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Taqueria Los Charros is semi hole in a wallish joint located in downtown Mt. View. Its pretty easy to find but that parking lot gets filed very fast. I like parking on side streets or the residential part and just walking over. It has an open kitchen so the place can get pretty hot in the summer. Hell in the fall it feels pretty uncomfortable unless you like 80+ degree temperature. Service wasn't great but wasn't expecting a fine dining experience. Overall though, this is one of my favorite Mexican places in the south bay.
What I ordered (totaled around 17)
Shrimp burrito is nothing short of amazing. Seriously it is delicious.
Super taco, steak is passable. Can't really complain but nothing to write home about.
Quesadilla chicken is worth getting.
I want to start out this review by saying I used to be a loyal patron who used to rate this place as 4 stars and recommend it to everyone I know.
While the staff is still friendly and the food still comes quickly and cheap, the quality seems to have gone way down.
Today I had a Jumbo Burrito. I guess I should have been warywhen they said my order would only take 3 minutes (usually they say 5 to 15 minutes).
Well, there was rotten lettuce and possibly bad tomatoes in my BBQ Pork/Pastor Burrito. Using clearly bad ingredients is just unacceptable. The food has been extremely mediocre lately and even though the food has been coming out fresh (I usually arrive before the food is ready), it's almost always lukewarm.
I'm going to miss walking to my taqueria, but it's time to find a new one. I wish them the best of luck and hope they get their act together again soon.
I'm sad to say I had my first bad experience here. 0 negative experiences in 100 visits ordering… Read more »
This review is only for take out, though since their right in my neighborhood, I'd love to dine in some day.
My boyfriend and I ordered the fish taco plate that was accompanied by rice, beans, guac and salad. I thought the fish tacos were perfectly authentic, and delicious. Fresh, well marinaded, perfectly grilled fish, sitting atop corn tortillas, decorated with lettuce, and Spanish onions. I scarfed my taco down wishing we'd order two meals, instead of sharing. The rice and beans were basic, but the highlight were certainly fish tacos. I will definitely be eating here again.
Fast, friendly service, even on Thanksgiving day. Too bad I've become accustomed to the food at Los Gallos (in RWC). I just wasn't impressed with what Los Charros had to offer. I ordered a carnitas tortas and the entire time I was thinking about the tortas at LG. That's not a good sign. I was impressed with the shrimp burrito, which was filled with tender shrimp and grilled peppers & onions. Add in a plain quesadilla and the total came out to over $15. Don't think I'll be returning.
I'm glad I found THIS place, since Mountain View doesn't have any taco trucks so far as I can tell, and there has to be at least ONE great burrito joint in any peninsula town...
I got the veggie burrito to begin with. Veggie burritos are usually a good measure of how well a Mexican food joint rolls, just as turkey sandwiches are my standard for judging delis.
Their burrito is fat, and filling. That's nice. Just as fat and a little longer than a Taqueria Cancun burrito- though they didn't offer any Choice on which beans, perhaps you need to state it to them, maybe they only use kidneys. I dunno. Maybe becoming a regular might help me appreciate their ordering process better.
Their quesadillas are filling, so my asking for a side with a taco last time I came in sorta gilded the lily, and I left , stuffed, again!
I don't particularly care for their chipotle sauce that comes with the taco, but it dresses up the quesadilla OK, which was a bit bland without it. I have said it before but never in a review- chipotle is just another word for burnt, and a hipster marketing tool.
This place has to have a few items to make a happy medium though and I intend to find them in the coming weeks.
They have good carnitas here. Aside from that, the food on their menu is crappy. I ordered their enchiladas and tamales combination plate. I could honestly say I had better. For the price they charged it's ridiculous. They don't know how to cook. I would've rate this place lower if it wasn't for their customer service which caters to their customers which is good.
I'm definitely a fan of this place! I have great respect for Mexican places that include complimentary chips (lol) even if this is considered a hole-in-the-wall. They also have 2 types of salsa that come with the chips and the service was pretty decent.
So my cousin and I have been bonding and we decided to stop by this place after church on a Sunday morning. The weather was beautiful (nice California weather!) and he introduced me to this place. I ordered the fish taco and it was similar to say, fish tacos at Wahoo's (although a bit smaller). They also have fresh orange juice that can be ordered (which is a labor-intensive process). Hm... overall I thought this place was pretty good and I would go back again if I were in the area. The ambience is casual but there was a good mix of people on Sunday's.
