Wow, I had high hopes for the food from El Charro Cafe and they took those hopes and raised them up to a new level after eating their delicious Chicken Pastor enchiladas. Everything was on point. The enchiladas were delicious with a great balance of sweet, savory, smokey, creamy and tart from the pickled red onions The house made was was just the right level of spice. The rice was flavorful and the beans were a great neutral base to tie everything together. Throw in some yummy tortilla chips and I'm done. Deme the manager came up and checked on me to answer any questions I had and gave me an iced tea while I wait for the food. His customer service was excellent and to be commended. I got my order to go, but it looks like a great place to hang out and enjoy your meal. They have a patio to be able to make the most of these warm temps before it's gets too hot. If you're anywhere near any of their locations I'd highly recommend you go and have an amazing meal. read more

This El Charro location has been a take-out staple for my family for years -- it's the go-to when nobody feels like cooking and we don't really have a plan. That's not to dismiss it, by any means! It's a comfortable, easy option to always have on hand. No joke: my dad has the menu downloaded and saved to his phone so that we don't even have to take the arduous step of going to their website to decide what we want. Obviously, the star of their menu is their famous carne seca. I like it best in burro form, but you can find it in pretty much any preparation in the various menu options. Another of my personal favorites is the soft tacos (usually chicken or carne asada), which are very flavorful and topped with a lovely fresh pico. I also recently tried the Bandera Enchiladas, which is comprised of one each of carnitas, chicken, and carne seca enchiladas topped with green, crema, and red enchilada sauces (to mimic the Mexican flag). It was delicious! Other family favorites include the original chile relleno, the tortilla soup, and the grilled cod soft tacos. The take-out always comes with chips and salsa as well, just as you'd get in the restaurant if you were dining in. read more

El Charro Cafe - Bandera Enchiladas (take-out with chips and salsa, Charro beans, and rice) - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Excellent Sangria and El Paton chicken enchiladas! So delicious. Amazing bartenders and waitstaff.

We celebrated my husband's birthday last night and had a wonderful experience!! We made reservations and happy we did because they were busy (they still maintained social distancing.) We were delighted to be seated outside as it was a beautiful evening and we had a lot of room. I want to give a shout out to Jose, our server as he was attentive and friendly. He also treated my husband to tres leches cake for his birthday. Yummy! He also brought two spoons. I ordered the tamale platter with rice and beans. I particularly liked the corn tamale which was so moist and full of flavor. The pork tamale was good too. My husband had the combination platter #5 which had a chili renello, cheese enchilada and carne seca. He loved it! We had a great experience and delicious food so will return soon. read more

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Went to El Charro tonight for our 45th wedding anniversary. The food was great but the service was horrible. After we ordered we only saw our waiter 1 time when we asked for a box for our leftover appetizer. The expeditor that brought us our food was great. My wife finally got up to get water and take home boxes . We won't come back!!!! read more

Very bad experience and we ended up leaving. We were told we were "next" only to see multiple people be seated before us. Hour wait and no idea when we would be seated. They do NOT accommodate walk ins at all. read more

We have never tried this El Charro at this end of town, but from previous visits at the other locations, we knew it would be good. Well, good would be slighting the establishment, the food was excellent. With the Covid-19 pandemic, we ordered food for curbside pickup. I ordered the Chicken combo with a taco, enchilada and tamale. The taco and enchilada was good, but the Tamale was out of this world. My wife had ground beef enchiladas and she liked them so much, she ordered them again a couple of days later. On that occasion, I had the 3 Chicken Tamales. We will have El Charro on the top of our list for Mexican food and I think we're going there as soon as I'm done writing this review! read more

El Charro Cafe - Curbside pickup. One each Chicken Taco, Chicken Enchilada and my FAVORITE, Chicken Tamale. - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

I love El Charro. Every time I come to town I stop at the famous el charro for lunch. Best margaritas in town!! read more

El charro is a great place to eat! Wonderful food and amazing service! Their weekend steak is never a miss read more

Best margaritas! Wonderful atmosphere. Great food too! We will be back the next time we are in town.

As authentic as it gets. I have been to El Charro many times over a 30 year span. It never changes. Old line Sonoran cooking. The beef is the specialty and has been for over a century, or more. Dried on the roof over tin plates. If you are in Tucson, go to old town and bite into history. The place is a step back in time. Good drinks and excellent service make it a great place, soaked in tradition. read more

Not too good of experience. Carne iberria beef enchiladas were awful. Just big chunks of chuck roast. No spices or sauce in the iberria. Terrible read more

El Charro Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Food took 40 minutes and was terrible. Carne asada steak was overcoooked pieces not steak, the enchilada and Ben's were ice cold all 4 of us disappointed. They comped much of it but still terrible. read more

