The Fold: Taqueria El Rey
The taco series crosses the county line into Southwest Detroit for the first time.
The series is called Best Taco in Ann Arbor, and entry #5 is in Detroit. I stopped caring about the geographic boundary in entry #2, when MAIZ in Ypsilanti earned its spot, and I stopped pretending it mattered in entry #3, when I drove to Dexter for Chela's birria. The truth is that the best taco within driving distance of Ann Arbor might not be in Ann Arbor, and Vernor Highway in Southwest Detroit is the strongest argument for that case.
Taqueria El Rey is at 4730 West Vernor Highway. It is super casual. There is a counter, there are tables, and on some days there is a tent outside where whole chickens turn on a grill. The menu is written on boards. You order, you wait, you eat. No reservations, no cocktail list, no Instagram lighting. This is a taqueria that exists to feed the neighborhood, and the neighborhood has been eating here for years. The Yelp page has 485 reviews. Most of them say the same thing: go.
The Al Pastor
Five entries into the series and al pastor has become the benchmark taco. Dos Hermanos set the standard in entry #1. Tmaz took the lead in entry #4 with a deeper marinade and better spice. Taqueria El Rey enters the conversation with a version that is closer to Dos Hermanos in style but cooked with more heat than either.
The pork has char. Real char, from a grill that runs hot, not from a flat-top where the meat steams in its own liquid. The marinade is assertive: dried chiles, citrus, achiote. The edges of the meat are crisp, and the center is tender without being wet. It sits on doubled corn tortillas with cilantro and onion, and the salsa verde on the side has a raw, green heat that cuts through the richness of the pork.
This is a taco that tastes like fire. Not in the hot-sauce sense. In the cooking-over-flame sense. That distinction is the thing that separates a good al pastor from a great one.
The Barbacoa
The barbacoa at El Rey is the best I have eaten in this series. The beef is braised slowly enough that it shreds without losing structure. It has a deep, warm spice that sits in the background and builds with each bite. Where the Tmaz barbacoa is concentrated and dry, the El Rey version carries more moisture and more complexity. The braising liquid does not overwhelm the meat. It seasons it.
I ordered three barbacoa tacos on my first visit and wished I had ordered five. At El Rey's prices, I could have. Tacos here run in the $2 to $3 range, which makes this the cheapest stop in the series by a significant margin. Four tacos and a drink will cost you about $12, and you will leave full.
The Whole Chicken
I need to mention the pollo asado, even though it is not a taco. On certain days, El Rey grills whole chickens under a tent adjacent to the restaurant. A whole chicken dinner with 10 pieces, rice, beans, and tortillas runs $11.50. I watched a family of four share one and it was more than enough food.
The chicken has a smoky, charred skin and juicy meat. It is the kind of thing you see and immediately understand why people drive across the city for it. You could shred the chicken into the tortillas and make your own tacos. Several people at the tables around me were doing exactly that.
Southwest Detroit vs. Washtenaw County
This is the first entry in The Fold outside Washtenaw County, and the difference is not subtle. The taquerias on Vernor Highway operate in a Mexican-American neighborhood where the cuisine is not a niche or a trend. It is the daily food of the community. The prices reflect that. The portions reflect that. The lack of pretense reflects that.
In Washtenaw County, the entries in The Fold range from $2.50 (Tmaz) to $4.50 (MAIZ baked avocado). On Vernor Highway, the baseline is lower and the volume is higher. El Rey is not cooking for food writers or taco tourists. It is cooking for people who eat tacos four times a week and know exactly what they should taste like.
That raises the bar for the entire series. Dos Hermanos and Tmaz are excellent taquerias. But they operate in a market where the competition is thinner and the audience is broader. On Vernor Highway, El Rey is surrounded by taco spots. Taqueria Mi Pueblo, Los Altos, Tacos El Tapatio, and a dozen more within walking distance. Surviving in that corridor means your food has to be better than good. It has to be the reason someone turns left instead of right.
Where El Rey Lands
Five entries in: Dos Hermanos for the tortillas, MAIZ for the ambition, Chela's for the birria, Tmaz for the late-night run, El Rey for the fire.
The al pastor and the barbacoa at Taqueria El Rey are the best one-two punch in the series. The prices are the lowest. The setting is the most authentic. And the $11.50 whole chicken dinner is the best deal any entry in The Fold has produced, taco or not.
The drive from Ann Arbor to Vernor Highway takes 45 minutes. It is worth every minute.
This is part of our ongoing series. Read the full tracker: The Fold: Best Taco in Ann Arbor.
Taqueria El Rey is at 4730 W Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209. Phone: (313) 357-3094. Cash and card. No reservations.