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    El Charro Cafe

    3.6 (2.5k reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    EL CHARRO CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - El Charro Cafe

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    Julie R.

    Wow, I'm super surprised by the overall low star ratings! Date night on a Saturday at 5:30 PM. We arrived a couple minutes late to our reservation and were seated immediately. I had a $50 gift card that I won in a giveaway with Tucson Convention Center. It was our first time here! Any place that has complimentary chips and salsa is automatically on my good side. The salsas included were a green salsa ("hot") and a classic red salsa ("medium"). Our server, Tony, was so kind, informative, patient, and helpful. He gave us great recommendations, answered all of our questions, and even gave me green salsa to go, as they don't sell it for some reason. I got the Monica platter (a combination plate) and my husband got a carne seca chimichanga. He asked for cheese inside the chimichanga but ultimately it had none, but we didn't want to wait for a remake because we were having a date without our kiddos and didn't want to prolong our gracious sitter. We got the bacon wrapped shrimp as an appetizer and the sopapillas, churros, y chocolate for dessert. The churros were seriously SO good! Fresh and crunchy, the best!

    Charro Street Taco Platter
    Dee Y.

    We came back on Friday after enjoying our meal in Wednesday. We were placed in the front by the windows with I think his name was Omar. Omar was NOT Martha! He was very slow and I had to ask 4 times for lemons. We were a table of 2 and received our food after a table of 4, who came after us were almost done. Umm what happened. Then we had to sit through the not so great mariachi! I think they must be someone's tios because it was not good. Do why the 4 stars!! Cuz the food is amazing! I took the 1 star away for my previous complaints. I ordered the pozole on recommendation from Omar. I had planned on tortilla soup but he was right! It was DELICIOUS!! My colleague ordered the original beef tacos and said it was very good. We finished the meal with a kids order of charros for each of us. Again... you looking for a good meal, this is the place!

    Seafood Enchiladas
    Natasha W.

    Excellent food and service! Came as an out-of-towner with a very large group including multiple people in wheelchairs. El Charro was so accommodating with our reservation. (Even though we had to add to it last minute during the dinner rush.) Our food was served quickly considering the size of our group and delicious. The atmosphere definitely made you feel like you had slipped away to a favorite Mexican restaurant on vacation. There's a reason this restaurant shows up on recommendation lists. Visit if you can!!

    Emily L.

    The food was so delicious, you can tell they really put a lot of love and care into their recipes. Mia was our server and she was wonderful. Wish we lived closer cause I'd be here all the time

    Shrimp Ceviche, shrimp lettuce wraps
    Melody M.

    I will start out with the good: our waitress Mia was fantastic. Friendly, helpful and ensured we had a great experience. The menu has a ton of authentic options and all the food is flavorful. Great selection of drinks too. The mariachi band that played at our table was a fun touch. The not so good: we waited 20 minutes for our reservation, watching other tables get sat before us (who either didn't have reservations or had a reservation at a later time than us). The hostesses were extremely unfriendly... if we hadn't been here before and knew the food was good, we likely wouldn't have waited to even sit. They definitely need some customer service training pronto. Other guests were also shocked at their words and tone.

    The fish dish.
    Nancy S.

    We enjoyed the food, especially the dried beef tacos. Unusual and excellent. The service was just OK, somewhat inattentive. It wasn't that busy, because it was only 5:30 pm, so we were a bit disappointed in how long our waiter left us alone. The ambience was superb! Just which one would expect of a Mexican restaurant in Tucson. Some mariachi singers came around and that could've been fun, but they were the worst singers on earth. I mean, truly bad.

    Prickly pear margarita
    Madelynn F.

    Street taco platter (AMAZING) and prickly pair margaritas (DELICIOUS). The only reason I come here is for those 2 things. I Definitely recommend a reservation if coming in the evenings, FYI, they do not make reservations the day of anymore

    Seated on waiting porch for about an hour. View of moon with planets on one of those nights everything was aligned.
    Bill R.

