REX Cafe & Bakery (submitted by Tara Spies)

On Saturday November the 7th the ARLIS/Texas Mexico Chapter met for breakfast at the Rex Cafe & Bakery, located in downtown McAllen, Texas on 321 South 17th Street. El Rex Cafe opened on April 23, 1947 and is the oldest restaurant in McAllen. The original owner, Rogelio Guerrero, opened the cafe after he returned from World War II. He named it El Rex after the Latin word “Rex” for “king” (Quaintance, 2009).

When we arrived at around 8:45am the cafe was completely packed with people waiting and eagerly watching for their spot to eat breakfast. We followed suit and began watching for our chance to grab some empty tables. Our group ended up being split up between the back end and the front end of the cafe as these were the only tables available. Along the wall across from the bar of the cafe was a long monochrome mural collage painting of the cafe and McAllen.

In addition to the REX Cafe and Bakery seeming like the most popular place in town this Saturday morning, they also had a live organ player. I was sitting at the table closest to him and familiar classic tunes sounded great. [See attached .mp3 file for a sampling of the music]. The entertainment, the tasty authentic Mexican breakfast, and the bustling energy of the cafe made for a very positive memorable dining experience. Thanks to George Gause for helping me find some background information on the El REX Cafe.