This is the place to go when you want some tasty margaritas on a Sunday afternoon. They have happy hour every day from 2:00 - 6:00 pm, but be sure to walk to the bar in the back of the restaurant where there is a warm cheesy bean dip, jalapeno, and salsa bar. Yes, that's all you can eat chips and salsa! I've been going here with my parents ever since I can remember. We always go for happy hour and order off their 'a la carte happy hour bar menu' and it makes for a great time, I just wish there was one in Reno. read more

El Charro Avitia - Happy hour margaritas and bean/salsa bar 2-6 everyday - Mexican Near Me - Carson City, Nevada

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Good margaritas and food. Service is attentive and friendly. Pleasant place to hang out, eat, or drink.

Great service very disappointing food salsa was not great one tasted like it was pace picante from the jar. Had high hopes but major let down maybe it was a off night read more

Against my better judgment because the business was so terrible to go a week ago I thought I would try it again and the lady on the phone literally told me what can I get you I have people in line and I am busy unbelievable They obviously have plenty of business and don't care about anybody zero customer service and they been here in this town for ever read more

Hummm...our original choice had a wait and well we were on the clock and thought better of it. So on we went and checked this place out as we'd seen at our breakfast at the hut last week. Anyways...we were seated right away a few open tables inside (spaced accordingly). The food server greeted us pretty quick with menus and a carafe of water, chips and salsa's were right behind. Wow a nice fresh salsa and the second salsa was more spicy saucy type both were great. A good selection of typical mexican restaurant items lots of versions of the same basic ingredients. I passed on my go to Carnitas and ventured into the Fajita Chicken burrito. Topped with cheese and red sauce and rice on the side. The garnish was freshly diced ripe tomatoes onion avocado and sour cream. Really good. My friend ordered a combination plate, I briefly saw a taco on the plate. Our conversation was good, lunch was better and we had to get back to work pretty quick. I would defiantly bring a friend back here for a meal. Cost out the door $30. On top of that I tipped well, hey I'm in the service business too. Come on in and give it a go. foodguy-martin read more

Came in for lunch. The service was great from the start. Our waitress was on top of it, the whole time and she had a good amount of tables. The food was really good and came out pretty fast. Our table of 6 enjoyed everything read more

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My favorite Mexican restaurant. The Gordita is and it is huge. I get it almost every time I visit.

Been going to El Charro Avitia for 10 years plus! Wait staff is Always on their game.(Pamela) is a joy, personal, Sweet personality. Food is so good, good portions of food for the money. Hats off to the cooks, authentic Mexican food. My favorite dish is toasta with Chicken Faitias mix & green chillies. Yummy! So good. read more

The flan is more of a cake than actual flan, service was sub par. It used to be good but the restaurant has gone down hill.

This restaurant is in an old building that just feels kind of dirty and dingy. The server was nice, but kind of slow. The food was pretty good, but nothing to write home about. My meal came with soup or salad, but when I told the server I wanted the salad, she informed me that the lettuce they get is "shit", so I opted for the soup. I did like their rice and beans, though, and they have happy hour in the bar with free chips, salsa and bean dip. We might be back for happy hour, but I don't know that we would eat in the dining room again. read more

Bummer. We've been eating here for years and have always enjoyed it. But this last visit was just awful. I ordered the chili Colorado this time and it was just plain yuk! They ask if you want beef or pork and this was the first clue . I went with the beef and it was just terrible! They used the same meat as if it was fajitas and then just poured the sauce over. In other words, the meat was not cooked with the sauce. Not even close to authentic. The hubby ordered a chili verde burrito a la carte and he wasn't impressed. The best part of the meal was the special yellow rice. It's nice for a change to the regular rice. To top it off, another waitress was talking to the table next to us, she talked so loud that you couldn't hear yourself think, and she was talking politics, which is just rude. And not because she was obviously Republican and I'm a Democrat, but she was going on and on about the stolen election and the typical let's go Brandon BS and she just wouldn't stop. Talking as loud as she possibly could so the entire restaurant could hear her spewing her ridiculous opinions was just unprofessional and uncalled for in this setting. She absolutely ruined our already subpar meal. I shot her some dirty looks so she would shut the fuck up but she just kept talking louder and louder. We couldn't wait to get out of there. If you want an earful of Republican conspiracy theories then ask for the waitress with the short blonde hair. We'll never go back-I don't care how good the chili relleno is!! read more

