Excellent standard American Mexican restaurant. The atmosphere is everything I want. Festive. A little cheesy. The servers are always friendly. The food is good. Not mind blowing or innovative, but I don't come here for that. Right now, they have a pork chop special that is out of this world. My kiddos love the quesadilla. They have 25¢ candy at the front counter. Blow Pops, York Peppermint Patties and the like. It's a random detail, but it hits my sentimentality really hard. Something about the front entry. The vestibule entrance. The gum-ball machines. Tchotchkes. It makes me feel like going out to dinner with aunts and uncles and cousins when I was a kid in the early 90s read more

Food is great but the server was not. Ordered queso when we first got there, got our food, reminded the waitress again, and still did not get our queso. When we finally did it had clearly been sitting for a while. Disappointing but still yummy would probably stick to pickup. read more

Horrible customer service from start to finish. Food took forever to come out, and then arrived cold and stale. Even the dishes that came out warm tasted horrible quite frankly. Never left a review in my life except this one. read more

I loved the food, seated quickly, server was very attentive, drinks and appetizer came out way before food as it should, and the food came out for all seated at the table in good time. I gave it a 3 star simply because the restaurant owner or staff's children sat at a table playing games on their tablets blasting songs and the video volume. It is a nice restaurant, Nice tables and oveounce of Mexican tradition, But was ruined by the kids actions, you could pay so much attention to your diners and overlook what every patron kept hearing the whole meal. read more

Food was excellent. Even if it was not what I ordered. Service was not attentive. She did not bring what I ordered. She did not return with drinks. So, I might or might not return. If they were super busy we'd be more understanding but this was a Monday night. The place was barely filled. read more

Love this place for casual Mexican. Reminds me of ChiChi's (which doesn't exist anymore). Food is great, beer is good. Chips and salsa when you are seated. Have had many items on the menu; Chile relleno is great; good tamales and tacos; molcajete was good. Kids like the quesadillas. $10 pitchers of XXs!! Why this place isn't packed with JMU students, I don't know?! read more

El Charro - Molcajete - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

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I would give 0 stars. The food was bland and not authentic. The tortillas taste store bought and not of good quality. The service was okay. The location was full but I have no idea why. I wouldn't recommend this place if you want real mexican food read more

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If I could give 0 stars, I would. Looks like everything is out of a can. Salsa,beans, everything. Chile relleno had weird watery white sauce inside instead of cheese. Taco was like from Taco Bell with a hard shell instead of a real tortilla. Enchilada was a single rubbery tortilla with ground meat (extended with other stuff??) and no cheese, no onion or anything else inside.... just dry weird ground meat. By far the worst restaurant I have ever been to. This is for the one on Market St, but I'm sure the food is just as bad at these other 2 locations. read more

I will give them zero stars if that was an option that's how much I hated my experience! i'm mistakenly ordered some thing that I wanted in a burrito and I was OK with it when it came but I was like oh no, I didn't want this. To myself but out loud then the waiter has the audacity to say to me well, then that's what you should've ordered and didn't say it repeated it. I finally had to speak up for myself and say yeah I got it! I'm well aware of what I did and I didn't need him to tell me what I should've done! awful never apologize and didn't care! Not to mention the amount of dust buildup on everything in the restaurant! Sinus infection, waiting to happen! read more

Came in for some lunch and it was pretty busy, so I know to be patient and expect a little wait. Server wasn't good at mediating tasks well and left us waiting long periods but going to other tables. Ordered our food that we were going to share, man came and dropped it on the table only just 5 minutes after I ordered, he walked away so fast while I was talking I couldn't ask for anything else. Waited a while for my server to come back, my food didn't have any steak in it so it had to be remade (and it was already sloppily rushed and put together). Watched my server look like she got scolded and I was given a dirty stare from the kitchen like you didn't f up my food babe. I'm a server, I apologize when things are messed up and I make sure my tables are kept up with, no apologies were given. Food was fine. read more

This food was AMAZING, speedy, and priced so fairly! My friend and I enjoy the supreme nachos and chips with queso, making our night so fun! read more

