My friends and I went to Howard's last week and it was a good experience. We walk in and snag a table. It took a bit for the waitress to see us. When she did see us she ran over and took our drink orders. The drinks came out pretty fast. We then put our food orders in and I was impressed by how fast we received our food. I ordered the chimichanga, which was pretty good. Overall, I liked the food and the service was good. I would definitely go back to try some of their infamous tacos. read more

Howard's Charro Cafe - The chimi! - Mexican Near Me - Omaha, Nebraska

I've been going to Howard's since I was a kid. It's changed multiple times. I wanted to give it 5 stars, but I couldn't. The restaurant was almost completely empty, but it is such a cute place. It's festive and comfortable. The fried flour tacos are my favorite and they would have been amazing, except the beef. It's super soggy and the texture is like mashed potatoes. It gave me a stomach ache. They still have the best sauce around though!! Fix that beef and it will certainly help! One other mention I have is the outside stairs to the parking lot are so dangerous!! The staff use them as well. Please fix them before someone gets hurt! I didn't take pictures, but I should have. read more

Service is ok, old timey atmosphere, food is decent but expensive. Well over $20 with tax and tip for one person meal without a drink or side feels outrageous. Will probably need to share or have smaller portions to make this make sense again. Or just stick with margs and chips and cheese. Overall this is fine but not cheap. read more

Howard's Charro Cafe - Egg and chorizo dinner - Mexican Near Me - Omaha, Nebraska

Ordered on DoorDash. The food came quickly and was delicious. I ordered a chicken burrito dinner with grilled onions and green peppers, a side of guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, beans and rice. It was enough for two meals. The rice and frijoles with a bit of cheese were standard but very good. The burrito was great, not like anything I've had. It started out tasting a tiny bit sweet, but that flavor ended hitting the spot. It came with small pots of spicy red sauce, pico, guac and sour cream which enhanced the flavor. The burrito was not topped with cheese as so many are, and I think that helped since there was no overwhelming cheese. flavor. Now I think an in- person visit is in my future. read more

Howard's Charro Cafe - Chicken Grilled Burrito Dinner - Mexican Near Me - Omaha, Nebraska

The whole restaurant has a real authentic Mission feel to it, like stepping back in time. Mariachi music is playing. We were greeted right away with a friendly host . We got the Asada chimichanga, warm beef and queso dip , thick crunchy corn chips and a chimichanga . The service was friendly and fast, and the food was very delicious. Especially that dip! To enter, it's in back in the parking lot. Go up the stairs to the upper level where the dining rooms are. read more

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Excellent Mexican food with a nice variety on the menu. Reasonable prices, friendly staff, private parking lot. Traditional Mexican music playing in the background and nice atmosphere with Mariachi bands on the weekends. Excellent Presidente margaritas! read more

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Good lunch... Good Margarita too. Will continue to support. My server was fantastic and made recommendations. read more

La comida es buena, pero la camarera gringa no es agradable use to be my fav. place to eat. unless rude waitress is working read more

Service isn't great the menu had options and when I requested those said options I was told there are no substitution yet that wasn't what I asked for. Waitress was quite rude without provocation and Continued her rude behavior throughout my visit. I observed her being very disrespectful to paying customers especially one couple who was a veteran. The fact that this restaurant is almost empty yet the only waitress was very telling. I will not be back read more

Old school TexMex. I like the charro special, corn tortillas smothered in mean green but it's all good. Prices are reasonable, friendly ambience and excellent service. Long history in South Omaha. Give it a try. Highly recommended. read more

The food is good most of the time but very inconsistent. I eat here a few times a month. A few years back a new owner took over and put their own touch on the business. It is a lot cleaner and they've added some menu items. Overall, good changes. I think the new owner has done a lot of good for the place but the staff is always new. We used to walk in and the staff actually knew who we are and what we ordered. When taking our order, they would ask if we are getting the usual or trying something new. That is the one change I don't care for. read more

Howard's Charro Cafe - Holiday menu - Mexican Near Me - Omaha, Nebraska

Went to Howard's for the first time. I've heard mixed reviews but wanted to try it for myself. Have to say I was disappointed. Service was great and friendly so that was not a issue. Our drinks we ordered were good as well. I has a michelada. For me it was the food. Plain and simple. None of our food was even hot. Nobody likes luke warm enchiladas. And my tacos were almost cold. For the enchiladas I guess you had to grow up liking that brown gravy style. Not really my thing. Both Salsa's I tried had great flavor but the Queso dip was grainy . No thanks. Well sad to say one and done. read more

Howard's Charro Cafe - Cold tacos and Luke warm enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Omaha, Nebraska

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Nachos were awesome my wife ate them all ... attacked them like the gremlins attacked chicken after midnight ... been awhile glad I came read more