Haven't been here in awhile and apparently we haven't missed much. The chicken seemed boiled and not seasoned very well, if at all, and the chimichanga was not deep fried throughly so it was soggy and greasy. They are definitely not what they used to be, we won't go back again. There are too many Mexican food places to waste our time at a second rate restaurant. read more

Love this place. Everyone is so friendly. The bar area is fun and lively. The Chili Colorado is some of the best. The margaritas are always fresh and perfectly balanced. read more

It has been many years since we had stopped here for Mexican food. It did not disappoint. We got there in time for the happy hour with menu items which were very good. We had a couple pitchers of margaritas and sampled the calamari chicken wings various tacos burritos and the my favorite the asada mini tacos. Prices were very reasonable and they were very busy. Service was excellent and waitress was very friendly and courteous. We will be back again. read more

I hate to give this review, but service standards are important. I've been coming to El Charro since I was a child. I've even attempted to make the Gordita Supreme at home since moving to Alabama. The food is delicious, always has been. We flew out from Alabama into Sacramento last week and drove to meet some family at our classic El Charro in Carson City, our go-to. The food and margaritas were great. The waitress was sweet and hard working, but the THREE women working up front taking the money were horrid and highly unhelpful. I even asked if the place was under new management because of the huge shift in customer service. I honestly now, after 25-30+ years of coming to El Charro have no desire to return. read more

Came in for lunch on recommendation from some locals. We were not disappointed. Very friendly service. The chips were delicious as was the accompanying salsa. Our food was plentiful and tasted great. I had a taco salad and it was full of meat, beans, lettuce, cheese, etc. I couldn't finish it! Others in my group had burritos and tostadas and they enjoyed all of it. We will return next time we are in the area. read more

Good food. Service a little lacking. We had to flag our server a couple times to get drinks and correct a mistake. I never fault a restaurant for a mistake, we are all human, but this is why the server is supposed to check on your satisfaction as soon as the meal is delivered. We eat her quite a bit, simply because my husband is obsessed with the special rice. read more

Another Flop. I had a fabulous yelp review written up for this place, and while this one is no where near as...colorful, as my last... I would urge patrons to steer clear of this place because in my most humble opinion, yuk.... I actually WORKED here once upon a time... Unfortunately, since I worked there once, that also means they had my old address on file. AS SOON, as my last review for this place was posted, I received, in the mail, a warning from their lawyers to take my Yelp review down...OR ELSE!!! DUN DUN DUN.... If that isn't a red flag that they were afraid of what I had to say, I don't know what is... Needless to say, I took THAT review down, but only because I didn't want to have to deal with any of it, and therefore I have to give you my opinions of my experiences and my families as paying customers, and not my opinion as an ex-employee, no problem, before working there I had eaten there on a few separate occasions. SO without further ado, my review on a few times my family and I came to eat here as paying customers before I was ever hired: First things first, all of the hostesses were sweethearts, I never encountered one hostess I didn't think was nice, prompt at sitting people, or wasn't working their bums off to keep rotations going, and checks finishing. Every one has always answered the phone professionally, and are quick as possible to answer any questions, or take your order via the phone too. My family and I all came in and we all wanted to sit in the bar. If you are in a large party of people...it can be hard to get a table in the bar during the lunch time because sometimes, the bartender back there will turn down tables.... I am not sure why, but it happened to us. As for the wait staff, they had pretty terrible service in general with a good majority of the wait staff being very snotty. I noticed that while eating in the dining room, some of the cocktail waitresses from the bar are very fast to reply with an attitude if you ask them for something...usually the answer is, "I'm not your waitress but I'll find them." I get it, they are super busy in the bar! That doesn't mean, be rude to the customers. Now this doesn't go for all the wait staff...just some observations on one particular day. SOME of the food isn't that bad, like the fish tacos or Pasole...or the chips and beans from the bar...but the cleanliness of the restaurant doesn't seem up to par which is a little concerning, and I get this information based on the VERY public bathrooms, just take a look during a busy night... In the bar, we wanted to play some pool...the tables are free which is cool...but then we noticed a very foul...sewer...smell radiating up from the floors which is very unappealing!! And depending on who is working the bar, and what time of day it is... it can take awhile to even get a drink to your table ... If Stacy is behind the bar you can Guarantee you will get the best service in the whole restaurant, no joke. She is the best in the house, and so are her drinks. This is all just my opinion on subjects I noticed as a paying patron of this restaurant and not during my time as an employee. The drinks will knock your socks off with how strong they are btw...but other than going there for just a margarita or some sort of alcoholic spirit, I wouldn't bother. This place isn't worth the outrageous prices, for the quality of food or service they provide. read more

