Flow is important. Without any kind of flow, everything else suffers. At El Taco Rey downtown, there is no flow.

First of all, it’s too cramped. There’s not enough tables for this inexplicably popular restaurant. And if you’re lucky enough to get a table, you have to endure all the people standing around who didn’t get one.

Second, you need to put straws, silverware, napkins, etc., as far away from the ordering counter as possible. Otherwise, you have people bumping into each other getting what they need, and you end up with a bottleneck in the middle of the restaurant.

Now, I hear they’re expanding.  Good for them. I hope that solves their flow problem.

So what about the food? Good question. Thanks for asking. The food is OK. That’s it. It’s OK. There’s nothing amazing about El Taco Rey, in my opinion. It’s solid Mexican food served in a Styrofoam clamshell. Most of the meals look the same, flooded in their green sauce, which is tasty, but not exceptional.

The No. 1.

The No. 4.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll eat at El Taco Rey again, and I don’t have any major complaints (except for the flow thing). But coming from Phoenix, where these little Mexican taco shops are on every corner, I’m pleased, but not impressed. El Taco Rey gets a C.