Food - 3 stars
Service - 4 stars
Came here for dinner based on the high reviews it got on Yelp. We arrived around 6pm on Saturday and were seated immediately. There was a variety of choices on the menu, and I finally decided on the chicken enchilada. I also got their fresh horchata which was THE BEST that I've ever had. I would definitely stop by and get the drink to go if I was in the area.
The waiter came to take our order after a few minutes, and also gave us our chips and salsa (which are free! a big bonus). About five minutes later our food arrived. The portions were generous and very filling. It's not the best Mexican food I've had (the taste was kind bland), but the veggies were fresh and they didn't skimp out on the sour cream and guacamole. One thing that seemed yummy, but then turned out not to be, was the HUGE amount of cheese they put on. It tasted wonderful at first, but at the end of the meal it make me sick to my stomach. Unless you're a huge fan of cheese, I would ask for little or no cheese.
12:00pm: Arrived at this restaurant.
12:05pm: Ordered three dishes
12:20pm: Asked if the foods coming out. The waitress said it's getting ready.
12:30pm: Asked when the food would be ready. The waitress checked and found out that the order hasn't been placed in, yet.
12:31pm: Left the restaurant.
Honestly, I don't think this place deserves its current four-star rating on Yelp, but maybe I just had a bad takeout experience.
Went with the chicken soft taco and super quesadilla. Both were really small and really soggy. The quesadilla was pretty watery to boot -- really unsatisfying.
They include chips with their takeout orders, but they're really Frito-Layish. I thought authentic Mexican restaurants were supposed to fry their own chips?
Maybe I'll give it another shot later, but Casa Lupe up the street is the best Mexican in Mountain View by far.
Can I just call this joint Burritoria los Charros? 'cause that's all I ever order from here. The burritos are filling and tasty, with a hefty (enough for me) portion of meat.
Pollo, carne asada, carnitas, the breakfast burrito with your choice of meat-- all delicioso.
Ask them to just leave out the salsa, as the wrap tends to get soggy if you don't scarf it right away. Tacos 'to go' definitely drown in the take-out box, so "salsa on the side" is the way to go.
Six bucks and change-- not bad for dinner. Usually I can make two meals out of uno burrito. Bueno!
Los Charros staff are always nice and patient, even though I am full of requests. Extra this, no that, other on the side. Fer shurr, I'd hate me as a customer if I were them. But luckily so far, they're not too annoyed. At least I don't think so. I've never gotten sick or found alien stuff in the food.
It would be fabuloso if they had black beans as an option aside from pintos, but no biggie.
You can always count on this place for a clutch burrito. Someday I will try their fancier cantina with full bar on El Camino near Grant Road.
Until then.. viva Taqueria los Charros!
{:D
I like this place. My gf and I visit from time to time. The service is prompt and courteous and the food, while not innovative, is good Mexican. The chips are crisp, the salsa savory, and the beer is cold.
I've definitely experienced better. Here is the low-down.
Pros:
1. seated right away
2. bf really enjoyed his burrito.
3. tapatio at the table
Cons:
1. waited about 15 min before ordering because it took that long to get a waiters attention. I only have an hour lunch break-once you minus the 10 min drive/parking and the 8 min return to work, I only have 42 minutes. I need to order quick so I can get my food faster to enjoy it.
2. we were given salsa without chips...who wants salsa if you don't get delicious chips to go along with it? we eventually had to ask for them even though we'd seen our waiter a couple times before. when we did get them, they were like eating dried corn flavored cardboard chips. then, the salsa wasn't the best either. i passed...
3. my tostada shell was like eating a tostada that had been drowned in water AND I paid a lousy 8.50 for it plus tip.
4. no cheese on my tostada. a vegetarian tostada is not complete with just beans, lettuce, tomato and guac. sorry, it just isn't.
Though it seems a lot of people like the burritos here, I won't go back. There are plenty of other great Mexican places in the area with tasty chips, salsa, food, drinks and good service.
I dig that the taqueria has a sit-in restaurant style section AND a grab-and-go section.
I dig that amidst all the asian cuisines downtown, there's a taqueria, and one that acutally serves good food.
I dig that it's on a side street, away from the hustle and bustle of Castro, and aiding to its hole-in-the-wall feel
I dig the mural outside on the side walls, one that I see every time I'm in the area.
I need to try and dig the wet burritos.
No Bueno... I had a heated love affair with the breakfast burritos, it was sweet love at first bite... but the flame quickly dies, when they denied me my breakfast burrito fix 5 minutes after 10am. haven't been back since.
