I don't typically give reviews but, I'm pretty pissed. I tried to place a phone order but the young lady who answered didn't know what I wanted cause she didn't know the menu. So I told her that I would just order in person. I showed up 5 mins later and they told me that they won't accept my order and turned me away cause it's too late but they don't close for another 30mins. I will no long eat here leisurely or take business clients here when they request Mexican food. read more

The food and service here is fantastic. When we arrived, were immediately seated and brought waters. We ordered the super charro burrito, enchiladas verde and stuffed jalapeños. The portions were really big and we were stuffed by the end of our meal that we had enough leftovers to take home for dinner. We also had chips and salsa and horchata which was tasty. They also have a habanero sauce which adds the perfect amount of spice for your food. read more

See all

It's nice to return to this legit neighborhood Mexican restaurant after many years! I'm from San Diego, and it took me years to learn the greatness of Mexican cuisine from various regions. El Charro delivers--literally and figuratively! El Charro's carne asada stands out. The meat is delicious any way it's served--tacos, (California) burritos, quesadillas, or as a la carte. The carne asada fries to me don't do the steak justice. Oddly enough, the California burrito tastes great with the right amount of fries, guacamole, and pico. El Charro may have one of my favorite California burritos on Oahu! The chicken chile relleno is tasty as well and pretty spicy. El Charro is one of the few places on Oahu that serves mole, either on enchiladas or as a chicken mole plate. I tried authentic mole from a former co-worker's abuela (grandma) when I still lived in San Diego, while my husband tried mole from its birthplace in Oaxaca, Mexico. We both agree that El Charro's mole is truly delicious. It may be some of the better mole I've had on the island! Nice fruity flavors from the roasted peppers and the sauce was spicy as well. I've opened my mind to Mexican food outside of carne asada fries and California burritos, and El Charro is a new favorite for me. read more

El Charro Mexicano - Chicken chile relleno - Mexican Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

See all

Portion size is small compared to others in the area. For the price I expected better. Rather go DT.

Called in a few days before we wanted to go to see if they took reservations which they don't but they recommended calling an hour before we wanted to come so that they could make sure a table was saved and ready for us, which it was when we arrived! We dined in for dinner with a party of eight adults and one toddler. High chairs are available if needed. We were seated in a Corner booth which was nice, it felt a little cramped at first, but we made it work. It's a small restaurant, with about 10 tables. The decor enhances the Mexican meal experience. It was pretty busy and the service was faster than we expected. Items we ordered are listed in the receipt picture below everyone was mostly satisfied with what they ordered and cleaned their plates. I had the chili rellenos which I order every single time at any Mexican restaurant I go to, the flavor was okay I felt it could have had a little more as I had to put sauce on it which I usually don't and the chili itself was a little undercooked in my opinion. The pepper was crunchy and normally it's soft and melts in your mouth. The chips here are not complimentary so be prepared to pay for your chips and salsa. The chips were a little harder than we usually expect or like. The salsa, guacamole and hot sauces are very tasty. Everyone enjoyed their deserts and raved about the horchata! Check your receipt for tipping before you tip as for bigger parties it's automatic. This was not our first time here and we would definitely come back! read more

El Charro Mexicano - Meal prices and tipping - Mexican Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

The pork for the enchiladas with verde sauce was bland no flavor, the plate portions for what you pay for is so small same goes for the sides they put into the containers ex: salsa, sour cream etc. Lets talk about price again because I really wanna emphasize that it's crazy crazy expensive what's worst the menu has no pricing and my receipt also again no pricing on my order so I can't break down what the heck cost me $100 bucks I've never experienced a place I went to eat and I don't know what it cost me or what a each specific item cost me, my order was Steak fajita's plate 3 small taco size tortillas Pork enchilada's plate 2 small enchiladas Beef Nachos soggy by the time I drove 2 min away from home Quesadillas plate 3 pieces quesadillas That's 4 plates for a whopping $100 with tax that's insane!!!! Please if your gonna charge these prices list the cost and please add a little more to your portions if your charging these kinds of prices and please list line items and cost on your receipts so customers can see what they are paying for thanks but I do not recommend!!! read more

