El Charro Cafe

Amazing meal! The restaurant was crowded on a Sunday night but it was a long weekend. So I suspect the Sunday night crowd is usually a little less, but given the food and service, maybe not!
We had a group of 9 and were told an hour, but it was more like 20 minutes. Either way it was be worth the wait. The girl who recommended the restaurant was with us and said the molé is exceptional (next time). I had the charro steak combo, hubby had the enchiladas the server recommended, the kids had bean & cheese burritos and there were oohs and aahs as we ate our meals. *The tortillas were excellent as was the side vegetable… I could’ve had a huge pile of that and been VERY happy! The atmosphere was fun and beautiful without being kitchie and the service was very good. The restaurant and bathrooms were clean despite the crowd. They had a patio I’d try when it is warmer.

I was super let down with this place! The reviews had such good responses but it was just bad.
I ordered the Chilaquiles and only had a few tortilla chips under the 2 eggs it comes with on top. I ordered a sangria and had only one sip, it wasn’t strained and the pulp made it impossible to sip; as well as the red wine within it just simply did not taste well. For claming to be an authentic restaurant, I failed to understand why it did not have Agua Frescas. The waitress was busy and it did take her about 10 minutes to come ask me my order, but when she saw that I did not drink my sangria she was sweet enough to take it out of my order.
Overall, I simply did not like this restaurant which is a shame because it looked very pretty and with such a rich history I was really expecting much better.

The service was great. I had the chicken fajitas and they have a low fat yogurt sour cream of you want that.

Over priced for quality of food. We were a group of 13 but even for that the service was very slow. They charge for second round of chips. What mex restaurant does that? Guacamole made at the table $ 17! And was just ok. Wouldn’t recommend.

The slushy strawberry margarita was tasty, even though I spent no less than 12 minutes trying to get a photograph of it, which would be representative of its pinkish hue, while it kept melting. Here’s a pro-​photog tip for all you wanna be shutter bugs out there… I’ve seen your work, so listen up… remove the polarizing filter from your lens before coming inside to snap away at your food & beverage.
The pork burro served chimi style sounded good, so then I upgraded it to elegante style, which was exquisitely ok. If nothing else, I can say my meal had style. So, that entrée and a marg got me out the door at $ 21 + tip.
On a side note, our young waitress, Ana, had a voice with timbres which reminded me of Hannah Montana. Sweet Niblets!

My family and I have been coming to El Charro for a few years and it has usually been a good experience. I went near the end of happy hour on Tuesday the 29^th of December.
We were served at the bar first, where the servers were not keen to apply the Happy Hour discount even though we arrived and ordered before the time limit. That was vexing. I mean come on guy.
We then were given a table and served by Carolyn, who was very polite and served us well enough for us to remember her name and how fast the food came.
Margarita could use more tequila, the chicken flautas were little dry but overall the food was pretty good.
I’d go back again, as long as the bar isn’t draconian about the happy hour.

Last night was our first time going to this infamous Tucson restaurant.
Pros: THE FOOD WAS AMAZING! Literally my husband and I shared our #1 & #5 to try all of the delicious flavors provided on these similar but different dishes. The kid’s menu was perfect! Our son actually finished his entire plate of food (which is a first). Overall the food itself is the reason we will be back!
Cons: The hostess was very rude and sat us by a main door even though it was very chilly outside and we had two very young children. (I should note it was 4:30pm so the entire place was practically empty) The waiter was very short with us and didn’t assist us with the menu as we had never been there before. The food deliverer put a SCOLDING hot plate in front of my 2yo son forcing my husband to burn his fingers to grab the plate before my curious little boy could burn himself

I was hungry. This was the closest Mexican restaurant from the Sabino Canyon according to the Unilocal search. We came here for late lunch around 4pm after exploring the seven falls.
They have happy hour from 4pm daily (including weekend), and when we arrived there were not many customers. I liked the décor, not a typical Mexican restaurant but I really liked the chandelier hanging from the bar area as well as frames around the TV. Very artistic and four chandeliers above the bar were photogenic.
I ordered mango margarita and they were just standard margarita. Nothing special, but I wanted to drink. For lunch, I ordered grass fed Charro steak. I didn’t read the menu when I ordered, I just wanted to eat meat. Beef tasted like carne asada. The meal comes with a chile relleno, queso blanco enchilada. I thought I was hungry but food was so much I couldn’t finish it.
Service was, let’s just say, our server was forgetful. Friendly nevertheless.
I think what happened for her account is that shortly after we arrived, the restaurant got busy from early dinner crowds and she had too many table to care for…
When I left the restaurant, I was thinking about 3 star for this place but after learning about their history since 1922, I changed to four stars for history’s sake. I would like to visit their downtown location next and try their famous Chimichanga.