I think i was under a breakfast munchie spell, I got hooked on the 1st one. I had a perfect meal, i admit. but i soon discovered a decline in quality. maybe i was building up a tolerance.
The break.burrito had sort of watery eggs & was skimpy on the meat. & where was the cheese. We like cheese, i don't count calories.
We want fat yummy break burritos until 12 noon.
I came here most recently with a friend on a HOT Sunday afternoon. With all fingers and toes crossed, we pulled into the parking lot in hopes of seeing some form of AC inside. Result? Fail. Their definition of air conditioning involves some heavy sweating by the patrons accompanied with a few lazy fans and both doors propped open. We decided that it was the mark of a truly authentic Mexican restaurant and proceeded.
Anyway, if you've been here, you know that they are well known for their amazing super burritos, which are chock full of flavor and toppings without sacrificing size or heft. They use the cool crispy aluminum foil that I (from SoCal) have come to know as truly Mexican.
I wasn't feeling too hungry at the time (it was my second lunch, FML) so I simply ordered a super pollo quesadilla which was AMAZING. It was still pretty big, and simply a nomnom-worthy combination of guacamole, sour cream, pollo asado, beans, salsa and cheese all hot-pressed between two flaky, crispy yet hearty tortillas. All for 3.50 - what a steal!
Friend and I's food (she got a burrito) amounted to 9 after tax. We could have eaten at McDonald's and spent more, which I actually know from past experience. Come here hungry in the summer and leave sweaty yet happy, 4 stars.
Great fresh drinks- horchata is not the powder mix kind. Watermelon drink was the bomb and very refreshing for summer days like these. I had the cactus w/ tamatillo sauce and carnitas. Carnitas was good But they can nix-aye on the fat-aye ( it would be nice if would do a little extra trimming on the fat ). I was very full and satisfied with my plate and so was my friend- she had chicken enchilada plate. Oh, and service was great.
total for 2 plates and 2 drinks came up to be $24.04
I actually found TLC on Yelp. Our office recently moved to Mountain View, and we're constantly on the lookout for the best burrito in town. At the time, TLC had 4 stars with over 200 reviews.
My co-worker and I each got a super burrito and split them both. One carnitas, one pollo. The pollo was pretty good, perhaps not hot enough. I gave it three stars. The carnitas burrito was warmer, and I thought the better if the two. Carnitas 4 stars. My one complaint is the overuse of sour cream. Sour cream is walking a thin line with burritos...too much kills it.
Overall, a good burrito. I'll order without crema next time and maybe it can move up to a four star. Until then, 3.5 stars.
Serves me right for trusting a Canadian to tell me about Mexican food.
He said he loved it.
He said it was the best Mexican food he'd ever had.
I ate it.
It was nothing special.
So I asked, "what about this makes you swoon? what makes it the best Mexican you've ever had?"
He said, "I'm Canadian. There's just not that much Mexican food where I'm from."
+/- signs represent intensity of positive/negative sentiment
+++++ CHEAP.
+++ delicious in the way only copious amounts of lard can make things delicious.
++ highly informal, even though it's right off castro.
++++ large menu w/ authentic as well as californian-style mexican dishes.
+++ generous portions.
++ service is snappy, all things considered.
--- tortilla chips that rather remarkably manage to be dry while greasy.
---- everything's soaked in fat. delicious? yes. unhealthy? can be.
-- so informal that chance of screaming 4 year olds slamming into your legs @ some point during eating runs in the 65-72.6% range.
summary: food itself deserves 3 stars, but menu choices & cheapness make this a 4-star deal. i have to beg to differ w/ catherine l's review below: this is NOT a date place (unless you're in high school.) for a quick lunch, an informal hang-out or a i'm-too-lazy-to-cook dinner, however, it's good stuff.
I am a believer. The carnitas here are oh so tasty. I have not found carnitas this good outside of Sacramento (excluding Mexico of course). Just a tease bit of crunchiness on the outside and bursting with flavor once you sink your teeth into it. The super burrito pollo asado is also phenomenal. Taqueria Los Charros is the right price and definitely the real deal. Authentic Mexican food with generous portions and friendly staff. I used to believe that Taquera La Bamba was the best burrito in town, but I might have to readjust my rankings after failing to conquer the one at Taqueria Los Charros.
I have one compelling reason to give this joint a 5-star rating. They have hands down the best taco I've had in my memory. I ordered a fish taco and two lengua regular tacos for a grand total of $10, and they were sensational. There are only two tables outside, and we were lucky enough to get one of them. Sitting inside on a hot summer day like this would have been a bit of a torture though. No wonder my buddy Gerry practically lives there!
