're gonna get someone one lime to go with three tacos then make sure that that lime is juicy. I could barely squeeze a tiny drop out of it for one taco. Not to mention the restaurant was not busy at this time and it still took forever to get my food. A sidenote last time I ordered to go I got fajitas and they didn't put the tortillas in there.

    Soft serve margs

    Me and my fiance loved this place! First time here, we will be moving to the area soon and can't wait to come back! Staff were very nice, it was very busy but I felt like we got our food and drinks in a reasonable amount of time. It would be worth going just for the soft serve margaritas and salsa! My fiance loved the queso but I thought the fresh chips and salsa was better. Restaurant looked so cute! It was very clean and smelled good as soon as we walked in. It was my first time having burria tacos and I am so glad this place was my first! You guys made a 7 day work week worth it thanks!

    Mixed fajitas
    Valerie N.

    Beautiful decor with decent food. I know this is a new place taken over another Mexican food establishment. Disclaimer, while dining here, I was in a party of 14. The main server was nice but hard to hear. The flow of complementary chips and salsa was available during our entire meal. Disappointed in the salsa since it tasted something from a jar rather than homemade. The menu has many choices which made ordering hard to do. I went with the mixed fajitas. My favorite part was the beans and rice. The vegetables within the fajitas encompassed more than the protein. I also found it strange to have broccoli as a part of the veggies in the fajitas. One of the other folks with me got another type of fajitas which was served in a hollowed out pineapple. Cute touch. I tried to order a certain type of margarita without the alcohol but the server said they couldn't do that. I can't see why unless the drinks are pre-made. Tip: The quesadillas are soo stuffed be careful when eating it. Two of the folks in our group had it spill out of the tortilla because they were so packed. Overall my group was satisfied with the price paid vs the quantity of the food served. I was disappointed it wasn't more authentic thus the rating of 3 stars.

    Decor
    Annette F.

    Love this place. Our 3rd time going and we have tried many things and they all have been great. Can't wait until they open in Johnstown.

    Fajita quesadilla with steak
    Sara I.

    This is an upgrade from the previous Local Cantina. Pretty murals and a nice upgrade to the overall ambiance. They give you chips and salsa, the salsa is very heavy with the tomato sauce, I prefer Local Cantinas to be honest. Overall Moderate prices, I ordered the steak fajita quesadilla. It had a generous portion of grilled veggies (onions, mushrooms, peppers, broccoli) Service was so-so, but I would come again.

    Enchiladas
    Amy S.

    Our first time and we thought the food and service were fantastic! Legit pozole verde which is hard to find. Also, really good tacos al pastor, with homemade corn tortillas. Will be back!

    Veggie burrito and shrimp fajitas
    Amy K.

    The food and service were exceptional!! The veggie burrito was cooked to perfection - veggies grilled with lots of flavor. The pico spicy and yummy. Shrimp fajitas filled with good sized shrimp all grilled to perfection too! Highly recommend! Our servers were kind and attentive.

    Steak fajita burrito

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    11 months ago

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    4 months ago

    Beautiful inside, food was super good, and the price was fair! Service was kind and helpful.

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    5 months ago

    Absolutely love this restaurant! The food is amazing every time & service is fast and friendly. Try the hibiscus margarita!

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    9 months ago

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    8 months ago

    The food was delicious. My girlfriend and I went here and throughly enjoyed the atmosphere.

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    11 months ago

    Service was great, food excellent. Interesting decor. And for those who still carry cash there is a cash discount!

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    Firebirds Wood Fired Grill

    Firebirds Wood Fired Grill

    3.3
    (44 reviews)
    1.7 mi

    Our family group of six stopped in for a day before Father's Day lunch, because we thought they…read morecould accommodate a variety of tastes. We were spot on in our assessment! Our table had onion rings and deviled eggs for appetizers. Our main courses were: sausage gravy and biscuit (from the brunch menu), chicken skewers over a pilaf of ancient grains, a chicken sandwich with some of the best fries around, an eye popping huge ribeye steak and a simple grilled small grilled sirloin. It was all excellent except for my small steak which I had requested it to be medium rare. It came bordering on well done in spots. I rarely send anything back to the kitchen, but this was the exception. Our charming waiter, Brendon took at my plate and whisked it away. It took a while for my lunch to come back, so I mooched off every plate at our table. It was all good, even the chicken breast which is not my favorite. However, the big winner was my grandson's wood fire grilled rib eye, which was done a juicy and flavorful medium rare. Wow! The restaurant manager personally brought out my fresh and perfectly medium rare steak, which was fanned out in lovely tender thin slices. It came out on a fresh plate with fresh silverware and a fresh baked potato, mushrooms and a compound butter. I could taste the wood fire grill. Delicious! To me, mistakes can be made, but how a place recovers to the customers satisfaction is the true measure of a restaurant. There was also some comping involved, which was a nice surprise, but getting the perfect meal was the reward! We are already planning our next visit to this lovely newer addition to N. Hamilton Road.

