Got to love the puffy tacos... We have been big fans of El Charros for as long as I can remember. The restaurant has a very cool interior - not the typical mexican restaurant decor - more upscale . We love the puffy tacos and the Mexican pizza. This is a must stop whenever we are in the Detroit area. The service never disappoints. We'll worth a try... read more

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Meh. The best thing here was the salsa, which seemed fresh. The chips were decent. It was downhill from there. The side salad was pretty dull, mostly iceberg lettuce punctuated with a small curly red Romaine leaf and a not-garlicky-enough creamy garlic dressing. The fajitas were disappointing: blah rice and beans, forgettable guacamole, average tortillas, and overcooked/dry mahi mahi though the vegetables were passable. I'd give 2.5 stars if it were possible but I'm rounding up for the chips, salsa, and veggies. Seek out a better Mexican restaurant than this if possible. read more

This place is either really good or really bad. The last time I went while I was in town last week was really good. The time I went in January it was terrible. Seem to have better luck physically going in to dine than carry out. But, the last time it was like a different restaurant it was so good. I wish they were more consistent. read more

Party of 10 today for lunch, we were greeted by the friendly host and seated immediately. The server took our beverage order right away and filled us in on the Sunday drink specials. We ordered the Sunday special pomegranate margaritas and they were tasty. The restaurant was clean and nicely decorated. Another Sunday bonus, kids eat free and we had 3 in our party. The server was mindful of our table and we were served in good time for a large party. Everyone ordered from the lunch menu and was satisfied with their meals. The puffy tacos were good as well as the other entrees. The fried ice cream was delicious. The server did a great job handling 10 people with 3 kids. El Charro of Fraser is recommended. read more

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I love the fluffy taco! Service was great today... fast and friendly! I requested to sit by the fireplace and it kept me warm on this cold rainy day. read more

El Charro - Picture of the fluffy taco - Mexican Near Me - Fraser, Michigan

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It has been quite a while since we have eaten here. The food was good but out waiter Dylan was amazing. He was the busiest and quickest waiter I have ever had. Some of the staff were watching the basketball game but Dylan was waiting on tables inside and outside read more

Absolutely amazing experience at El Charro in Fraser, MI! We were seated right away, and the cozy ambiance with the fireplace and belated Christmas decorations made it even better. Our waitress greeted us immediately, and we started with cocktails and the chicken quesadilla appetizer -- just in time for happy hour half-off! I'm extremely picky with my food, and the cook went above and beyond to accommodate my preferences. I ordered the Wet Burger -- perfection. My boyfriend had the Three Puff Tacos (not sure of the exact name), and we couldn't get enough. I even cleared my plate! That chicken quesadilla was also outstanding -- I'll definitely be back. Thank you to the team for an amazing meal and service! read more

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I always order their botana. It tastes great HOT. However, since they got rid of their foil bottom container for this cardboard one, it comes home COLD. Very dumb decision on the part of the owners read more

El Charro - Meat and ~Large Meat & Bean Botana~ - Mexican Near Me - Fraser, Michigan

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We've been coming to El Charro's for 45 years! (It used to be on Utica Rd before they moved). There is seriously no better Mexican food anywhere. We don't even live close anymore, but are willing to make the trip. They'll bring hard corn chips. Use the salsa squeeze-bottle. It's weird, but it is the BEST salsa. Then you must start with a Botana. And a Classic Margarita. If you never had a puffy taco, you need to get one. You can even order them ala carte. The taco salads are good, the chimichangas are delicious, but the tacos rule!!! read more

Absolutely! Everything is just delicious! Service is top notch! I wonder if they deliver to my home. Currently I cannot walk because of neuropathy. read more

I've been to El Charro before, just not this location, so I'm familiar with their food and had good experiences prior. I met an old friend here to catch up and have tacos since we both love their good food. Walking in, this location has much more space then I had anticipated. We sat by the fireplace and it was lovely. Our server was good but got busy near the end of the evening since it was a Friday night and was busy. I got the puffy taco dinner which came with three tacos, a side of beans and rice along with a salad. I couldn't finish all of it so I have leftovers. The food was good, but the puffy tacos weren't as good as I remember. The shredded beef was fabulous, but slightly dry. Overall, the place is good and I would be more than happy to return for more! read more

absolutely terrible everything is fried one step up from a Taco Bell too expensive for the quality of you get read more

Food is delicious as always. We got the avocado crisp, however I don't understand how an app costs as much as a meal. The Mexican sandwiching with ground beef is decision. My biggest complaint our salad had a bunch of bad lettuce in it. It would be a 5 otherwise. read more

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My family has been going to El Charro since the 1st, 8 table restaurant. The Puffy taco is ALWAYS on one of our plates, so delicious. We like going to the Fraser location, it is so homey-feeling.. Their Spanish coffee is a wonderful addition to the meal! We've had the best servers. read more

As always I ordered the puffy taco dinner, Zack got the wet burrito! Everything was cooked to perfection we dined in and the staff was so nice and friendly. Place was clean. Love El Charros. read more

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Mexican food, good service, nice atmosphere. A great experience. Drinks...great margaritas.