El Charro has been one of my favorite spots for Mexican food since they were a little shop on Sand Island Access Road. I was first told about them by a former employee who said I had to try the pollo poblano, one bite and I was hooked! I typically don't stray from my pollo poblano (other than what my family calls a "table enchilada" which is just ala carte enchiladas), but this time I stepped out of my comfort zone and got a small chimichanga. You choose the type of meat (I got carnitas) and the sauce (red, green, half and half-I got red) and it comes with rice and beans (I got all beans). This little restaurant has clean and colorful decor and seats. Service was quick, my only sad thing is that they no longer serve free chips and salsa. They do offer a delicious habanero sauce when your food comes out which I highly recommend read more

El Charro Mexicano - Small Chimichanga all beans no rice - Mexican Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

First time here, definitely will be the last! Ordered the chicken enchilada plate to go for lunch. Good thing I checked the order before leaving because it was missing the pico de gallo (which they forgot to pack) no utensils, no napkins. When I'd asked for a fork and a napkin, I was told utensils are NOT included with takeout orders but can be purchased. I guess I was kind of baffled by this. An $18. plate lunch to go with no utensils or napkins?!! I would have been very upset had I gotten to work ready to eat my lunch and not have anything to eat it with. There should be signage letting people know this. Not everyone carries around a fork, spoon and knife with them.! This is what my $18. plate looked like. Very disappointed, definitely not worth it! read more

El Charro Mexicano - Chicken enchilada - Mexican Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

In my humble opinion best service, drinks, and charming place to have fun, food it's great l think a bit price but amount of food it's pretty generous so you can have you leftover. read more

The food was not good. The steak fries - fries were not fresh but defrosted then thrown under the heater or microwave to reheat the steak with some garnish on top and sour cream, hardly any cheese. We paid almost $30 for a steak plate with half scoop of rice and some microwave refried beans with sprinkles of cheese. In total we paid $75 for two dishes, one appetizer, and side of chips and salsa. The price and the quality food were mismatched by a lot. We are not going back. Sorry. The music was good! read more

I love Mexican food & this used to be one of my favorite places to eat for many years. When the pandemic hit, obviously we our dining trips here became less frequent. Last week on Christmas Eve around lunch time, we decided to finally stop since we were doing last minute Christmas shopping nearby. My husband, myself & our 2 teenagers walked in & waited to be seated. The workers looked new to me since I didn't recognize any of them. Wasn't busy either since there was only 1 big party of about 8 ppl on 1 table & 4 other tables of smaller parties like ours. When we walked in 1 young male server was sitting on an empty table on his phone. He asked how many of us & just pointed to a table for us to sit. A few minutes later another older male server came out to bring us water & menus. He was the main server taking orders for the restaurant that day. Then he disappeared for about 10 minutes. Then came back to take our order. I had the El Charro burrito plate with carnitas, hubby had a Carne Asada chimichanga & our teens ordered a quesadilla & a California burrito. While 1 of my teens was ordering, the server rudely interrupted & ran back to the kitchen twice without no explanation & resumed the order. So weird! We ordered sodas & added on 2 Horchatas. Mind you, this place is also a bar where just one customer was sitting prior to us arriving. Anyway, the food took so long..over 25 minutes! It seemed like all customers waited awhile for their food too. When the food finally came, the chimichanga hubby ordered was already soggy! We ended up ordering 2 flans to go & doggy-bagged the rest of the food. Here's the best part..now we have to wait for the bill. Couple minutes go by & I tell my family to go wait in the car so I can take care of the bill. Our bill finally comes & it's about $130 bucks. So I tap my debit card & skip the tip on the ipad so I can leave cash. As I'm signing the Merchant Copy receipt (writing CASH on the tip line) , I hand the server a $50 bill to change into smaller bills for me. He gives me that look like he's unsure if they even have smaller bills to make change. Are you kidding me? You have a WHOLE bar in here, you're telling me yall don't have smaller bills on site for bar customers? GTFOH! At this point, he goes & asks the other server & kitchen staff if they have change for $50. They denied him. So finally he comes back with only 3 $10 bills! WTF?! I looked at him & asked WHERE's THE REST OF MY CHANGE? He goes, "Oh well..umm..how much were you going to tip?" I said, "Umm..NOT no $20!!" So then he goes, "Ok hold on. Let me see if Aiea Bowl next door has change." & runs out the door. He came back so quick saying they were closed. Omg, now I'm getting irritated. So I tell him, "FORGET IT I'll just sign my copy & put the tip on the card!" He tried to make it like it was too late kuz I signed the merchant copy already with CASH. I said NOPE it's going on the card! Signed it with LESS than what he thought he was gonna get & left! It was the audacity for me..damn CLOWN! Now I'm never going back there ever again! BEWARE folks! read more