Unpretentious, cheap, fast, and tasty. All the right ingredients for a weekday lunch spot. Without bothering to look at the menu, a carnitas plate (served with the customary flour tortilla, guacamole, rice and beans) is always the dish of choice - take it from me: the trick is to not eat the entire thing.
You'll thank me afterwards for saving you from food coma.
I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my burrito go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will eat you.
(Review of Los Charros summed up by lines from the movie Taken (http://www.imdb.com/vi...).
Get carnitas, it's their specialty. Don't go for any other meat. Don't eat breakfast if this is lunch. Don't eat lunch if this is dinner.
Size reference of the creature: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
The creature with its jaws open: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Best Mex I've had in NorCal so far. Many thanks to my roomie for taking me here.
Only 4 stars? Who am I kidding? When I've needed a little Mexican food tender loving care, TLC has always been there for me!
5 estrellas--y una especialmente por el hombre con el bigote!
How is it possible that I haven't reviewed TLC yet?!
I used to live just down the street from here in…
Read more »
Really good but probably not so healthy. I ordered a super burrito with carne asada and almost finished it off. Portions are generous and their food tastes authentic so I can understand why this place is so popular. I came here on a weekday lunch and this place was absolutely packed. Space wasn't huge but their tables were packed like sardines...you know...tight enough where you could pick up on other's conversations.
First off, this place is a great deal - hard to argue about $4 for a burrito. If it was about rating cheap eats (my husband's main criteria), this place would be 4 stars. That said, the food is tasty enough, but not that memoriable. This trip, we had:
1 pollo asado taco - meat was a bit dry, but tasty.
1 al pastor taco - very flavorful, I'd order this again.
Side of rice - this is usually a throw away, but theirs is quite nice.
Veggie burrito - didn't try, but husband thought "it was good for the price".
Like this place, but don't love it. Good for a quick late night bite or pick up.
Our "go to" spot for breakfast; we probably eat here 3-4 times a month. It is the motivation we use to hit the gym on Sat morning: "30 minutes of cardio and then we'll go have breakfast at Los Charros!"
Bottom line: Good-sized portions of very good, fresh, hot food at ridiculously cheap prices.
Our favorites: linguica omelette, juevos Mexicana, pancakes (big, fluffy, lighter than they look), mixed juice (half fresh squeezed orange, half fresh ground carrot), breakfast burrito Mexican-style. They provide Tapatio, fresh pico de gayo AND a homemade red sauce (salsa rojo?) containing red pepper and chopped scallions that I love! Good coffee and they'll keep pouring it, if you ask/hint.
(I do wish they would clear our plates when we were finished so we could stretch out to read the paper and drink more coffee but that's probably why....)
Friendly staff, fun place, cheap prices. Very popular. Need to try it for lunch and/or dinner sometime.
I had a craving for fajitas for lunch and decided to come to my old taqueria. i ordered carne asada fajitas. I gotta say, the plate comes loaded with spanish rice, refried beans and cheese, a lil sour cream and guacamole, and then the carne asada with peppers, onions, and mushrooms. All with either corn or flour tortillas for around $10.
The meal was satisfying, but minus two stars for the tiny pieces of beef that were very chewy and dry, although the seasoning and sauce were good.
I would probably try chicken if I were you.
In previous visits, my favorite thing to get has been the shrimp burrito with grilled peppers/onions.
I really loved eating here weekly when I worked in the office building up the street on Castro. The prices are good, and you get free chips to help start you off.
I frequented here for lunches on weekdays. I always got some incarnation of their burrito, either regular or with the verde stuff on it. It was always awesome.
I am sorry to say, I am giving this place a 1 star.
One day while eating one of the tasty burritos, halfway through, (I always look before I bite) I saw a black curly hair sticking out of the rice.
Now, I know that no one has black curly hair on their heads in the kitchen. So it could only have come from one of two places.
The Armpit.
Or the crotch.
Both places are nasty.
I stopped eating the burrito. Working in food service when I was younger, I learned that complaining doesn't really help. So I did not argue for another meal. Why would I ask for another meal made by a possibly angry cook? More pubes? Spit? Semen?
I won't ever risk it.
Did I ask for a refund? No. I ate more than half of it, and my appetite was gone. Thinking about how many of the food pieces I had eaten that possibly came into contact with the notorious pube.
I have a picture of the pube, but won't post it here out of respect, to both the owners and staff of this establishment, and also out of respect for you who are possibly hungry right now.
