You only get one chance to make a first impression. Sunday October 26th, 2025 at 12:30 p.m. I met a friend here for lunch. I had high hopes for this place being it was "voted #3 best Mexican restaurant in the country". My friend arrived before me and went ahead and ordered and was seated at the table with his food when I arrived. I had looked at the menu online and also on doordash before I had gotten there so I pretty much knew what I wanted. I looked up at the menu board hanging above the cash register and noticed that there were no prices on anything. They had gone ahead and used post-it notes to write other messages like they had birria and carnitas now, but couldn't be bothered with prices. I was helped by a teenage boy at the register and it seemed that just he and one other person in the kitchen were working. Normally I would have walked out of a place that didn't post its prices anywhere, but being that my friend had already ordered and had his food, I went ahead and ordered one carnitas taco ala carte, two chicken tacos a la carte, a side order of beans and chips and salsa. The total was $29 and some change before tax and tip. I was a little dismayed that it was so expensive but did not check the receipt until I sat down at the table. There I saw that I was charged $6 for the carnitas taco, and $5ea. for the chicken tacos. Their website states that à la carte tacos are $4. Doordash has them listed at $4.60. My food came out and it looked good but smelled burned. Not outdoor grilled charred but acrid. I tried the carnitas taco and it was quite good. Yay! Then the charro beans, very good, indeed and were proper charro beans for those of you that have no idea what they are and refer to them as soupy and need to be drained, they are exactly how they are supposed to be. The chips were fine by the way and the salsa was quite good. Those are the good things. The chicken tacos are another story. Well my friend said they were very good. Remember, he got his a while before I got mine (maybe 20 mins had lapsed) so maybe he had different chicken in his. This is where the acrid smell was coming from. They indeed tasted burned but not as I said like from the grill. And it took me a little while to put my finger on it. Grilled chicken, as this place advertises its food is, this chicken was shredded. Grilled chicken doesn't shred, braised or boiled chicken shreds. This chicken had been put in water and left to scorch on the stove when the water boiled off. That was the acrid taste and smell. Even if you pick out the burn stuff the entire pot takes on that flavor and smell. You can't get rid of it. This is what they served me. My theory is they took their leftover grilled chicken from days gone by and stuck it in a pot with water to heat it up and shred it for the Sunday service. But it scorched. And the still sent it out. Voted third best Mexican restaurant in the country B. S.! They must have a very large family that voted for them because the lack of care that they show does not warrant that kind of standing. California Burrito serves better food, free chips and salsa bar instead of the $8 they charge you here for chips and salsa that most people say the chips are stale. Needless to say, neither my friend nor I will be back, ever. Just beware before you are lured in by the #3 Mexican restaurant in the country BS. read more

Worth the drive from wherever you are! We saw this place had great reviews so we made the drive out from Folsom. Absolutely made the right decision. Don't be scared off by the weird little strip of dead businesses this place is located next to, once you're inside it's nice and clean. Owner was super friendly and detailed when explaining the menu and ingredients to us. We shared the steak plate, bone marrow plate, and elote. Bone marrow looked a little pricey at first but worth every penny, they top it with meat and you get zucchini rice and tortillas to make a well rounded meal. My steak plate was also really good, super tender, nice char, very flavorful. Elote was decent, good flavor, but maybe the corn was a little overcooked/soggy. Overall very happy we found this place, we'll definitely be back soon! Ps. I forgot to take the picture of our food until after we had a few bites, happens every time read more

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Located couple doors down from Nemuri Kuma Ju Jitsu, Yelp brought me to The Char Market. Voted #3 on Yelp's Mexican Eateries for 2024 ! Congratulations to The Char Market! I ordered the shrimp taco plate, Noah, informed me that there was a wait for the rice since they ran out. Hubby ordered the steak taco plate but after consideration, went ahead and ordered the rice anyway. The taco plates were a good size! We weren't able to finish both tacos and eat the sides, they are generous portions! Both steak and shrimp were juicy and flavorful! The Charro beans had bits of meat, so tasty ! We washed it down with Mexican Coke! We hope for The Charro Market to have continued success and make #1 next year!! read more

