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    La Casita Charra

    4.6 (34 reviews)
    InexpensiveTacos
    Closed 8:30 am - 6:30 pm

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    La Casita carnitas guacamole special
    Pryj K.

    What a wonderful little find!!! Fully authentic Mexican food at reasonable prices. This is also a store for Latin products. The flavors of the food are out of this world! Normally, I do not like guacamole. This place has the first guacamole that I not only liked, but loved. I highly recommend!

    Menu
    Justin H.

    Other positive Yelp reviews led me to La Casita Charra. I was expecting authentic Mexican food and they delivered. Like others have said, this is a small market and restaurant. When you walk in, you'll see a Latin American mini-mart with typical offerings. The menu is posted on the back wall and they have a few printed menus listing entrees. For drinks, you have to select the bottled beverages (water, soda, juice) in the cooler. They have some interesting choices like Aloe Vera water, Coconut water, etc. When we arrived at lunchtime, I noticed a guy eating tacos. It looked good. So, I told the server, "I'll have whatever he's eating." It turned out to be the chicken tacos on corn tortilla. They provide a nice tray of sauces and cilantro as "fixings" for the tacos. We also ordered the guacamole and the enchiladas. The guacamole was very chunky, freshly made, and a little different than what you'd see in other places. Overall, it was a nice rendition of it. Same with the enchiladas -- very large serving with beans and rice. Everything (except for the chips) was not greasy or overwhelmingly heavy like you'd see at similar Mexican restaurants. Also, it seems like they use fresh ingredients and the food is higher quality. That said, the only downside of La Casita Charra is the chips. I'd give that a low score for being greasy and not very good. Overall: Give this small restaurant a chance. It's authentic and they do a great job.

    Bruce K.

    The one thing I love about finding unknown mom and pop shops is to get then known. Did I find (after a recommendation from a coworker) a new spot to eat at if I'm craving for Mexican in Oak Ridge? Yep. You guessed right. La Casita Charra is basically a grocery store. There's nothing lavish about this place, however I do want to note that there is a pretty big kitchen in the back. The chairs aren't the highest quality and you won't get the best service here. It's literally a mom and pop shop. The owners are your servers and your cooks. And the amount of food you get here will beat out any other Mexican restaurant by far margins. Their salsa is spicy and when they served their chips, it was literally prepared minutes before getting to my table. That said, if you're looking for your typical Mexican restaurant with booths and service that bows down to your feet, you're not going to find it here. I ordered two things, as there were some missing pictures and ideas on what the food looks like. I ordered an Al Pastor burrito as well as the torta with the same meat. I would definitely recommend the torta as it was awesome, big and flavorful. The Burrito was huge, however it was pretty bean heavy and if you do order this I would suggest to request to cut it in half if it's possible and then maybe wrapped in tin foil so you can pick it up, but if not, then that's how it is. I will definitely come back and support this business. This place is awesome, and i like places that are hole in the wall and unknown. I hope all the success for this place and will definitely recommend this place if anyone is feeling to eat at a Mexican Restaurant.

    Crispy Asada Taco
    Randy J.

    You want authentic DELICIOUS Mexican food. Try this place. It has Mexican market and restaurant in one. We're California's and we are spoiled with excellent Mexican restaurants. This place had excellent sauces. A smokey tomatillo sauce full of flavor! Then another with some heat that tasted amazing! Served asking with fresh cilantro and diced onions. They made a crispy shelled asada taco with cheese, lettuce and tomato for Mom. I asked for recommendation and ordered the pork plate with guacamole, cheese, rice, beans (very interesting that is was made from great northern beans, very good) came with lime and 4 tortillas too. I had a coconut milk drink with pineapple bits in it, delicious. Absolutely 5 star meal. If I lived here in Oakridge I'd come at least once a week! You wasn't authentic Mexican food... come try this place!

    Menu - tocos and more
    Jim L.

    This is the best place for authentic Mexican food on Oak Ridge. Love this place. Everything is good but the burritos and the grilled plates are best!

    George M.

    Amazing and authentic Mexican food tucked away in a strip mall. Carnitas, chicken, beef sope were all had excellent flavor with great presentation. The beans are quality and no typical "refried" beans you get at westernized places. A great find! Will be back!