Howard's Charro Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Omaha, Nebraska

The best mexican food in South Omaha. Margaritas are strong and tasty. The food is fresh and absolutely unique. Large menu for those that like authentic all the way to Gringo food. Definitely somthing for EVERYONE even kids. read more

Howard's Charro Cafe - sign for howard's mexican food and cocktails - Mexican Near Me - Omaha, Nebraska

GROSS. Don't go unless you hate yourself. This is dry, unseasoned, absolutely tasteless organic matter. I would not call it "food". Seriously. Howard's is a lame place that only old people with no taste buds bother to go to. Check out Jimena's, the taco truck over by the airport instead. THAT guy, he knows how to make a taco. I posted a review but you can just search for Jimena's. Seriously. That place is so much better. Stay the heck out of Howard's though. That place is nasty. read more

I'm a sucker for cheap margaritas and spicy food so this place is right up my alley! Generally speaking, this place may have the world's okay-est Mexican. The standard tacos are nothing to write home about anyway. The Barbacoa Tacos with their guacamole salsa and Mean Green Chili (your mouth will be on fire) are my favorite food items. Service is typically very good even on busy nights. read more

Best original Mexican food anywhere to be found!! Deep fat fried corn tortilla tacos are the best!!

Been goin here since they were in a house in South O. See many of my old friends still coming in. Did takeout on a Fri night during this virus thing. Didn't call in because they're so fast, just went in and five mins, there it was. Can't seem to stray from the hard tacos and bean dip. Sauce is best. Will continue as long as they, and I, are here. read more

Best Mexican food in the world. Been going here for 25 years and never disappoints! Whenever I'm back in Omaha, this is my first stop!

I absolutely love this establishment! Great food, customer service, and the owners are amazing. They make everyone feel welcome, and it's always icing on the cake everytime I see different ethic groups, races, and cultures dine there. I've been a regular there since the new owners took over about 5 years ago! 100% recommend! read more

I like Howard's. It's good, authentic Mexican food. It's someplace I will definitely consider eating if I'm in the area, though I probably wouldn't make a special trip to go there. I ordered on of their special dinners of fried burritos that was marked "hot" on the menu and came with either red or green chili. The waitress (who did a good job) told me the green was the hotter choice. I ordered the green, and was disappointed when my first bite was really not spicy at all. Granted, I have a really high tolerance for spicy, but I still think it didn't deserve a "hot" label. That said, it was good, just not spicy. I thought the refried beans were excellent, and I would definitely recommend the fried ice cream. Prices were reasonable, too. As some of the previous reviewers mentioned, the decor is outdated, but I think that's part of the charm. I didn't see any sort of dirt or anything that would be concerning. read more

Howard's Charro Cafe - Fried ice cream with chocolate sauce - Mexican Near Me - Omaha, Nebraska

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We had 6 people ordering different food & drink. All agreed--great service, tasty food, & a wonderful atmosphere. It couldn't have been a better night. read more

If you want really good, authentic Mexican "cowboy" food, come here. If you're a trendy, hipster, foodie, don't come here.

Everything amazing! I have been going here for the past 5 years and while I was worried about the change of ownership a year or so ago, but the owner has done nothing but kept the delicious family favorites and some great new additions such as renovating the bar, bringing back some awesome drink specials and Sams awesome corn chips and salsa. Also, the owner is ALWAYS there. He is so committed to the success and flow of Howard's which is reassuring to those that have been devoted customers for years. I am a huge fan of cheese dip, the chicken enchiladas and if you pour the red chili on anything I'd eat it! Love Howard's so much! read more

We always loved this place, but this time something was different. My wife and I both got sick. The first thing she order came out cold and greasy. Everything had an odd aftertaste and we have had diarrea for 2 days!!.I don't think we will be back.Sad read more

My family has been eating at Howard's since the beginning. Started in a house in south Omaha. My absolute favorite is the red chili with eggs on the dinner menu #2 I believe. Also the chips and salsa is the right level of heat and the chips taste great and we always get a mix of corn and flour. Somethings aren't perfect but the food is always great and the service is always friendly. read more

If this establishment was good as I remember when I was a kid it would defiantly be a 5 star rating, but sadly it is not. The quality of the food has gone down hill and it just does not hold the charm it once did. This place use to be so busy , waiting for tables, and now you come into an empty parking lot. read more

Wow. This place does a fantastic weekend breakfast. Huge portions, great food and wonderful service. The prices are very reasonable. Oh, and don't forget the mimosas. It was my first time here but definitely not the last. read more

Much better place with new owners. Food was good and service was great. Went on Sat. lunch, but please find a better and more pleasant front desk cashier. Only said thanks when she took our money, did not even look at us. I have seen her there many times, she is consistent!!! read more