The Enchiladas del Rancho - Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas with Green Chile Raja Crema Sauce & Queso Casero - a cold cerveza, and tasty salsa (with warm chips) is exactly what was needed after a round of golf on a warm, humid day. read more

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Great restaurant. We've been eating here for years. Everything I've had has been delicious. We love the Ventana location with the beautiful View of the mountains and the friendly service read more

This was the perfect example of a beautiful restaurant shooting itself in the foot. It was as if the staff had gotten together for a passive-aggressive protest of having to work on Easter Day. When I called, the hostess put me on a long hold then only harped on the fact that they were closing early at 7pm. Not much encouragement, but I wanted to check out the rumored awesome margaritas. When I showed up at 5:50pm, the server Ania was responsive but never cracked a smile during the entire meal. I made a point of ordering the $19 El Charro Silver Cadillac Margarita. Ready for greatness, I kept sipping at it hoping that maybe there was a layer of melting ice blocking the flavor. In fact, there was a punked weak mixture of lemon lime and a clear alcohol in a glass filled to the top with ice. Without the salted rim, I wouldn't have even recognized it as a margarita. The carnitas tamales were really the only high point of the evening. Before I could finish my meal--and without my request--I was handed a to-go box. It was 6:30pm! To add insult to injury, the check added a line to ask for an extra $2 for the cooks. Really?!? The sunset on the mountains was beautiful, but I was so ready to leave. And, I won't be back. read more

Love coming here for dinner and drinks. I always get amazing service from Tori, she's attentive, courteous, and I always end up loving her recommendations. Their tamale stuffed chicken, enchiladas, and rolled tacos are a few of my favorites and their margaritas are some of the best in town! read more

I really like the new-ish El Charro Cafe "Ventana." First, the location is really awesome and cool to sit out especially for happy hour/in the afternoons for a great view of Ventana canyon...the inside is really nice for dinners as they have these booths under large paintings/striking wall decor. The food here is by far the better of the bunch from the "El Charro" chain of restaurants. They have the Sinaloan shrimp dish that's very delicious. Like all the other "El Charro" restaurants, their menu is pretty extensive here and offers a variety of options. I specifically like the "Carlotta's Cucina" options that include the Sinaloan shrimp as well as the Reynosa chicken and Pescado tropical. Their drinks are good too but sometimes can be hit or miss, but the Piña Paloma will always be good as well as the 100th anniversary margarita. Great place to eat and drink, to experience a totally local Tucson favorite. read more

El Charro Cafe - Shrimp culichi - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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The best Mexican food in Tucson!!! Great Tamales Chile Relano Enchiladas etc!!!! Go go go Ravi Shankar loved it too!!!! I like Kolb location best! read more

Visiting Tucson for the weekend and this place was very close to our hotel. We ordered the Tortilla soup and the beef fajitas. We were in no rush and we got there after the dinner time rush (around 7:30pm) Service was awful - they didn't give us any refill on the chips, no refilling water glasses, just completely ignored and we waited about 45-50min to hail our waiter and ask about our food. 10min later our food arrives by a lady from the kitchen and nearly throws it on our table and leaves - my husband and I were just stunned and couldn't do anything but laugh. Now to the food - the tortilla soup - awful, onions in a broth with some avocado and a ball of melted cheese at the bottom of the bowl. The fajitas were very tough and the plate of rice and beans were smaller than a child's plate. read more

The most authentic Mexican food in old Tucson. Situated in the arts district this place was a blast from the last with beautiful decor inside and out. It's knows for being the granddaddy of Mexican food in one of the top places outside of Mexico. This gem didn't disappoint. We were taken here by our local long time friends that wanted us to experience the best of Tucson and they were right on. We started with house made margaritas and it was early so happy hour was in effect, cha-ching, bonus! Glasses were rimmed with tajin , the local Mexican chili salty rim topper. Yummy! So good we bought some to take back home. The most famous dish was a house made special beef jerky that cures on the top of the roof in the sun for days and dries. Then it's shredded and mixed with tomatoes, onions, and more. Served with warm tortillas and guacamole, beans, rice, and salad, it was excellent and totally unique. It's a must when in this place. Fajitas were great and came with plenty of flavor and veggies. The green home made chili salsa was great but you have to ask for it or you only get the red salsa. Chips were warm and serviced multiple times so we were always fully stocked. We added guacamole which was good. My wife makes it better I have to say but we didn't have table side version so I reserve judgement for future review. Loved the food, atmosphere, and location. Definitely a must eat place while in Tucson. Thanks E&N for the recommendation. Ask for Omar the waiter. He went the extra mile for us. Even Evette helped us enjoy the evening , when I forgot my phone, she raced down the street to get it back to me. Great place, great service. read more

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AMAZING Food service !! Visiting from out of town and have been back multiple times. This is now our go to place while in town.

