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We were in Tucson over the weekend and wanted to try some authentic Mexican food. El Charro kept popping up in our search, and since we love exploring historic places with a story, it seemed like the perfect choice. Located in downtown Tucson, this iconic restaurant is full of character and beautifully decorated. We visited on a Saturday around 1 PM without a reservation and were told there would be a wait since the place was packed. They only have air conditioning in the indoor dining areas and basement, not on the outdoor patio. Luckily, we were seated in the basement, which turned out to be perfect. The service was commendable truly some of the sweetest and most attentive service we've experienced in a long time. We started with freshly made chips and salsa, which were an instant hit. For drinks, we ordered the El Tamarindo, Mangopeno, and Monica's Cafetini. For food, we chose the Vegan Jackfruit Taquitos Trio and the Fresh Corn Tamale Platter, which came with a side of squash. The drinks were excellent, with the Mangopeno being my favorite. But the real star of the meal was the tamale platter. Oh my goodness it was absolutely delicious! Everyone at the table kept digging in and couldn't get enough. Even the squash side was so flavorful that we ordered an extra serving. The vegan jackfruit taquitos were a bit too deep-fried for our liking and didn't quite compare to the incredible tamales. To finish, we shared a caramel flan, which was the perfect sweet ending to the meal. The pricing was very reasonable, the service was exceptional, and the food was memorable. We will definitely be back again if only for those amazing tamales!
After a long HOT morning/afternoon working outside came here for a late lunch. Not very crowded, seated immediately. Three of us ate our combined weight in DELICIOUS Mexican food in a location famous world wide for "inventing" the chimichanga. I mean aside from the brutal heat outside, the margaritas were chill, the food abundant, everything fresh, beautifully presented and a bit of local history. It truly does not get better than that. I love ALL the Charro Concept restaurants, but something special about visiting the place that started the Tucson legend. Well done Flores family and staff.
Out of all the El Charro this is definitely my favorite. Not only is the food great and tastes very authentic but the prices are so reasonable. Beautiful ambiance with some nice decorative lighting and pictures of the El Charro family. We had excellent service and our waiter my very attentive to our needs. Definitely a 5 star experience.
This restaurant has been in business for many years. After eating there I know how they have been in business so long. The food is absolutely delicious. The service and friendly employees make it even better. Rice and beans are spiced perfectly. I loved the taco plate and we were all pleased with our food. We will be sure to come back when we are in the area. Great lunch.
Great experience! The restaurant has a very antique, old school house vibe to it. The tables are a bit yam packed but overall the place is great. The service is top tear, the drinks are good and the food is amazing! The flavor on everything was amazing! We were defining not disappoint in any of the main food we got. The desert trio was good but not anything amazing. The dessert tamale was a bit weird and mushy, maybe undercooked in the center but we were a fan of that. But overall everything else was amazing!
When visiting Tucson my mom told me we had to visit this famous restaurant for its history and traditional menu options. We enjoyed the atmosphere and service food was very good and it was pretty cool to see the artwork and history on the walls and in the decor. My only negative call out is required paid parking lot.. no free parking.
When we arrived, there was a long line out front of people waiting to be helped. Someone came out after 5-10 minutes and started helping people. Many people in line said they had made reservations but the hostess didn't see them in their system. Granted, it was a weekend night so not unexpected to be crowded but there were lots of tables open still and it seemed a title unorganized. The table we were seated at looked like it had been cleaned in a rush. There was an old lime slice on the table and steak knife on the ground. Still giving 4 stars because once we were seated the service was very quick. Someone came and took our order right away and the food came out fast. And all the food was REALLY good! The carne seca was very unique and fun to try. I've never seen in anywhere else. I'm not from Tucson so I can't compare it to other Mexican places in town (I know there are a ton) but I really liked the food here and would be willing to give it another chance when in town, despite the ambiance, due to how good the food was.
My go to here is the street taco platter and prickly pear margarita. Popped in here on a Friday evening (had a reservation and was seated immediately. FYI they do not take same day reservations). Got chips and salsa immediately upon sitting. Then then a margarita and the taco platter. I they were busy but our food and drinks came fast.
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!
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!
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!!
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
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.
