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Home of the Chimichanga! This is a great Tucson establishment. The food it delicious. One tip would be to make a reservation. When we got there there must have been 10-20 people waiting for a table. I walked right up to the host, told him I had a reservation and we were seated within 10 minutes. I ordered grilled fish and grilled chicken soft tacos. They were really flavorful and had their unique taste.
If you're in Tuscon now coming to Cl Charro would be a mistake.
Many of the dishes seem indistinguishable from your typical old-school Mexican joint. The reason you enter the door is for the history and ambiance. In that regard the place is worth the price. It kind of reminds me of the TeePee in Phoenix.....so, so food completely buttressed by its long history in the community.
The chimichanga is good, but let's face it the chimichanga is a "good" dish at best. The fideo is above average, the sauce being a tad thin for my taste. The desserts are great, the best being the chocolate flan.
A definite stop in Tucson. Just expect most of the compliments to be directed to the decorations and history.
El Charro was very, very good to us. Passing through Tucson on a road trip, we were excited for their famous food. Everything was going swimmingly, until we had an argument with another patron, who was being unnecessarily aggressive. The waiter took the proactive measure of relocating her, thus circumventing an unpleasant experience. I'd rather not get more detailed than that, but we are very grateful.
Oh, and the food was divine.
Loved it. Visited the newest location on Oracle and was impressed with the decor, service & fare. We have tried Carne Seca ( a regional dish), Tortilla Soup, & my personal fave: Entree #4- seafood tacos combination. Definte must for all visitors. Very close to the Westward Look & a little further from The Westin. Worth the smallish drive to check it out. Our servers Frank & Tanner were terrific with our kids & visitors. Try the Prickly Pear margarita, too!!
El Charro Cafe's chips and salsa get 5 stars. You don't get very many but what they do give is really good and the salsas are excellent!
Everything else was just so so. Nothing memorable, just okay. I was expecting more b/c when I was visiting Tucson, the hotel recommended El Charro Cafe and spoke about it as if it was THE BEST.
The decor is eclectic and fun, lots to look at and many uses of color!
Chimichanga delight
I have been to many Mexican restaurants and taco stands around the American Southwest, and this is truly one of the best. Billed as the oldest Mexican restaurant in the nation, El Charro presents flavor and seasoning perfected over a century of experience. The beef chimichanga (the specialty) was unbelievable; the first bite really sets you back and causes pause. The service was excellent, as the staff were friendly and prompt. The complementary tortilla chips and salsa met my expectations. I recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants superb food and a satisfying margarita. El Charro is a memorable dining experience.
El Charro claims to be the nation's oldest Mexican restaurant, which is reason enough to check it out. The space is homey and is decorated in an eclectic way. There are all kinds of old-school posters/calendars/images, plates, hats, and other random things that give this place an old-school charm. The decor is pretty cool.
Their happy hour offers 50% off appetizers (which is a good deal), and their drinks are decently priced. I ordered prickly pear margaritas and they were pretty good. They were a bright fuchsia color which may be reason enough to get one (or five).
My party ordered tons of appetizers and entrees, and the food was so-so. Nothing amazing. Not bad, but not stand-out delicious either.
If anything, come here to enjoy a piece of history, but don't expect to be wowed by the food.
El Charro is always, and in more than 2 decades, and has always been problematic.
The secret to the Hell Charro experience is to accept the issues and demand what you need, its part of the charm.
On this visit:
1. We were led to the 4 top that is at the kitchen door, come now really?, next table please.
2. DW ordered sangria, at a restaurant of Spanish influence this should be ok yes?, it was horrible. The base of the drink was some fountain grape kool-aid derivative, simply awful. Sent it back.
3. Enough already? No there is more of course.
4. OD orders a mojito, again at a restaurant of Spanish influence this should be ok yes?, it was not. The mojitos failure point was that it was created with a mix. WORST PART, 9$ for this privilege. Note: OD orders poorly everywhere, so there is a contributory negligence factor here.