It’s tough to write a less-​than-​glowing review of a restaurant where you’re a regular (I think I have about 30 check-​ins here) but when the service deteriorates so profoundly that the food might not be worth the hassle, it’s a way to wake up the staff. We often eat at the bar, and we’ve had to ask, plead, beg and cajole for chips and salsa to go with our meal so often that I wonder if they’re part of the deal anymore. The people next to us echoed this sentiment. We’ve had to wait so long on the patio just to get someone to notice us that my partner grew a decent beard. The unrivaled tamale trio, the creamy vegetarian enchiladas and stellar Golden Cadillac margaritas keep us coming back, but it’s hard to dig into a hearty bowl of albondigas without a soup spoon or to tackle a worthy Mexican meal with no silverware at all. We always treat the staff well, and the owner comes around often to check on his customers, but maybe a little service training is in order.

I almost skipped this restaurant based upon some of the negative reviews. I’m so glad I didn’t. Those people who gave this place negatives are wrong!
Had the prickly pear margarita and it was delicious! Had the chicken tinga relleno with non-​fried beans and rice and all of it was perfect. Great service also. Ignore the negative reviews. Food is great. Including the green salsa, trashed by some incipient who could not tell it has a hint of exotic cumin.
And my view of the green beautiful saguaro studded mountains was stunning.
My only negative — make that salsa spicy! Make the customers tingle with spice. The cold margaritas will make it better. Lily was my exceptional server.

This past Saturday (9-​12-​2015) we went to the El Charro Café on Sunrise… Wow what a disappointment! We live in Tucson and have been dining at this El Charro Café for years and are usually pretty happy with the food we receive. The service is usually a slow at this location, but that is often ok because it gives one more time to enjoy chips & salsa. Yikes! The salsa (especially the green) was inedible! It tasted like garlic and salt were thrown into a blender with some green food coloring. When I mentioned the horrible green salsa to the Manager he said, «Our owner really loves his garlic». Does your owner like serving inedible horrible food and like losing customers?
We brought out-​of-​town guests to the El Charro Café to show them the restaurant that invented the Chimi (yes, I know its not the exact location). They both ordered Carne Seca Chimi’s. $ 14 for Burrito, + $ 1 to have it fried into a Chimi, + $ 3 to have some cheese melted on the top with some red enchilada sauce. $ 18 for each (probably @ $ 22 each, $ 44 TOTAL after tip) for Carne Seca Chimi’s THAT WERE NOT EDIBLE!!! Really El Charro? We were embarrassed that we brought out guests to this restaurant.
With the wealth of excellent Mexican restaurants in Tucson with very fair prices, incredible food, and accommodating service staff, we can’t see that we will ever go back to the El Charro Café.

This place is a solid family-​friendly Mexican restaurant. No complaints. I don’t usually lean towards Mexican food, but this place was pretty good. I ordered Tia’s Topopo Salad with shrimp. There were TONS of shrimp and it was a very generous portion size — so I left feeling full and satisfied. I did, however, find that the salad was a bit all-​over-​the-​place: refried beans, a hard shell tortilla base, apples, oranges, corn, avocado, olives… Once I picked off the items that didn’t match my taste preferences, I was left with a hearty salad with tons of lean protein that was well prepared.
Guacamole to start as an appetizer = Delicious.
The atmosphere in the restaurant is a touch on the noisy side, but perfect for families or larger groups. There is a nice bar inside and kids menus with crayons (if you’re into that sort of stuff).
Overall, A-​OK. Not my first choice, but I wouldn’t resist going back. There are plenty of options for everyone and it’s reasonably priced.

We came for margaritas and left with a bad taste in our mouth. We arrived on Labor Day and the wait was only about 15 minutes or so. We grabbed happy hour margaritas at the bar and shorty after we were seated. Our waiter didn’t seem to thrilled that we already had beverages (sorry buddy), but he got us water. As soon as he came back we decided that we wanted guacamole and chips and mini chimis to start. We were told the restaurant was out of guacamole. We laughed thinking he was kidding. Nope. They were literally out of guacamole. A Mexican restaurant. On a holiday weekend. OUT OF GUACAMOLE. The manager came by and said he would comp an appetizer; this didn’t happen which we saw on the bill. We ordered 3 entrees which were huge and pretty tasty. One of the people in our party ordered a burro «elegante style» which was supposed to have guacamole, enchilada sauce, and crema. There substitution for the day was pico de gallo and enchilada sauce. We asked if it was going to be a little cheaper since the upcharge is $ 3.95– why should it be that much with no guacamole? When we got the bill we saw it was the same price. Another unfortunate misstep was that our table did not have the happy hour menu on it. We noticed this only after we had ordered our food and we were still well within the happy hour time frame. We made the silly assumption that happy hour was only at the bar. It’s a little annoying when you order food and apps and see the table next to you ordering off that menu and getting happy hour deals. The food was tasty and the margaritas slamming (get the prickly pear) but stay at the bar with the friendly bartender and avoid the subpar waiter and unprofessional manager.
Now please don’t get me wrong, I usually don’t leave reviews this critical. But I am a Tucson native and have been dining at the El Charros in the city for over 10 years. I have also worked in the restaurant business for over 8. The service is much better at the downtown location, which I highly recommend and you’re getting a dining experience that feels much more authentic. This location I am reviewing is in the Foothills and feels much too chain like; they have put a giant TV in the dining room and framed it like a mirror; while we were there football was on. If that’s the atmosphere we wanted to be in we would have gone to Risky Business.
Leaving 2 stars but really feel like it should be 2.5.