We've been coming here for years. Yes, they were on Utica Rd. It's where we celebrate all of our birthdays and more. Excellant food, drink, and atmosphere. Roger read more

We came here because we had a gift card. We started with the classic margaritas which were pretty solid. The chips and salsa were just okay as was the cheese quesadilla. The chips did not taste fresh and the salsa tasted like something I could get in a jar from the store. Our waitress was attentive and helpful. The food here was decent but nothing special. To be fair, we did not try the Puff Taco which is supposed to be their specialty. read more

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Cinco de mayo!! This is such a large and beautiful venue! It was nice and warm outside and the bar was filled so we sat on the patio which also became filled with beautiful people and excellent service! I wish I could've tried some food but we were restaurant hopping and just came for a nice beer and margarita but we were given some chips and salsa for free at our table! I know we will come back to enjoy the tasty food and maybe try the famous "puffy taco" there's like 4 different vibes you can sit in. I didn't get to take pictures of them all but it all looked beautiful! We had a great time! A lot of space and a lot of food to choose from! Come try it! You'll be happy! Something that made us laugh was the person sitting right in the entrance of the restaurant. They must've gotten too lit but they were sitting there throwing up in a bag lmfaooo we were on our way out but I feel bad for the people on their way in and their first impression was the sound and view of someone throwing up in the lobby lolllll! If I was working there I would've made them go to the bathroom or outside or something cause you finna turn everyone's stomach lolllllllllll!!! read more

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The husband and I were hungry and wanted to try something new to us, so we decided to give El Charro a chance. The seating area is HUGE. The decor reminds me of something you'd see in your grandparents house. I ordered the puffy taco plate, which was more than enough to fill me up with leftovers. The puffy tacos are quite large. Service was good. Prices were good as well, especially with the serving sizes. read more

Unfortunately This place is not what it used to be. Over priced and mediocre food at best. Over 50$ for 2 people and nothing extra like appetizers desserts or drinks read more

Listen, you are not going to get an authentic Mexican meal here but you are gonna get a standard greasy huge delicious "Mexican inspired" meal full of cheese and carbs. I haven't been here in several years and was pleased to see it was much nicer inside than I remembered and we were seated immediately even on a busy Saturday night. The classic margarita is delicious but I saw they have several flavors to choose from if you're into that. Chips and salsa were ok, the chips were hot and fresh but the salsa is lacking spice. My niece got the nachos as her meal and it was bigger than her head lol very generous portion and toppings. I got the combination with shredded beef. My sister got the puffy tacos with ground beef. You get a choice of a cheese "nacho" or a side salad with entrees. The nacho is just a tostada with melted cheese and pickled jalapeños but I enjoyed it. lastly we got a fried ice cream for dessert. They have several ice cream flavors but we got honey cinnamon and it was amazing. Love the crunchy corn flakes with each bite. We had so much food to take home. The service was excellent as well. read more

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I visited my sister in St Clair Shores and we went to lunch so we stopped here. My sister asked if I wanted Mexican, and I agreed. She loves this restaurant, and it is known by its puffy tacos. The picture shows it flatter, but when they are delivered, the shell is puffy. We both chose chicken tacos. They were very filling . The homemade guacamole is delicious. I took one home as my drive was 1 1/2 hrs away. This would be a great place to stop if I'm in this area. The price is good also and the restaurant is spacious. We sat by a fireplace, which is good in the winter months. The drinks looked good also, but I chose pop due to the long ride home. read more

El Charro - Puffy taco - Mexican Near Me - Fraser, Michigan

I have been hearing about this chain of restaurants for many years, especially about the famous puffy taco. We were here for my son's bowling team dinner so it was a pretty large group of us. First of all, the staff was really great. They were attentive, there was enough people assigned for the amount of people that were here and as far as I know, we had zero problems with the service. My son ordered the Chef's Choice which included a beef taco, bean tostada, chicken enchilada, shredded beef burrito and if that wasn't enough beans you get beans and Spanish rice on the side. I ordered a half chicken quesadilla and a few us split the nachos. I can say without a doubt that I enjoyed the meal but if I'm going to be honest, going to Taco Bell gives me the same amount of reaction as this one. I didn't feel like the quality or the quantity of the food was any more than the Bell, but at least we could all enjoy a margarita/Modelo while eating here. I will say they have a hot sauce that is absolutely fantastic and the prices here are very good compared to other Mexican restaurants. Now this isn't to say I wouldn't go back if someone suggested it but I definitely wouldn't go out of my way to eat here again. Maybe I do need to try a puffy taco. Overall I enjoyed myself, but maybe the hype got to me. read more