30 days ago
1 month ago
We have been there many times over the years and at some of there other locations as well. The wait is usually long and as the day goes on it gets longer. It is a very popular place. They have several different areas. Inside, outside courtyard and a patio. They didn't have enough employees to cover all the tables so the service was slow. Sadly this time the food was just very salty. No where near as good as the times we had been there in the past. Pass. read more
3 months ago
We were in Tucson over the weekend and wanted to try some authentic Mexican food. El Charro kept popping up in our search, and since we love exploring historic places with a story, it seemed like the perfect choice. Located in downtown Tucson, this iconic restaurant is full of character and beautifully decorated. We visited on a Saturday around 1 PM without a reservation and were told there would be a wait since the place was packed. They only have air conditioning in the indoor dining areas and basement, not on the outdoor patio. Luckily, we were seated in the basement, which turned out to be perfect. The service was commendable truly some of the sweetest and most attentive service we've experienced in a long time. We started with freshly made chips and salsa, which were an instant hit. For drinks, we ordered the El Tamarindo, Mangopeno, and Monica's Cafetini. For food, we chose the Vegan Jackfruit Taquitos Trio and the Fresh Corn Tamale Platter, which came with a side of squash. The drinks were excellent, with the Mangopeno being my favorite. But the real star of the meal was the tamale platter. Oh my goodness it was absolutely delicious! Everyone at the table kept digging in and couldn't get enough. Even the squash side was so flavorful that we ordered an extra serving. The vegan jackfruit taquitos were a bit too deep-fried for our liking and didn't quite compare to the incredible tamales. To finish, we shared a caramel flan, which was the perfect sweet ending to the meal. The pricing was very reasonable, the service was exceptional, and the food was memorable. We will definitely be back again if only for those amazing tamales! read more
After a long HOT morning/afternoon working outside came here for a late lunch. Not very crowded, seated immediately. Three of us ate our combined weight in DELICIOUS Mexican food in a location famous world wide for "inventing" the chimichanga. I mean aside from the brutal heat outside, the margaritas were chill, the food abundant, everything fresh, beautifully presented and a bit of local history. It truly does not get better than that. I love ALL the Charro Concept restaurants, but something special about visiting the place that started the Tucson legend. Well done Flores family and staff. read more
Out of all the El Charro this is definitely my favorite. Not only is the food great and tastes very authentic but the prices are so reasonable. Beautiful ambiance with some nice decorative lighting and pictures of the El Charro family. We had excellent service and our waiter my very attentive to our needs. Definitely a 5 star experience. read more
9 days ago
This restaurant has been in business for many years. After eating there I know how they have been in business so long. The food is absolutely delicious. The service and friendly employees make it even better. Rice and beans are spiced perfectly. I loved the taco plate and we were all pleased with our food. We will be sure to come back when we are in the area. Great lunch. read more
Great experience! The restaurant has a very antique, old school house vibe to it. The tables are a bit yam packed but overall the place is great. The service is top tear, the drinks are good and the food is amazing! The flavor on everything was amazing! We were defining not disappoint in any of the main food we got. The desert trio was good but not anything amazing. The dessert tamale was a bit weird and mushy, maybe undercooked in the center but we were a fan of that. But overall everything else was amazing! read more
When visiting Tucson my mom told me we had to visit this famous restaurant for its history and traditional menu options. We enjoyed the atmosphere and service food was very good and it was pretty cool to see the artwork and history on the walls and in the decor. My only negative call out is required paid parking lot.. no free parking. read more
When we arrived, there was a long line out front of people waiting to be helped. Someone came out after 5-10 minutes and started helping people. Many people in line said they had made reservations but the hostess didn't see them in their system. Granted, it was a weekend night so not unexpected to be crowded but there were lots of tables open still and it seemed a title unorganized. The table we were seated at looked like it had been cleaned in a rush. There was an old lime slice on the table and steak knife on the ground. Still giving 4 stars because once we were seated the service was very quick. Someone came and took our order right away and the food came out fast. And all the food was REALLY good! The carne seca was very unique and fun to try. I've never seen in anywhere else. I'm not from Tucson so I can't compare it to other Mexican places in town (I know there are a ton) but I really liked the food here and would be willing to give it another chance when in town, despite the ambiance, due to how good the food was. read more
3 months ago
My go to here is the street taco platter and prickly pear margarita. Popped in here on a Friday evening (had a reservation and was seated immediately. FYI they do not take same day reservations). Got chips and salsa immediately upon sitting. Then then a margarita and the taco platter. I they were busy but our food and drinks came fast. read more
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Stephanie V.