5. When initially presented with our check, items returned were not removed from the check.
6. Thats enough for this one.
So, I have been to El Charro before and I know that I don't like the food, but some friends wanted to go there for lunch so I obliged. Now, I can stand to eat the birria and so I ordered it. They bring me something that is not birria. They try to pass off red chili has birria! Hello!
First of all, I have eaten birria here before and that is not what it looks like or what it tastes like.
Second of all, birria is shredded! It doesn't come in chunks of cubed meat!
I tell my waitress and she looks at me like I am stupid. So, I politely say just take it back. She takes it. Then about 2 minutes later she comes back with 3 types of meat on a plate and tries to school me on different types of meat they serve. WHATEVER! HOW RUDE! I didn't ask for this and I know what the difference is!
So the bill comes and my lunch is still on there! I didn't eat, I complained and then the server acts like this was the first she heard that I hated the taste and it wasn't what I ordered! Needless to say, I am never going back there.
I give El Charro a giant F- for service!!
What the heck is going on with this place?! Went there during Mother's Day weekend and found the host now situated outside of the restaurant looking like a beefy bouncer with a really bad attitude. He asked if we had reservations. I've never had to make a reservation in all the years I've been going to El Charro. After telling him no, he said in an irritated manner, "let me see what I have available". The place was practically empty - - maybe 6 other small groups eating there max. He took us to a back table which turned out to be the kid's corner right next to the kitchen. I couldn't relax from the kids screaming and crying and the loudness of the kitchen. We waited 20 minutes for a waiter who took pity on us because he realized we were forgotten. I know he wasn't suppose to be our waiter because we ended up waited even longer for our drinks and our food to be served.
I was SO disappointed about the service, it totally ruined my meal and I couldn't get out of there fast enough. El Charro, if you're reading this, you've totally lost a faithful customer. I hope you get your act together.
I agree this place is worth a visit because it is such a historic restaurant in Tucson but the food isn't going to blow you away.
Chips and salsa were plentiful and always refilled, margs were average and as for my virgin mango marg is was all and gone in 3 quick gulps!
My carnitas torta was just ok with acceptable rice 'n beans. The tacos were ok too. Service was polite but a tad slow.
This was a generous 3 stars.
El Charro is Tucson's oldest restaurant and claims to be the nation's oldest Mexican restaurant. It's a family owned local business, still in it's original building - though it now has various locations around the valley. For summer, they have a special $5 meal menu full of hearty choices. I tried the burger but it's not just any, since it's Mexican style. It was probably the best burger I've ever had and my entire bill, with a soda, was under $8.
The only problem I've had with them is service. They either employ not enough wait staff or just the wrong kind because they're rather slow and not very hospitable. The more people you have, the longer you'll be waiting for service. However, if you're there for the food and the prices, you won't be disappointed.
A friend/coworker who grew up near Tucson suggested this place. A pretty long drive from the airport, but well worth it for a piece of local history. It's a Tucson institution . . . reportedly it's the nation's oldest mexican restaurant in continuous operation by the same family. Got that?
On a hot Wednesday evening, the place was hopping. Lots of folks were out, dining al fresco. There's a good sized patio, that sits between what appears to be two small buildings that form the restaurant. It was ornately decorated in a modest, thrown-together fashion. Like you would a dorm room. For a place of such renown, I was kinda surpised at the small bar. Happily, however, there was little action there; a young lawyer grabbing a bite before returning to work -- at 7 p.m. -- and myself. You would also think that given the fabled popularity of this joint, that they could afford a decent flat-screen TV. Come on, the Lakers are playing. Guess I shouldn't complain; they had one. But HD has spoiled this brotha, believe it.
