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As we learned from previous posts, having a taco and an opinion can be a dangerous thing. But newly opened District VII “bodega” El Rapido had such an inviting storefront that it behooved me to revisit the contentious Budapest Tex-Mex battlefield. Unlike its competition, El Rapido is as much a specialty food store and tequila bar as it is a taqueria, offering international brands of breakfast cereal, American candy, and Mexican hot sauces, alongside quality Hungarian wines (kind of like a low-rent Culinaris). Given the soft focus of the place, expectations were not high. But, surprisingly, the tacos they serve at El Rapido, are satisfying, and worth your visit.
There can be no doubt that the El Rapido taco will not please everybody. With no corn tortilla in sight and only two types of taco available (chicken and vegetarian) we can only call it a taco out of convenience. But what it lacks in authenticity and variety, it makes up for in flavor and freshness. Unlike every other taco in the city, the El Rapido taco is almost entirely made-to-order. It makes a difference, especially with chicken, to have it grilled fresh, along with its panoply of colorful vegetables, including zucchini, bell pepper, and onions. Add a smattering of unspecified spices, melt some cheese, and there you have it: sloppy and filling. For Ft 390, the El Rapido taco is something fairly rare in this city: hot, convenient street food.
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But despite a promising first impression, El Rapido falters when you delve deeper into the menu. They offer quesadillas, burritos, and gringas which, as per El Rapido’s version, is a quesadilla made with two tortillas rather than one. With both, you get the same fillings as the taco. Like-wise with the burrito. Basically, the hot food they have on offer uses all the same ingredients, only they are prepared in different sizes and shapes. And the tortilla chips – imported from Prague of all places – are but a disappointing step above Doritos. But if the monotony of the flavors at El Rapido gets you down, there are ten-plus types of tequila to perk you up, in addition to various Mexican beers and a few smaller, lesser known brands of Hungarian beer (Szt. István, anybody?). Wisely, the storefront’s hours are coordinated with next-door Szimpla Kert‘s, which means they are open until 2 a.m. on weekend nights.
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Ultimately, the Hungarian-owned El Rapido isn’t going to put anybody else’s taco out of business – and they could certainly benefit from adding some alternatives to their standard mix – but if the more commercial venues around the Nagykörút have you hankering for a local, fresh alternative, El Rapido is well worth a try. Who could complain about that?
plain and simple, but damn good in the mouth. nice to warm up there with a taco and tecate, grab a beer next door at krimo, then eat at kis parasz (thai restaurant directly across the street), and finish with a couple more drinks in the non-smoking section of szimpla
I like a decent kebab just like the next guy, but a
good late night taco, next to a beer garden. Sounds
like a gold mine to me. Effing cheap and effing
cheerful I would say.
Uh, zucchini?
sorry but i have a few things to share…El Rapido has 20plus types of tequila…
about the foods…i think it isn’t thar monoton..for example the fajitas has rice in it..the burrito has bean puree some of the foods have cheese…and the vegetables are different too..ok they use a mix in all of the foods but its a bit of variaty in it..the foods don’t taste the same at all..you can choose 2 kind of salsa souce hot or spicy..an avokado soucuse or sour cream..
so i think this grill is way better than you said it…give it a try
also that journalist habbit writing mistake .. the quesadilla not in 2
tortilla .. they give food betwen two tortilla it s cald GRINGA…
so the various ingredients . i things way more than for example in
arriba …
and i love the planty 30 plus tequilas and 2 extra kinde of mezcal..
they the nonplusultras..
uuhhhhm
‘as per’ means ‘according to’. As in, according to El Rapido’s version, a quesadilla is…
hope that helps clarify things for you.
Fun good value little place . it is a little deli
with really home made fresh’n'hot Mexican
sandwiches.. lots of real tequilas, good Hungarian
wines.. very cheep beer?! a lot of good things.
Slammers = tequila rapido cocktail, champagne
tequila shakeup swallow fast…unique chilli hotchoc
into 3cl mezcal…! There is also a very strange
‘bazaar’ store beside… interesting..
tnx for the nice words and forget the mistakes..
but need to tell at the weekday thise place its open till 4am..
or till the costumers need..
thats the differente.. & the home made food & friendly
atmosphere…
@Mr. Gordonsky best part of the ‘bazaar’ store is there’s a pinball club inside the backroom. They have about 10 machines set up. Last time I was there, the guy in charge was just filling out some paper work.
Nothing more fun than tacos, tequilla and pinball.
Since reading the article here I stopped by there
twice – I agree it is good food for good value –
the name EL RAPIDO, however, is one of almost
anachronistic irony — my first “rapido”
experience took 45 minutes (!) for a quesadilla
and fajita – with only 1 person ahead of us.
Today at 1pm I was told to come back an hour
later, since they still had to chop peppers and
onions – and there is NO PHONE NUMBER to order
ahead of time.
As far as I’m concerned spending over 30 minutes
standing in the tiny place waiting for a Taco is
not my idea of maximizing my time – no matter how
good of a Taco – the only thing RAPIDO was me
getting out of there!
I was delighted to read about this place on Chew. I love Mexican
food and this is just round the corner from us. We stopped by to
pick up some tortilla chips and some beer to take home. But I have
to say the guy running the place was really pushy to the point of
being extremely annoying. Didn’t I want chocolate? he asked,
seeing my three kids — and he wouldn’t let it go, trying to engage
them in the campaign. Not good policy to do that to harassed
parents towards the end of the day. Then he tried the hard sell on
other things. Didn’t we want this? Didn’t we want that ? Didn’t we
want some fast food? Wine? Spirits? Half way through this my
mobile rang — but he kept on. Maybe their food is fine, but I won’t
be going back. I was disappointed by the hustle, and the lack of
charm doing it. It was annoying and made them sound desperate.
A shame, because the tortilla chips were fine.
Dear mom of Seventh District family !
i poligize myself if you feel i was pushy , when i try to tell our
choice of goods. unfortunetly many people dosnt recognise all our
goods , drinks , what ever..
so my job is to inform costumers about it .
i have 4 children as well , so im the same dont give choco allthe
time , but sometime yes.
sorry if you misundestand my try to joke , may because i had to
talk to you in a foreign language. next time please talk to me
magyarul , than may we have no misundestanding.
dont give up try it agagin.
wnr
steve G !
i m advanced to you if you have any problem with anything please
tell to the person whos work there, tell if you are in hurry or..
thats wierd and thanks you telling .. you had to wait 45 minutes.
i just cant imagine what happend there.. we are new in thise
bussines.. so still learning.
if you have any requist pls call me 309295121 or write to facebook
el rapido !!
if you can , write me who was on dutty that day.
regards
wnr
El Rapido have a good reputation even here in Down Under. No comment!
Cheers: Boli
Adelaide, South Australia…
yes.. we still here , still becauso the govermant wish to close us
earlier than they wish to do with szimpla kert..
we hope they cant !!
but i want to tell WE ARE OPEN MUTCH LATE THEN AS IT S TOLD ..
MON TUE TILL 2 PM
WED THU 3PM
FRI , SAT 4 PM
SUN 2 PM
come & welcome !!