This place was cool. We came here before a wedding for a couple of beers and drank them in the "Toma" section of the restaurant. Great prices on beer, by the way, $2.50 for a Barrio amber! The bar area was a little cramped so we just stood around, which was fine - I ended up standing next to the free chips and fresh salsa. I will likely come back here so I can review more on the actual food, but my first impression was definitely not a bad one. read more

El Charro Cafe - The bar "Toma", really cool feel in here. Just wish they had more beers to choose from - Tacos Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

We were in town for a conference and it happened to be on Halloween. The service was excellent and the food was very good! Staff was dressed in costume, we had a VERY blue eyed waiter dressed as Arrow. He remembered our order without writing it down and it was delivered perfectly...nice job, Arrow! The food was very good. I had enchiladas with mole sauce. Salsa is delicious! So good I'm having El Charro for breakfast at the airport! Thanks for a great meal! read more

It's tough to rate El Charro Cafe. On the one hand, the carne seca and the tamales are amazing, which are reason enough to come here. On the other hand, the service is terrible. It's not that the waiters aren't polite - they are. It's mostly that the place is so inefficiently run that the waiters are overworked, so you can never catch them, and they can't seem to manage people waiting outside, so people end up waiting for 30 mins to an hour. You must ALWAYS MAKE A RESERVATION, or else risk being abused by the host who stands out front and yells at the servers, then yells at you, then adds another name to the list of people who will never be seated. If this restaurant spent a few weeks working out their operational kinks, it could really be a huge success. I'm sure there are plenty of MBA students over at Eller who would be happy to help with operations. If you're the owner of El Charro Cafe, contact me, and I can make that happen for you. Lastly, don't get the salad. They hide cheap romaine lettuce under a dusting of spring mix and only give you one, yes one, olive, and one slice of tomato. Just get the carne seca. read more

*****Five Stars!***** Service was great, the food is awesome, the chips & salsa is tops, they sell it to go and we bought several bottles to take home. What flavor and variety to choose from. This is the original location. We have been here several times. I did a Yelp search for best gluten free mexican food and this place has high marks and everything is gluten free. My choices were endless! I went with the beef enchiladas with red sauce. From the historical building to the charming ambiance, this restaurant gets five stars for never letting us down. We recommend eating here especially if you have Gluten issues. read more

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Thank you so much for taking such wonderful care of us. You and your staff were so very accommodating. The food at El Charro was delicious! We had a wonderful time Once again THANK YOU SO MUCH for everything! We had a great night out and you and your staff helped to make it that way! We will be back tomorrow night and Everytime we visit Tucson. Thanks again for all your hard work and consideration, shout out to Jesse for giving us a tour of the home and facilties as well as pointing out all the photos and history. read more

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What an awesome place! Pulled up and was taken to a table outside on a quaint patio. Our waitress was excellent, very attentive, and the food was delicious!!! The portions are generous and I would definitely recommend giving this place a try when you're in Tucson!! read more

Went for dinner and food was good but our waiter was not very professional. Just an example we asked for lemon wedges for each of the waters on the table and the waiter asked each individual if we were sure if we wanted a lemon wedge. Then asked why a portion of our meal was not served when it says clearly on the menu what each plate contains. Had 6 in our party and only came with two servings to share with six individuals so we were charged extra even though we spent about $80 a head at our table. Just was tacky in my opinion. I will take my business elsewhere next time we go out for a nice dinner. read more

In town visiting friends and stopped in to get out of a random rain storm. Everything our table ordered was great. We started with the queso melt, which was really notable. We had the table-side guacamole and loved how fresh it was. I got the #3 combination and everything on my plate was outstanding. My husband got a chile rellano which was great, and one of our friends ordered the chicken quesadilla with chipotle sauce, which was the group favorite. Fried ice cream with prickly pear sauce was glorious and we also tried the churros and sopapillas with honey and chocolate. They were surprisingly light, which was nice after a big meal. Nothing we got disappointed and the service was great. We are thankful that the rain drove us indoors and we were able to take our time and enjoy the restaurant! read more