Arghhh! So frustrating coming here. They can never get the order right. Doesn't matter if you call, order online or order in. Always always something wrong with it. Also, dont order mexican coke, they will give you a room temperature bottle and tell you to your face that yeah it was in the refrigerator. So frustrating, also.. check your bill, you might have been charged for something you didn't order.. which was my case. Nways, not sure if will be coming back and definitely not recommending it to people anymore. Yes, food is great when they get it right. Not trying to hate on them, but SAME mistakes being made over and over. read more

El Charro Mexicano - "Cold coke straight from refrigerator" - Mexican Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

A very colorful and festive atmosphere greeted us on a Saturday evening. Our waitress was attentive and personable. The margaritas were generous and delicious. Food portions were also generous and we enjoyed our food. Steak fajitas had a lot of meat with the vegetables, and the carnitas were flavorful. Everything comes with rice and beans, and they are very good. Can recommend! read more

This place has gone to shit!!!! You have to purchase the chips & salsa now. They don't give you the normal guacamole & sour cream with your plate order!!! This used to be a "go to" Mexican food joint for us BUT I will not return again!!! Poor service & poor food options = don't bother!!! read more

El Charro Mexicano - Chimichanga shredded beef - Mexican Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

We had been grocery shopping and really felt like having tamales so we tried El Charro again. This was probably our second or third time since covid. First, get the three cheese pepper appetizer. That was my favorite item ordered. I'm not a big fan of chorizo but liked it anyway. The cheese is wonderful, peppers just right. The guacamole looks great and it was fresh, just not tasty. I wanted twice and much but w some seasoning. Chips were okay, not the worst, but not special. I didn't care for the big kind of tamales w little meat in the center. Sauce was not cooked down and served w little cheese. It was just ok with a lot of cornmeal that I couldn't finish although that IS the typical size for many places on the island. (I wanted the small ones w less cornmeal and more meat so I will make some at home and know it is probably a good thing I can't easily get a dozen or two of those whenever wanted, lol.) My husband got the carnitas plate and we loved how that was cooked with some crispy parts. The Cadillac Margarita was good but overall, it is not a festive environment on a Saturday night if that is the kind of Mexican restaurant you're looking for. Also noted the breakfast menu looks really good but we have not tried it yet. read more

El Charro Mexicano - Mexican Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

See all

Had the enchilada verde. It was excellent. Packed with Shredded beef and tasty green salsa. Lived on a border town in Cali and meal was comparable . Decor was beautiful. Even had Mexican line of soft drinks (Jarritos). Have become a regular customer. Like the convenience of ordering/ pickup on the side door for takeout. read more

What do you do on Twosday (2/22/22) and national margarita day? Of course you head to a restaurant that serves yummy Mexican food. We arrived a little after 5pm (perfect time before the dinner crowd) and there was still ample seating & parking. Ordered ceviche (which comes with chips), super charro burrito plate, and a chimichanga plate. Since it's national margarita day, we ordered a li hing mui and watermelon margarita. As always, the portion size is pretty big. I got the super charro burrito plate with red and green sauce which also comes with rice and beans. Very filling and tasty. The ceviche (shrimp and fish) was just right and I could eat that all day as an appetizer. The margaritas...it was so worth it. Very refreshing. The watermelon flavored one was just right. Not too sweet & satisfied my thirst. This place makes my top 3 of places to go for Mexican food. read more