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My hubby and I decided to stop in with our 2 daughters. To start out with we decided to order Chips & Salsa, quite a large portion, definitely enough to share! The salsa was like a green pico de gallo, mild and made fresh daily! I would recommend this small business, they had plenty of indoor seating available and keep it nice in cool in there! The Char Market opened just 9 short months ago and already made the #3 spot on Yelp's Top 25 for 2024! SYOY! :-) *Song Credit: Paradise @iksonmusic read more

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You ever try a new place to eat and it's all you can think about? It's the one place on your mind when friends want to snag a bite and you keep debating if you should just make the trip alone? That is char market for me these past few weeks. I never would have known about this little hidden gem if it wasn't thanks to Yelp, and let me tell you the flavor packed into every dish will just be making your tastebuds reminisce for weeks. I've taken friends here twice now and each time they love it, and first time around I got the two steak tacos, second time I tried the shrimp. Absolutely amazing flavor in each taco option. The corn, the homemade tortillas, and the steak all have that "char" flavor profile as well. Don't be fooled by the portion being only two tacos - they are STUFFED full of the meat and all the fixins. Expect to have grease and delicious house sauce oozing all over your fingers, but hey that's sometimes the sacrifice you make for a delectable flavor. I love the elote and house rice, me and my friend loved splitting the concha ice cream sandwich. Not to mention I love how they have Mexican cokes and Jarritos sodas as well. Service each time has been excellent and on one occasion got to be served by the owner who was enthusiastic and happy to go over the different options on the menu. Ambiance and cleanliness could be improved greatly, but honestly the overall environment not being perfect just yet isn't a big deal and can be improved over time. What matters is the flavor, food, portions, and love put into each dish, and thankfully char market heavily succeeds on all those categories. A MUST TRY - it's even worth the long drive if you're not local to the Carmichael area. read more

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Who cares about the ambience? Let's get that out the way! Yes, it's super small but that doesn't matter. The staff were extremely nice and super welcoming ..the food is so good. Probably some of the best tacos I've ever had. I'd recommend this place to any everybody that's in the Sacramento area. I tried all variations of tacos and it didn't disappoint at all. Like all the other reviews say this place is great. I can't say enough good things about them. read more

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Had a nice lunch. Taco salad was amazing. The staff are so nice and really friendly. Honestly I didn't know which dish to try so I will definitely be trying something new on my next visit. read more

This place WAS good. I ate there twice in the last month and both times I was extremely disappointed. The portions have shrunk. I got the nachos with chicken. I got specks of chicken and a whole lot of cheese sauce and not a lot of chips. I thought maybe it was just an "off" day so I went back a week later. I commented to the cashier that was nice the prices were now on the menu cards. He said those prices weren't correct everything was like $3 more. What seems to be a common practice here is that they turn the pay pad around for you to swipe your payment and add your tip. First I'm standing ordering at the counter for take out secondly the service was mot not good -the menu prices weren't correct, when the guy turns the pad to let you pay he walks away then comes back to see what you tipped him and the second time I did not tip and his attitude after seeing that was rude and as If my order was an inconvenience to him. You lost a good customer. read more

The Char Market - 2 tacos rice and beans - Sandwiches Near Me - Carmichael, California

Saw this place on Yelps top taco places and have been wanting to try it. The guy behind the counter welcomed me in and was friendly. Got the bone marrow plate and two taco combo. The bone marrow was cooked perfectly and delicious! I liked that it had steak pieces on top of it as well as some grilled zucchini. I loved that they grill the tortillas as well and don't fall apart when you picked them up. The shrimp and steak in the tacos had a ton of flavor. The only downside was this place is in a kinda sketchy strip mall and a bit of a hole in the wall but the food is great! read more

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The bone marrow plate was next level! One of the best restaurants in the city hands down.