Simply the best Mexican restaurant in Omaha! I moved from Omaha 2 years ago and miss Howard's as much as I miss my friends and family! The Charro's special is excellent (I get the flour)! The enchilada's are great too but they are actually made with more of a gravy than a tomato based sauce. I LOVE IT. I wish I could find this somewhere. AND you must get the chips and cheese dip as an appetizer! The Chile Relleno's are different as well in that they are not fried. It is literally a pepper covered with egg and cheese with a wonderful sauce! OK too much talk of Howard's....I think I need to buy a plane ticket now! read more

This is a scene straight out of Kitchen Nightmares. Upon entering the restaurant, your instincts tell you to turn around and go somewhere else. Dingy, dark, heavy atmosphere, reminiscent of an old banquet hall. It's stuffy and extremely outdated, down to the carpet that has probably been there since Lewis & Clark passed through, worn in the traffic spots straight to the floor underneath. This alone should have been our warning, but we were too hung over to go anywhere else. For starters, there are no complimentary chips and salsa. I could have gotten over that had they actually been edible, but we went ahead and ordered queso and salsa with chips. Boy was that a mistake. The chips literally dissolved into a sand-like texture IMMEDIATELY upon first bite. The "cheese" dip, if you can call it that, tasted like weird old macaroni cheese that had been reheated from the day before with water added to it to make it more liquid. Just gross. The salsa was almost straight up liquid. More like a bowl of mild sauce than actual salsa. We ordered chicken flautas, which were literally nothing but a tube of flour with plain old chicken inside. Nothing else. No seasoning, sauce--just straight up "grease tubes" as we were calling them. The rice and beans were okay, but nothing to write home about. Overall a very disappointing experience. The servers were friendly, but on our way out, the woman at the front asked how everything was, and I couldn't even lie. "Uh, it was...filling," was my response. You'd be better off going to Taco John's. Not even kidding. Never again. Try El Aguila or Michael's if you're looking for Mexican. read more

This place has gone down hill a LOT. It used to be a favorite. I used to go here often back in the 90's when I lived in Bellevue. Something terrible has happened. I don't know if it was sold. I don't know if the recipe book was stolen. I just don't know... This is no longer what it used to be. The queso is not good. Everything else seems to be marginal at best... This is very sad. read more

This place is TERRIBLE! First of all, they don't give you complimentary chips and salsa. We ordered the daily special which was beef tacos. When i was eating it, i literally thought it was a steak taco bc the ground beef was mushy and smashed together so hard it looked like steak. Gross. Unfortunately that was the better part of the meal. I also ordered a bean burrito (which, let's be honest, is pretty hard to screw up). I asked for queso blanco (white cheese sauce) on the side and strike 3: they don't have it. They brought me yellow sauce instead. I tried to pour it on the burrito but it was lumpy and thick. It looked like a tub of lard... and i felt like one after i ate some of it. And there was hardly any of it (which is actually a plus). This was probably the worst mexican food i've ever had. read more

It was a cute place off of 13th in the heart of South Omaha so I thought I decided to give it a try. The food was pretty average and didn't blow my mind by any means. I got the shrimp fajitas and a margarita (or two hehe) and both were ok. I wouldn't come out of my way to come here, but the prices were decent. It was popppppppin which made the ambiance fun but it felt a little claustrophobic in there not gonna lie. Come here if you want a gimmicky Mexican restaurant vibe and drankz on the low. Don't expect dynamite food, but do expect a fun time! read more

Easily the best authentic Mexican food in town. I usually say between Howard's, my mothers cooking and my grandmothers cooking, those three are he best Mexican I have eaten. If your wanting a good dish try what I eat every time I go: 3 corn enchiladas w/ beef a side of rice And ask for it smothered in red sauce. read more

Very disappointed! I've been wanting to try Howard's. We went on a Saturday at 4:45. I could hear people and dishes ,there was a man standing outside on his phone on the upstairs level. The door that said "enter here"was locked. I'm sorry I missed out on the Howard's experience. read more

They have been around forever and I love the 1A. Great value for the money and awesome place to grab a quick lunch!

It's a classic. Nuf said. And yes, everything was better in the 70's 80's 90's 00's but in the 20's you'll be praising the 10's. It's great cheap Mexican food, nothing better in traditional Omaha flair. read more

The Mariachis were great...but the food was average Tex Mex. I ordered a Chile Relleno dinner and was so very disappointed. For the almost $10 I got some good beans and rice..and good sauce...and something that in no way resembled any chile relleno I have EVER eaten. It was a piece of cheese wrapped in some bland chile wrapped in a fried egg... Not to mention that is was the size of an small egg roll. I spent $60 to feed 4 people but would have been happier at any taco truck. read more

The enchiladas are just like the original recipe. the sauce is wonder Service was great