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Best taqueria in San Mateo for both taste and value. Their pollo asado is grilled perfectly and their carnitas have got a nice crisp to them. Burritos and quesadillas come in huge portions and priced pretty darn cheap. Plus their free chips and salsa bar is quality.
I highly recommend Charlie's for great Mexican food. Located a few blocks away from downtown San Mateo, Charlie's is truly a gem.
My coworkers raved about this place, so I succomed to peer pressure and tried it out. A huge carne asada super burrito came back to the office with me and more then half got thrown out in the garbage.
My taqueria experiance is far and wide. I'm from south San Diego and I KNOW a good place when I find one. Charlie's was so-so.
Ingrediants -
Tortilla - greasy greasy greasy - It would be so much better to make them a little smaller and be nice and tightly wrapped. Mine fell apart as soon as I picked it up.
Carne Asada - nice grilled taste, but not enough. Too much filler.
Beans and Rice - Normal quality.
Cheese - Terrible. I didn't like how the cheese was melted onto the carne asada. If you eat a burrito like me, you end up having to cut it open and eat it the remaining meat with a fork.
Salsa - Not one inkling of heat.
I am not giving up though. I still need to try the tacos and the chicken.
They did have a nice salsa bar and big cups to fill with your choice. I would stear towards the hot or roasted salsas and leave the avocado cilantro one for the heat wussy's.
A huge burrito served for a small price. It's great, but I'm all about the unlimited self serve chips and salsa bar.
I don't usually eat chips but when I go to a mexican restaurant, sometimes I look forward to it even more than the main course itself. It's something about the homemade chips from these restaurants that I can't get enough of! So, if you're that type of person that loves a great bowl of homemade chips and salsa, this place is definitely the place to go.
My favorite Mexican place. Nothing fancy. Just really good food. The super burrito with BBQ pork is to die for--and you may if you try to eat the whole thing.
Great food in great quantities, at a very reasonable price. ...and really nice people!
Huge portions, good prices, reasonable quality meat, overall a very satisfying place when you're hungry for Mexican.
authentic mexican - cheap prices and good portions.
the regular stuff (chicken, asada, carnitas) is all pretty good. I would say the carnitas is a bit fatty and could be alot leaner, but oh well.
Shrimp tacos are really good though - plump, and juicy, comes with slices of avocado. YUM.
oh also, a nice touch they do is putting carmezlied onions to top their stuff, that adds another layer of flavor.
I have been here twice. The first time my parents got me a burrito to go :-) That one was amazing. The carne asade was great! The second time, last week, I went and something was off. We ate at the place and they served our burritos wet style which we did not realize. The sauce on it was ok. I have had way better and spicier sauces like at La Victoria's in San Jose (which is the best). Also, they included rice in my burrito which I told them not to include. Overall, the burrito was ok the second time.
However, the chips and salsa were all good!
I will need to go back and try again for my final judgment on the place. Also, maybe the carnitas or pastor will be a good try.
A lovely alternative to Pancho Villa (which is one of my favs of all-time) in San Mateo. Pancho Villa is better for pick-up and go back to your desk (loud, uncomfortable seating, crowded, too warm inside), this place is better for when you want to sit down and relax (which I now plan to do regularly).
1. Fast (REALLY fast) friendly service (in fact I turned away my order at first, thinking mine couldn't possibly be already done).
2. Half as crowded as Pancho Villa (two blocks outside of the main downtown area).
3. Spacious, colorful, comfortable booths, pleasing interior.
4. Wonderful salsa bar with unlimited warm tortilla chips and chip-friendly containers larger than Villa's plastic thimbles. (not as many varieties as Villa, but all were perfectly excellent.)
5. Friendly prices for a good food selection.
6. They serve beer and wine.
OMG! Best burritos on the PLANET! The chicken burrito is about as big as my whole arm.. it's insane!
Hands down one of the best grilled chicken tacos I've EVER had. Look at me, I'm a chubby dude. I know my grilled chicken and I know my tacos. I also know that Charlies does it right. Sure it's not as cheap as a truck on the street but satisfaction, my friends, is something you can't put a dollar sign on.
Charlie's is big by taqueria standards. It has two large screen tv's that almost always show some sort of soccer game. It also boasts a salsa & chip bar with a variety of salsas ranging from mild to fuck-yo-mouth.
Out of the three tacos I got (carne asada, pollo and al pastor), I would rank chicken #1 and al pastor #2. That isn't to say that the carne wasn't good, it was just not AS good as the chicken.