    So this was an interesting visit and it epitomizes the problem we have today with customer service…read more And it all begins with good management, but I'll get into that in a moment. When we walked in the hostess told us, it would be a two hour wait. Yes I expect delays on a Saturday evening, but when I asked if the bar was open seating, she told me yes. I walked around the bar and noticed that the bar was full, but there were the small tables around the bar. I asked the hostess are those tables part of the open bar seating and she said yes. There were a couple available and of course we sat down, but my wife and I were both surprised that the hostess would not have encouraged us and informed us right upfront that those tables were available rather than running the risk that we would leave due to a two hour wait. We then ordered a drink before dinner and I asked for a Corona. The waiter said we're out of corona and I said that is too bad on a Saturday evening at 6:30 PM -- how is an upscale restaurant out of one of the few bottled beers that they offer? We noticed also on the drinks menu that wine is served and poured at 5 and 8 ounces, but it is priced rather high and certainly as high as a 6 and 9 ounce pours, which is more customary at those price points The meal was ok, but the chicken breast was a little bit overcooked and the seasoned sauce was stronger than our pallets can handle. We also ordered dessert and decided to have coffee. My wife asked for a decaffeinated coffee. The waiter said to us "we don't carry decaf coffee only regular." I said you've got to be kidding, really? He said yes. I said well it's not your fault at all. You are just doing your job, but please have your manager come over, so I can speak with him. He never came by, so I asked another waitress walking by to have the manager come by. He finally came to our table and he opens by saying "It's a busy night." Clearly conveying that he was annoyed that he was called to our table. I explained to him that a restaurant like Firebirds that's on the higher end of the price scale in the area should definitely have Corona beer in stock and certainly decaffeinated coffee should be on the menu on a Saturday night, in frankly every night of the week. And all he could say to me is.. " I'm sorry we'll work on that." and then he walked away. Bottom line, Fire Bird's, you lost a good customer in us. Somebody needs to council the manager on how to communicate with customers and to express genuine concern for their interest, wishes, and any inconvenience that they might encounter. For this reason, two stars is probably a generous rating, and I will give credit to our waiter who did his best and behaved far more professionally than his manager.

    Photos
    Dining room
    Dining room
    Hot Honey Chicken Biscuit
    Hot Honey Chicken Biscuit
    FireBirds Bar

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    FireBirds Bar
    Firebirds Wood Fired Grill

    Firebirds Wood Fired Grill

    4.0
    (614 reviews)
    9.2 mi
    $$$

    Finished with an appointment nearby and needed a bite to eat. This was not our first choice but it…read moreworked. Saw seats at the bar and headed over. Bartender got us water and menus pretty quickly despite being busy. Ordered drinks and he got those mixed right away. Place was busy but quiet. Nice atmosphere for an easy dinner out. The chicken sandwich and tots were good. Order a side of the hot honey sauce for dipping- you will be pleased. My wife liked the salad but that is what she always orders. Nice place.

    Wow...this place has gone downhill. A friend said so as…read morewell when I was telling her about my experience. First off..Brunch. Not Dinner. People in our group ordered the Ribs, Salmon and a burger...those were all fine. The Breakfast Sandwich..egg, bacon and cheese biscuit..or a BLT..anything with Bacon..avoid...unless you like it undercooked and limp. The manager, lied right to my face when she brought me new well done (as I originally asked for) bacon. She said..it looks like less bacon because it's cooked more well done!! What a stupid thing to say!! Do you think I'm an idiot and can't count??!!! She took away about 8 pieces of limp bacon and brought me 2.5 crispy pieces!!! Then..by the time all that happened..my obviously microwaved biscuit had turned to stone..couldn't eat it at all. My server said that her manager told her to charge me full price! I refused to pay $18 for something I couldn't eat. Eventually, after some arguing..we got it taken off the bill. No apologies, no other concessions...nothing! My daughter had the exact same issue with her BLT. She was charged and paid for nothing. After that experience..they lost 2 customers and more to follow I'm sure. Do they care? Not bloody likely. They will be going under soon unless they make changes quickly.

    Photos
    Fireplace
    Fireplace
    Hot Honey Chicken Biscuit
    Hot Honey Chicken Biscuit
    Storefront

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    Storefront
    Jay's Crab Boil & Oyster Bar

    Jay's Crab Boil & Oyster Bar

    3.4
    (131 reviews)
    11.7 mi
    $$

    Our group has been to this restaurant in the past for their sea food boils. This time some of us…read moretried the steak combo entrees. We all ordered the rib eye / lobster tail combo. The steaks were really too thin to make at the correct temperature (medium rare) and were somewhat tough to chew. But, much too our surprise the lobster tails were done perfectly. Tender and juicy, not overcooked. The cold slaw side dish was also very good. The atmosphere is pretty good and our service was also good

    I ordered through Uber Eats on Father's Day because I live about 35 minutes away and wanted to…read moreenjoy a special meal without making the drive. Unfortunately, what should have been a great experience turned into a complete disaster. My order was over $200 and included 9 items, yet only 1 item was delivered. When the Uber driver arrived, he explained that the hostess told him everything he picked up was the entire order. It clearly wasn't. Because such a large part of my order was missing, I was forced to drive 35 minutes to the restaurant myself to fix a mistake that never should have happened in the first place. What made the situation even worse was the attitude I received from the hostess when I arrived. Instead of taking responsibility, I was met with excuses and a dismissive attitude, which only added to my frustration. The only bright spot in this experience was the manager. Since the rest of my food had been sitting there for over an hour, the manager apologized and remade the entire order. I genuinely appreciate how professionally the manager handled the situation. That said, a Father's Day meal shouldn't require a second trip, an hour-long delay, and a confrontation just to receive the food that was already paid for. Extremely disappointing experience.

    Photos
    Bar area
    Bar area
    Tuna sushi tacos
    Tuna sushi tacos
    Live Music Series  I highly recommend

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    Live Music Series I highly recommend

    El Rey - mexican - Updated July 2026

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