El Charro - Chefs Choice Enchilada dinner - Mexican Near Me - Fraser, Michigan

Food is fair, not a fan of the puffy tacos! Service is good and ambiance is more authentic at the Fraser, Michigan location but I do like the steak fajitas! read more

I'm 58 years old have been traveling the country for work for 30 years . They have the best Mexican food anywhere ! Sorry but if you don't like El Charro's you don't know Mexican food . read more

So we went for girls lunch, everyone was very nice and super accommodating. Our drink s were great. I ordered chicken soft tacos and the chicken was spoiled. I smelled it right away.. a few of us got dishes with spoiled chicken. The waitress was very apologetic and didn't charge us but I lost my appetite. read more

Is El charro slipping? I still really enjoyed my puffy taco (with beef) at lunch, the accompanying burrito with chicken good, but not warm, cheese on top already solidifying by the time it got to my table. Chips tasted stale, salsa was boring. Not what I remembered. Our service was excellent but that didn't make up for a so-so lunch, when I expected wonderful. At 1pm on a Friday, it was pretty darn quiet. read more

They are open for dining and are open until 9 PM tonight. Nice real fireplace and decked out around it for Christmas too. Ordered a chicken taco and 2 chicken enchiladas, a la carte and chicken and mahi Mahi fajitas with corn tortillas and a nachos jalapeños. They gave us a single small tortilla nacho with jalapeño on it. It's not bad. Super cheesy. Had to ask for corn tortillas for the chicken and mahi-mahi fajita. The Mahi is super fishy tasting to me, not used to Mahi being so fishy. I also asked for not brown guacamole as well, the first one was quite rotten and brown. I asked for hot salsa for my taco and enchilada, have not received any yet. Had to ask a bus boy a bit later. They gave us maybe two spoonful of rice, it's not good anyways. Half of the chicken and Mahi fajita was beans and rice. The chicken, Mahi, peppers and onion is a small, very small portion here. Enough chicken; mahi and veggies to make 3 tacos only. The chicken enchilada sauce here is not good, super bland, the top layer had a thick gelatinous film on it, gross. Neither of us wanted the last and second enchilada at all. I gutted it out and ate out the meat only. $34.15 for the food here. I could have paid for 3 meals at Taco Bell for the same price, right. Service was so-so. Food was subpar. read more

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very beautiful place--huge with 3 dining rooms plus a large bar area--they have been here for 55 years--home of the puffy taco--we had a sweet girl named jessica as our server--food was good & the place was crowded for lunch..... read more

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Very disappointed over our last visit (July 24, 2024 - 5 pm). We had a decent size party, and i had family in from out of town, who specifically asked that we go to this restaurant. I have a few health issues, and cannot eat anything on the menu anymore (allergies and several food restrictions). I always take a sandwich to eat along side with family and friends. One of the managers (Marco), comes over and tells me that I can't bring in outside food because of food code (what?? never been told by ANYONE ELSE, even here, that I can't bring in outside food...). I got up and walked out. My husband told him to stop talking , but Marco would not stop. Then, Marco basically told my husband that I can eat my food in the bathroom (bro!! what the heck?!!). First off, it isn't against code (we contacted the Macomb health department), and second, who in their right mind tells someone to go eat their food where people do their business (and it isn't the cleanest when I have been in there). If you won't allow me to eat a sandwich that I brought in, then it is the same for formula or puree for babies. I do NOT recommend this establishment. We will not be returning, nor will our families. I recommend you take your business elsewhere. read more

El Charro - Screenshot of Email from health department - Mexican Near Me - Fraser, Michigan

