Their quality has dropped significantly in the past year. Their carnitas are fatty and greasy, the portions are smaller than they used to be and the taste is nothing special. Their service is still wicked fast and the prices are cheap compared to other sit-down Mexican spots but you get what you pay for. read more

Passing through at Dinner time Very good food and waiter was great!!!!!!Good prices and Specials

Service was horrible no refills on drinks chips salsa or anything! Waiter never came back to table! I even flagged him down and asked for more and he never brought it ! I told cashier all she said was sorry we were short handed ! I said well he brought the table behind us more things and they weren't busy it was 3 pm!! No excuse I tried contacting manager and no response. Also charged me to much money ! Not a good way to run a business ! Will NOT go back! He was to busy talking to some chick co worker at another table read more

It's my personal opinion I am Mexican I know what real Mexican food taste like I believe this food is too Americanized for me but it's not bad. read more

Love the ribs and the Mexican bus boy who runs gave me my chips and made me feel very welcome

Stopped in for lunch with the lady. Was visiting the area and heard this is the place to get good Mexican. Came in and got seated. Drink orders were promptly placed and the menu was laid before us. Talk about options. I kid you not hundreds of them. I went for the El Charro Fajitas and she had some sort of burrito. My Fajitas were well seasoned and included shrimp, chicken, and beef. It came with re-fried beans, rice, greens, quac, and sour creme. All in all A-OK. Good but not mind blowing. The lady said she liked her burrito. Both meals were quite filling. The good. Large Portions and mid to low prices. Prompt service. The bad. So many choices its hard to decide. The ugly. Nothing made the list. read more

El Charro - a plate of food on a table - Mexican Near Me - Carthage, Missouri

See all

Love this place. Always great food! I have to been to other Mexican food restaurants But nothing as tastey read more

El Charro Mexican Restaurant, Carthage, Missouri. Arrived at 6:30 p.m. party of two. We were told NOT to come here but we decided to try it anyway. Were we in for an experience! The Bathroom appeared clean, HOWEVER, there was a waste basket near the toilet! Hmm, looked suspicious!Hmm ! I checked it out! Here's what I saw and I took a picture of it! Several Pieces of toilet paper with human feces on it in the small waste basket next to the toilet. I will not post the picture as I feel it is not appropriate. I know American customers would never do that. Based on past experiences, I suspect the employees use the toilet and do like they did in their home country, throw the TP in the waste basket by the toilet instead of flushing it down the toilet! Ok! So I will have to call the Health Department to see if they believe that there is a public health issue. Let's talk food! By my Culinary standards, and based on my culinary experience having attended two **Culinary Schools, what we were served, is of very poor quality! I believe their mediocre spicing of food is due to a customer base that is not used to the spices used in the Mexican Cuisine. It is not comparable nor close to Mexican and Tex-Mex Cuisine. The Salsa was the worst I've tasted, being made with oregano! Presentation of the plates was fair. The flour tortillas were from a bag and not well heated. The enchiladas were made with a white sauce and had no flavor versus a known chili recipe based enchilada sauce with spices. Customer service was suspect. I felt the waiter was cold towards us and had an attitude! I am Hispanic and my wife is white and a green eyed beauty. I noticed that We were seated away from and out of sight of the rest of the customers . Hmm! Possibly a coincidence. I didn't feel that way! I will not return! **My Qualifications as an Experienced Food and Customer Service Critic; I have been formally trained in two culinary schools to include on-the-job training at other different venues. I've managed full service as well as fast food restaurants and have also had my own catering business. As a trainer, I have trained personnel on how to provide superb cuisine and customer service. After a to35 years in the Culinary Industry I am now retired. read more

So I'm only in Carthage about 4 times a year for work, but I always make sure we have lunch at El Charro at least once while visiting. THis places is cheap (amazingly so compared to NYC prices) and the food is super delicious. Make sure you wear stretchy-pants because the portions are outrageous too. If this place was in New York, it would be so popular that you'd have to fight to get in on a Saturday night. Having a place like this in Carthage makes my business trips a lot less crappy. read more

I ate there tonight and it was awful. I'm not sure how you can mess up a taco that much. I had two chicken tacos and the person I was with had two beef tacos. My chicken was dry. Like Sahara desert dry. The taco shells were awful. They were super hard to bite into. Most taco shells crack if you squeeze them but these resisted and never cracked. Also the chips with the salsa tasted super stale. In the end both I and the other person dumped the insides of our tacos out and used the chips instead of the shells. I dumped a bowl of salsa on top to "fix" the dryness of the chicken. I will not be returning. read more

The food is big-portioned, but the fajitas quality is 2/5. Loaaaaads of oil. It may be cause I ate too much, but I dont know.. The service was nice though. I find myself comparing it unfavorably to an average mexican place in socal. This place is good considering the price read more

Possibly my favorite Mexican restaurant in Missouri. Big portions, great food and cheap.