    Tacos al pastor, arroz y frijoles
    Rachel C.

    Stopped in here for some groceries and ate in their diner. The food and service were both great! I'll definitely be back. Better tasting than any other Mexican restaurant in Oak Ridge.

    Dave S.

    Most in this area won't realize what a gem this place is, but it's their loss. The barbacoa and carnitas tacos are great - can't wait to come back to sample more. The most authentic Mexican I've had in East Tennessee since... forever. The next time you're considering Gallo Loco, give these nice folks a chance.

    Eggs and chorizo

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    2 years ago

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    4 months ago

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    10 months ago

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    4 years ago

    My wife and I from out of town show up for dinner at 6:30pm on a Friday..turned away, kitchen is closed...why!!!!!!!

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    9 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Best Chorizo in Knoxville, very quick and friendly service. Will definitely be bringing friends back here when im in the area.

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    5 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Was definitely nervous when I saw it looks to just be a store, but the food is unbelievable!

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    8 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Easy to overlook, but WOW! This place is excellent! A real hidden gem! Excellent food, reasonably priced, great service!

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    6 years ago

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    9 years ago

    Seriously some of the best Mexican food in Knoxville, in what looks to be a convenience store hardly marked on the outside.

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    7 years ago

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    8 years ago

    This is probably the best Mexican restaurant very authentic food, it's like a hidden gem for deliciousness.I highly recommend it

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    Ask the Community - La Casita Charra

    Do they serve alcohol?

    I don't believe so. I don't think they would care if you brought your own beer though. It's essentially a grocery store. They do have sodas and horchata if you like that.

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    Barrios Mexican Cantina - Barbacoa was the best of the 3.

    Barrios Mexican Cantina

    4.3(60 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    We were coming home from a long day of driving and found this place along the way. To say it is…read morethe best Mexican restaurant food I've ever had would be an understatement. Everything was epic. We started with chips and salsa and beer. I wish I could remember the name of the young man who served us because he was a very good bartender and server. I ordered three different tacos and man, oh man! The cauliflower taco was hands down the best taco I've ever eaten. The lengua taco was just as good. The seasoning and accompanying veggies were the perfect ingredients for these tacos. The Baja shrimp tacos were good too, but not off the charts like the other two. The street corn was seasoned nicely and I enjoyed each and every bite My husband, who doesn't really like or eat Mexican food ordered the Philly Steak and Cheese burrito with rice and beans. He ate all of it, so I know it had to be good. We are already making plans to return, although it's over an hour away from our house. I'm excited to try other items. Barrios, thank you for the great food, the clean bar, and the excellent food. We look forward to seeing you again! And, we were aware of the upcharge for using a credit card, so there were no surprises as mentioned in other reviews.

    It's time to update my review from 2 years ago! Yes, Barrios, you have a dedicated fan now! Since…read moremy last review, lots has changed about this place and only in a good way! They added an outdoor, dog-friendly patio and a new bar inside. Each time I've come now, that place has been clean and inviting! The service has been great - prompt, attentive, and friendly. But as a taco-loving Texan who now resides in TN, I have to say this is the BEST Mexican food in town. They have the best salsa, margaritas, and everything I've ordered, from tacos to brunch items to green chili has been yummy! While the salsa has been toned down for the 'can't handle the heat' locals - just ask your server for something else with more spice. They will accommodate you. There's some salsa Verde and tomatillo salsa that has a bit more kick and is my go-to! And they have corn tortillas too - you can just ask them to swap them out for the flour if that is your preference. I promise, my partner and I have hit just about every Mexican place in OR - and he even agrees, Barrios is where it's at!