El Charro Cafe - Combination #3 (chicken tamale, el charro beef taco, queso blanco enchilada with arroz and frijoles refrito) - Tacos Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Not what they used to be. True, nothing is. But when we first moved to Tucson in the early 90's, this was the place to take out-of-town visitors, plus go ourselves for dependably good food. This began to change, and complaints about the food brought only excuses. Each time we'd go, it was the same or worse. We kept asking ourselves after why we even chose them (habit). It never got better and the management just gets worse. Don't bother. Many other places in town with great Mexican food. This used to be, but not anymore. read more

What an excellent evening at El Charro! Our waiter , Caleb, was over the top great to us. He answered every question we had about the menu and made recommendations. He brought us a sample of the carne asada to try out before ordering. Make sure to look this gentleman up. My wife had the shrimp tacos and I had the carne asada enchiladas. Caleb suggested one with green sauce and one red. Excellent! $4 Margaritas at Happy Hour go up to $8 after. Sit outside on the patio for a great experience also. We usually don't repeat restaurants on vacation but El Charro's will be our exception. read more

El Charro Cafe - Tacos Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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One of my favorite restaurants in Tucson. If you are vegan, vegetarian or meat-loving they have you covered. This historic restaurant hits it out of the park with both service and menu. Tableside guac, good margaritas and huge selection of signature Mexican dishes, such as their Carne Seca beef. I've had tasty spinach enchiladas, chicken tacos and their special beef tacos. All were delicious. Guests with me have enjoyed the Seafood Enchiladas on multiple occasions. I need to sample the Tres Leche Cake next time! They have a full bar and good variety of beer on tap. I've been to a couple of other El Charro locations, but this is by far my fav, with the ambiance of the classic location and the awesome wait staff here. Ample street parking is a plus! read more

This will be our 2nd time here! There's a reason for us going back....delicious and great service!

Fantastic food! We passed by El Charro for the first time yesterday, and wow, what a restaurant! You can really feel the history when you walk in. Good vibes. My dad and I ordered the combination #5 plate (it has carne seca). It was delicious! Can't wait to get some more! read more

El Charro Cafe - Combination Plate #5 - Tacos Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Not even close to the best Mexican food that I have tried. They were skimpy on the sauce, and the flavor wasn't very good. Service was good, seating didn't take too long. read more

Service is terrible and we couldn't even make it past the "wait to be seated" stand. Stood outside by the stand for a good while and then I went inside to look for someone. A lady with red hair asked me if I was waiting to be seated and then directed me to go back outside and wait. Not the friendliest. So we waited longer. Restaurant wasn't busy so we left. Terrible service and clearly no interested in having business read more

Our family of 7 had dinner here tonight and it was amazing! The Carne Seca was absolutely delicious but the highlight of our meal was the service. Peter was unbelievable. He was helpful, responsive, and worked very hard to be sure we had a delicious meal and enjoyable experience. Really look forward to coming back here again! read more

We recently ate at the El Charro on oracle in Oro valley. Blandest steak fajitas I've ever had ditto for my wife's chicken enchiladas. There was literally no seasoning and they were not sizzling like you would expect. Took 20 minutes to get our check and pay after we told the waitress we needed to leave. Restaurant was half empty now I see why. Looks like they are resting on their laurels at this location. read more

Super good food!! We got a house and a prickly pear marg, shrimp burrito, jackfruit taquitos, nachos, and fried ice cream and dessert tamal and every single thing was fantastic! We also came on a Saturday night and only had to wait 5 minutes and were seated in a cute half indoor/outdoor patio area which was good for social distancing. Bartender and waiter were both super nice and it was an overall great experience read more

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Recommended to us by several people. Underwhelming. We had to wait an hour on a Tuesday evening. Not a big deal, but the food was really just ok. Everyone was very nice from the hostess to our server Ryan. But with such a reputation and such a history, I was left wanting more. read more