The food was amazing, my wife and I shared the bone marrow plate and carnitas nachos. The habanero salsa was on point. It was a little pricey $56 for the two dishes and 2 drinks, but honestly I will definitely be back!!! read more

Cool little spot def didn't know what to expect! They're called Char Market because everything is bbqd!! I got in and every table was full, the benches were full, and they had a mountain of to go orders. I knew it was gonna be good. Tacos were solid!! Steak was super tender and flavorful. One of the Tortillas had a bit of a burnt flavor from the char but all good. Shrimp was also nicely seasoned and tasty! I normally don't like beans but this one had cheese and steak snd was delicious so I finished it all! Rice was dry so didn't finish that. Bone Marrow was BOMB!!! There was so much bone marrow they did not skimp out on it. They also added steak, cheese, and cilantro. The bone marrow itself costs $9 but damn is it worth it. Soooo much food I was very happy. The two guys working were super nice, friendly, and very apologetic for the wait- I didn't mind at all bc I knew they were super busy which is good for business. They hooked it up with a free drink too! read more

The Char Market - Steak and Shrimp taco plate! Comes with rice and beans (with steak inside) :D - Sandwiches Near Me - Carmichael, California

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We ordered the taco platter with Steak, chicken and shrimp. All of it was excellent. Great price for $39.99 for 12 fully stuffed tacos. They come in grilled flower tortilla. You can sub out for corn if desired. Hit up Char for your next event. read more

The Char Market - Sandwiches Near Me - Carmichael, California

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We had 2 steak taco plate with beans & rice ... the taco was stuffed full of meat & my beans had some meat in them ... one of us ordered a made to order steak salad for our picky eater...taste was good on everything...we will go back to try more menu items... I also ordered chips & salsa... chip are thick but I wish they had been warm. read more

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A place so nice that I had to visit twice - in one week that is. The first time I came to The Char Market was with a friend for dinner. She had found the spot and we decided to meet there for our monthly catch up and get together session. When we walked in, we were immediately greeted by one of the wonderful owners. He sold me on the bone marrow plate which came with two massive bones that had been hollowed out and combined with steak tips and melted cheese. When I say you have never tried bone marrow like this before, you have never tried bone marrow like this before. Words cannot even put into perspective how incredible this dish is. The second time I came to visit, despite being tempted to order the bone marrow dish again, I wanted to branch out and try some more of the menu. So I opted for the taco salad with shrimp. Again, this dish did not disappoint. So much flavor packed into one meal should be forbidden. Don't let the inconspicuous exterior fool you. The Char Market is the real deal and worth a visit, or two! read more

I had the chicken tacos. Wonderful moist but with a subtle smile flavor. Great service and recommendations. Seemingly nice people Well worth going out of your way for. read more

The Char Market - Chicken tacos - Sandwiches Near Me - Carmichael, California

I absolutely LOVE little hole in the wall establishments like Char Market! I've been meaning to come here for months after learning about these guys here on Yelp! Well, my fellow beloved Yelpers, you didn't let this taco loving Yelper down!!! Believe me when I say you just have to try Char Market! The restaurant is quite small, but it is clean and has several tables to dine inside, but I'd assume they also get a lot of to go orders as well. Since I like eating my food fresh out of the kitchen and it was our first time trying it, we opted to eat in. When the nice young man that took our order brought us our steak taco plates, I couldn't decide what to try first---beans, rice or the gorgeous tacos!! What a beautiful presentation!! We eat with our eyes first, and these guys really get that! The tacos were mouth watering epic and were full of tender, flavorful steak and the toppings and sauce rounded out the uniquely delicious flavor of the tacos. What blew my mind even more was how delicious the rice and beans were! The rice had this delicious sauce on top and it took rice to a whole new level! I judge every Mexican style restaurant solely on how much care and concern they put into these standard, yet integral side dishes are executed, and these guys hit it out of the park!!! They make them not only as sides to enjoy your tacos with, but their beans and rice are equal stars of the entire meal! That's not always the case anywhere else. Trust me, you need to check these guys out!!! We need to support these local, independent gems that make craft food available to all!! The price for what you get is also a great deal. Now, go get you some!! read more

