Charcoaler Drive-In

Why does this place exist?! As a matter of fact, if I had to rate this place on a scale from 1 to 10, I’d give them a «WHY?!»
Why is this place considered a fast food pickup joint when they could be possibly the slowest drive thru in existence? Why is this place even a stand alone drive thru when they also have shaded parking available? As if to suggest you eat the food which you just ordered to go right there. Why is putting ketchup on a burger FOR you a good thing when not everyone likes ketchup? Why do they advertise the fact that they charbroil frozen fast food patties when places like Carl’s Jr already do this twenty times better? Finally… why did I have to wait an extra 10 minutes to pay for and receive my order when it was sitting on the counter top that entire time?
I just… I don’t get it. It’s as if someone said, «That’s what we need! ANOTHER fast food burger joint. Brilliant!!» I don’t see what makes this one different from any other fast food place… aside from the fact that it apparently takes 30 minutes to pick up your order via drive thru. Oh… AND they can’t melt cheese properly.
I assumed going in that the fries were probably gonna be the highlight of this meal. Unfortunately, they were dry and overcooked. Between the bizarre location and inability to cook fries properly, it’s a wonder what they turn for a weekly profit.
I understand that a ton of people evidently love the burgers here. I wasn’t that impressed. The ketchup on said burger was a huge distraction from the overall taste. The fries were dry, yet still somehow edible. The cheese wasn’t even fully melted. The buns had a slightly stale texture to them. The burger patties themselves were about the circumference of a hockey puck and the thickness of rice paper. And, of course, the drive thru service was slower than a snail’s pace. Doesn’t help this place is located all the way on the west side. Again.
Overall rating: complete waste of time.

Wasnt as great as i thought it would be. The burger tasted like burger king. I got the fried chicken sandwhich which was delightful. Raspberry lemonade is a must have and shakes are good. The price is good as well.

Great burgers! Anytime I visit the west side I always try and make a pit stop at Charcoaler. Milk shakes are amazing too! The service can be pretty bad at times though, I used to work on the west side and would frequent the restaurant several times a week and would see the same crew every time. After a year of this routine I had never received a smile from the same lady that I saw 3 times a week for a year. It is pretty much like the soup-​nazi from Seinfeld, amazing food, terrible service. (aka the Chicos of local El Paso burger stands)

Best burgers in town !!! I had never been there before, until one of my friends told me about it… best decision ever! Absolutely love them !!!

First of all, I have been a customer of Charcoaler since I was a kid and this last visit I was not too happy with my service. I ordered in the drive-​thru and drove up to the window just like I always have and the lady that was attending me was more focused on gossiping in the back instead of getting my order ready. Sure enough I received it and when I got home to open my bag one of my side onion rings was missing. The price of my order was a little too high for what I received. Also, as I was eating my hamburger I noticed a lot of pink in the middle. It was a huge let down considering this is one of my favorite hamburger joints.

The service was horrible. It’s not hard to make a burger or take an order down right. Items were missing. They charge for lettuce and tomatoes? Seriously? They need better trained employees

To The Owners of Charcoaler if you read the reviews in the last year the quality of your food has dipped below satisfying. What’s going on, I have been going to your restaurant since I was 8. I haven’t been there in about 8 months. What a disappointing experience, the fries where frozen in the middle, the burger was uncooked. I watch the crew, they looked like all the wanted to do was to go home. If the food is this bad, I think you need to replace the Manager. There is no pride, to let food be served this bad. I hate to see a an El Paso significant restaurant turn to a disappointment.

I usually find it a gamble when visiting this drive thru only restaurant. A few years ago it was a favorite spot of mine to get a great flame cooked burger to go. Nowadays, they seldom get my order correct and most times the food is dry. On my most recent visit, the young staff was playing on the job and failed to meet my expectations. Not a fan at the moment. Hoping to see an, «under new management» sign go up before I return.

I would of been better off eating from the dollar menu…
I ordered a bacon cheeseburger, onion rings, and a cherry pie.
First of all the burger was probably as big as my fist! I’m a small girl with a big appetite that’s not going to cut it! The bacon was an add on and I only got half a slice haha. The buns on the burger were not even warm or toasty!
The onion rings were not correctly peeled so as I was chewing them I was spitting them out. That is too bad because the batter taste delicious.
The cherry pie was surprisingly good! It was warm and sugary just the way I like my desserts. I wish I would of ordered a couple of these!
Would i be back? Not for the burgers maybe for the pie.

Pretty overpriced for what you get. It’s all bun and a tiny patty that is pre frozen and put on a char-​broiler for flavor. It only has pickles and onions, mustard and bbq sauce. Fries are pretty basic, and greasy. For $ 6 and a .40 cent charge to use a credit card, I’d rather go to whataburger or lottaburger for the same price, including drink and a regular sized hamburger.

Family favorite. FREAKIN love this place and you can order a cup of the secret sauce to take home. Great onion rings. Great fried pies.
It is drive thru only.