See all

Really fun little place. Seems to be a lot of parking away from the bowling alley side. Clean. The waitress was fantastic. Margarita was generous. At first glance it may seem like the prices are a little steep, but the portions are enough to share. Try the tres jalapeño with chorizo and cheese-wow. The only con was that the kitchen got my order wrong-I watched the waitress enter it into her electronic pad correctly. And although it was fine that they skipped the cheese on the birria -and the server was fine with adjusting my bill (cheese was higher price)-the older manager that brought the receipt seemed annoyed. Never said a word to me even after I thanked her-maybe she was having a bad day. Will try again. read more

See all

This place was one of the best great service too . My husband and I had a hard time trying to fine a great Mexican place . My coworkers recommended eating here. Their salsa was great and tasty even their sauce . Great staff and service . Definitely will be back . read more

STILL OPEN FOR TAKEOUT was debating between here or another place nearby, but opted for this one since it had free chips & salsa or sopapilla with your order! got the nachos. they were plain run of the mill type nachos. melted shredded cheese. nothing super fancy or special. got the stuff jalapeno. they were ok. large pieces. cheesy. but on the bland side and no spice. free sopapilla was the best part. not because it was free, but because it was the tastiest thing in the meal. deep fried flour tortillas dusted with cinnamon sugar and served with a side of chocolate sauce. they werent soggy or oily by the time we ate them at home. still super crunchy and soo yummy. i would go back just for that read more

El Charro Mexicano - Nachos Jalapeno Sopapilla Corona - Mexican Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

Haven't had a Chimichanga in ages so I thought I'd try that from El Charro Mexicano. Sad to say, I was greatly disappointed and ended up throwing most of it away. Food was DRY and not much flavoring, and because I did take out, they put my sauces in very small plastic containers. Food establishments should know that it's the sauces and gravy that "makes the meal," so they should be more generous with their portions. I considered it a waste of time and money, but you don't know until you try and I won't be trying this place again. In my opinion, no one could even come close to Banditos, they made THE BEST Chimichangas on the island. if anyone knows of a place that sells good Chimichangas, let me know. read more

The service was kind but didn't check in with the table with how everything was tasting nor if we needed anything. There is nothing of the Hispanic environment here besides the music. The dining area is clean but their bathroom faucet does not work to wash your hands. The chips that came with the salsa were stale and hard that costed us extra. I ordered the 3 queso birria tacos and they were not the definition of queso birria tacos. The shells were hard and stale as well. There was no flavor, very bland, and not juicy. I also ordered a horchata which was fresh and good. But overall would not recommend this place for a Mexican outing for anyone. read more

El Charro Mexicano - Stale chips - Mexican Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

See all

Second time coming, still love it as the first time. Got the li Hing margarita again but asked for extra and they delivered! Tried out their quesadilla appetizer with steak for additional cost. Friend tried out the California burrito, it be stuffed! Do wish they gave more pico de Gallo but eh, just asked for a small container to go for the cost of 1.99. Friend also tried their passion fruit margarita, can get sugar or ling hing rimmed on the lip of the drink. They also don't have Cholula hot sauce which I love so I tried another of their dressing, forgot what it's called but it's green and in the photo of my packaged meal. MUST TRY! Asked for a sauce container so I can enjoy it genuinely at home. read more

See all

Delicious! I'm from Los Angeles where You can't really go wrong with Mexican food. It was so hard to find a good Mexican place here but I would say the flavor here is pretty authentic. I'm tried the taco salad, carnitas tacos, California burrito, guacamole and all were very good. Will definitely come back! read more

El Charro Mexicano - Taco salad, carnitas taco, California burrito, guacamole and chips - Mexican Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