El Charro - queso!!! - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

Tried El Charro on Main Street for the first time last night. It was quite good. Service was good, food was good. I can't really think of a single negative. The only reason I'm not giving it five stars is that there was nothing that made me say "Oh, wow...this makes me REALLY want to come back.". But we will go back. There was a bit of a language barrier with the customer-facing staff which, for me, adds to the charm and authenticity of the place. Something that was somewhat unique that I enjoyed is it was a place with lower prices and smaller portions. Instead of paying $15 for an oversized combination dinner that you can only eat two-thirds of, you pay $10 for a combination dinner that is perfect-sized, and I'm a guy with a good appetite. Given that we were there on vacation and couldn't really take leftovers, it worked out particularly well for the three of us to all be part of the clean plate club. They have Dos Equis Amber on draft, which I am particularly fond of. They do have Virginia White Sauce as an add-on side order if you fancy that, like I do. Interestingly, their Virginia White Sauce was spicier than I am used to, while their salsa was less spicy than I am used to. read more

El Charro - Combination Dinner #10. Chile Relleno, Enchilada, Beans, Rice. - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

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Not very good. Can't even rate it. Fajitas with a scoop of sour cream and guacamole. No shredded cheese and your stuck here because your drinks aren't served until after you order. Had to give it one star in order to post review. ‍ read more

My family and I have been coming here for decades - it is a special place in Harrisonburg. We come here for numerous occasions: lunch, dinner, dine in, large take out orders for parties and etc. Their food is the greatest! Food is well seasoned, delicious and fresh. Drinks are wonderful. Menu offers varies types of foods & drinks. Definitely recommend if you are visiting Harrisonburg. I think that most local people here are very familiar with El Charro. I feel like customer service at this location can be a best lacking and a hit or miss. read more

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NEVER COME HERE OR ORDER FROM THIS MAN! We came expecting to enjoy a wonderful 22nd birthday celebration, and were met with rude and disrespectful service. First they denied the birthday girls ID, then made rude faces about what we ordered, would not let us leave without paying for the food we had not gotten yet, did not even celebrate the birthday girl, and then when asked server lied about his name (servers photo attached below). Worst service I have ever experienced, we went to a different location for my birthay and were expecting the same amazing service and were met with the worst night of our life. I highly do not recommend and will never be coming again. read more

El Charro - Server - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

My favorite Mexican spot in Harrisonburg. Good service, fine atmosphere, decent prices. Try the Chori cheese dip and/or the Chori Pollo! read more

El Charro - Chori Pollo (green plate) - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

El Charro is absolutely delicious! The frozen margaritas are amazing. Their large margarita runs ~$13 but is larger than my head. Great service. For the COVID-concerned, there is no outdoor seating. Tables are spaced out relatively well but I did not witness many surfaces being cleaned between guests or check books being disinfected. All wait staff wore masks appropriately. Guests were not wearing masks while walking between tables and that was concerning. Overall, would not recommend dining in if you're highly concerned about COVID, but I definitely recommend getting takeout because it was awesome! read more

El Charro - GIANT margarita and Molcajete - both bigger than our heads. - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

Can't make a skinny margarita? Why? We don't have the stuff. Could not get extra guacamole or cheese. For avocado chicken salad and fajitas. Thought these things came standard especially w/fajitas? Can we have extra tortillas? 3 tiny tortillas? Drinks came after we ordered. Sorry, nice server but would not recommend. 1 star read more

Absolutely awful customer service. Rolled eyes at us the whole time, starred at us from across the room making nasty faces. Made a complaint about the cheese dip, was completely ignored. Just over all bad service. Food wasn't that great either read more

Very good selection of Mexican cuisine and a 33oz Margarita. So far delicious and it came with chips and salsa. I will have to come back for their rellenos read more

El Charro - Their small Margarita. They have one 33ozs! - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

We called in our order while on a road trip. The order was ready when we got there. They did forget our guacamole but my husband went back in and they gave him one. I got carnitas tacos and he got a carna asada burrito. My tacos were very tasty and he said the steak was a good cut, tender and had good flavor. We had to eat in our car since we had furry co pilots, so I can't speak to the overall restaurant atmosphere. We have added it to our contacts and will stop again on another trip! read more

I used to eat here quite often as a James Madison University (JMU from here on out) student. All 3 locations are good, though the best one is the one I'm writing about here. I always ordered the Burrito Charro (shrimp and chicken with some tomato and rice and beans). For the price I always paid, it was a fantastic meal. Plus the chips and salsa are quite the deal as well. They take FLEX (for all you non-JMU students out there reading this, it's like your debit account from JMU that you can use at off-campus restaurants and shops), and the staff is super friendly. Plus they have really good drink specials too! The only downer I heard is that it hasn't been that good recently, but I'm going by my 3.5 years spent at JMU, and during that time I never had any problems there. read more

