Good food but over priced and small portion sizes. Kind of a waste of money if you looking for a good deal

I am going to start this review with one word, "DISAPPOINTMENT". Now that's out of the way, let's talk about what they did well and how they can improve. The reviews truly praise this place, everyone talks about large portions, exceptional flavor and low prices. That was not our experience. The plate was large, but a very thin layer of food was spread around it. The flavor was also bland. Everything needed salt. The salsas, the rice, the beans and the meat. I think the guacamole was the only item that tasted as expected. Mexico is known for some very rich flavors, so don't remove that from your recipes. Service was friendly, they scored points out of the gate for service and for putting two salsas on the table. I can't take you seriously as a Mexican restaurant if you don't offer multiple salsas. I love a good green salsa, but this one was a bit tangy; I like it when it's infused with heat. The red was near flawless, except it needed a heavy dose of salt as so did the green. Since neither were hot, I asked if they had something hot and the smile on the woman's face let me know, that she knew, that I knew something spicy was on the way. It was thick, it was spicy, and it was exactly what I wanted, except, it needed salt. Unfortunately, since it came in a squeeze bottle, I couldn't add salt, but I put a couple tablespoons in the red salsa and it spiced it up. I had the Carne Asada. At $22, it wasn't cheap and the portion was more in line with what I have seen on lunch plates, The meat was so thin it was more like jerky than steak, and before you ask, it needed salt. Rice and bean were ok, but needed salt and honestly, what I was served could have easily fit on a plate half its size. A couple recent reviews, long time customers commented that this place is not living up to the standards that made them famous, and we drove to this location, because the reviews were more popular than the location further north, which would have been much closer for us. If you are familiar with my reviews, you know I would normally cut into a business for not meeting what I consider to be the minimum bar, but considering the place was near empty, I think they are just trying to hang on. We also had an issue with a couple at the adjacent table. From the minute they entered, they were disruptive. They were grandparents with a 5-year-old. This kid would not stop screaming. Not screaming like a crying baby, but anytime you excite him, he would yell. They gave him a cell phone with Monster Truck videos and the audio was all the way up, so between the obnoxious audio and the yelling it was way too much noise. They didn't appear that bright, so we chose not to engage them, but the server should have said something, they could barely take the order, because it was so loud. Took us a good 45 minutes to get here, it was not worth the drive. It was also not worth the money because portions were not generous or flavorful. The service short of the noise was flawless, but the rest was disappointing. read more

The food is always good when I come here, the service is prompt and it has a quiet atmosphere. I only get here once in awhile and have never had a bad meal here, it's a shame it's in a run down strip mall read more

My family and I go to El Charrito in Spanaway at least once a month. They serve delicious food, and everyone is so kind and welcoming. This place is very clean and cozy. read more

Price, proportion, taste, and freshness... Worth it! I ordered online from Uber Eats and I couldn't be happier! I took a risk on a new place because the delivery fee was low and the prices seemed better than most Mexican places I've had. The portion sizes are fantastic. The sides of Pico and sour cream are perfect proportion for the meal and they delivered chips and salsa(not all Mexican places give you that with delivery). I spent an extra buck fifty for sour cream and got a huge amount. Food is fantastic tasting and I found myself recommending this place before I was even finished eating. Can't wait to have date night there and check out the atmosphere. If they do this well with delivery then I'm excited to see how it is at location. Just might be our new favorite Mexican place. read more

El Charrito - Fajitas with steak! - Mexican Near Me - Spanaway, Washington

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Our order was messed up. My boyfriend ordered chicken nachos but received beef. The chips were soft and limp. Neither his food nor mine tasted good. It wasn't worth the money spent. read more

Haven't eaten here since 2019. Wow, what a impressive improvement. Food was outstanding. read more

