Although they do not take reservations, we were able to call an hour ahead for our party of 10 and they had a table set up for us. The waiter was really accommodating for a party of this size and we were served in a timely manner. This is definitely my favorite Mexican restaurant in town & ordering a big margarita is a must! read more

La Charreada Bloomington - Classic small margarita on the rocks - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Soooo yummy!! Our server was very friendly and helpful! The salsa and the queso were some of the best I've had! Loved it!

Incredible margaritas! Worth the price but not outstanding food. The margarita tower is probably the best part!

"La Cha" as called by the locals is a great sport for Mexican. If you are 21, I recommend sitting in the lounge! It is a totally different feel from the main restaurant. It is more upscale feeling and the same good food! When it's busy, you can expect to wait a little bit for you food, but you get unlimited chips and salsa as well as very big portions of food once you get there. I usually get the Charra salad. It's a basic salad with lots of chicken and other vegetables and cheese. It's delicious and a good way for me to make up for all those chips I just ate! read more

I don't eat out often but I eat here at least once a month. The portions are huge and the food is really good! Margaritas are awesome, as well. read more

We stayed at a hotel nearby and they recommended this restaurant. The food was just alright. Chips, salsa, and guacamole were good. I ordered a fajita quesadilla and it was soggy, the tortilla was not crisp, difficult to cut and eat, it was alright. Another in our party had the Loco burrito, he thought it was good. Service was okay. It wasn't very busy, our server never came back to check on us, and it took awhile to get our check. We were just passing through, but I probably wouldn't go back. read more

Really good food with large portions. But there's what seems to be a bullet hole in the window???? Not sure what happened there but kinda spooky. read more

I love this place, but my college age kids get a little tired of me wanting to go here all the time when we come to visit. They have wonderful dinners and at a reasonable price. I enjoy this nice Mexican restaurant very much. read more

After making this restaurant one of my mainstays for 4 years during college, I seem to deem a Mexican restaurant's worthiness based on whether or not they have cheese dip. Let me tell you...not many restaurants in Chicago, or the Midwest, have the creamy, smooth, spicy white cheese dip that La Charreada offers! So when I come back to Bloomington about once a year, eating at this establishment is an absolute must. I always order the fajita quesadilla. I love this because it's everything I want from the huge, sizzling orders of fajitas, but for a fraction of the price. The chips here are so light and non-greasy- perfect with the cheese dip. I also love coming back to this place as a non-college student. I can appreciate how cheap the drinks are. The huge, gigantic margaritas are only $12. I think the beer tower is around $10. Very cheap prices for huge drinks. Last time I went here I was so surprised to see the La Charreada Lounge! Faux suede walls, swanky light fixtures, and flat screen T.V.s. I thought it was pretty tacky, ironically wonderful, and hilarious. read more

I love this restaurant. super authentic and very lively . My food was amazing and my server was the nicest guy. It's definitely extremely underrated and needs more attention because I will definitely be coming again. read more

It's close to a 5. It really is. The food is AMAZING. And man, that cheese dip. YUM! The ceviche tostadas are really tasty. I've had several menu items, and they are all good. My complaints are weird. The family that owns the place often has their kids there at night, so they are sort of running around a lot. Also, the TV is generally up too loud, and either the kids or people who work there have it up pretty high on Spanish language stations. i just find it irritating to be on when I'm there to eat... especially when the kids have control of the remote. The channel tends to change a lot at those times! read more

This is an above average and decent Mexican restaurant. They seemed to hit all the basic hallmarks that most Mexican restaurants really should. The breakdown : The salsa was passable/OK, but I have had better. It was a little too thin for my preference, mainly because it was highly puréed. I personally prefer a few visible pieces here and there of tomatoes, onions, as well as as some cilantro. It didn't have any kick or spicy heat, so maybe it just didn't have any pepper action in it whatsoever. The chips tasted fresh, and were also served warm; which is always appreciated. The white queso was adequate. It was served hot; and wasn't too thick or too watered down. The guacamole was average. I think they stretched it a little by adding sour cream or mayo. It had a very light green washed out appearance. It also had too much tomato mixed in it. I prefer guacamole to be pure avocado with some jalapeño or chile pepper, onion, garlic, lime juice and cilantro. A small dollop of pico de gallo on top is cool for taste and color. The main entrees were pretty good. I had a chile relleno, chicken enchilada and bean chalupa combo. They were all prepared nicely and tasted as they should. The refried beans tasted authentic, home made and fresh. My fiancé had a grilled chicken breast with mushrooms in a sauce. It was served on a sizzling iron skillet. He liked it very much. The service was friendly and attentive. The decor seemed clean and pleasant as well. A good indicator of a well run and clean restaurant is many times observing the condition of the bathrooms. They were well maintained. The overall experience was satisfying. We will probably be back the next time we roll through Bloomington. read more

I like this place and it was close to my apartment in college. I like sitting on the bar side because it has a modern feel to it. It's a good Americanized-Mexican restaurant (which I terribly miss now that I live in Arizona). The food tastes fresh and the chips and salsa are always great. read more

Very much enjoy their salsa. I came in with a friend after work. Nice place. Good service. Delicious food.