The Char Market - Absolutely delicious steak tacos and rice and beans! - Sandwiches Near Me - Carmichael, California

My dinner was absolutely everything I hoped it would be! Simple, delicious, elegant even! So glad I finally popped in for dinner. I was greeted immediately by the very friendly counter staff and the menu was clear and present for easy ordering. The menu is small and I always know that with a very refined menu, the food is going to be great because the chef takes the time to specialize in these dishes instead of a wide menu of frozen and precooked meals. The restaurant is small but mighty. The tacos were flavorful and fresh and very filling. I did one chicken and one steak. Can't pick a favorite- both were absolute perfection. Beans are one of my top foods and these didn't disappoint. I feel like sometimes the food can be good OR the customer service is good but in today's world, it's not often both.The Char Market dished out both! I was dining alone so I didn't get to convince anyone to order things for me to try but I'll be back to taste the rest of the menu. read more

What a neighborhood gem. First the pros: Greeted warmly by staff who explained the simple menu and inspiration behind it. Just wanted to make the menu easy...beef, chicken, veggies and bone marrow options for Char plate, or tacos/salad plus sides. This wasn't Mexican food but a fusion of Mexican and western. The plate comes with amazing grilled squash and delicious rice with a great sauce. The shrimp was cooked well. The cons: The small space smells...a cross between dirty Clorox and old wood. When the server wiped down the tables, it seemed he used an old dirty towel to do so as we could see the streaks when dry. And there was no hand washing between wiping or sweeping up and then handling the cash register or serving the drinks. Sorry but think that's just unsanitary. Overall great food but only for take out. read more

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$20 for two street tacos. Come on man. Good flavors. But at this price you better come already full

This place is awesome and right in our neighborhood, we are so lucky! Been in a few times we've eaten in and today we just grabbed some lunch to take home. I opted for the Taco Salad and hubby got the two taco plate with steak and chicken. They are always upbeat and have a wonderful attitude. Food is always delicious and fresh. If you like spicy ask for their hot salsa on the side it's sooo good. Thank you for being a neighborhood staple here in Carmichael and making us such good food. read more

The Char Market - Two taco plate to go - Sandwiches Near Me - Carmichael, California

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I came here because I heard great reviews but was dissatisfied. The food wasn't authentic in my opinion and it wasn't what I expected. Everything was okay. We drove 20 mins to try it out with a group of 6 and all of us felt the same. read more

The Char Market - Steak tacos - Sandwiches Near Me - Carmichael, California

Food was pretty good. I had the Birria Taco plate that cane with rice and beans and a Watermelon Agua Fresca. The service was excellent and the restaurant was very clean which always a plus. I'll definitely be back to try more items on the menu. read more

The Char Market - Birria Taco Plate with rice, beans, and a Watermelon Agua Fresca. - Sandwiches Near Me - Carmichael, California

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Came here for the first time recently. Ordered the shrimp taco plate. It was excellent. The shrimp was cooked perfectly. The taco had great flavor. I liked the beans and rice. I ordered the watermelon aqua Fresca, which had a great flavor. Came back again and ordered the same taco plate with a different aqua Fresca. That one had no flavor to it. Tasted like I was drinking sugar water. Ordered the chips and guacamole, which came with guacamole, salsa, and chips. The chips are store-bought and they are not very good. Also, we got the bottom of the chip bag. Most of our chips were scraps. I was very surprised that they would serve chip scraps. If this place could step up their tortilla chip game, it would be five stars. read more

The Char Market - Shrimp tacos with beans and rice. - Sandwiches Near Me - Carmichael, California

I passes this place at least a dozen times before I stopped in. I wish I hadn't waited. They are delicious! We got the birria tacos and the nachos with chicken. Both were spectacular! read more