My wife and I went for an early dinner on a Friday afternoon. We arrived at 4:15 pm. The food here may be fantastic but we were never was served our food and so we'll never know. We ordered and waited. At 5:30 the waitress came by, and was perplexed that we were still not served our food. She went to the kitchen to check and at 5:35 p.m. we left. Truly we had a pitiful experience... I can't say dining experience as we didn't dine. read more

Pleasant atmosphere and reasonable priced drinks but service was worst I have had in years at any bar. Went in to enjoy afternoon drinks and some chips with salsa. Restaurant was mostly empty and only 3 people at the bar with 2 bartenders.....took 5 minutes to walk over and ask for my order, never introduced himself or herself by name. Served drink without a napkin or coaster......all normal courtesy at a bar. Then sat with empty glass for a full ten minutes and by this time only 2 people at bar and two customers. I won't go back......and insult to injury I had to ask for the complimentary chips and salsa which is an automatic at most Mexican restaurants read more

El Charro Cafe - Empty bar - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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Awesome Good every time. Service is spot on. Our server Malik and his helper Sambatu were an amazing team. Food was over the top. read more

El Charro Cafe - Shrimp ceviche. Delish !! - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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I cannot say enough good things about this place. We had a small celebration of life for my mother there and every detail from the online request to paying the final bill was perfect. It's very clear this place has a wonderful management team. Food was top notch, waitresses professional and kind. Will definitely be back!!!! read more

El Charro Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

We are regulars at this family owned restaurant. Always great food and excellent service.

Great service, delicious food and a beautiful view of the Catalina's from their patio.

It's always incredibe. Tied for best authentic Mexican food in Tucson...I don't know who else is tied for number ONE!!!

Good food & atmosphere. The service is sometimes slow and / or spotty. We like the place overall.

Our regular Mexican food restaurant was deemed too every-day for a special friend's birthday, so we decided on El Charro on Sunrise and Kolb. El Charro really rocks their happy hour and the celebration was to be on a Friday, so reservations for six at six were a must. The hub and I were the first couple to arrive and we were pleased to find our round table for six waiting patiently for us, dressed for service, complete with menus. Yummy salsas - both green and red - appeared with baskets of warm chips. Our waitress immediately came to take our drink orders as we dipped our first chip. She gave the same prompt attention to the other guests when they were seated. We took advantage of some of the unique cocktail choices of specialty margaritas and sangria - a lovely way to end the week and begin the weekend. We all perused the menu. Hub wanted the carne seca topopo, which is what he always orders in our usual venue and wanted to compare. El Charro is famous for their carne seca. I wanted something totally different, and debated between two seafood dishes. Our helpful waitress recommended the shrimp enchiladas, so I took her advice. The guest who is allergic to both gluten and dairy, chose the carne seca platter. It had a mountain of carne seca and a stack of gluten-free tortillas. All entrees come with rice and a choice of refried beans or whole Charro beans. The other guests had enchiladas, a carne seca burro enchilada style, and chicken flautas. Everyone was pleased with his and her meals, judging by what was consumed. My shrimp enchiladas were luscious: big beautiful shrimp cooked to firm perfection, wrapped in tortillas, and bathed in a smooth white sauce that complemented the seafood perfectly. Being a fan of carne seca too, I stole a chunk of the dried spiced beef that ringed the Hub's gorgeously-presented volcano-shaped topopo. Divine. My enchiladas were so big and so filling that I could manage only a bite or two of the rice and beans. The beans were very good; the rice nothing special. There wasn't much left on most plates, the dear Hub didn't fare as well. He had left a lot of topopo, and didn't want a box to take the rest of it. When I took another taste I knew why. A huge amount of cilantro was chopped into the carne seca and lettuce, totally dominating the flavor. One who only tolerates cilantro would not be a fan. Also, the lettuce wasn't crisp and fresh as it should have been and the apple garnish was mushy. At $16.95 - almost twice as much as his usual carne seca topopo - it was a disappointment. He said he should have had the carne seca platter. With no room for dessert, we were so done eating. Our waitress promptly brought the bill, which I took since we were treating. Adult beverages and food came to $150 before tip. read more

El Charro Cafe - Seafood enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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Love the salsa and chips! Great happy hour....very reasonable. I generally get the fajitas as an entree and the Totopa salad is awesome too! Casual vibes at a locally owned Tucson establishment. read more

