This Cuban/Mexican fast food restaurant proves that you can actually get a good meal from a drive-thru. True, there are better Cuban places, better taquerías, and better rotisserie chicken. But for doing all at once, El Rey is a totally sound choice.

Stale, industrial-tasting corn and flour tortillas diminish the tacos, but their fillings are good, especially tempura shrimp with concentrated, pungent cilantro sauce. We also love a “Cuban Taco” with pork, sweet fried plantains, and smoky black beans. Cuban sandwich bread is too flimsy to stand up to the roasted pork, Swiss cheese, and pickles; it’s better suited to the first-rate grilled fish torta, with ideal mayo and shredded-cabbage crunch. Ropa vieja (“old clothes”), the stewed and shredded beef standard of Cuban cuisine, is authentically stringy and tangy, although it needs more garlic. Another good choice is any variation of rotisserie chicken; chicken tortilla soup is some of the best around, with mild fat-slicked broth. A plate of tender, lemony-garlicky pork chunks is also excellent. Espresso-based coffee drinks are simple and strong.

The locations are small and can get cramped; only the one downtown—with its drink fountain, multiple registers, and pager system—seems up to the task of serving large crowds. Elsewhere, during lunch rushes, you might wait forever; at least you can do it in your car.