The Char Market - Nachos with chicken - Sandwiches Near Me - Carmichael, California

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Read the reviews and decided to stop by this place. It was very quiet at the time. I ordered the two chicken tacos. The beans were OK. The rice had no flavor. However, the tacos were absolutely fabulous! The only thing I would change was from flower tortilla to corn. Service was fantastic and the salsa was great as well. read more

The Char Market - Chicken tacos plate - Sandwiches Near Me - Carmichael, California

Business is booming since Char was awarded third best Mexican restaurant in the nation. If you come here to eat, be patient with the overwhelming amount of customers and pressure they're facing since the article dropped. High Five to the hardworking workers here. Killing it. Let's admit that anything grilled elevates the taste and aroma and heightens the flavor profiles of goodness. Char Market could make kids eat veggies, simply because they're grilled. Don't believe me? Dare you to try. *The bone marrow plate had me drooling before I bit. Rich, creamy and with additional pieces of their grilled steak on top.... Heaven. Comes with a scoop of rice and tortillas. Next time I'd opt out of the mayo drizzle. * Elote is made traditionally with crema, cheese and chili powder. One order is one cob split in half with kernels in tact. *Nachos are loaded! Pick your protein and they smother with Char toppings. I love the idea of spreading them on the platter to share. *Char Tacos come with your choice of meat and rice/beans. I'm going back to try the shrimp and chicken. *Steak plate: pieces of carne on top of grilled veggies with a side of rice and tortilla. Not the biggest portion but the taste was incredible. **Ask for their hot salsa!! It's spicy and tasty! We were VERY lucky to get a table to seat 7 because there's maybe 14 chairs inside lol. It's very intimate so be nice to people. read more

Looking for lunch and my eyes caught this new restaurant and their menu item "bone marrow". I was hooked and knew that I had to go! There were no other customers when I entered the restaurant and so I walked to the counter and ordered the bone marrow plate from Noah, one of the owners. I sat down and waited for my meal to be served. A short wile later, Noah brought my plate to me. (See photo) The 2 bones were big ones with deep pockets of marrow. The marrow was topped with chunks of steak and cheese and seasoned perfectly. The scoop of rice and grilled yellow squash created an absolutely perfectly delicious bite when combined with the marrow. I've often been less than happy with the food scene here in Sacramento but having found CHAR, I am hopeful that there are more adventuresome Chef/Restauranteurs willing to create food options that are a bit different from standard fare yet at a reasonable cost! Fine dining is becoming out of range for many of us because of the cost and yet, CHAR offers me a fine dining dish that is affordable and more delicious than I've had at fine dining restaurants. While dining, I was privileged to talk to Noah as I ate. He is an interesting man we had many of the same interests. I am so happy that I came today and I am already thinking of when I can return and who might be willing to come with me. I really hope this restaurant takes off and encourages others to offer more unique, yet affordable food offerings. Offal anyone???? As an addendum to my review yesterday: I am eating my leftovers - YES, there was enough for another meal! The food was equally delicious and rich! Question for the Owners, because the bone marrow is such a rich dish, would you consider offering a one bone plate along with your 2 bone plate? Just asking. SUPER DELICIOUS for the second time! read more

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Simple menu. Utilitarian ambiance. Bare bones decor. The young white boy working the counter was a delight. So friendly. The tacos were ok. The potato not so much. The birria tasted like nothing. Guac was good but it's served with terrible store bought chips. The kind that come in the big party bag from Costco. Overall, the food was just fine. Where I have a real problem is the "3rd best Mexican food in the USA" claim. I'm absolutely befuddled and am trying so hard to understand. This isn't even the 3rd best Mexican food in Carmichael. That title comes from a yelp article so the position has to have been paid for, right? HAS to be. I don't think I need to come back. read more

Service was wonderful and meat itself was delicious and fabulous in the tacos. Understand the name! Honestly though a bit disappointed from all the hype, same sauce on every taco and salsa was bland. Everything kind of tasted the same. read more