El Charro's is undoubtedly the fastest, fairest, Mexican restaurant around. Exactly the type of gem you'd expect to find in a college town. The decor is tasteful, the staff (although always changing) is delightful, and the food is completely delicious. Everything has cheese on it, but this place won't make you gassy like cheap Mexican food. Good quality at a great price. My parents and I were driving past Harrisonburg on our way south. We needed a quick bite and I remember El Charro's. Even after two years it's the same. Tortilla chips and salsa arrive at the table as you sit and drinks not long after. I always get the enchiladas supremas. If I'm not hungry I get three soft beef tacos. We had a dog in the car; in less than 45 min we were back on the road. Unless you order something crazy you'll be in and out in less than half an hour for lunch. I guess this is more of a check in than a new review. But the other review is for the sister restaurant, so all is fair. read more

El Charro - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

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I was really surprised to see this place not busy after eating here. The wait staff were not only courteous and polite but seemed to enjoy their jobs. They knew how to handle a glass ( by not putting their hand on the rim of the glass ) so I didn't have to use a straw. Tea glass stayed full with out asking. Chips were nice and warm, cheese dip was very good. I had the Texan fajita. It comes with steak, chicken, shrimp. Everything was delicious! read more

im gonna be honest but they took FOREVER to bring our food and then brought me a MESSED UP order like cmon now.

I ordered carryout from El Charro on 33. I specified no cheese due to a food allergy and the person on the phone taking the order confirmed that she understood no cheese on anything. When I picked up the order and got it home, there was cheese smothering all of the food, so I was unable to eat any of it. I called the restaurant and Jenny A, who proclaimed to be the manager, said that I would need to drive back and bring her the food so that she could give me a refund. She argued with for more than 5 minutes. I have never been treated so rudely by anyone in management, especially after they have made a mistake. She never even apologized for the mistake, only saying that it was a busy Saturday and "stuff happens". read more

My family loves Mexican food. We are always trying out new places. This one we stopped at when heading to Fort Lee to drop off my son for AIT training (Army) The place was clean...very clean. We were seated right away and the food came out hot and fresh. It was clear to me that they cared about the quality as much as the presentation of the food. It was well presented. I lost my pictures of the Chimichanga and taco salad :( Boo! I really wanted to post those for you. However, given the name I believe is Mexican Cowboy or One who Rides a Horse, I saw tons, of people on horseback strolling by out in the street for at least 30 minutes. I'm sure it was some sort of festival. I do have pictures of that. I was traveling through, but I really liked the authenticity of the food and the service just made our experience that much more pleasurable. read more

El Charro - Main Sign Out Front - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

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TERRIBLE SERVICE. didn't serve my friends drinks because "we were too loud". GABBY R is the worst server known. Rolls her eyes. Charged us for extra things because she thinks we're "drunk". OH PLEASE. FIREDDD. read more

Decent vegetarian options, and the a LA carte menu is great. I usually love this restaurant and have never had issues here, but recently I ordered from here with doordash and my kid found several very long strands of hair in the bean burrito. Made me gag. Not sure if I have the stomach to order from here for while. If the restaurant is reading... May I suggest hair nets?? read more

I drove down to H'burg with the parents so that they could visit their condo, which gave me the opportunity to visit the alma mater, and reminisce about my college days. Looking for a place to eat, I spotted El Charro on Main Street and without a second thought, I pulled in. Back in the day, I used to frequent the El Charro on East Market. The food was always delicious, and affordable, even on a lowly college student's budget. At the time, there were only two good Mexican places in town--El Tacqueria (which used to live briefly next to Spanky's-both are gone now), and El Charro. This new location is bigger than the original, and it was pretty empty on Memorial Day Saturday. The complimentary tortillas came out warm and fresh, and the salsa comes in bottles you can pour out--just the way I remember it 15 years ago when last I ate at Charro. If I recall correctly, the salsa is homemade. I ordered the Chimichangas, and the traditional Chile Rellenos (my typical order when I used to go as a student), and instantaneously, it brought me back in time. I felt as if I had just Quantum Leaped into my old college body. Same great taste, same freshness. The flavors hadn't changed much at all. It's funny how food can reignite the memories so intensely. My parents got the tacos, and that was good too. If you love cheese, they put a lot of it on there. Maybe it's just the nostalgia, but it was the most satisfying Mexican food I've had in while, and I live in NYC which has some decent Mexican cuisine. And best of all, it was pretty cheap too. Gracias, El Charro! read more