If you like a good margarita, this is the go-to place in Carson City! We make a special trip here, once a week, to enjoy their Happy Hour-- From 2:00 -6:00 drinks, in the lounge, are heavily discounted and poured with a heavy hand. Why I love this place?? * Hostesses, Lounge Servers always friendly * Generously poured Margaritas * Deliciously spiced salsa (upon request) * Chips, Salsa, Jalapeno, and Bean dip- help yourself! * Michelle's Salad: bright green lettuce, perfectly cooked chicken * Jalapeno Poppers- Open faced, cream cheese stuffed, wrapped in bacon. Yum. Have yet to be disappointed. Definitely recommend checking this place out... read more

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So good! Had the mini fajita lunch special. It was so much food, took some to go. Hubby had the Chilis Ogadas. He ate it all. We will be back. read more

Happened to be at the RV center next-door getting some recall work done so it was very convenient. The food was good. I had the carne asada burrito. It comes smothered and the beans are smothered in cheese. Everything was hot and delivered quickly. The taste was good, not bland and not too spicy. The sopapillas were good. There were only 2 for $3.75 so I'm thinking it's a little pricey for what you're getting. The honey came in the little pre-packed things. Wish it would have come from a squeeze bottle so I could get more. My waitress kept forgetting to bring things like coke, napkins, etc. Even she said, "the food here is great but the service sucks". I'm sure she didn't mean for me to quote her, but well, it's out there now isn't it. I'd stop by again if I were in the area. read more

El Charro Avitia - Carne Asada Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Carson City, Nevada

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Best margaritas in town! Food excellent!

I love coming to this restaurant. The margaritas are yummy, the service is friendly and the meals are great portions and always so good. If you're in Carson City and looking for a great spot for Mexican good, I'd highly recommend this spot. read more

I have not lived here long but I have enjoyed El Charro's daily happy hour specials (4pm - 6pm). Good food and service.

I just can't do it anymore. I've tried. My husband and I are amazed at how busy this place can be! I've visited a few times and I've finally thrown in the towel. First of all, this place is filthy! The bar area smells of spilled beer that has been sitting in the cracks and the floors since 1985. The floors are sticky. The smell is utterly repulsing. It dark, dank and musty. Just peering over the bar and looking at the floors is enough of an indicator that cleanliness and hygiene is not a priority. I imagine in an old rickety building like that it's hard to maintain sanitation. I can tell and I can smell, it is not sanitary. That aside, the last time I was there I ordered a side salad with ranch and when I took a bite, I ended up munching down on something of an odd consistency. It wouldn't break down in my mouth. So i reach in my mouth and pull out a large, long piece of wet, ranch soaked napkin. Was it dirty? Was it clean? I'll never know, but my mind went running wild on how this napkin ended up mixed into the ranch dressing. Did it drop off a plate that had been bussed? Who knows. Either way, wet napkin in your ranch is really gross. To top it off, after mentioning it to the server, she didn't even waive the charge for the salad. Where's customer service anymore? Food is so-so. Greasy Mexican fare. If you want some good fresh cantina style Mexican, I usually prefer San Marcos, but I've found service isn't always great there even though the food is spot on. You can't have it all, can you? read more

Group of 5 of us went there today and no one even finished their food. Two people in our party had salads and they were greasy, inedibly greasy. My Gordita, at my usual restaurant it's a stuffed homemade tortilla with fresh ingredients, this was beans and rice between two greasy tortillas, more like a Taco Bell Mexican pizza then anything else. And the flauta was basically a chimichanga. Service wasn't great, wasn't horrible, but the food was dismal... read more

Great service, parking lot is always really full so we decided to eat here. It was fast great service the food came in huge sizes. The meat is REALLY good. I got the Mexican pizza with pork and it just came right apart. There famous house margarita was incredable. Good service over all. My server was a young man named Juan he has really good customer service. Do yourself a favor and go eat here. read more

El Charro Avitia - Mexican Near Me - Carson City, Nevada

The restaurant has a nice theme, but it's definitely on the pricier side. The carne asada burrito was almost $13 before tax. The burrito was full of meat, which was nice. The chips and salsa were meh. Friendly wait staffs. read more