    Drove all the way from Wisconsin for some authentic Mexican food. Asked a couple of locals for their recommendation and they both blurted out El Charro. Said it would be busy but worth the wait. We waited over an hour to be seated in a beautiful area by the front door. We were secluded so we could watch people come and go. In addition to chips and salsa, we started with the table side Guacamole which was huge and prepared perfectly - tomato, onions, jalapeño, chunked avocado. Enjoyed the Guac, chips and salsa while we listened to a roaming two man mariachi band. Fun ! Wifey ordered a chicken quesadilla, no frills. It was large but the chicken was sparse and the cheese hard like it had been waiting in the kitchen to come to the table. We were not impressed. I went for adventure and ordered the Monica Plate. Asked our server if that would be a good sampler, answer yes. Well, it came to the table and I was not sure what I was looking at. Three components - corn masa tamale with a tart lemon sauce, dry shredded beef burrito with red sauce and finally a hard shell taco with an unrecognizable piece of beef the size of a shoe heel and as hard covered with a red sauce. A handful of lettuce was under the taco. Beans and rice came as a side. I can't recommend Monica's platter or any of the components. It was expensive and challenged my palate. I've come to the conclusion that I errored ordering or that I do not like authentic Mexican food. Recommend with caution as noted above. The restaurant is beautiful and they have a loyal clientele, but I should have know better.

    Chimichanga
    Dave H.

    El Charro clearly carries strong local nostalgia -- the crowd after the rodeo and UA game made that obvious. The chips and salsa were plentiful and very good, and the Chicken Cheese Crisp and shrimp ceviche appetizers were solid starts. Unfortunately, the entrees didn't live up to the reputation. It took about an hour to receive them, and some arrived hot while others were cooling off. I ordered the green chile beef chimichanga (their house specialty was already sold out by 6pm), and both the beef and red sauce lacked flavor. Others at the table had similar feedback on their dishes. The staff were attentive and working hard, but between the long wait and muted flavors, this ultimately felt like an average experience for us. With so many strong Southwest options in Tucson, it's hard to justify choosing this one beyond its historic appeal.

    Seafood Relleno del Rey
    Desiree B.

    The sauce for the Seafood Relleno del Rey, I could drink that. Yummmm I went after my shift at the Tucson Folk Festival and the food and staff were very friendly to me. The food was very good. I also had a Sangria and it was fresh and very tasty.

    worst customer service in Tucson
    Curt F.

    What a great experience "NOT" 8:05 pm walked up excited and looking forward to trying this place. Go to check in (no line and plenty of open tables). First thing out of the hoist do you have a reservation? We said no and ask if possible can we sit on the patio she turned her back and said the patio is closing. Another girl came up and said do you have a reservation and we said no again. She said sorry the kitchen is closing we aren't seating anyone else tonight. Keep in mind it's 8:05 and the place closes at 9:00pm! If they actually close at 8, that should be made known. I wanted to say if we had a reservation the kitchen would still be open?? Customer service is disappointing for sure at this place! Won't bother coming back, since this is how they treat customers.

    Chimichanga Al Pastor (big portions!)
    Alejandro L.

    The oldest authentic Mexican restaurant in the United States--viva Mexico! established 1922!! Came here on a rainy day in Tucson AZ and had to jump right into the Mexican hot chocolate! So yummy, warming, and with a little spice! Very very good!! I ordered the tamales bc I'm all about some tamales! The carnitas and red chile beef -- yes! A quaint spot with a beautiful facade and interior -- seems like it used to be an old house. The service was great and it was a treat on a cold, rainy Dec 24 day -- real cool spot! Oh and btw -- just know...the portions are pretty big!

    numero cuatro
    Riley B.

    love the ambiance of this place! Was visiting family in AZ and was told they had really good food and it didn't disappoint. The combination plate came with an enchilada, taco and a tamale, was a really good way to try new things without having to commit to just one entree

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    25 days ago

    The wait was long get there early . Parking is across the street , bout 8.50 for parking . Food was really great tasting worth the wait

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    Food always delicious and wait staff very knowledgeable and friendly. Large beverage selection

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    Page 3 of 64

    El Charro Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - El Charro Cafe

    Do they allow dogs on the patio?

    yes

    Do they take reservations for parties of 2?

