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Charcoaler Drive-In
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- None
16 reviews for Charcoaler Drive-In
Good, reliable, fast and inexpensive. The burgers are small but tasty and simple. The onion rings are awesome.
Still family owned so that's a plus!
I have had a few friends recommend Charcoaler many times. I finally went a few months ago with my girlfriend and our experience was god-awful. First of all, the burgers start at $3 and are only 1/3lbs. This is ridiculous to begin with, considering how much better bargains there are for your buck in this town, especially when it comes to good cheeseburgers. Secondly, the people working here are absolutely rude and completely lack proper etiquette. They don't tell you to drive up, they confirm your order with a rushed lack of concern, and they don't even say thanks or smile at you. I was going to complain to the manager, but he ended up serving us our food and was just as rude as the others working there. We were the only customers at the restaurant, mind you...
Furthermore, we realised at the window that each additional topping (including cheese, lettuce and tomato!) is an additional charge on top of the burgers. As we were paying, I asked the manager if we could add the lettuce and tomato and cheese and he grunted at us that it was too late. Meanwhile, we watched our burgers being made in the back and they were clearly still on the grill. None the less, I proceeded to ask if he could just throw the lettuce, tomato, and cheese in the bag and he walked away without acknowledging my request. Ten minutes later, he returned with a bag of lettuce tomato and cheese and charged us for the additional toppings. We eventually received our burgers and fries, and drove to the awning to enjoy our meal.
We were astonished by how crude the manager was but we were more shocked by the price when we saw how small the burgers were. I was hoping that the taste of the food would make up for the price and unkindly service, but our burgers tasted like the grill hadn't been cleaned for ages. The fries were soft and oily and reminded me of the crap served in a high school cafeteria.
After the terrible experience, my girlfriend felt sick to her stomach and I was still hungry. I can't imagine ever returning and, in my opinion, your money is far better spent at a traditional fast food burger joint's value menu.
i came here based on the reviews and proximity to the west end... unfortunately.. the best part was the short drive to the charcoaler..
i got 1/3 pound hamburger with lettuce, tomatoes and green chili.. a side of onion rings and a medium diet coke.. the food was mediocre and not worth the $8.50..
my first impression when i drove the the window was no one wearing any sanitary gloves.. what the hell.. i hope they wash their hands..
the meat itself didn't taste smoky and lacked any charcoal flavor.. and seriously.. charging 25 cents for lettuce and tomatoes is pretty damn tacky..
the onion rings were a soggy and greasy mess..
unfortunately.. i was craving a burger... and this place was a complete letdown
I love a greasy joint sometimes. this is it. Good burger, not pricey and a typical groove kinda place.
Yum!
A staple of El Paso's Westside. Now driving up to it, you may say it looks a little shady but don't let the visual differ you this place is great. They mix ketchup and bbq sauce together on their burgers (Beware: The burgers are small) so definitely ask for extra ketchup with your fries or onion rings. And don't stop at the burgers, while they are awesome and necessary expand out to the frankfurter sandwich. Finally finish your meal off with a fried pie, you wont be let down.
Very ehhh. I guess I was anticipating more due to all the pleasant experiences and high stars the gf reported on this place. Burger was tiny and just didn't stand out at all. The fries were sadly oil logged, cold and lacked salt...maybe it's the nostalgia?
one plus (as i always try to paint some bit of positive experience)...small portions so no food coma during lunch for me and you get to shoot your trash in a huge trash bin on the way out (sorry i'm a basketball fan).
Side note...I live in So. Cali where In-N-Out's are on every corner...impossible to compete.
I went to Coronado H.S. (Go Thunderbirds!) and one of my favorite memories of the Charcoaler is when a friend got her finger stuck in her boyfriend's steering wheel and we had to call the fire department. Yep. Sitting there parked under the car canopy amidst the fries and ketchup with her index finger in one of the holes of the steering wheel spoke. I think they broke up soon after since the fire department had to cut up the $600 chrome steering wheel.
Most of all, though, I remember the open flame kissed burgers and hickory sauce to which I added pickles and onions. So freakin' good. The lemon Dr. Pepper was my own personal liquid crack. And the french fries and onion rings brought tears to my eyes.
I have not had a Charcoaler for about 25 years. Can Fed-Ex deliver a hamburger to Austin?
My favorite Hamburger in the whole wide world. Better than anything, they're just smokey a lil' itty bitty spicy. If you ever go to El Paso, you have to have a Charcoaler, they have this special sauce just delicious. But order more than one since they're small. I prefer them without cheese. You have to eat in your car or go home, but if you decide to go home I bet you'll eat them before getting there, because that smell is killer! eating in your car with the El Paso heat is very uncomfortable. But still worth it, you will dream of these burgers for the rest of your life after you try them. The charbroiled taste will haunt you.