The food was amazing, we got the cheese enchiladas and fish tacos and they were so good! The rice was perfect! Also, our server was so sweet! We didn't get her name but she was very friendly and checking on us frequently. We also had brought our baby and we found that the booth they had us at was very accessible for her. Overall, great food and great experience. As a Mexican I find it hard to find good Mexican food on island but this place is definitely one of my new favorites! read more

Food was not that great for takeout. You have to order from the side in an alley and it's not that great

$10.75 for an ala carte taco is a ridiculous price, even for Hawaii prices. I got a fish taco and a beef tongue taco. The food was good and the service was to standard, but the pricing quickly ruined the experience. read more

El Charro Mexicano - Fish taco, beef tongue taco - Mexican Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

Favorite Mexican food. We go at least 2 times a month. The service is terrific and the food is amazing

We ordered takeout, it was extremely overpriced and they messed up on our order with multiple things. When I called to ask for a refund on the missing items, we were told it would be too much of a hassle to refund us and that if we tell them next time, they will just give us a free item. The quality of the food wasn't that great, but not the worst we have had on island. I am just disappointed with the service mostly. For a combo plate it was $35 and they didn't even make it how requested. Instead of an enchilada, they gave us a bean burrito. They did not give us salsa that we had paid for and there were missing tortillas. We will not be coming here again. If you are going to charge that much, you should at least get it right. Especially considering we tipped 20%. read more

Came in for Lunch. Wasn't too busy for Saturday. Server let us choose where we wanted to sit. Got appetizers, for me when I try Mexican restaurants for the first time, I've got to try their guacamole. If it's no good it's no bueno. Great start, it was good. Got a Super Charro burrito, wife got Chile Relleno. Both dishes were awesome. Meats were seasoned. Rice was good, added some habanero sauce to add fire. Everything came out great. Nice little spot next to Aiea bowl. read more

This restaurant used to be great! It had good service and friendly staff. My wife and I frequently go there when we want an authentic Mexican meal. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed. It was a Friday night around 5:30pm. It wasn't so crowded and we were able to get a table fairly quickly. This is when it took the turn for the worse. After we sat down, it took 20mins to get water. The ONE waitress was quickly shuffling between tables. Fortunately, we already knew what to order, since we done there frequently. After 30mins we ordered our food. While waiting, we wondered when the chips and salsa was coming. Low and below, they don't give out free chips and salsa!!! Wow! We'll look for another authentic Mexican restaurant to dine in the future. Adios!. read more

Haven't been to El Charro in years but decided to give it a go to satisfy our Maxican fix. It was nice they are taking reservations since the seating is limited. Service was spot on. Friendly and quick with no gaps. The chips and salsa were okay, nothing outstanding but good. We shared a large guacamole which was fresh and tasty I ordered the Charo Tacos which had a fantastic filling of carne asada and chicken which was well seasoned and charred to perfection. It was tossed with cilantro and onions. YUM. Hubby had shredded beef enchiladas which he said was pretty tasty and the portion was perfect. If you are cautious dining out, here are some observations. The restaurant doors were open with the ceiling fans providing a nice flow of air. All employees were masked but they did not provide hand sanitizers although the menus were reused and not disposable and pens provided for tracing were provided without gloves. read more

It was our first time trying out this restaurant and from the beginning things were off to an AMAZING start! When we parked there's a sign on the door that could be misleading as it says takeout is around the corner but they are open for dine in. Having a service animal Im always on high alert when trying new places because we've had many issues with being wrongly turned away. Upon entering the restaurant and informing a server there were two of us he calls back to ask someone a question. Immediately I knew it was regarding my SD. An older female employee comes from the back and informs me there is someone allergic to dogs. I was concerned we'd be turned away after our long drive over. After confirming my dog was a service animal she asks for a moment. She returns stating the person will be asked to leave to accommodate us. She asked us to wait outside while our table was being prepared and the person could vacate the premises. Although I felt horrible towards the person who was sent home I was greatly appreciative that the restaurant accommodated us. The chairs in this establishment are beautiful and intricately designed with vibrant colors and artwork that give the place a warm authentic feel. The food was delicious! I had a carnitas plate. Probably the best Mexican food i've had on island so far. I will definitely be back as both the meal and staff were above my expectations. read more