El Charrito - Tacos El Carbon - Mexican Near Me - Spanaway, Washington

Tried their new location, the food quality was the same as old location . 2 issues, keep in mind there was only 2 tables occupied in the whole restaurant. 1) The order was clear the waitress verbally repeated order ( It did not happen ). I asked and was told this is what I ordered. There was no offer to correct order. 2) After a long wait waitress had to be verbally called to table for another drink. When she arrived I pointed out the lack of attention with only 2 tables stated she was making drinks. There was another long wait after meal was finished. We had eye contact she arrived and said "You got eyes on me" I kept my cool and said I'm ready to go. Final parting shot, if you are in food service you should have eyes on your customers tables even if there are only 2. read more

I love this "hole in the wall" restaurant. Their prices are affordable and the food is good. It's nothing fancy but none the less delicious. The wait staff are all friendly and the service is fast as well. read more

We have gone quite a few times but last Friday was terrible. Six of us from work went on our lunch hour for lunch. There was only one waitress and She was pulling double duty in the kitchen also. We told her we were on our lunch hour and we waited and waited. We finally got our orders at the end of our lunch hour and were late getting back to work .We did not get to eat our lunch. It took close to an hour to get our orders and then it was to go. The waitress should have told us and checked in with us about the delays. We would have gone elsewhere had we known we were having to wait so long. As an added bonus, the air conditioning was broken. Don't think we'll be coming back. read more

Great food in my opinion their location is not that great if you don't know where they are you're going to miss out on some amazing food in my opinion because it's real Mexican food my Wife and I Love them read more

I ended up going to this place on a dare from a friend to see who would get food poising first. After living in Phoenix, Arizona while going to college I finally had a taste of what "Good Mexican" food should be like. Browsing the menu I was disappointed to not see any kind of happy hour options and the second biggest disappointment was the fact items on the appetizer list were just as much as a regular fully loaded entrée. I also checked out the kid menu because apparently youngins can eat for $1.99 on Saturdays or something. It looked like they had chicken nuggets with fries and burgers as a back up in the event your little snowflake has a boring pallet. Nevermind the rickety booth seats with a single mom and her three crotch fruit in tow, who managed to make my seat feel like I was in an Amtrack rail car every time they jumped around instead of shovelling food into their gullets like most people do at restaurants. But I guess I can't complain, it is Spanaway. The complimentary chips and dip were good. As other reviewers mentioned, the red salsa was runny...but it did have a good kick. The green salsa was great, very limey and cilantroish. I requested some pico de gallo and the waitress had no problem dishing it up and bringing it out. After I added a little bit of it to the red sauce- the runny problem was solved. My husband and I split a chicken in mole and sopapilla dish. I also ordered a Ponchito drink. The drink was Tampico and grenadine with a cherry on top. I was hoping to get real orange juice. Sopapillas were warm, puffy and chewy. I was pleased we received 8 wedges of fried bread topped with cinnamon/sugar, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a cherry. Pollo en mole es asi-asi...in other words the mole was ok. The rice wasn't dry which is a bonus. I requested corn tortillas and was given three. The beans needed more work- like add some cumin, garlic and onions. The mole sauce was sweet but like the beans, fell flat once you swallowed the food. I was full after sharing two dishes, so portions are good. There probably won't be a second time. read more

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In Yelm we have a few choices for take out and this has been the best most consistent and flavorful Mexican food around. Compared to our other drive thru place this one takes the cake! I got the amigo supreme burrito with three meats. At first I was like oh man I won't be able to taste what's what nope! The chicken was nice and grilled and the pork man I could take a burrito of just that! And the carne Assad was on point too! The thing must have weighed 1 1/2 pounds and was more than enough for 2 people! Love this place! Can't wait to see the restaurant when it opens! read more

I looked this place up and when I got there it had a different name, same place just got renamed I guess. Anyway my dinner was beyond delicious. I had the molcajete if I remember correctly & I loved it. Loved the food, service, location. Highly recommend if you'd like to get authentic Mexican food read more

El Charrito - Mexican Near Me - Spanaway, Washington

This place has been here forever under various names. We have always ordered door dash/uber eats but today decided to eat inside the restaurant. It was completely empty...surprising for a taco tuesday but on the bright side the service was super quick. The food was phenomenal. So delicious. I have eaten street tacos all up and down the west coast from San Ysidro California to Bellingham and these were probably top 3. Definitely a diamond in the rough here. Top notch food. Will definitely be back! read more