So I ordered the Cabo Street Soft Taco plate -- 3 soft corn tacos with your choice of meat, with beans & rice on the side. I chose carne seca as the meat. The bartender pointed to the roof, where they hang strips of beef to . . . well, petrify. It's well seasoned, but it does have a light gamey taste that you get with jerky. If you do jerky, you'll survive it. Wash it down with a beer of some sort, and you're doing alright. The service by the bartender was courteously delivered, if just a tad unprofessional. I was midway through the first taco before my silverware and napkin arrived. As soon as the bartender put the utensils down, the busboy he initially sent for them15 minutes before finally fulfilled the request, so then I had two sets.
Ever seen margaritas on-tap? Yeah, it was my first time too. I passed on that.
My last months in Tucson I promised myself that I would go on a mission of trying as many restaurants I could. Tucson, although a weird place, has great food per square mile. El Charro however, is not that great. I don't get what the big deal is. They are supposed to be the classic Tucson Mexican restaurant but there was nothing to love about El Charro for me. The food was only ok, chips weren't even fresh. I have had much better carne asada. I mean, if you want to go to a restaurant because you are "supposed" to when you visit a city then fine, do it. But I have to say, I didn't miss anything in the 3 previous years of not going to El Charro.
Every other Mexican restaurant I eat at is compared to El Charro. So far none have even come close to the tastiness of this place. Is it annoying to find parking? Yup. Are you going to wait a stupidly long time for a table? Yup. Could you be seated in an awkward room that feels like a closed in porch? Yup. But is it worth it for the amazing Mexican food you are about to it? You bet! I have had interesting experiences at this place but the bottom line is this: The food is freaking amazing and you will be glad you have it in your tummy. I have had issues with my drink orders as others have mentioned (I swear my margarita had zero amounts of alcohol in it) so just order a bottled beer and you'll survive. I don't go to restaurants for the drinks, I go for the food. And this place is the best Mexican I will ever eat. Get something with the beef that's been slow cooked and dried all day, I forget what they call it but it's so so good!
So after reading a few Yelp reviews and remember seeing El Charro on the Food Network a few months ago, I decided I better have a taste of this famous Carne Seca.
It was fairly quite when I arrived so I got a table asap. I ordered a margarita and the Carne Seca Chimichanga. I waited a few minutes and the waiter came out with a Carne Seca Enchilada. Apparently the cook read the ticket wrong and the waiter brought out the enchilada and asked if I wanted this for no extra charge or if I wanted to have them start a chimichanga. I didn't feel like waiting longer to eat and I didn't want to be a pain so I took the enchilada. I was really looking forward to the Carne Seca and heard so much about it. However, I was disappointed and thought it was going to me much more flavorful than it was. I couldn't decided wether the enchilada ruined it. But I wish they would have fixed the problem in the kitchen and not bring it out to me to make the decision.
I thought the Carne Seca was only average and while the over all meal was good, I didn't think it was even close to the best mexican food I have had.
I also had the Tres Leches Cake. It was really good, I have definitely had better.
I would love to eat here again and hope for a much better meal. I am sure it will be better next time, but not today.
Best Carne Seca my ass. Los Betos puts them to shame on this one. Yeah I said it, Not only do I know Mexicans, I am friends with Mexicans, I even date and eat with a Mexican.
I am calling "Shenanigans" on this chain. The food is good for the most part, but I cannot in good faith pay the high prices they charge anymore.
Better than CHILE's, hells yeah, better than Macayo's? Well when price is factored in and decor is factored out - TIE.
I have a feeling I will be eating at another location in the following year, but it will not be out of my own volition.
Not the best Mexican food I have ever had but good. Good service. I had the carne seca enchaladas, my wife had the corn tortillas. Her tortillas were excellent. Creamy, moist, sweet and generous proportion. My enchaladas were good. Carne seca is an acquired taste. It's unique, a bit acidic and has a strong good flavor. i probably won't order it again, as I like carne asada better. I recommend the whole beans. The rice was average. Good margaritas, but not special. A very good and endless supply of chips and salsa (green and red). A bit more expensive than I imagined.