Hello Madelynn,…
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! read more
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! read more
6 months ago
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!! read more
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. read more
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. read more
9 days ago
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. read more
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. read more
2 months ago
5 months ago
We were in Tucson visiting wife's family and we went to lunch here. She was last here as a 12 year with her mom. We were immediately welcomed and the owner was amazing. My wife was talking to him and he recommended some dishes right away. The food was amazing. No idea why low rating, we live in vegas and honestly the Mexican restaurants here are not good. This was authentic and flavors were amazing. The Tucson taco and cheese crisp were the best I've ever had. Our waitress was super friendly as well. We felt so welcome that we will be flying back to visit probably next week and we are coming back. We also really like the feel and ambiance of this place it just felt welcoming. read more
9 months ago
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! read more
23 days ago
6 months ago
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. read more
6 months ago
2 months ago
On Saturday 07/18/2026 we were in Tucson Az visiting my mother in law that had surgery, we decided to eat at El Charro as we do when were visiting Tucson. Unfortunately we assume it was the manager he dressed like a customer wearing a camouflage T-shirt and wore glasses. The waiter was taking our food order and he just came up to our table didn't introduce himself and told the waiter about our food order, he didn't give our waiter an opportunity to answer us. After our meal my wife and I went to the use the bathroom and was talking about the restaurant that every customer could hear him, he was talking to a waiter and I think another manager he was wearing a baseball cap and had a beard. So very unprofessional that we could hear him and it seems he didn't care. The food and service was good, but the management Team needs to know customers can hear. You Need to relocate the podium by the bathroom if that's their office area. read more
5 months ago
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. read more
Tasty dinner with good sized portions! We decided to get two of the combos to try a variety of their signature dishes. The corn tamales was our favorite! We also ordered a house margarita which was quite good and the tres leches which was ok but not our favorite. read more
Very good restaurant. Long wait to get in but very tasty Mexican food. Three out of four of us had some kind of tacos. I enjoyed the combo plate: tamale, cheese enchilada and taco. All came with rice and beans. Very enjoyable experience. read more
8 months ago
Local hotspot for a delicious meal in a comfortable setting. They have a full bar, kid friendly and a very versatile menu. Chips were fresh and served with 2 salsas red and a spicier green. I had the Tamale stuffer Chicken which was a tender chick breast stuffed with tamale and veggies in a cheese crema sauce over rice and veggies (absolutely delicious) Husband had pollo Arizona chimichangas and said the chicken was melt in your mouth tender and seasoned perfectly. Definitely worth a visit. read more
8 months ago
I stopped in early on a Friday evening and the place was packed. I asked if they had seating at the bar to grab a quick bite but found out they don't serve food at the bar? It was 20min wait for a table and 20min for a to-go order so I opted for to-go. It was ready in less than 20 minutes but what I got was pretty disappointing. No cheese on the beans and no pico or dressing at all for the enchiladas. The meat inside one of the enchiladas was so dry it was almost crunchy. The rice was actually the best part of the meal. I appreciated they included chips and salsa which is why I'm giving a 3 instead of 2 stars. read more
8 months ago
Touted at the older Mexican restaurant in the US we wanted to try it. Busy but not packed on a Saturday late lunchtime. Served was nice and gave good recommendations. We had two types of enchiladas. Portions were huge! Salsa was too spicy for me but good. Worth a visit read more
8 months ago
I've eaten here many times and it's generally decent--not spectacular, but reliably okay. One standout: the carne seca. It's a unique dish and I really enjoy it whenever it's on my plate. I usually order the horchata, which they make well. Lately, though, the glass has been packed with ice--so full there's barely any room for the drink. The last two visits I asked for a top-off (since it's not a free-refill drink), and the staff graciously refilled it both times. I appreciate that they took care of it without hesitation. Service overall is fine: friendly enough and willing to help when asked. I also asked about a Veteran's discount and was given one right away--thank you for that. One safety caution: the swinging door to the kitchen. We sat right next to it and saw two near misses between staff coming and going. The small tinted window in the door is very dark and set too low to be useful, which makes collisions feel almost inevitable. I hope management takes a look at this--it seems like an avoidable accident waiting to happen. All in all, the restaurant is okay and has real opportunities to get even better with a few small tweaks (less ice in specialty drinks, improve kitchen door visibility, continue training the team). I'll be back, especially for the carne seca. read more
9 months ago
I love the ambiance of this cafe/restaurant. The surrounding Mexican folk art and table setting at the bar section stood out to me. The food we had was alright. Generous portions of rice, beans, sauces which were pretty much similar fare would have in a Mexican restaurant in other cities in the US. But be prepared to wait even during a rainy evening. read more
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More info about El Charro Cafe
311 N Court Ave
Tucson, AZ 85701
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(520) 622-1922
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https://www.elcharrocafe.com
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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?
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