We arrived on a Friday night during dinner rush, we were told it was going to be a 45 minute wait, but lucky us, they called our name 5 minutes later. We were seated at a very nice table, clean and presentable. Our waiter was very prompt and accurate with our orders (unfortunately one of the cooks decided to prepare the wrong meal for one of our guests). The Barrio Blonde brew on tap was very nice and so was the Del Sequies. Atmosphere and noise level was very enjoyable and our group was able to have easy conversations. When the meals came out, they were fresh and looked amazing. Like I said before, one of the guests got the complete wrong order, which the staff took back and apologized. The reason I decided on a 4 was because the first waitress (not our original waiter) basically tried to talk our guest into thinking that might be his meal (when in no way was the plate a Chimichanga platter). She did take it to the back and the manager came over and apologized for the mistake and said the cook made the wrong dish. I also, was not given my beans and rice for my platter, the waitress did bring me one after asking for it. I will return here, because the food and atmosphere were great. Hopefully I can give them the 5th star they are capable of achieving. Keep up the good service and get the cooks on point with the correct dishes. read more

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Finest Mexican food in Tucson! We Love El Charro. We eat there regularly. Vegan choices are exceptional. read more

Best Mexican food that I've eaten in years. No onions in everything like some places which I hate. I had the number two combo with a taco, tamale and a chicken enchilada. All were excellent! Good drinks and nice server. Complementary chips with an excellent dipping sauce with just the right amount of heat in it. Rice had some nice spicy flavor as well. A great Mexican restaurant! Give it a try if in the area. read more

We were looking for some Mexican food and decided to try this place for dinner with the kids. Not impressed. We did expect a wait and had no issue with that. However the server took forever to take our order, and drinks took just as long. Once the food came out my husbands was completely wrong. Finally his food came out we finished, and it was still wrong. We said no beans several times. Picture attached - beans clearly on the plate. Everything took forever so I left to go sit in car while my husband paid the billed. I was going to talk to the Manager, but couldn't even find one. Not worth my time and aggravation. read more

El Charro Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

I was here last summer of 2022. First service was ok, the waiter was very stress out or didn't want to there so that makes unpleasant for the guess. Second, I order chicken enchiladas de mole the presentation was ok the. The mole sauce was good chicken was ok over all flavor was 5/10 Was serve with a side of Salad that was not good and was not a good convo rice was also not good very dried and look they made it days before. Third. The dessert I order the 3 leches cake and the cholesterol tamal. Also very disappointed The tamal was dried and the flavor not good needs more wok on the ingredients. The cake I was Wow! Very dried bread cake the flower seems it was made from a box the ones you make cake from not quality ingredients only the créame at the bottom like they just pour it in. Everything need to improve if they still want to be open. read more

What a fun experience! El Charro is a famous and historical chain in the Tucson area, and this location definitely disappoint! I had a wonderful dining experience here while visiting my family. To start, we were promptly seated upon arriving, only having to wait a few minutes, despite not having a reservation and it being very crowded. I've been to places in Los Angeles where there's empty tables AND I have a reservation and they take twenty minutes to seat me!! The ambience and atmosphere here is also very lovely. It has quite a large dining area that goes pretty far back, and it's all very warmly lit and has lovely Mexican decor. It was very comfortable and welcoming. The service was quick and friendly, and we had our food before us in no time. We also ordered the guacamole tasting service, where they prepare it at the table in front of you. Very fun, interesting, and exciting! The guacamole was amongst the freshest and most delicious that I have ever had! I also loved the warm and crispy tortilla chips and salsa that are complimentary and that they regularly would replenish! The food portions were also very generous and delicious! I loved my enchilada and tamale combination plate! I also ordered a strawberry margarita, which came in a nice big cup and tasted lovely! I have little to no complaints about this place! Decent prices, great atmosphere, excellent service, generous portions, and deliciously fresh guacamole! I can't wait to come back whenever I'm in Tucson again! read more

El Charro Cafe - Fresh Guacamole Prepared by the Table! - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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It has been several years since I last visited the Sunrise location. I joined a group of friends for lunch yesterday and I was reminded why I had not been back in years. Different tastes for different people, but I cannot see how this chain gets such high marks. I give it two stars for atmosphere and service but I would deduct these stars for food quality if I could. I chose the two hard shell ground beef tacos with refried beans and rice. Oh, what a mistake. The unpleasant refried beans came cold. The rice was the standard plate filler. The tacos, hard to do wrong, were a disaster. The ground beef filling was unlike any I have ever had before - and not in a good way. The filling was overly salted and had an uneven texture - tiny pieces and several large chunks. The dry lettuce topping which overfilled the shell obviously came from a Sysco bag. I barely got one down with a significant portion of the beans and rice left on the plate. The second taco went home in a box for the wife to try. With no comments by me, she came back and said the shell had disintegrated and the filling was loose in the box. She said she dumped it in the trash and asked me, 'what was with that filling?' Nuff said about that. The other patrons in our party left about one-half of their entres on the plate. I did not ask if they were full or if they were not happy with their order, but no one took a doggy box home. One plus that I failed to mention earlier was that chips and salsa came at no charge and were quite good. Come on Carlota stop living on your past reputation. read more

Every time I visit home, we always eat at El Charro. Great food and service. Love ,love it.