El Charro Mexicano - carnitas plate - Mexican Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

See all

Good and authentic Mexican food nextdoor to Aiea Bowl. Parking is limited during dinner hours but came for lunch. Server was friendly. Music is complimentary. Chips and salsa was good, also the ceviche with shrimp. Food is good and served fresh and hot. read more

El Charro Mexicano - Super Charro Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

I wanted to like El Charro since it seemed like they had some vegetarian friendly options on the menu. I find it hard to get tasty, fast casual Mexican food here in Honolulu, especially ones whose lone veggie choices are a bean and cheese burrito or a quesadilla. We ordered burritos to go. Hubby got the California burrito and I ordered the vegetarian burrito. My burrito also came with black beans and rice, and was served "wet". The burrito was stuffed with fajita vegetables (bell peppers, onion, mushroom, zucchini) and then topped with cheese and what tasted like enchilada sauce. I didn't care much for it. The vegetables tasted fine, but felt the sauce made the burrito soggy for my preference. My hubby could not finish his burrito so I put my vegetarianism aside to sample the carne asada. The meat was bland and didn't taste grilled at all. Portions were huge, but the taste was not a big hit in my book. read more

El Charro Mexicano - Vegetarian burrito with rice and black beans - Mexican Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

I tried their food for what was the first and only time. The food was disappointing. Dull and dry is how I'd describe it. I can't recommend them to anyone looking for decent Mexican food. read more

Got seated right away. Ordered the Taco Salad in the Shell, ground beef, no sour cream and no onions except the pico; husband ordered the Chimichanga Plate with ground beef. They were out of Guacamole so I asked if I could substitute with their salsa and she said yes. Husband said his Chimichanga was excellent; the Taco Salad was excellent as well. Waitress apologized for not being attentive because they were short staffed (which was nice). We'll be back again. read more

El Charro Mexicano - Taco Salad with ground beef, no sour cream, no onions - Mexican Near Me - Aiea, Hawaii

See all

We first spotted this place while standing outside the door waiting for a table at Aiea Bowl/The Alley Restaurant next door. The owner, I believe, came outside to talk story and invite us to return. She was nice, so we did come back the next day. Always happy to find any restaurant offering dine-in service (with appropriate COVID-19 protocols), this place was still a delight. Roomy, colorful decor, a wide menu, and friendly staff. The food is great, too. I'm not a Mexican food connoisseur, but my friend Butch from L.A. fancies himself one, and El Charro got good marks from him. Breakfast burritos are always nice to find on the menu, but the other dishes we've had were winners, too. Good flavors (including a well-regarded chipotle hot sauce), and good sized portions... and for me, an entree is enough to bring some home for my home-bound wife. They do desserts, too, which looked great, but we've yet to have any room after our meal. read more

See all

This place was pretty good. The atmosphere was nice, a little loud but otherwise festive. We waited a little bit for service, and it seemed there was only one server and one (bus boy) working. It didn't take long, though, before our food came out, and it smelled great. My carnitus burrito was so flavorful, and the rice and beans for the sides were on point. The salsa and sauces pair well with the ingredients in the burrito and didn't seem to get soggy, and I took my time eating it. If you're looking for a Mexican joint that will be close to the mainland and is a tad hole in the wall, this is your place. It's near the Aiea Bowl so you can't miss it if you walk down the sidewalk from the place. read more

Ok not going to lie it was a cute little restaurant, but the only thing is that the servers were so unaware of their surroundings..let cups of empty water on our table and instead of refilling them they ignored our table. Before all of our guests arrived I did ask them to turn down their music because I am deaf and it does make hearing whatever conversations I do have an issue. For them to only turn down one song and blast the music after was such an asshole move! I could hear anything my friends were saying...I could totally understand if the restaurant was crazy busy but it wasn't there was only 8 people in there including my table, so was the music so loud? Your guess is as good as mines. The food was definitely not worth it either so going back to this place is a HARD HELL no! read more