El Rey: The king of family-friendly dining

El Rey Taqueria and Mexican Beer Garden, tucked in between 9th and 10th Street, NW, on U Street, offers almost everything my family needs to dine out - clean, wide spaces; affordable, kid-friendly food; an outdoor garden to muffle many a sound and a fun selection of Mexican draft beer and TVs for parents looking to feel like anything but.

While it took us several failed attempts to figure out when they actually opened for weekend brunch (my parents swear Google told them otherwise!!), we were psyched when the doors finally swung open.

I arrived on my scooter and loved the wide aisles in the port container-turned outdoor garden. In said back garden, tables were low to the ground, allowing strollers to roll up to the table's edge and Mom to nurse baby bro on a steady chair.  TVs hung from the patio walls, so Dad could watch hockey.

The waitress was as speedy getting me a straw for my water as she was returning to the table with Negra Modelo drafts. Bottomless mimosas and micheladas are available for $20, but I strongly recommend a babysitter if that is your style.

The brunch menu mainly includes breakfast burritos and tamales. While we definitely walked in craving tacos, we were pleasantly surprised by all the ways you can wrap up scrambled eggs in a tortilla. 

We started with the fresh and flavorful chips, guacamole, queso and molcajete salsa ($10).  It was more than the three of us could finish.

Then came my carne asada breakfast burrito, which I split with Dad. Mom ordered the al pastor burrito with pickled onions, which was too spicy for me, but made her happy.  The chile de arbol salsa is a must.

I ended up eating all the scrambled eggs out of the burrito plus a lot of chips. Mom could justify all the guacamole I consumed as my "vegetable for the day." Plus at $8 each burrito, brunch was affordable enough I could overlook the fact they didn't have a "kids' menu" (although a kid-sized $4 one wouldn't hurt).

El Rey was also super clean, especially the bathrooms. Unfortunately, there are no changing tables in the funky subway-tiled wash closets nor much space if a diaper change is in order. 

Servers were attentive and patient and graciously looked the other way when I jumped up on the back booth and started running. Given the look Mom shot me when I did, I recommend staying seated.

If you judge a place by how many times my parents guiltily let me watch "Let It Go"  on YouTube so I sit still for the 4 minutes, 3 seconds of entertainment it provides, this place scores the highest. Their phones didn't even come out.

Thanks to real Mexican food and the outdoor baby-friendly garden layout, El Rey is now king of spring and summer family-friendly brunch.