Came to El Charro's based on a friend's recommendation. Great atmosphere & decor. I had the USA Chimichanga (sp?). It was good, but didn't meet the expectations I had for USA today's best rated chimichanga. It was bland to my taste. The portion was huge. The salsas were tasty, but not very thick (runs off the chip) and not especially spicy. The ice tea was very fresh & clean ( that is always a positive sign in my book for a restaurants' upkeep). Overall a pleasant experience, but I was on vacation & had high expectations based on reviews I had read. I would definetly give this place a second chance if I make it back to Tucson. Service was great, just a bland chimichanga. Cheers, Joe Mac
Had Dinner at El Charro last night with a bunch of friends. This was my first time there. I will be back. I did not even bother to open the menu. Our friend Lisa said I had to have the Carne Seca Plate. The Carne Seca plate consists of a half pound of sun dried lean angus beef shredded and grilled with green chile and onions. It was served with Pico De Charro salsa, homemade guacamole, beans and tortillas.
To me all Mexican food tastes basically the same. This stood out and was out standing.
The service was great as and the decor was authentic.
El Charro claims to be the nation's oldest Mexican restaurant, which is reason enough to check it out. El Charro is known for their carne seca. I liked the food. Interesting taste, but not out of this world.
This is the standard against which I measure all other Sonoran style Mexican food. Having moved away from the southwest I miss El Charro badly.
Try the tortilla soup to start and then go for some carne seca tacos.
I will say that as El Charro has expanded they've lost some of their original charm and become much more chainified- and this has included raising their prices to unreasonable levels. Still, worth the visit, and if you go for their lunch specials it is more reasonably priced.
Not much to add to the other positive reviews--this is THE place for carne seca which is sort of like a mexican beef jerky made into tacos. Everything else is OK--but you must eat the carne seca. If you dont like meat, stay home. There is a bar too and its a bit of a hangout place. El Charro has been in the Flin family since the 1920s. I started coming here with my grandmother in the 1960s. The hype is true--its great. The expansions are disturbing but its still got virtually al of the charm it had nearly 50 years ago.
I went to Tucson this weekend for my tennis nationals and our team ate dinner here one night. It was good food, but a little pricier than places in LA for the same quality.
It's worth a visit. The service is great and friendly.
I would consider myself a Mexican food expert, having been raised on this cuisine in Los Angeles, and having traveled throughout Mexico over a hundred times. This is one of the best Mexican restaurants if not the best I've tried. Only been there once in Nov., 2008, and Wifey had a burrito that was to die for. I had the Carne Seca, and it pretty good, not anything marvelous or spectacular. The relleno I had was incredible, and so was the cheese dip, salsa, and a few other appetizer things we tried and took home with us. Great little place, nice atmosphere, neat part of town. This place ranks up there with El Cholo in L.A.
So happy to see that El Charro is still around! This was my go-to place when the 'rents were in town when I was in college....
Not your traditional Mexi fare...more New Wave-ish. lol Picture a burrito but stuffed with things like carrots and cauliflower! Yeah...different! But the food is awesome...you'll enjoy it, trust me.
My downstairs neighbor my Junior/Senior year was one of the managers so we ate there A LOT...I even swiped one of his baseball caps that said "El Charro" on it. Still have it! ;)
I agree with Michael S....don't confuse this original place with all the imitators...not even close in quality and atmosphere.
After reading reviews about the terrific dried beef known as Carne Seca, we were expecting more from this place than we got. Sat by a corner table with a broom across from us. Food was cold and dried out, although I guess the dried out part may be part of the Carne Seca treatment. Did like the chicken broth based soup. Would not return here or recommend it to you. This place seems to be living on past glory.
Awesome, awesome AWESOME!