Good burritos, but risk of pube eating.
This is the best overall Mexican resturant that I've tried in the Bay Area. I would definitely take non-Mexican food lovers here... they'll change their minds just like I did about staying away from burrito/taco places. One bite of a tangy lime smothered fish taco at this place. and you'll be hooked! I met a Mexican waiter working at a Thai resturant who told me this is his favorite place to eat in the Bay Area. I agree! They serve alot of specials that you won't find elsewhere. Like the cactus dish. Make no mistake though, your arteries pay for all that good eating. There's no skimping on the fat that makes everything so satisfying good at this place. Don't come expecting a healthy alternative, I'm not sure what they can do for you. Oh, wait a minute, they do make a delicious fresh squeezed orange/carrot drink :-) Even the fish taco, which are my favorite here, have a richness to it's flavor. I LOVE IT, just like the food I've had on the streets on Pueto Vallarta.
This is our favorite taqueria. The Super Burrito with BBQ chicken cannot be beat at $5.75. We used to work nearby and stop by TLC at least once a week for the best burritos in town. In fact, our TLC runs from the office were legendary.
I miss this place, but we still manage to stop by every month or two when in the area. The other day, there was a Bay Area Backroads rerun that featured TLC, and my DH and I were both delighted that TLC got the recognition is totally deserves. Their pico de gallo is amazing, and I always ask for extra. A bit on the spicy side, but always fresh and very delicious. DH sometimes eats it straight out of the little plastic container.
The wait staff is very friendly too which is a plus.
My favorite local Mexican hole in the wall. Everything I've ever ordered here is great!
My favorites are the burritos, tacos de carnitas, and for drinks, their fresh squeezed orange and carrot juices, as well as the aguas de horchata, tamarindo, etc.
Man, I'm getting hungry again just by writing this review!
Really great food at really great prices. I particularly like their regular fish and tongue tacos - little slices of heaven! Tongue is perfectly done where it's juicy and soft, not chewy or overcooked. I have to get my fix at least couple of times a month!
Fantastic carnitas, awesome salsa, and a really friendly staff. Best place for tacos in downtown M.V.
I mistakenly ordered 3 tacos because I forgot that they give you free chips and salsa, even with to-go orders. Couldn't finish it all. Total was less than $7.
Bonus: great prices.
My husband and I had lunch with an out of town friend here on Fri.
This place is always packed, and they get good reviews, so I had high hopes.
Unfortunately, it turned out to be pretty disappointing for me.
I had a grilled fish burrito. I requested no beans, and light on the rice and cheese, which they got right.
I appreciated this, and it's how I always get my burritos, so I was surprised at how bland this was.
I tried adding some tomatillo sauce and salsa, but even that didn't help it.
I ended up not eating most of it, and it definitely wasn't worth taking home.
Our friend seemed to like his food, so I was happy about that at least.
(He used to live here, and where he lives now is TOTALLY lacking in Mexican food, so I wanted him to enjoy his meal.)
Service was fine, I had to ask for water refills, but that's not really a big deal to me. This place is a step up from a taqueria, but I'm not sure that's a good thing...
I've been eating here and also ordering take out for around 10 years. I love their quesidillas and tacos. The quality is always the same and the price is reasonable. Friendly and efficient staff. Used to see the owners there more often - or is it that I just remember the guy with the mustache? I like this homey little place much better than their bigger restaurant.
This is by far one of the best restaurants to eat lunch at in downtown mountain view. I work around the corner and it is cheap, fast, and the burritos are delicious. Dining in isn't the greatest but i usually just call in and by the time i walk there its ready to be paid for and eatin at the office.
I like this place for its tasty, inexpensive breakfast. For under $5, I had 2 eggs, crisp bacon and a pancake. I couldn't even finish my meal. The salsa was tasty.
We had a good service as well. Plus the place was clean.
I noticed that they have a Mariachi band on Friday nights. I'm all in to try the bar next Friday for their tequila tasting.
A friend found a list of the top 100 burrito places in the country (on the Internet of course) and noticed that Los Charros was like #2. He immediately informed me that we must visit. It is definitely our go-to place for burritos in California. I've been to better places in Chicago, but nothing better in California.
I seem to recall having Huevos con Chorizo here once and not liking it very much.
Mountain View, CA
Category: Mexican
Mountain View, CA
Category: Mexican
Mountain View, CA
Category: Mexican
Mountain View, CA
Category: Mexican
Mountain View, CA
Category: Mexican
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