El Charro Avitia - Carne asada burrito - Mexican Near Me - Carson City, Nevada

I was really looking forward to some good Mexican food. My family made a reservation and was sit when we got there. That was nice. They give you 2 different salsas. One is hot and one is mild. My family really didn't care for either. They were great at keeping your drinks refilled. The food was okay. Nothing great. The rice and beans looked dried out on the plate. As in they either let it sit out and prepared plates ahead or they sticked it in the micro or something. I have no clue. They forgot some of our party's food. But we're fast to bring it out when it was brought to their attention. read more

Real Mexican food with tendered employees that have a positive attitude and make you feel very welcome. Ignore how it looks from the street and dig into the food. We love guacamole, and all the different dinner options. Big cold Mexican draft beers and killer skinny margs. read more

I went in with a friend for a drink after work and a small snack....she said it was great but I wasn't convinced after this trip! The good things: it wasn't busy, service was fast and friendly, the margarita was pretty good. The bad things: had a quesadilla it was like an oil slick, just absolutely greasy and disgusting . Order flan because it's my favorite- it had huge "chunks" in it, I'm assuming it had been sitting for awhile. The flan was overly sweet and not smooth like I've experienced in the past. I won't be back. read more

Love this place. Always a tasty treat. We started with calamari and a delicious margarita. Fireside with a friend. Chips & salsa. Perfect "linner" at 3:30pm. read more

El Charro Avitia - Best marg in town! - Mexican Near Me - Carson City, Nevada

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Stopped by to grab one of their gordita supremes. Unfortunately I'm still adjusting to this whole Yelp thing and the part I'm struggling with is get food and then TAKE A PICTURE OF IT. I wish I could have shown you a picture of the meal cause it's one of my favorites. Most people would probably consider it more like a mexican pizza. It has a crispy fried shell on the bottom beans and meat in the middle topped with another shell sour cream and cheese. It's a big meal but most of all it delicious. read more

Can someone please send me a picture of the Gordita? My 71 year old father asks for THIS Gordita at EVERY restaurant we go out, and he is currently retired in Arizona. He remembers it clearly, and remembers having it here, where he met my mom! Every where else we go, he says it's not what he had. I want him to have this again! read more

9 of us came in to celebrate my husbands birthday. Angelica was our server. She did a great job for a large party like ours. My meatball soup was amazing. Everyone said the salads were good. The food came out hot and delicious! My enchiladas were perfect! We think they have the best Mexican food around. All the staff that came by were sweet and helped out. Thanks El Charro! read more

Wow wow wow. Just don't. We ordered the shimp and crab Baja enchiladas and it was a overcooked tortilla with crab mix that came from Safeway . Our waitress made me feel like a complete idiot for what I was ordering... I just wanted to run out of there so fast . We will NEVER be back! read more

Seasoned establishment over 40 years! I live in greater San Diego and the food here is simply the best. The salsas are great and Michelle's (Co-owner) Habanero Salsa is awesome!!! Had a carne asada taco and chili relleno a la cart. Get a dish of refried beans from the bar...they have jalapeños in it. The Famous House Margarita is tasty and "muy fuerte". I can see why this place was chosen as one of the Nation's 50 best Hispanic Restaurants by National Hispanic Magazine and top 100 restaurants in the United States by the National Restaurant Hospitality Magazine. Voted "Best of the Best" locally for great Mexican food and fun! Enjoy!! read more

I knew I was going to get my Chicken fajita burrito on this day, I've missed El Charro since I've moved out of state. It tasted better than I remembered, it's so good I also got a side of guacamole to put on top. Mmmmmm read more

Do not waste your time here...that is the big mistake we made. First it smells old and musty the minute you walk in. Fix the light fixtures for crying out loud. The constant flickering of the light above our table was so annoying. We placed our small order for dinner. 40 min later still no food. The waitress didn't even bother to say anything to us or check in. Finally I asked her how much longer? She said she didn't know as there was a wedding party in the other room. Okay, well can you find out! She came back and said there were alot of tickets ahead of us. We paid for our sodas and left. What a waste of time...horrible customer service. She could have said I'm so sorry the sodas are on us for waiting over 40 minutes with two Hungary young children for nothing. I will never go here again!!! read more

We enjoyed the outstanding service here. The food was very good, we were happy with the choices. I found that many of the reviews I read before going we're wrong. The decor was Mexican in design, the cleanliness was good, and there were no smells. So happy we decided to go. We had large portions of good food and even had dessert! read more

El Charro Avitia - Don't let the reviews confuse you! We eat a lot of Mexican food Mexican food and this is some of the best! Everything is made up fresh. - Mexican Near Me - Carson City, Nevada

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