El Charro is about as authentic as you can get in terms of Tucson rustico Mexican food. The restaurant itself is unbelievably authentic (set in an old Barrio district home downtown), and the food is almost as authentic. Service can get quite slow on weekends, but the food makes up for it. Try the Carne Seca - you won't be disappointed. As far as I know, this is the only place in town that still dries its Carne Seca the traditional way, on the rooftop.
Although the food isn't quite as down-home-authentic Mexican as Rosa's, the ambiance of the restaurant and flavors of the food make up for it. Be sure to stop by if you're in the area. My only complaint is that salsa is served with chips on a *flat* plate (wtf?), and if you ask for a bowl, they will say no (again, WTF?!). It's nearly impossible to scoop salsa onto a chip.
Not sure so how many people can be disappointed by this classic restaurant. It has to be the best Americanized Mexican restaurant there. (Although, they just edge out Rosa's because of their superior historic atmosphere) After all, they do have the distinction of the best Chimichanga on the planet.
But don't get this El Charro confused with it's numerous satellite restaurants in Tucson, they all pale in comparison to the original both in food and in atmosphere.
The winding historic home can be great for a loud or quiet dinner or a lively margarita soaked happy hour. I'm not sure how there can be so many complaints about the wait with the HUGE amount of seating and the HUGE bar area you can douse yourself with margarita while waiting.
A great place to have a big bday dinner, bring your parents or anyone seeking an authentic southwest experience, or just have a great Mexican meal.
El Charro is very, very over-rated.
And they're big liars! Those green Vs on their menu - to indicate vegetarian options - don't actually mean that those dishes are vegetarian. They mean that there are no visible chunks of meat. (Yup, that's right, all their soups are made with chicken broth.)
Chile rellenos in the Tucson Area rated according to the Homeland Security Advisory System with three word descriptors.
El Charro: interesting green sauce. Yellow
See photos.
I'd really like to give the restaurant 4 stars for it's ambiance, but the food was just o.k. I had the red chili beef burrito lunch special, which came with rice and beans. There were 5 others in my party, and I asked most of them about the food, and they said the same thing, it was good but not great. The restaurant location and buildings are very cool. It looks like a converted old home, with a store and cantina attached. In terms of the food, what was great was the El Charro dessert sampler. It was a little pricey for lunch at $13,95, but the dessert sampler was excellent!!
This is the best mexican food in Tucson. You can tell how good a mexican restaurant is by their salsa and El Charro's is great. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. El Charro is known for their carne seca, but carne seca is too dry for my tastes. I like the spinach and mushroom enchilades, the fish tacos, and cheese crisps. The one complaint I have against El Charro is that their margaritas are just ok.
If you have ever had real Mexican food like in Mexico or from your abuela here in the states you will understand what I am talking about. It wants to be the real thing but they don't even take the first step at real, they don't make their own tortillas. I had a burrito that had so much dry tortilla and so little inside, I thought to myself I know times are tough but I still want some barbacoa damn it. The salsa was good, I can give them that, and the margaritas were very good. I am so picky about margs but these were made with fresh lime juice and it was obvious. I would go back for drinks but not food. The place its self is awesome and a great outside patio. One thing I forgot to mention is that the service sucks balls! O and did I mention that the service sucks!
In the Tucson Mexican restaurant wars, you have two sides: the El Charro Lovers and the Haters who want you to go anywhere else. I'm definitely a Lover. The Hater will complain to you about long waits, variable food, and indifferent service. The Lover will say to you "Whatever you say, Complainy McGee, but there's CARNE SECA!!!!! AND TEQUILA!!!!! So shut up."
If El Charro has any flaws, I don't see them. I've always had great food and good service here. I've never deviated from the carne seca platter or chimichanga, though they have a tasty tortilla soup for starters. Good refried beans too.
I was recently impressed by Poca Cosa, but I will always return to my true home at El Charro whenever I'm in Tucson. Oy, carne seca.