WOW!! What a gem! Fellow Yelpers did NOT steer us wrong, this restaurant is fantastic. We spoke with Noah, the owner, and you can tell that he really cares about his customers and his team! Also, we learned that their Ingredients are locally sourced, and will change seasonally. They have been open for just over a month, and they are putting out unique flavors that will make you want to come back. I can't wait to see what else they will offer! You order at the counter and seat yourself. The dining room is clean and there is ample seating available. We ordered the bone marrow which came with two bones that had steak, cheese, cilantro, and an amazing sauce. That SAUCE is fire! It's incredible, I want to bathe in it lol the plate also came with rice, and zucchini. Omg it was all so delicious! We also ordered the steak plate, which came with rice and zucchini. Very good! 10/10 We will definitely be back! Give them a try and don't forget to leave a review so we can help this awesome new restaurant GROW! :) read more

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The food at Char Market is amazing! I've also ordered catering from them and they do a great job.

Ordered the chicken loaded potato and elote. I gave two stars for the flavor of the chicken. I was expecting a flavor bomb...but it missed the mark. I wish they seasoned the potato and then put the stuff on top. Maybe add some butter or make a tastier sauce because it was just dry and tasteless. The $8 elote was a dud as well. Looked picture perfect but literally had no flavor. Luckily I can doctor my potato meal up to make it into something but overall, I would not recommend nor try this place again. read more

This location is deeper into Carmichael sorta Fair Oaks and Carmichael area. I ordered the 2 taco combo plate with a shrimp taco then a steak taco. Both were delicious and weren't chintzy with the meat in either. The flour tortillas were good with these tacos too they held up better than small corn tortillas. The marinade or sauce on the shrimp was really good and not spicy. The beans were delicious with the fresh cotija cheese on top. The rice wasn't that much flavorful on its own but, the sauce it was topped with was tasty. So maybe that's the intent to have the sauce flavor the rice. The service was good and quick too. read more

The Char Market - Shrimp taco and steak taco - Sandwiches Near Me - Carmichael, California

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Came here for a quick dinner on a Sunday evening before they closed. It's a small little place but there are tables if you'd like to dine in. We had the steak tacos, side of elote, and the kids chicken bowl. The kids bowl was actually a huge portion and plenty of food to share! I loved that the tacos were a generous portion too, and came with delicious beans and rice with a yummy sauce on top. They don't skimp on presentation or quantity here. The elote was my favorite part and I'd definitely be ordering that again! Service was great and food came out super quick. This location is a bit out of the way but I hope to return and try more items! read more

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I got the loaded potato to-go. It was buss. I think $12 is the absolute max I would pay for this, but it was worth every dollar. They really do load it up. I got the chicken and it went really well with the potato and all of the toppings. Will be back again soon. read more

The Char Market - Loaded potato (I already took a bite, sorry) - Sandwiches Near Me - Carmichael, California

Everything was amazing. I had chicken tacos, beans and rice, and elote. I didn't know elote could be a whole experience. Wow.

As you can tell from the crazy high ratings, this place is uhhhmazzing! At first glance the bone marrow seems expensive compared to their other offerings. But, have faith, it's incredible. read more

The Char Market - Bone marrow. Yum. - Sandwiches Near Me - Carmichael, California

My wife & read reviews about the Char Market and saw they had a 4.9 Rating, where most reviews were thorough and all said how tasty the food was, so we gave it a go! Folks, from the moment we walked in we were greeted with a smile, and the restaurant itself was nicely decorated and fairly a good size. As you can see from the picture the Steak Nachos were awesome, as were my wife's tacos, and were the beans & rice! Salsa was very good too. We will definitely be returning soon! read more

The Char Market - Steak Nachos and 2 Asada Tacos w/beans & rice. - Sandwiches Near Me - Carmichael, California

The tacos were delicious & service was fast during lunch on a crazy windy and rainy day! The seating space & ambiance is not my vibe but I ordered mine to go and it was worth the price! read more