HOW ON EARTH ARE PEOPLE GIVING THIS DUMP FIVE STARS AHHHHHHHHHHH I went to one of these el charros in harrisonburg (both reviewed well somehow) and wanted to kill myself afterwards. I was driving to VTech from DC and stopped here seeing it was well reviewed. Just abysmal food. Let me preface this by saying I LOVE chile rellenos. I saw someone on here write they were good and he also liked the chimichangas. So i ordered both. They were cheap. Then they came out and i knew why. The rellenos were filled with what was once cream cheese but was now melted and all over the plate. The chimichanga was tiny and tasted ok. The chips were awful, the salsa worse than tostitos. Nothing good here at all. Avoid if you have ever eaten mexican food in a restaurant before. I would legitimately have been more happy eating taco bell next door. read more

Service keeps getting worse. They cannot seem to get my order correct. When it's a full house, don't plan to be out of there on a regular lunch break. And they over charge me for my stuff. When the service is good, it is very very good. When the service is bad, it is horrid. Only if they could get my order correct. I got one free meal from complaining, but my free meal was incorrect. Ugh. Typical Mexican good. Higher expectations. Been going here or years. If you take food out, be prepared to pay extra. Dunno why it seems that way, but it does. read more

Both El Charros have your typical mexican food, but the service and cleanliness of the S Main location are much better. I actaully saw a cockroach crawling up the back of a booth at the E Marker location one time... My only real complaint is the salsa. It's basicly pureed tomatoes with a spicy garlicy taste. I prefer my salsa more chunky with cilantro and onions but I guess that's my personal preference. I don't know what style of salsa is "authentic" Everything else is great and the prices are cheap. read more

Exceeded my expectations. I love Mexican food and I've tried a lot of restaurants all up and down the east coast. This is one of the best I've had. The quality is outstanding, prices are affordable, and always attentive wait staff. I visit Virginia a couple times a year and look forward to returning every time I'm in the area. Highly recommend this place for some authentic and delicious food! read more

JMU '09 grad - let me tell you, mexican food is voluminous wherever you go, but few are as good. The fajitas are amazing. Best I've ever had. The margaritas are serious and the service is great(on more than one occassion, I was informed that they were out of the medium size margarita glasses and so a large-fishbowl sized one-would replace it for no extra charge-SCORE). Food is always hot and delicious. I miss it so much. If you're a student now, don't resist, come and enjoy - or you will be sorry!!! read more

The waiter told us the margaritas were $3.75 and then charged us 11 something for them. When we brought this up when we got the bill they told us the margaritas were priced at 3.75 on a different day and made us pay 11 something for them. This is the first time we went so there is no way we were confused about a previous price. You can't tell someone something is one price and force them to pay another price that is 4 times that amount. Will be taking this to consumer reports as I'm sure this is illegal read more

This restaurant has always been one of my favorites. However, tonight was absolutely awful. My fiancé and I were placed in the back room full of college aged kids that were INCREDIBLY loud. It was so loud in that room I couldn't even hear my fiancé from across the table. I couldn't concentrate on reading my menu. I felt it was awful customer service to sit us in a room that clearly was very loud. I was unable to enjoy my meal and this is why I am giving 2 stars. Our food was delicious and given to us in a timely manner but the room volume was unacceptable. read more

Literally - this place is my favorite restaurant. Each time I visit my hometown of H'burg, I never fail to stop in at one of the now three locations (and one coming to Bridgewater, VA soon!). While at Harrisonburg High School, a friend and I thought of the genius project idea for AP Spanish class to go and eat lunch at each and every Mexican/Latin food restaurant in Harrisonburg and the surrounding area at rate them on our own scale. My conclusion is the same now as our's was then - El Charro is, hands down, the best Mexican in the area and, in my opinion, among the best restaurants - period - in the area. The staff is incredibly friendly and are willing to suffer through the rusty Spanish that I use to order my inexpensive yet filling lunch specials, Jarritos, and Nachos Supremos. The atmosphere exudes conversation, laughter and fun as each restaurant has large windows to allow the light to stream in and has flexible seating (if not packed of course) where you can find a quiet spot for 2 or pull tables together for 20. I can't wait until I visit Harrisonburg again for many reasons not least of these a trip to El Charro. You absolutely must go visit if you are in Harrisonburg (El Charro also has a location in Fredericksburg, VA). read more

Terrible service. Waited 40 minutes for chips and guacamole. Was only asked once for drinks. Food is mediocre at best. Smells. Can't understand servers. Would not come back. Was given guacamole with no chips. read more

This place was decent and the prices were adequate for it. The chips were a bit stale and flavorless and the salsa was a bit watered down. The service was nice but the waiter spoke pretty quietly-- hard to hear. I thought the chimichangas was nice and crunchy but served with clumpy, bland fried rice on the side. read more