I have been coming here for ten years. Since it was Hidalgo's. The waitress with the tattoos that was working on 26 Apr at 9:02 pm is classless and exceptionally rude. When I asked for the military discount, she scoffed, and said no military discount. When I politely asked if that was a new policy, she said the manager isn't there, they don't have the code, so no discount. Since I typically eat here with larger parties, including other disabled veterans, i asked if they still had the discount and it was only when the manager wasn't present, she admonished me and said that "if that's how I want to take it". There is absolutely no reason a loyal customer should be treated this way. This isn't the first time I have witnessed her treat customers poorly. She is an embarrassment to this establishment and I will make sure all veterans know how they should expect to be treated if they make themselves known to be such. SHAMEFUL. read more

Food always comes out quick. Also,they have a definite different recipe on a lot of items compared to a lot of other popular Mexican restaurants. This has been my favorite place to eat for about a year now. They havent let me down yet. read more

Respectful, quick service and the food was well priced for such large portions and the quality of the food was just as good.

Loved their food! I have gone many times and every time I love whatever I have, my favorite so far is the molcajete! Sooo good and so much food, I add the shrimp and it did not disappoint! Very authentic perhaps my favorite part was the horchata! It's actually REAL horchata guys like homemade and it's amazing! Most restaurants only do the one from the jar and his one is so good and their margaritas are delicious! read more

I ordered takeout for lunch. I ordered two chicken enchiladas with rice and beans. Enchilada sauce was ok, but nothing spectacular. Rice and beans were excellent. The beans say so much about the quality of food. Portions were large. Overall, for being so far from the border, I think this place was a great little spot for lunch! I'll definitely be back again. read more

El Charrito - Chicken Enchiladas with Rice and Beans - Mexican Near Me - Spanaway, Washington

Good food, friendly service & reasonable prices. The chili relleno was perfect and the salsa verde was so good - I wanted to drink it!

Awesome food. My gf and I loved this place. I ordered the Hidalgo plate (steak, bacon wrapped prawns, chicken breast with rice and beans) my gf ordered the shrimp fajitas. I'm Mexican and thought these beans were great. Def recommend this place. read more

El Charrito - a table full of mexican food - Mexican Near Me - Spanaway, Washington

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The food was OK. The costs though, seem to be one or two dollars more per meal here compared to other Mexican Restaurants. I doubt I will be back read more

Husband and I ordered takeout from this place. It was pretty good but a little bit overpriced for the quantity and quality. It wasn't bad, don't get me wrong! But not entirely what I expected....but I could be a little picky when it comes to Mexican food since I am myself Hispanic....so that's one star... The only reason I knocked off another a star is because when I called to order the lady decided to put me on hold to have a full conversation with someone non-order and non customer service related. Just B-Sing for 5 minutes and didn't even bother to put me on a silent hold but just had me there waiting and listening. I found that a little unprofessional.... To end on a positive note...the fried ice cream was good. So I was pleased with that. :) read more

Called because my order was messed up. Told that a manager would call me. Hour later, no call so I called them back. No manager and the gal I was speaking to on the phone didn't even bother to put me on hold while she told her coworker essentially that a crazy "loco" was on the phone. Thanks. I appreciate that and paying $17 for an incomplete meal. Very disappointed. Update. Manager called me and he was pretty amazing and I appreciate that. Thank you, Daniel. read more

El Charrito - Mexican Near Me - Spanaway, Washington

So let me just start with I and my boyfriend wanted to get Mexican and it was 920pm or 2120. Once we entered at 920 we sat down and then after 5 mins of looking at out menus they came and told us they were closed but yet they offered togo order. Why would you have hours posted till 1000 and you close at 935 after setting your customer with a menu? We were so hungry and angry at this deception we just left nothing else to say. Beware of this place because if they lie about their hours what else do they lie about. Also their restroom was absolutely disgusting. I always judge a restaurant by its amenities and this was beyond stomach turning. After mentioning this to the waitress maybe that is when they decided to tell us they were closed. Maybe they did not feel like cleaning. At any rate I will never eat here and tell all my friends exactly what we experienced. read more