I know this is late but it still irritates me. I meant to call up there and complain the next day, but I never got around to it, but I feel like my complaint is valid. I was there on 12-9-25 with my family and we were enjoying a quick little celebration since I just graduated from a program at school and I wanted to celebrate with my family. I came there around 8 PM and given I know it was late but I haven't had dinner and that was the soonest I could get there. We came in and we were offered a spot by the fireplace which I enjoyed, but as we sat down the bus boy put a basket of tortilla chips on our table, which looked all broken up and half eaten out of. Then our waitress came and looked at our basket of chips and said why did he give you those and proceeded to give us another basket of chips, but left the other chips on our table. That salsa was very spicy and I asked if they had mild salsa because every Mexican restaurant you go to they usually give you both options, the boss boy just said yes, and went back and got it, when we received it it basically looks like a can of marinara sauce. There was not one tomato in it, and it even tasted funny definitely would not recommend their mild salsa. Then we got a third waiter and he waited on us and he had quite an attitude to start with and me and my friend were super confused as to why he was so irritated that night, but we were being nothing but nice to everyone, so it made no sense. Anyways,, we proceeded to eat our food and we were feeling quite rushed. I honestly was not happy with my experience here. The food was not great except for the puffy tacos and that was it. I was actually super embarrassed about taking my family here even though I had talked up the place for weeks because I wanted to take them, let's just say I will not be returning back to this location. read more

Amazing service and food. The best puffy tacos around. The place was comfy and cozy. read more

El Charro - Mexican Near Me - Fraser, Michigan

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Fairly good. Staff is very very freindly. I'm so happy they offer amazing hot sauce at the table! Food was great at a fair price. They're working like they want our business. read more

El Charro - Mexican Near Me - Fraser, Michigan

We had been given a gift certificate for El Charro so tried the original one in Fraser. It was warm inside from the big fireplace on. Cold windy day. We each had a margarita and it was excellent. The lunch menu is very reasonable in price with a good selection. My wife had 2 puffy tacos and I had 2 shredded beef chimichangas. We both really enjoyed them. The chips were warm and the salsa very tasty. We will certainly return. read more

El Charro - Our margaritas and salsa. Both very tasty! - Mexican Near Me - Fraser, Michigan

Not the El Charro of my youth. I used love this place, and this being the first El Charro it was authentic. Today we went for lunch on a Friday around 2pm. I love the margarita's at the Macomb location so I was looking forward to my Family Favorite limeaide margarita. I was told the limeaide was made in-house and was not pre-packaged. I asked for a salt rim. It arrived in a tall thick, water glass with a sugar rim. It was a very large glass, making me regret that I didn't ask how much it cost as there were not prices on the menu; it cost $10.00. I asked that the drink be transferred to have a salt rim; easy fix. Then I taste this clear looking margarita. Yes it had alcohol but it taste like I was drinking a glass of water with a shot of tequila. NO lime taste what-so-ever. I asked for a few extra lime slices so I could squeeze the juice, instead the server took it away and said the bartender would add the lime...it came back taste the same but I wasn't in the mood to complain any further. I drank some of it and chalked it up to a lesson learned. WHY is a margarita served in a thick water glass? So I was jonesing on a good margarita like the El Charro in Macomb but didn't get it. I will say my thin-sliced steak meal was delicious. The ambiance is very nice. The server was very pleasant. Mom's puffy taco wasn't puffy and it was loaded, I mean loaded, with grease. With my steak meal, her taco/beans, ice tea and my $10.00 watery drink our bill came to $43.00 for lunch. Um no thanks. We won't be returning. read more

The best place to get "American" Mexican food! I grew up coming here often and my immediate and extended family all have this as one of our go-to places! The ground beef puffy tacos are my favorite menu item. Literally so delicious and I have not found anything similar elsewhere. The taco shell is to die for. I've been getting their cheese enchilada for as long as I can remember and it never disappoints. The sauce they cover it in is so good. It is pretty small though so you can't have just this item as your meal! They have some of my favorite salsa around. It's a very smooth texture and a little bit spicy but not overwhelming at all. I wish I could buy their salsa over on the west side of the state! Other menu items I highly recommend include the avocado cheese crisp from the appetizer menu. Everytime I get it, I forget how good it is. It has avocados, bacon, cheese, onion, tomato, on top of a crisp tortilla! The cheese fondue is my family's go to appetizer but it is definitely better as a dine-in item as opposed to take out. Lastly, they have sooo many flavors of margaritas and they are delicious! They make good strawberry daiquiris as well! read more

Took m in law , wife and daughter and as always Everything was great. The puffy taco is second to none. Once you have had it, al other tacos just don't seem to be that good! read more

I have never been disappointed in steak fajitas. The atmosphere was so unwelcoming the waitress was very rude. I will not be coming back here again. read more

El Charro - I had such high hopes for this place. I have never been so disappointed in steak fajitas the worst service atmosphere was unwelcoming - Mexican Near Me - Fraser, Michigan

We had a ladies lunch this week here. The food was excellent. We had enchiladas. And an appetizer. We also had margaritas that were delicious. Definitely my favorite place to have Mexican food outside of Texas. Also, our waitress was very attentive and helpful. read more