Me: We had reservations. Why are you seating us outside in January when it's 50 degrees? Mgr: There aren't any inside tables available. Me: But we don't want to sit outside. Mgr: How am I supposed to know you wanted to sit inside? You didn't put that in your reservation. Me: There is nowhere on the reservation form that mentions outside, or asks us to choose. We ate here three days ago, and had no idea you even have an outside area that you just now took us to, 50 feet down the street, unmarked. Mgr: You could have waited 20-30 minutes and we might have been able to seat you inside. Me: That's why we got reservations, so we wouldn't have to wait. You assured us outside would be fine, but the back of my head was "sunburned" while my toes, nose and hands were freezing. The four of us rotated seating to try to get warm. We didn't buy drinks or wine because we were so cold. Mgr: I don't know what to say. It's all one restaurant. Me: What does that mean? Many restaurants have outside seating, but I've never had one assume that reservations meant we were fine outside on a cold night. Mgr: Other people seem fine out there. Me: The four of us aren't other people, who walked in and took what seat they could get. Mgr: You should have asked for inside seating. Me: This should make for an entertaining Yelp review. Mgr: Let me call the owner, Ray (the website says the chef, Carlotta, owns it). Call... Mgr: We're very sorry you were sat outside (first apology). We're going too comp your meal. Hmm... should it have taken all that to get a simple apology? El Charro appears to be getting a little full of itself and resting on past reputation, a recipe for decline. read more

Extremely disappointed visit. We had reservations for 6:00. We arrived early (5:45) so we had to wait in the bar. No problem, really. We had drinks like a normal date. I ordered a margarita one the rocks with salt. It was the worst margarita I have ever had in my life. Didn't taste like a margarita...in fact, it didn't taste like anything. At 6:15 we had to go check in with the hostess because she forgot about us. The mini-chimmichangas we ordered were soggy. The rest of the meal was blah. We talked about how many other Mexican restaurants where the food was much better. Won't go back. read more

I ate here today for lunch and it was delicious! I had the Two for Tucson lunch special and El Mayor Tamarindo margarita (suggested by our server Steven). The drink was not something I would have picked but glad I tried it cause it was amazing. Steven was a fantastic server...very friendly and offered great suggestions. Definitely will be back next time I'm in Tucson!! read more

El Charro Cafe - Two for Tucson (lunch menu) - Tacos Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Amazing Mexican food in a convenient location in downtown Tucson. The enchiladas are superb along with the friendliness of the waitstaff.

The food here is vile. The carne seco, their house specialty, is basically half-decomposed beef jerky. I thought maybe a side of mole sauce would make it edible. But it is so salty and pungent that I couldn't get more than a fraction of it down. My companion managed one bite of her fish tacos before deciding she wasn't hungry. Two stars because the waitress was sweet and the margaritas worked. I'd rather eat road kill than go back to this restaurant. Yuck. read more

Ate here after seeing the restaurant on Top Chef. Was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. Service left a little to be desired but any deficiencies couldn't take away from how good the food was. Carne secca was delicious and it was fun to see how it was made. read more

The staff very friendly and accommodating. Food was incredibly good and authentic for the area. COVID restrictions they have are very accommodating as well. Outdoor seating areas are very spacious and comfortable. You'll enjoy the very traditional Mariachi/Ranchero music. A little Flamenco music was play too! read more

El Charro Cafe - The original Chimichanga! - Tacos Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Visited the OG location, super excited to see they had a separate vegan menu, and food was amazing!

Our meal amd experience last night was unremarkable. Hostess service and bar service was good. Drinks were good. Then we sat. Excited to try a 99 year old restaurant that was recommended by most was o.k. at best. Service was bad, bad, bad. Food was served. The cheese crisp was cold. The ceviche was mostly juice with very small pieces of shtimp. Then WAITED for the food. Along with that, empty waters empty drinks. Dinner arrived. Again not hot. Plate presentation, BLA. Flavor and quality, o.k. Definitely not what was expected. And Tucson being such an old town that must have several options for Mexican. I expected way more. This was a basic scoop and serve Mexican restaurant menu. Nothing to hard to prepare. I wouldn't try unless you have no other options or ? read more

Not impressed with the food. I've had real authentic Mexican food and this is not that. This food tries to be to fancy and the margaritas taste like premixed bottled from a grocery store. The building is neat, but that all it is. The chips and salsa was really good but the food wasn't anything to come back for. read more

El Charro Cafe - Tacos Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Excellent hot spot. Long wait without reservations! But there is a great bar with happy hour from 3-6.