Good food and great atmosphere but I was surprised when they told us they did not have avocados for guacamole!!! How can that be I ask? You have a supermarket across the street, send someone to the store or don’t stay open…
It is not a nice thing to order something like the carne seca — expecting it to have the included guac! Instead I get a line from waitress and no apology from the staff. Not even a complimentary extra dollop of sour cream. Disappointing!

This was my first visit to El Charro at this location. I loved the one that was formerly located on Broadway and Wilmot. There is so much family history in this restaurant and it shows with all the nice murals of family photos. The lunch was very tasty and they offer many heart healthy options which is unusual in a traditional Mexican food restaurant. I had a chicken tinga (shredded chicken in sauce) quesadilla. It was served wrapped in a chipotle flavored tortilla and topped with fresh avocado slices. A small salad of crispy lettuce and cabbage rounded out the plate. The sides of rice and beans were the perfect portion for lunch. The waitress was exceptional! I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch and will return soon. My benchmark for comparing Mexican restaurants are their sauces. I am looking forward to trying an enchilada with red sauce on my next visit.

A local favorite. This location is particularly nice on a cool evening with views of the Catalina mountains. Food and drinks are consistent quality and s twice is friendly.

The El Charro chain of restaurants have been around for years. A place I typically avoided while living here years ago yet when I ventured to the Ventana location on my most recent Tucson visit, I was pleasantly surprised.
The décor here is dark yet colorful. Very Spanish style inspired, good thing considering this is a Mexican restaurant.
The food was delicious. Traditional? No. Not Baja, Yucatan, South, or North. What it is– Mexican-​American with a lots of healthy options or dishes you may be familiar with yet prepared with flair.
Drinks– a selection of margaritas by the glass or pitcher, beers, & wine. The ‘El Presidio’ was delicious with blackberries and jalapeño… Mum. Although the Garden one seemed very refreshing with mint and cucumber. I am not a big traditional margarita fan so these options were a delight to see being offered.
The meat on the tacos was well seasoned and cooked. I tried the carnitas, carne asada, and chicken. Love the lettuce option instead of corn or flour tortillas!
Salsa was flavorful, loved both the red and green. Could have used more spice however that’s always my complaint anywhere I venture.
Service was friendly yet slow. It was lunch time and the place wasn’t busy. Would not want to see what a typical evening with a short wait would be like.
FYI– Happy Hour is 3 – 6 during the week.

I loved going to the old East side El Charro on Broadway until it closed and was torn down, so I had few opportunities to eat at this foothills location. But when I had to pick between the downtown location or this one, during rush hour, this was the easy choice. They’re both about the same distance from my house, but at least you can park easily here.
It was Monday at dinner time, so I was surprised they were completely full with a «25 minute» wait as they were so busy that they didn’t even have a pager to give us at first. Actually, they misled us; the wait turned out to be 8 minutes and they had plenty of shady seating as we waited.
Despite being totally packed, our food arrived in about 10 minutes, and the waiter was very attentive. I ordered the signature carne seca plate because I generally believe El Charro has the best carne seca around, and I was not disappointed. The sole problem with it was that they forgot the guacamole and pico that come with it, and this was quickly remedied.
Having rarely visited this location, I was glad to find that the food was just as amazing as the downtown location and the old Broadway location. The speed of service was actually better than either of those. And it’s a LOT better than when they had the Speedway location.
The only thing you’ll miss if you come to this Northeast El Charro instead of downtown is the feeling of waiters running into your elbows as they try to squeeze past your table in that crowded little old building. All of the flavors are here, and I think I will be driving up here more often.

After some time it’s time to give an update on El Charro. The overall rating here is still a 4 star. Service can be a little slow and interactions with the staff can be a hit or miss. A manager came to the table on a recent visit to ask if we were enjoying our food. I start to answer and then he already walks away. I was going to tell him how delicious the food was but he walked away to another table to ask the same question. He did the same thing to the next one!
Like I told the manager, the food is delicious. I also must give them props on their charro and refried beans. They are amazing! I like how they use a different cheese between the burrito and the side of beans. The burritos can also be one of the cheaper things on the menu. Happy hour deals are very affordable and filling. Keep that in mind if you are on a budget or don’t want to pay too much. They also have a rewards card so every 100 points earned means a reward on your next visit!

Yay! Very friendly bartenders and delicious Mexican food. An El Charro in the area of our hotel is always on our list of places to visit while we’re in T-​town visiting.
This particular El Charro did not disappoint and we left BOTH (yes, two) times with overly full bellies and a good mood. I very highly recommend the prickly pear margarita because it is one of those things you can’t get anywhere else. As for what we ordered? We’ve had a great many dishes at El Charro over the years and have not yet happened upon something we dislike. Keep up the good work!