Although this would be considered Mexican fastfood by authentic Hispanics, it is a giant step above Taco Bell. Friendly crowd and really good food to the average American. You can always count on a cold Dos Equis or Corona and the tv turned to the Spanish channel. ¡Vamos! read more

El Charro - a man sitting in front of a restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Carthage, Missouri

The 3 stars I give is for the service portion, the guy i spoke to that worked there deserves 5 stars, but giving the business itself 5 stars would be misleading. The food gets 2 stars total, but don't get me wrong, I bet the staff have way more potential to cook authentic mexican food, it's just the food that they're shoveling out here is catered to the locals, which is american "mexican" food. I am from San Diego, 5 minutes from the border, so I can get real authentic mexican food, so the contrast here is obvious for me. I got a plate that had a block of monterey jack wrapped in a flour tortilla, flooded with what tasted like taco bell mild taco sauce. I did ask the waiter whether or not they had other dishes they could make that was off the menu like nopales, which he did say that they do get nopales but they didn't have it at that time, and when they do get it, they often cook it for the staff because they're all from mexico themselves and eat it, but apparently no one would order it if it was listed. So that in itself shows me that they are fully capable of making good authentic mexican food, but it's understandable that they don't due to the circumstances. read more

Legit. All that needs to be said. But Yelp likes long an windy reviews. Just go there already.

The food is ok for Missouri. Originally from Texas so I guess I compare Mexican food here to the real thing back home.

Always had great service here, Waiters/waitress are awesome! Got our food fast & it's a good family restaurant.

Wow.....what a hidden gem....great food and large portions......I was very surprised....good atmosphere and a great waitstaff....if I am ever passing through again you can bet we will be stopping. read more

The food was served in a timely manner, staff didn't seem very friendly however the plates were. Lunch portions were enough to feed 2 or 3 people, fresh food. Resonably priced read more

Excellent food, authentic flavors, nicely decorated, friendly staff. Great lunch specials, too! read more

El Charro - a group of people eating at a restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Carthage, Missouri

Food portions are more than adequate and the taste is great. Prices are pretty low for the quality and portion size. Drinks were served quickly and were your average quality. (Ordered house margarita). The staff is very friendly and jokes around with you, making the experience that much more enjoyable. This is the 2nd tine we have been here and haven't been disappointed yet. read more

We were on our way back from Joplin, Missouri. Yes, that Joplin. We had worked up an appetite helping clear tornado debris and trees and came across this restaurant in Carthage (about 20 minutes outside of Joplin). The minute u walk in the door, you'll see a sign that says "Now Serving Ribs." Although the ribs are probably yummy- I highly suggest the chicken nachos and the enchiladas verdes. The food is plenty and the service was just okay. Overall, it's heaping plates of tasty food for a great price! Not bad for Carthage, Missouri! read more

LOVED this place. So I am from San Diego and I didn't have high expectations for a mexican joint in Missouri. I live close to the Mexican boarder and I didn't think mexican food could get much better than that. I ordered the vegetarian fajitas and they were the best I've ever had. The portions are massive here. Each of our dishes could easily feed 3 people each. Another amazing part about El Charro (at least in Missouri) is that the Margaritas are dirt cheap and still yummy! I believe we paid around $2.85 for a descent size house margarita. That is unheard of, at least where I come from! The waiters and staff were very nice and we had a great time here. read more

Great food and drinks. I was pleasantly surprised to see a vegetarian options section of the menu. It was a small section but still several options to choose from. The staff was friendly and helpful. The prices are fairly decent. I would definitely go back. read more

Stopped for the night and needed food.. picked a definite gem in this restaurant... it was excellent! Good food, friendly staff and a warm feeling... I'll be back for sure! read more

The food here is just okay. The drinks have very very little to no alcohol in them. We are from Texas so we were not huge fans of the flavor but over all it was okay. We will go back, just not for drinks. read more

El Charro is actually a pretty large chain, though none of the restaurants have the chain restaurant vibe. Like many mexican places the decor and maintenance of the place is a little shabby but the food is good and it usually comes out very quickly. El Charro isn't may favorite around but it is good. read more

Best Mexican restaurant around! Before I moved we would drive an hour and a half because it's just that good. After eating here no where else compares. The food is great and there's huge portions! It's also really cheap! The staff is awesome and very friendly! We eat there about once a week now and most of the waiters bring out our drinks without even asking and remember our orders too. Love this place! read more

Very nice servers and they are willing to accommodate my dietary needs when preparing the meals. Food is delicious as well.

I love El Charro! They remember you and your favorite order and generally make you feel like family. I love Mexican food and this restaurant will always be my first choice! read more

Very flavorful food! Stopped in for a business lunch and we weren't disappointed- quick service and great choices. A wonderful little place in Carthage. read more

We are from Los Angeles and have easy access to good Mexican food and we were so pleasantly surprised by how good this food was. So yummy and we tried a variety of dishes! Great services to top it off! If you're in the area, try it out!! read more

We had the ribs special at El Charro in Carthage and to our pleasant surprise it was some of the best we have ever ate. The ribs were tender and there were a lot of them for only $9.99 for ribs, french fries, refried beans and rice. My husband and I both enjoyed and will go back even though it is 70 miles one way from our home. read more

We have ate at El Charro's several times. It is normally very good and good service as well. We have ate in and carried out. We have recommended this restaurant to several people and costumers. This time we carried it out and it was horrible. We order the Carnitas and some Guacamole. The meat was very fatty and not cooked very well. The Guacamole was just about brown. It seems they used food that was past due and they could not get by with serving it in the restaurant. We were very disappointed. It was terrible. read more