Yum. Yum yum yum. Get the carne seca (or, I suppose, something else, if you really want to, but why??) Order a margarita. The only regret I have is that they have gone to pre-mixed house margaritas, so if you want a really fresh, outstanding drink you should order one of the specialty drinks instead. read more

Where do I begin? After walking around the restaurant and looking at awesome posters, pictures, etc of E Charro history and Mexican culture, I ran into the manager Marcus and let him know that I've been coming to El Charro with family for years. Marcus had food and drinks sent to our table on the house and really went out of his way to make sure my party had a special time! Not only is the food incredible but the staff is just as awesome. Thanks again Marcus. read more

on vacation from Philly which is a gastro center ... El Charro produced maybe the absolute BEST meal i have eaten in years. service was excellent, we had a gracious server who spent the time helping us by identifying and then making excellent suggestions for our table. we made reservations (must be 24 hours ahead) and then we were able to go a few hours early (late afternoon, around 4) so cancelled our reservation once we walked in and got seated. lovely atmosphere, exceptional service, amazing delicious huge portions of mouth watering food! hope to return!! read more

I went here in 2004 and loved it. I've been telling my wife how great this place is since 2010. In 2021 I took my entire family here. We got there at opening and the manger told us he couldn't accommodate my party of 6 because it was football season. Meanwhile UA was playing in Vegas at 7:30, not sure how that relates. He said he'd sneak us in. Thanks! After he sat us outside with the heat and flies, the service was slow. I order fajitas, my wife enchiladas. After an hour our food arrived. I was embarrassed. Why is this place so highly rated? I'm not sure. Service is bad, manager is not great, food no better than Taco Bell. Tucson why do you celebrate this place? My family was made to feel unwelcome while others were happily escorted in for what seems to be below average Mexican food. Am I missing something? read more

I soooo wanna give this place a 5 star rating, because I literally drive an hour and a half, from Phoenix, to eat this delicious food! But alas, it is because of the service I cannot:( We got there and were seated promptly by a nice hostess who sat us on the patio, where we wanted to sit. We sat and were given chips and salsa right away. We waited a couple of good minutes for somebody to even say anything to us. Then, we were greeted, with a smile, from a waiter who assumingely was going to be ours? The girl who was preparing chips and salsa, I feel she could have really served water too. He finally came with the waters though. We ordered drinks and food at the same time, since as we waited for any server, we figured out our orders. All the while, we still didn't have roll ups(utensils) at the table. I only got them when I spilled salsa on my shirt and needed a napkin to clean it up and had to ask for one. There were quite a bunch of flies around. The restaurant should have tried to really have a hold on that. A gnat got in our sangria, which happens and they made us another one, but it is slightly reflective. It was pretty good and strong sangria! We had to move because it was too hot as the sun was beating on our table, which was no problem and accommodated. No problems with the food. It is so good! We had a #2, #6 and the flan. THAT flan was amazingly delicious!!! It was truly perfect, more like a flan de question, which is my favorite! At this point we finally got our severs name--Ian. He suggested some place for us to go as well after our meal, which was helpful because we didn't know where else to go lol. Ian was a good server, but the overall experience could have been better. All in all, a few loose ends that can be tightened up and I will have no problem changing my review. read more

VERY OVERATED! This is not authentic Mexican at all, its such a shame that this restaurant shows up as the top Mexican places in Tucson. Food was fine, thats it, a little pricey but nothing that stood out. One of the biggest disappointments was the chips and salsa. They served mediocre salsa and in small quantities. Even the guacamole with the entrees was just not up to mark. I cant say anything more. Just dissapointed. read more

I made reservations (for Nov 14) for 11 people two weeks in advance. I asked for a private room for our family and was assured they world honor our request. But when we were seated the hostess put us in the patio with two groups larger than ours plus several single tables. It was so crowded and so noisy we couldn't hear each other. Service was terrible. I asked about my request and was ignored by the waiter, who was busy. All of us were very disappointed about the food. We've eaten there quite a few times over the years but we will not be going back any time soon. read more

Some of the most delicious vegan Mexican food I've ever had. They have a very extensive menu that should please vegans and non-vegans alike. Nice drinks. Great service. read more

El Charro was fabulous. Great selection and very friendly service. Definitely recommend it.

The food and drinks here are excellent! I was last here in early March, and service was very good as well. It is a busy place, and a Tucson institution. Having to wait a little for your takeout during these times does not justify giving this place a low rating! I'm glad that they're managing to work through this pandemic, and look forward to dining here again. Great place to bring people from out of town as well! I lived in LA for a long time, and had a wide variety of Mexican food, but El Charro was still a unique experience. Ask about a different kind of enchilada they have. It's not a rolled tortilla, but more of a masa cake covered in sauce. It was delicious. read more