Lovers! Haters! There's love for everyone underneath the desert sun if we just agree to disagree!
This is one of my favorite restaurants to take out-of-town guests for its excellent ambience and great food. It's very pricey for mexican food, but the experience is worth it.
The carne seca is transcendant; dry, chewy and weird, yes. Incredibly flavorful, YES. Try the carne seca chimi, dears. We are, after all, talking about the place that supposedly invented the chimi when a burrito got knocked in the deep fryer by accident.
What is really incredible about this place, aside from the phenomenal, last-meal-worthy, would-leave-my-wonderful-husband-for carne seca, is the tomato soup they serve on Fridays. Be wary of ordering a bowl, as it is as large as your head, my head, and Andre the Giant's head, but it is amazing stuff served with a smidge of cilantro, a couple crisp fried tortilla strips and a healthy dollop of hard-boiled eggs. There is no tomato soup after this. Consider yourself warned.
An institution. It has aquired that "theme park" feeling usually reserved for restaurants in places like Fisherman's Wharf and Solvang. I like the space alright, and, fortunately, there weren't any loud birthday parties in the room where we ate.
Food? Pretty good, not great. Carne Seca? Good. Fine. Different. Similar to what they call "machaca" here in SF. I had this big salad thing that was named "volcano" in Spanish. I must admit, on a warm night it really hit the spot. The dressing was good, and there was good stuff hidden therein: avocado, jicama, lots of crunchy stuff. Presented like some obscenely large nouvelle cuisine appetizer, with sliced vegetables and little haystacks of carne-seca arranged self-conciously around the periphery. At the moment, it was great!
I had a premium margarita, and asked the waiter if it was made with fresh lime.
Very cute dude waiter: yes
Me: Does it have margarita mix
Waiter: yes
Me: What's the difference between this and the regular margarita?
Waiter: less mix.
Me: OK, I'll try one.
So the cute big frat-boy looking waiter brings me a pint glass of marg (something that I call a 'Large Marge")
I took a sip and winced at the cloying sweetness. It tasted like syrupy sweet-and-sour mix (what a waste of good tequila). The waiter graciously returned it to the bartender and I told him my not-so-secret formula for an unknown-bartender-safe margarita: Equal parts of white tequila, fresh lime juice, and Cointreau (or Grand Marnier, triple sec, whatever. I'm not as picky as I sound). So he brought back a very dry margarita-like drink that was now in a much smaller goblet (do they have those sticky-sweet margaritas on tap, I wonder?) that seemed to have almost no Grand Marnier, but I was tired of haggling, and it tasted of fresh lime and fairly good tequila, and the cute waiter had been accomodating, so I was pretty happy.
My date had the carne seca taco plate. Good, certainly not bad, but a far cry from any of the trancendental tacos at Pico de Gallo.
High points: hot, frat-dude looking waiters, nice guys. Ours: tall bear-cubbish buzz-head. Nice. Gay? Who cares. Call me!
Would I return? Probably not, given the high-quality mex available in TU-AZ. If I did I'd probably have a beer, or, hopefully, a waiter.
i've been eating at El Charro for the past six years and everytime I go I seem to enjoy it less. Whether its the general apathy of the waitstaff or the plainness of the entrees El Charro just doesn't do it for me like other Tucson establishments. They do have a nice bar and good cocktails though.
Yet another price hike....le sigh. The food is still excellent, but the margaritas and the service are still spotty, and these factor in to the overall is-it-worth-the-steep-bill? rating. El Charro is dangerously close to plummeting off my Must List on the occasions that I get to visit.
WINNER: Best Carne Seca IN THE WORLD
RUNNER-UP: Best Cheese Crisp
Although there are now other…
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Tucson, AZ
Category: Mexican
Tucson, AZ
Category: Mexican
Tucson, AZ
Category: Mexican
Tucson, AZ
Category: Mexican
Tucson, AZ
Category: Mexican
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