Via WashingtonPost.com El Rey, a taqueria and beer garden on U Street constructed largely from shipping containers, is weeks away from opening.

Shocked? So are we. It's been just shy of two years since we first heard rumbles of the restaurant helmed by Eric and Ian Hilton. After releasing an initial design in March 2012, the duo instead opened the Brixton and Satellite Room. After a couple of summers came and went, we'd lost hope that we'd be drinking margaritas under the stars anytime soon.

Suddenly, construction is cranking at 919 U St. NW. A trio of brightly hued shipping containers that seem to have sprung up overnight now mark the future home of El Rey, which is set to open sometime between Christmas and New Year's Eve, Ian Hilton says.

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