    Yes

    Is this a dine in restaurant?

    Yes it is.

    Do you serve alcohol at the downtown location?

    Yes! All of our El Charro café locations serve delicious cocktails.

    Just wanted to thank you & commend you for the Plant Based options on your menus! We will return! I have a question - as a chile relleno fan - ever test out a PB relleno? Stuffed w/whatever combo of beans, rice, nopales, calabacitas, shrooms?

    View All 6 Questions

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    I'm happy to have finally gotten a chance to visit Unicorn Zebra since it's been on my list from…read morethe time they opened. It's a fun and also elegant atmosphere with the zebra theme clearly exemplified across the space. I would have to say this is one of the coziest bars I've been to, the furniture and seating is really supportive of a long-term visit. There are other levels, lower and an upper level besides the main space, but be aware that if there are parties, they can typically take up different areas. Our bartender, Sarah was fantastic! The way that she handled all of the guests and the busy field was incredible, so calm and collected, and furthermore making some really incredible drinks. Heads up that the online drink menu is not the current drink menu, I couldn't remember all the names of our drinks and put those in the photo captions, so when I checked on the website, the menu was showing something different other than what I saw at the bar. Out of several places I've been to, I'd say the mixture of flavors and details in the drinks are quite unique. I'll be back for more one day

    It remains a favorite, alas no more a secret. We were hankering for a spontaneous post-ATC-theater…read moredrink and this venue popped back into my head. Same charms, different bartender, and new summer (May) craft cocktails that have become quite substantial (see pic of double-sided menu). Though we arrived at 4:10 (right after their usual 4p opening) on a Saturday, no happy hour, but we were first patrons and grabbed the big bay window. We are both on a mezcal discovery kick and ordered the Black Cathedral ($16) and the Girl Dinner ($16). Each was as described (pic) and delicious. We had dinner plans and needed to leave at 5:15 - just as things were picking up. We'll definitely be back sooner.

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    The Century Room

    The Century Room

    4.5
    (87 reviews)
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    Best surprise of our trip yet we found two tickets for a rather inexpensive cost for some live…read moremusic early in the evening. Sold! Super cute bar amazing staff from the point of check-in to the bar. Mainly cocktails, beer and wine. You might see a couple of small plates of nuts or olives nothing major. The vibe was ridiculously cool absolutely loved it. The music was amazing. We were considered preferred customers with our tickets and asked to sit at the bar. No questions asked the owner/manager even said, "The bar is probably better place to sit! " Awesome night out thank you so much. This was a treat!

    I went here again for the "twas the night before Christmas" jam session and learned the difference…read morebetween a typical show and a jam session. I was disappointed that I didn't hear more Christmas music, but I guess I should've went to the Charlie Brown Christmas show for that. The performers were extremely talented, and the host did a good job too. I got a hot chocolate, which was okay, as well as the mixed nuts, which were also okay. My large party also tried the popcorn, and it was a bit stale. I was saddened to see that there are no longer charcuterie boards on the menu, leaving only and truly "small bites" that don't really hit the spot. The chocolate covered pretzels were the only thing I ate, which I would order again. I really like the century room , I just hope they make revisions to the menu to really make it the whole experience!

    Photos
    Coffee borgata liqueur and cream. Big band jazz the Century Room stage was full! No more case of the Mondays when the music starts playing.
    Coffee borgata liqueur and cream. Big band jazz the Century Room stage was full! No more case of the Mondays when the music starts playing.
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    El Charro Cafe - tacos - Updated June 2026

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