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    Barrios Mexican Cantina
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    El Cantarito Mexican Restaurant

    El Cantarito Mexican Restaurant

    4.2(101 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $

    This is my favorite Mexican restaurant in Oak Ridge and there are several good ones. The service is…read morealways excellent with generous portions and delicious food. The wait staff is professional and attentive to each customer. Kudos to Rl Cantarito

    What a nostalgic experience! Dan and I are visiting family in Knoxville. Today, we drove to Oak…read moreRidge where we used to live and had lunch at our favorite restaurant when Oak Ridge was home. I would love to move back to our Oak Ridge house. If we could move back, we would once again be regulars at El Cantarito and I will tell you why. I'm the frugal yelper. I love a good deal and I recognize value. That doesn't mean I like cheap food or don't enjoy fine dining. I just like value. That's what you get at El Cantarito. Their prices are fabulous and their food must be good quality because it tastes great. Dan and I each got a tostada lunch for just under $5. Dan got the tostaquac which included ground beef and sour cream. I got one with everything besides the ground beef and sour cream. Both had refried beans, lettuce, tomato, and guacamole. Delicious. That came with rice and beans. The salsa was delicious, just the right amount of kick. I made the mistake of ordering the large beer without asking how large it was. It was 32 Oz. Dan got one, too. That was way too much for either of us, so we left much of it. The large draft beer was $4.99. During happy hour domestics are $1.99 for a small and $3.99 large. Modelo is a dollar more. It has a Mexican diner feel to it. It looks authentic and very much is authentic. During lunch hour it is very busy and a little noisy. We recognized our server but she didn't remember us. The check just said she's #2. She didn't recognize us. #2 gave us excellent service. We couldn't have asked for any better service. Oak Ridge is so lucky to have this wonderful Mexican restaurant. I hope they appreciate it.

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    El Cantarito Mexican Restaurant
    El Cantarito Mexican Restaurant - Fajitas

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    Gallo Loco - shrimp burrito

    Gallo Loco

    4.1(92 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $

    Tl;Dr service is crap now and it reeks of human waste and has for at least six months…read more Look, the good is...pretty much on par with the area, there's better but it's not the absolute worst either. Years ago the price, quality and service couldn't be beat for town. Years ago. Whatever. Quality went down but portions, pricing and service remained better than the rest around four years back. Two years ago quality/flavor continued to tank, but service was okay and prices still okay. This past year? Gross. They're charging almost as much or the same as places in town that are much better in all fields: taste, quality, service, pricing, ambiance. Price creep came first. Then quality and flavor. Then came service and ambiance. Honestly, I hesitate to even brush it off as ambiance, it's closer to a health issue now and has been for at least six months. The area near the rest room absolutely reeks of sewage and human waste. I went to use the rest room and I genuinely vomited. When the smell hit me I was going to just...not use the bathroom, but my body had other plans and I was forced to use it because I had to vomit. I held my breath but then I tasted it in my mouth and vomited again, and then one last time. It was that bad. I don't know why I went back to this place, honestly. Dumb old me assumed twice now they would have this disgusting issue under control. "Surely by now" I said. It's not even that good, the only thing I can think of that possessed me to give this place a try the past two times and now this final time is that I have memories of this place. My family is close to the (previous) owners and waitstaff, we had my mother's wake here when she passed, things like that, and the make my margaritas strong because of that relationship. But that staff has been leaving over the past year, and the service shows the loss. Last time we were here we stood there for ten minutes to be seated. It wasn't anywhere near close, four hours to go actually, a weekend, and pretty dead. I understand why now. The guy in the kitchen just kept looking at us. Some other guy was in the office/kitchen just talking in the phone. The poor BOH kept ringing their little bell and couldn't even get any of the staff to come run food, it was ridiculous honestly. The mod food isn't even consistent anymore, it's like they can't even keep a cook so you order something and it comes out complete different every time, down to the salsa. One day spicy no cilantro, next day not spicy at all heaps of cilantro, one day no spice no cilantro etc. Avocado salad is the same way. So are other items. At this point, and it really hurts me to say it due to nostalgia, there is no point at all in visiting this place unless you like poor to mid food priced the same as better places in town, awful service, and the literal smell of human feces. RIP Gallo Loco.

    Very inviting atmosphere with kind and helpful staff. We were seated immediately but I bet this…read moreplace can be quite busy. The food was excellent. We all enjoyed the beans that they served with the chips, a nice surprise. All the meat was cooked expertly and everyone liked their meals. We will be back.

    Photos
    Gallo Loco
    Gallo Loco - Tacos Locos

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    Interior

    La Casita Charra - tacos - Updated May 2026

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