So please, pay Charlie a visit once and I promise you'll be jonesing for his tacos.
When I moved back to San Mateo, I was in desperate need of some burrito loving. Fellow yelpers pointed me to this place, and I'm happy they did.
Aww shiggity yeah, they have a chips and salsa bar.
I've had both the lengua and the carnitas. The carnitas is good, but goddamn that lengua is amazing. Trust.
I judge a Mexican joint by its al pastor, and Charlie's does not disappoint. I have had burritos and tacos here, and both are quite good. The tacos are huge though. I'm a big guy and two are more than adequate. Don't miss the salsa bar for several options to accompany your meal or enjoy on the chips they provide. Nice, courteous order-takers and a clean establishment. I consider Charlie's on par with Taqueria Las Cazuelas (though Charlie's is much cleaner), my favorite hole in San Mateo for authentic Mexican, particularly the al pastor.
It's about time I found a decent place for Mexican food near my work. My coworker recommended Charlie's Taqueria off of B Street. The extensive menu has many items to choose from that it's practically hard to decide right away. I went with the Super Burrito with carne asada. What I really love about this place is the all you can eat chips and salsa bar, where the chips are crisp and salsa/sides are fresh. This was my first time I ate a "wet" burrito, so I wasn't accustomed to using a knife and fork. Nonetheless, the sauce really complements the burrito...might I add the burrito huge.
I'll definitely go back again and with a price of around $6, you can't go wrong.
I've tried about a dozen (not kidding) Mexican restaurants in San Mateo in the last few months, and Charlie's is THE BEST in the area.
You get a lot of bang for your buck, too - very reasonably priced and large portions. Good salsa bar and serve-yourself chips.
I came here based off of all the glowing reviews. Maybe I was in the wrong state-of-mind, but I thought the food was incredibly greasy. Everything tasted great and the salsa was delicious and spicy, but the carnitas taco was swimming in grease, the burrito was grease-tastic, and the clientele were mostly large folks.
I'll try it again when I'm not on a health kick and maybe my opinion will change.
NOTE: My first day yelping so I'm going all out!
I've been going here for about 3 years now and I just cannot get enough of it! This taqueria is a diamond in the rough! For around 6-7 bucks you can get a burrito that will last you for 2 meals! Not only are the portions large, the meat is well seasoned and even the shrimp for the burritos is filled with flavor! Once your order is placed, it takes them about 5-7 minutes to make it and while waiting, grab yourself a paper bag and fill it with chips +salsa!
My personal favorites are:
1) Super Carne Asada (Steak) Wet Burrito
2) Super Shrimp Wet Burrito
3) Enchilada platter (Shredded chicken, and pork in the green sauce)
Never once ate in the restaurant because I worked at the bank right down the street but it seems like a nice cozy place to enjoy a meal.
Charlie's = MUY BUENO!
I've tried eating here twice because it's 2 feet from my apartment and it has good reviews.
The first time I went to Charlie's I had the super burrito with chicken. It had a funky smell which I thought was due to the hot sauce (which had a flavor that I've never tasted in mexican food). There was too much chicken in the burrito and the quality of meat was questionable.
The second time I was waiting for my laundry to be done so I stopped in to grab lunch. This time I got the veggie burrito (sans hot sauce) but couldn't even get through half of it! It still had a funky smell...like meat that's been sitting around or something. Plus it was swimming in grease (something I may have missed last time due to the hot sauce)! The taste was OK but the smell...I couldn't get over it.
I eat meat! I enjoy meat but there's something off about the preparation of meat here...
I will say that their salsa is awesome and really fresh!
I'll be walking the extra couple of blocks to a different lunch/dinner place. Too bad I was really excited about this place!
Charlie's Taqueria is bomb food. Order the super burrito and you get a gianormous burrito that many would be hard pressed to finish in one sitting. Fortunately, it isn't all about quantity at Charlies -- the quality lives up to the promise of deliciousness. The meat is fresh, the carne asada has great flavor and isn't super salty (like Pancho Villa's is), and the salsas are bomb. And, the best part? You get all of this for 6 dollars!
Charlie's is a must try for killer burritos!
IMHO, the best taqueria in san mateo. my usual is the carnitas super burrito, and the thing is massive. highly recommend eating in, as they will drench it in their homemade sauce. i also love their selection of salsas and fresh chips, both free and unlimited!