Was driving by and decided to run through the drive through to get some lunch. Not too bad at all. Pretty straightforward burger. Tell em’ to hold the sauce though, because it’s not needed (or good). Pretty good fries.

I ordered a cheese burger. Came out cold. Walked to side window for a refund after taking one but. They refused. Had to wait while they made another one. Couldn’t even begin to count how many flies were all over the counter at the window.

Gross. Everything here is gross. The people who rated this anything higher have TERRIBLE standards, even for fat fast food. Gross.

Are you people insane? I am talking about the people who are saying that this place serves a top notch burger plus some. I don’t think this is case at all. I ordered a green chile burger here and it was awful. Completely overwhelmed with ketchup. I guess some people call this barbecue sauce, but it sure tastes like ketchup to me. Had I known there would automatically be ketchup on my burger, I would have asked them not to add it on. A proper burger should not come with ketchup added on. I actually feel that I could get a better burger at McDonalds.
The problem here is quality. Nothing really is of quality. The burger buns are obviously cheap. The meat is nothing special and it’s a fairly thin patty. Their fries are blah. The coleslaw was nothing special. Even the iced tea is that kind that has the chemical taste to it. I actually felt a bit ill after chowing down on this stuff. Actually had to throw the rest out.
I am still wondering why someone recommended this place to us and said they have the best burger in town. Apparently nostalgia can interfere with the functioning of tastebuds. If you want a damn good burger and nostalgia along with it, just take a little trip to Rosco’s Burger Inn in the Northeast.

Did I absolutely love this? Yes. Will I ever come back? Yes. Are these questions totally unnecessary? Probably.
On the Eastside you have Friscos, on the Westside you have Charcoaler. Sometimes you need that 50’s/60’s burger experience and you can happily get it here.
This is a drive-​thru only, but there’s plenty of covered parking. The menus when you drive up do look dated, but a good kind of dated. A clean dated. A purposefully done dated. The menu is obviously mostly burgers, but there’s plenty of options and since this place is on the cheap side you can really load up on sides like chili cheese fries, onion rings and coleslaw.
My first experience was today and I’m just pissed nobody told me about this place before I was on Unilocal.I landed on the Green Chili Burger with onion rings and a root beer. First off root beer and coke are the only drinks you should be ordering when devouring an old school hamburger. The burger was on point, my only regret was not ordering it with cheese… but it was somehow still the perfection I imagined while driving there. I also ordered bacon on mine because… bacon. Really perfect! After reading Claudia B’s review I was intrigued by the BBQ sauce that’s on the burgers. Honestly I loved it. It has a small heat that’s really just there to amplify the flavor. Delicious! I seriously want to know if they sell that stuff by the bottle. The patty itself is a simple patty, but it’s charred ever so slightly to give that off the grill taste that screams ‘Merica! Size wise I’d say this is actually what Americans should be getting, but considering the price is so low, go ahead spoil yourself, get two!
The onion rings are a top contender for my all time fave onion rings. Clearly hand made and your mouth will thank you for it. Flaky and the onions are just soft enough to become slightly sweet. Yes, do this!
I will definitely be back because Charcoaler delivers on a full all-​American 60’s drive-​thru experience, complete with burgers, fries and coke. There’s only one thing I can say from here… God Bless America!

So I hear people talking about this place like it’s the best thing to happen to burgers, WRONG! This place is horrible, the «chili cheese fries» taste horrible and look the same way. My wife and I gave it to the dog, we both ordered the the green chile burger and it was amateurish! Why are they still open? Who eats this garbage? My daughter who love grilled chicken sandwiches from pretty much everywhere, had to force this sandwich done because she was hungry! The fries are stale, onion rings; while I appreciate being homemade, are weak. This is just a sad sad spot for burgers. I had such high hopes, living so close but was let down. On the plus side the strawberry shake was great, the only highlight. I will not go back or recommend this place to anyone. I’m sorry but their are a lot better places that are not chains that do a great job, this place is not one of the, skip this joint and go somewhere else or even better get a frozen burger from SAMs, they’ll beat these any day!

Small, char-​grilled burger perfection that tastes like you are sitting in a ’57 Chevy in 1961 — which happens to be the year the place opened. Nothing has changed. My mom says Charcoaler was the best burger in town, back in the day… and my taste buds agree.
The lowdown: The burgers have BBQ sauce and pickles. You can order it double or single, with or without cheese. The milkshakes are good. The french fries are very decent. However, the old school ambiance and the order boards make this place a MUST VISIT. It’s a drive in, so come prepared for the blast from the past seating. There’s a big, grassy lawn and the occasional squirrel sighting. The burgers ARE good, but small. You might need to order two.

This place is awesome, I love the way the burgers taste. Everything is very good. I’m from San Francisco CA, my question is: Why don’t they have these all over the place, it was the best burger I ever had.

Wasnt gonna leave a negative review because I love the old style décor of this burger joint. Im not denying that in its day it was probably the best but in modern times No way are these the best burgers in town.
Ive been looking for IN N OUT alternative and if You want a good burger go to Hot and Juicy up the road. What it lacks in cool nostalgia it more than makes up for in quality and price!