Now THIS is what a char-broiled burger should be. Charcoaler is a family barbecue/grill out in the comfort of your own car.
I've been coming to this place since dirt was new, and it has changed little. This is the last great hamburger place in El Paso.
What would I recommend to a first-timer? Take your pick on the menu - everything is great. The cheese burgers with their special barbecue sauce are to die for. The "hot dog" is actually a dog that has been split down the middle and grilled over the same wood fire that they grill the burgers. Be sure to get it "extra well done" for a burnt-weenie sandwich that would bring tears to the eyes of Frank Zappa.
The caldillo and beef burritos are a special treat, as are the cherry or lemon Dr. Peppers. The piece de resistance has to be their french fries. There is nothing fake about these bites of delight. Not plastic like Mickey D's or Burger Kling, they're actually flavorful.
They aren't much for staying open past 10 or 11 on weekends (earlier on weekdays), but boy, are they worth the trip from ANYWHERE in El Paso!
UPDATE:
Was there about a week ago. Went HUNGRY. New owners aren't as concerned about keeping the place "original" as the previous owners were. Fries tasted - to use my old tried-and-true phrase -- "like someone chipped them out of the back of the freezer with an icepick." This place used to be 5 stars. Now they're a 4 because they're 80% of what they used to be. The burgers are still good (but not as good as they used to be), but the hot dogs were still pretty darn happenin'...
A dream of fast food hamburgers from the fifties. Delicious smoky burgers and the best onion rings imaginable.
If i ever eat a burger again, it will be from here.
Charcoaler was putting fruit in sodas looong before the Coke corporation ever thought of the idea. Not only that, but they perfected it long ago too.
I'm talking about the lemon Dr Pepper.
Now, this isn't any kind of profound invention, like curing bird flu, or anything, but credit should be delved out appropriately since they thought of the idea quite some time ago. To this day, when I am self-serving my Lemon DP, I still give a silent nod to 'ol Charcoaler.
And the reason I'm going on about them is because they were THE perfect compliment to the one of the best burgers I've ever enjoyed. They really expose their charcoal grill flavor in the meat and have such a distinct, but delicious taste, I can still remember it several years later since last having one. Their onion rings must be battered in PCP because they are absolutely mind-altering. Top it off with the absolute, most charming throwback car-hop, maybe anywhere in the Southwest (a region famous for its drive-ins), and you have yourself a deal clincher.
I really need to go back here as soon as possible.
You know how it is: you're 16, have the car tonight, and are craving a good burger. In EP, you'd drive through this westside establishment and as a bonus, get a lemon Dr. Pepper.
Okay, it's not THE BEST but when you're 16....
The best char-grilled burgers in El Paso- hands down!! Super super Smokey meat and extra tasty sauce-- sorta a mix of ketchup and barbecue. Oh and the hotdog is great.
Great burger...especially when you think about the drive-thru alternatives around the area. They definitely live up to the name "Charcoaler" as these have that distinct charbroiled taste.
Shakes are alright...they probably taste better when they're not melting in 100 degree weather with no air conditioning in your car.
I love how they're environmentally responsible as they have the largest drive thru garbage cans I've ever seen at the exit of their parking lot.
Nostalgic feelings drove me to this place frozen in the past. A few decades of time has not been kind to it. Is it ever? All I can say is this place would do well as a movie set but not much else. It's the memories of hanging here with friends in days-gone-by that I think is coloring so many reviews here. The food in no way resembles what I remember in its glory days. I ordered a #9 green chili burger, fries, frankfurters and onion rings for my family. I was shocked at the prices for what you actually get. Cold happy meal size burgers that were dripping in katsup. Yuck. Cold fries that, as one previous reviewer mentioned, resembled nothing of the fresh hot "real" ones they used to serve. They were cold and definately from the bottom of the freezer. The frankfurters were DISGUSTING. First off, they sell you HALF of a boiled hotdog they then split, briefly flinging it on the grill for marks and then sticking it on a hamburger bun covered in, you guessed it, katsup. They add pickle slices to the mix for a truely nauseateing effect. I gagged when my kids showed me what they were stuck with for lunch. The onion rings were sloppily made. Extremely greasey and limp. Just awful. When I phoned to complain about what we had received, I was told I would have to ask the OWNER for a refund... and guess what.. he wasn't in. Stupid way of serving customers. Hopefully they will go out of business and put an In-and-Out Burger there instead. Put this place out of its misery!
I now live in San Diego, but whenever I came home to El Paso this is a must stop for me. No other hamburger tastes so good, especially with onion rings. The sauce they use is delicious.