I was really excited to go here based on all the great reviews. I went with 4 other adults and we all thought it was okay- not bad, but not 4-5 stars either. I tried the chicken taco combination plate and they were alright. The corn tortillas were lightly toasted which was a nice touch, but I thought the chicken was greasy. The sauteed onions dressing the tacos were good though.
A friend ordered a burrito with carne asade and asked for no spice at all- which is exactly what she got, but then everybody else's burritos weren't spicy either. So maybe they don't make them spicy?
Nice variety salsa bar, but the chips were, meh.
They get a star for being friendly and welcoming us with an "Hola amigos."
Charlie's super burrito with grilled chicken is a delicious experience to say the least. I've been here three times.
Always had the super burrito with various meats. Yesterday I ordered the grilled chicken and was waiting for like 10 minutes. All of the regulars were getting served before me and I was getting antsy.
When it arrived, I again became familar with its huge size and the sauce that is poured on top. This is by no means a standard burrito. You eat it with fork and knife and all the ingredients are freshly prepared. The chicken quality is step up from most taqueria's.
Don't get it twisted though, I wouldn't call it gourmet, just way tasty. I wouldn't want to rise the hopes of clown ass yuppies who are used to paying $12.99 for a Wolfgang Puck taco.
The ambiance is cool. As you walk in you can see photos of various latinos from Kareoke night. One of these days I am going to belt out my rendition of " I've had the time of my life ( and I;ve never felt this way before)" It's a crowd pleaser and hopefully the latino community of San Mateo appreciates it. But anyways, futbol is always on the telly and I refuse to try anything else here.
The Mexican places closer to downtown are just generic and bland, skip them. Give Charlie your money.
Living in the Peninsula from 1995-2007 has been awesome. One of the big reasons is quality food at great restaurants. Charlie's Taqueria. A true gem. Charlie's super burritos destroy the competition. I've eaten burritos from Mexico to San Diego to LA and all up and down the entire Mission District in San Francisco. When I began in 1995, you could find some taquerias selling super burritos for less than $4. Remember that? It was so seductive. Heaping mounds of freshly made ingredients stuffed into these sexy plumpers. I know about burritos, how they differ from region to region, city to city, block to block, street to street!
I have eaten so many of Charlie's super burritos that they just ask "So, carne asada or carnitas?" when it's my turn to order. What separates Charlie's from the rest are:
-Meat quality. Their carne asada tastes like carne asada should taste, nicely seasoned and tender. Carnitas are succulent, you can taste the citrus. Al pastor has that great marinated flavor. The pollo asado (grilled chicken) is very tasty indeed.
-Tortillas are placed flat on the grill pre-construction. Gives them a nice steam and pliable texture. Some taquerias put their burritos in a steamer. Not Charlies.
-Unlimited chips and salsa. Chips are thick and hearty, cooked just right, and lightly salted. The pico de gallo is well-made and has a nice amount of heat from fresh jalapenos.
-Quantity. Charlie's is quite generous with their portions. I can never knock out a burrito in one sitting. Usually places that give you a lot of food don't have good quality food. Charlie's gots both. Damn they're fuckin cool.
If you eat in, they put this awesome sauce and turn your super burrito into a plate of undeniable goodness that will stick to your ribs for 3 days. Awesome. A little swim for your sexy girth. So good!
This is my favorite taqueria in life.
Nice to see that there ONE place that has not sold out. AWESOME wet burrito at an excellent price. Nice home feel. Blows Pacho Hurting Villa out of the water. Best roasted jalapenos around.
I was in a taqueria the other week, and the music emanating through the doors was... pop top 20? That was not Charlie's, and that's one reason I'm giving them four stars as opposed to three. I heard actual Spanish-language music as I neared the entrance. While placing my order, next to the guys watching futbol and drinking Corona at the bar, I realized the music was Karaoke! The other reason Charlie's gets four rather than three stars is that there were guys at the bar watching futbol and drinking cerveza. And they were shooting the shizit and having a good time.
I took home a carne plato por mi novio, and I had the arroz con pollo. We agreed everything was really tasty, but I thought my arroz was too salty and they actually put too much cheese on the plate. I never thought those words would issue forth from my mouth, in that order.
I was really please that they didn't pack our food in styrofoam nor was there a plastic bag involved. We had heavy paper plates, wrapped in aluminum and it was all nicely arranged in a cardboard box.
And the guy who took my order called my "Mija" when my order was ready. That totally cracked me up. We're probably about the same age, and I haven't been called mija since I was... well, someone's hija.