This time i have to say we are really disappointed! Sat here 1/2 hour before anyone came our table - never did get water! The taquitos are over browned... read more

We have really liked the dishes we have tried here. Hidalgo plate and Machaca were yummo! read more

El Charrito - These shrimp on the Hidalgo Plate were awesome! - Mexican Near Me - Spanaway, Washington

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Super fast for a call in order. Hostess was super sweet. Enjoyed my enchiladas a la creama, but I felt that the chicken inside my enchilada could have been seasoned more. Perfect portion size for me. Sopapillas are pretty much cinnamon chips with chocolate sauce and I was expecting a deep fried pastry. Other than those few issues I would come back again. read more

Will never eat here again my husband was given days old chicken and soggy fries instead of what he actually ordered and when confronting the manager was rudely told that his order was fresh and nothing was wrong with it. Y order was fine aside from the insane amount of salt. Do better next time read more

Spouse wanted 4 stars, I wanted 1, so I'll compromise w/a 2. I like red salsa, it was watery and tasteless. She likes the green, it was flavorful. Her margarita, frothy and delicious. My coffee, bitter and too strong. We ordered the same meal. A #14 w/chili relleno and enchilada. Probably the worst chili relleno I've ever had. Filled w/cojita cheese that had an odd cottage cheese consistency. The coating was so mushy, I couldn't eat it. The wife had no problems w/hers and the picadillo in her enchilada was great. The place was clean. Thats because our servers priority was pushing a vacuum and not on great service. First, I asked for coffee and water. She forgot about that because 10mins later she came back and asked us what beverages we wanted. I asked for rancho beans w/my meal. It came w/refried. I asked for Tapatio to make my food eatable. Never saw it. Inexcusable considering there were only 2 other tables to wait on. read more

Atrocious service. 7 requests for salsa before it stuck in the waitresses mind. A grand total of 1 refill of water.... After having to ask for it while waiting in our check so we could leave. Food tasted bad and commenting on it to the waitress netted a response of "oh yeah, it's really good!" Not impressed, we will never go back. read more

I really enjoyed my Carne Asada, and the chips with three kinds of salsa won over the kids before their tacos came out. Prices were well in line with others in the area. Quick and friendly service. Will go again. read more

Great authentic place for Mexican food. Great staff and very fast! The food is fresh and tastes fresh like authentic food I would get in southern texas! read more

It's not the best, but it's definitely not the worst - especially in the Spanaway area. Thomas took me here because we legitimately had no idea where else to go and didn't want to go all the way down Pac Ave to El Toro - we were pretty hungry. It definitely has the hole in the wall appeal sandwiched against a rather questionable looking pet shop and a failing K-Mart. The food was delivered a little slow - but I really had nothing against that because it was about 3 in the afternoon and I'm pretty sure there was only one cook stationed in the kitchen. The food was really good, but my standards for Tex-Mex is always pretty low. I'm not much of a Mexican food connoisseur, so anything that has beans, cheese, meat, and a dollop of sour cream and guacamole on the side impresses me. The waitress was prompt with her service however and was super friendly, so I definitely have to give props for that. If you ever are stuck in the Spanaway area and want a quick bite to eat I'd definitely recommend it. read more

Great authentic Mexican food. Big portions for a good price. Been here three times and each time was excellente... read more

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I went there with my family, my wife is from Jalisco and she gave them the thumbs up. Good food, decent portions, gonna go back for more, but next time...testing the drinks. read more

The food was very bland. It looked like great Mexican food, but the flavor was lacking. Our waitress was very attentive and nice. We'll order more salsa next time to smother our food with. read more

This place is now El Charrito #3 and it is fantastic. You get four different salsas with your chips. They all have great flavor. Food was very good and the service is amazing too!!! read more

I've lived about 5 mins away from here all my life and I've been here numerous times the food never disappoints but its not like " OMG this is the best mexican food ever" it's just good and never disappoints but the salas for the chips is really good. One thing is I can't say I've tried everything on the menu but the quesadillas are bomb.com read more