Good job Charlie! I may have found my favorite taqueria in San Mateo! And I love the little "off the beaten path" location, south of all the action on B St. This is apparently where the *real* action is.
PS - their super burritos are dirt cheap, so I'll be having one the next time around.
This place is ok, not worth driving too but fine if you are in the area. It's pleasant inside and the chips are tasty. Carne asada is also my measure of how good a Mexican place is and I have to rate theirs at about 2 1/2 stars -- it kinda had a funky smell (you know that fishy smell that beef that's a little bit not that fresh smells when it gets well-done?) It was edible but nothing at all like great carne asada. Their beans and rice were quite good.
Love this place, used to go to El Aguila, but it's long gone, then used to go to Guadalajara Grill. Burritos are big, if you've been to El Metate and noticed the burritos tastes similar that's because the owner of Charlies used to cook for El Metate.
I have to admit I was skeptical reading about this place. Being a regular of Pancho's down a few blocks I do expect a lot of flavor from my taquerias! I had the shredded chicken super burrito (I think it was $6). Served "wet"; covered with sauce, includes tortilla chip & salsa bar. Comfy booths & quiet area with plenty of parking. So my skepticism has faded away this is indeed the BOMB burrito the many reviews says it is! Not as crowded as Pancho's, much more comfortable, bigger burrito! My only gripe is the smaller selection of Frescas but I had the Limon and it was just right-not too sweet! I'm a fan.
"It's ok, but nothing special"
Best burrito ever.
I had no idea this amazing place was a mere block from my office!
Grilled Chicken Super Burrito: 5 stars
Chips and salsa: 5 stars
Watching the Manchester United game on tv while I waited for my lunch: priceless.
Best Taqueria in the Peninsula. Hands down.
I'm going to err for the four stars because a) the size of my super burrito was bigger than a kitten and b) I saw a bunch of old Mexican men gathered around watching football and chatting away in Spanish. What can I say ,I like hearing sports related shit talking in Spanish.
This place is larger than it appears on the outside and is close to nearby Yuppies Bar (which allows outside food). The interior is your average taqueria affair (framed pictures, steak is spelled "staek" and "stake" at least once on the menu) with white walls, green vinyl booths and a chips and salsa bar. They get serious props for actually having to go containers you can fit a chip into but I do have a question. What is that pale green dip??? Please tell me its some funky tomtillo/ chile verde/ cilantro anything and NOT some iced down bastardization of guacamole! When I first heard of this I thought it was some sick joke but apparently I was wrong and spotted it not long afterwards.
The sheer volume of food impressed me. I got a super burrito plate for about 8 bucks and got a large helping of beans and rice with my super burrito. As I said this thing was roughly the size of a small island. I went for the carne asada and was relatively pleased with the meat as well as the proportion of salsa and beans and rice and guacamole (REAL guacamole I may add) in the burrito. I did have to put a fair amount of the salsa on it to give it a kick but all and all it was more than enough food to feed two people. The menu has all the usual traditional suspects and there is a large seafood menu with plenty of dishes featuring camaron y pulpo (shirmp and octopus). Yummy.
TRY THE COCTEL DE CAMARON!
(shrimp cocktail)
I'm half Mexican and I would never try this, until I had some of my boyfriend's and omg im hooked!!
Love it! Even though we spend like 30.00 on two and a couple of Modelo beers :]
Karaoke on Tuesday nights !
very good , large portions - very large portions - nice sauces as well - they are very nice here, I recommend the steak tacos
I don't understand why I never knew or heard of this place till recently. Seriously, its worth walking down two blocks from Pancho to come here. I had their super burrito and that sucker was huge. With their all you can eat chips and salsa, you can split the burrito between two and still walk out like your feeling pregs.
two thumbs up! I would definitely come back here more often
I freakin LOVE this joint - 5 stars (for the category of mexican taqueria) duh, I know it aint the ritz but 5 anyway.
go for the
AMAZING SALSA BAR
AMPLE CHIPS - ALL YOU WANT
The best carnitas EVER
and great prices are super reasaonable - this place is a great hangover joint or a great place to go see a soccer game - its a typical mexican taqueria but rivals the best the mission has to offer in SF - Ive only been here once and my experience was exemplary so I am looking forward to another visit.
Charlie's is a well kept secret, and it shouldn't be: I've lived in the area for most of my life but only discovered Charlie's when the guys who were doing work at my house told me I could get a burrito the size of a newborn baby for about 5 bucks. They were not entirely kidding about the size. While the burritos are delicious, there are three things on the menu that are the best I have had anywhere:
1. The vegetarian super tacos. I don't know precisely why these are so good, but I suspect it has to do with the grilled onion topping. YUM!!!!!!
2. The vegetarian nachos. These must be eaten HOT on the premises to really appreciate how delicious they are.
3. The pico de gallo (sp??) salsa, to which you can help yourself at the salsa bar. There is no better salsa on the planet. Not only are the ingredients FRESH, but Charlie's spices up the salsa with fresh jalapeño and extra cilantro. The thought of this salsa makes my mouth water.
The other, solid 5-star attraction is the man behind the counter, whose name I am ashamed to admit that I have yet to ask, but suspect it is "Charlie" based on how well he treats his customers. I felt like a regular after my second visit.
The only downside to Charlie's is that you get so much amazing food for so little money that, if you make Charlie's a regular habit, you will need a new (larger) wardrobe. Thankfully, I already own several pairs of "fat pants."
I think this place is awesome. I came here for my first time quite recently cause i just moved down the street and man i went for a week straight after that and brought friends and family.\
I think the best thing is the Espresso Burrito fajita style (with peppers and onions) Its such a huge portion for little money with free chips and bomb salsa.
Everything on the Espresso burritos is awesome The orange sauce, sour cream, tomatoes, guac and parmasean cheese. MMMM
I think the best meat there is 1. Pollo Asada
2. Al Pastor
3. Carne Asada
Must check it out
Charlies' is good Mexican food and reasonably priced. It's also fast and fresh and tasty. Every time.
It's MUCH better than the Pancho Villa down the street. My wife and my good friend down the street both think so too, and they are Mexican food aficionados.
It might not be quite as good as Guadalajara Grill when it comes to the soft tacos, but Charlie's chicken quesadillas are really, really good. Tons of guac, sour cream, and they are so buttery and tasty. You know they probably aren't good for you if they taste this good.
Who says there's no good Mexican on the peninsula?? There's actually quite a bit of it, and Charlie's is one of those places. And if you choose to eat in, Charlie's actually has a somewhat more comfortable and cozy atmosphere than flourescent-lit, utilitarian places like most taquerias like Pancho Villa are. The staff are also pretty friendly and remember you if you come in more than a few times. Definitely recommended as the best Mexican in downtown San Mateo.
their grilled chicken is pure magic. my favs are the super chicken burrito and the super delux chicken quesadilla. everytime i get a burrito I try to convince my self i'm only going to eat half and save the rest for later (its a lot of food)... and fail everytime.
I typically get food to go, but they have a very nice dine-in area. Unlimited chips and salsa. The salsa bar is not as extensive as the one at Pancho villa down the street, but the food more than makes up for it. And on top of that its cheap.
Actually, 2.5 stars...however, closer to a two than a three.
Would I visit again? Yeah, why not. I'm considering giving this place another shot due to the good reviews. Maybe, the next round I will try the burritos (as suggested).
However, for now, I have to stick to two stars. I ordered the Carne Asada. The beef was chewy...chewy...okay, forget chewing...*GULP*! The taste was okay. The beef was salted, but that was about it. I did not taste any marinade (which a lot of places are prone to do), just plain ole salt.
The portions were okay - not too small; always much appreciated.
The prices were roughly the same as the competion. I believe around $9 for Carne Asada, and around $5/6 for a burrito.
I'll give this place another shot within the next month or so. Not, too thrilled about going back, but willing to try something else on the menu.
To be con't.
This guy has the BEST soft tacos this side of the minute-men army. I crave his chorizo super-taco twice a week at least, and that works out well for me since he is (almost) in my backyard. The pollo asada is another healthier option, and just as flavorful. Friends that I have taken there, love the shrimp quesadillas and the fish on the menu as well.
The mexican programming on the TVs is decent, and with the World Cup Soccer matches coming up, thats definitely one of the places in the Peninsula to watch a match (especially if it includes Mexico !!!)
Charlie and his stafff (mostly his family) are very friendly and inviting. Always a smile on his face. Go there, try it. You will not be disappointed.
San Mateo, CA
Category: Mexican
San Mateo, CA
Category: Mexican
San Mateo, CA
Category: Mexican
San Mateo, CA
Category: Delis
San Mateo, CA
Category: Mexican
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