Had high hopes for this place since it's so hard to find anything that passes for Mexican food in this area. Disappointed. I got a combo plate so I could try several things in the same sitting. Chile relleno was barely warm and had a freezer burn taste. The rice was a bit warmer, not great. I got another thing, not sure what it was called, some kind of shredded beef with this horrible "cheese sauce" that's popular in area restaurants. The waiter was really nice, kinda felt bad when he asked if I wanted a box since I didn't eat much and I said "no thanks". If you do go, maybe bring a sandwich or something read more

Seriously my new favorite restaurant in Bloomington. I got the Tacos Camaron and I HIGHY recommend. They're the best shrimp tacos I've ever had. The chips were delicious and addicting and the salsa was also very good. Our waiter was super nice and always made sure our drinks were full. read more

This used to be my my favorite Resturant ten years ago. They had amazing food, really nice atmosphere, and large portions... Well, now the portions are less than half size, and the quality no longer makes it a worthwhile trip... I can't even get full of a chimichanga diner, and can't afford to order two diners just to be content. I'm not going to be ordering from them anymore because a meal is not enough to fill me up... read more

La Charreda... or Casa Brava?! Same place! Standard Mexican food, not too exciting, not too bad. I've had the tacos, enchiladas and tamales there, none of which stood out as really tasty. However, every time I'm definitely full when I leave, probably due to the chips and salsa. Make sure you go at lunch where you can get a giant meal and drink for around $10. Don't go at dinner where the prices go up 50%. Overall, it's not bad but very far from being exceptional. read more

I like the cozy booths and tables lit by red pendant lights, though the "lounge" appears to have been designed and decorated by someone who's never been outside of Indiana but was told, 10 years ago, to pick out some cheap wall coverings, carpet, and furniture that would pass for being "loungey." Frozen, neon-green lime margarita looked artificially colored and tasted like disinfectant. As others have mentioned, service and food were super fast, and service was friendly. Seafood chimichanga was interesting. Advertised as containing shrimp, scallops, mussels, calamari, and octopus, along with tomatoes and green pepper. I found little bits and pieces of most of those shellfish inside mine, though I wouldn't say it was a generous portion of seafood -- just a couple of spoonfuls. Beef taco was bland, and there was certainly nothing special about the generic refried beans, rice, or guacamole. read more

One of the "go to" places to eat while visiting my IU attending child. Reasonably priced. Good and friendly service. Nice variety of dishes. Pretty much middle of the road Tex-Mex dishes. Not too spicy, and not too bland. read more

La Charreada has fantastic Mexican food if you're like me and from the middle of nowhere. However, the staff more than makes up for the good food -- I've been here three times, and the service seems to get consistently worse. I don't know if they think it's that I'm a college student and I tip bad (I tip well anyway--always leave at least 15%, though if they were nicer they'd get more), but they completely ignore my table, food arrives after an hours wait--normally after it takes them about 30 minutes to get my order in the first place. I still go back, hoping that maybe it was just the last time that the wait staff didn't like me. I've gone once by myself, once with a friend, and once with a group, however, and each time the service has been horrible. The food is still good though...so if I have a lot of time on my hands, I'll go back! read more

This place had really good Mexican food, really good service, good TV programs on their TVs like football or they had some English soccer even. This place blows Dong Pablo's outta the water. read more

The best your going to get here in Bloomington. Service was okay... not the best! Food was in the middle for our family. I don't know if it was the fact you don't have resources of " Mexican" items in the mid west! Or just WRONG on all levels. Who uses cheese like "velveeta" on burritos etc. maybe nachos but not burritos. Some items we had no clue what we were eating! Chips were fresh! Carnitas good Salsa taste like ketchup Fajitas- chicken good -- steak was AWEFUL. Taste like dog meat.. not carne asada. One came sizzling and other NOT! Weird! And came out on different times??? Overall a good try but not like CA.. and not sure what part of Mexico they Are from! read more

We were seated at a table with no light even though other tables were open. No one fixed it. It's Wednesday and that means half price martinis...except they have no vermouth so... No martinis unless you are the JD type and love yourself an appletini. Gross. The waiter took our drink orders twice before he told us there was no vermouth and took his sweet time to get our final drink orders. The chips are so greasy and taste like rancid oil. The salsa tastes like ketchup. My friend ordered with no pico and got pico. Our drinks came after our food (after we had to order drinks 3 times since they were out of everything. When I got my food (a burrito) it was two tortillas with a small amount of meat and a ketchup like sauce on top. Not a burrito and not good. I never send food back, I was taught not to waste or complain, but I did. The waiter wouldn't take it back until he checked the menu to see if I got the right dish. What? Just take it back. And how did they accommodate us? Not at all! My friend ended up ordering a Cosmo (which should have been included on the martini special since fruit martinis are). He got the discount for that, but we won't be back. There are better options in better locations (oh yeah, and we didn't get margaritas because they were WAY expensive!) read more

La Charreada Bloomington - This was supposed to be a burrito. It is a little meat and ketchup on a tortilla. Yuck - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

See all

I ordered from door dash while working a 12 hour shift and was starving. EVERYTHING about my order was wrong. They did not read the special instructions AT ALL! Completely pointless to type things if they are not going to read it. Its not even like it was a big long instruction, SIMPLE substitutions. When I called, the "manager" just kept saying "uh huh, uh huh" the whole time I was talking and said he would "talk to employees". What an absolute waste of $30! Maybe they are good in the store, but DO NOT order door dash or probably even attempt a carry out if you expect your order to be accurate! read more

Nice looking place, craved some Mexican food. Ordered a taco salad with ground beef - came out with chicken. Waiter was great and had the correct order sent out quite fast. Very tasty. Husband had steak fajitas which he liked. Food was good - menu extensive - nice atmosphere. Great chips and salsa - and peach margarita! read more

The food was good! On Monday they have $2 off house margaritas. I ordered the medium size, not knowing the glass was as big as my head! I was drunk all day lol. So make sure to get the small size if you have plans for the day! read more

La Charreada Bloomington - The "medium" size margarita - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

The food was mediocre. The service was lacking. The margaritas were pretty good. Your typical Americanized Mexican restaurant. Food: 3/5 Service: 3/5 Location: 3/5 read more

I don't actually know what abbyladybug is talking about. I go there on a very regular basis and have never seen kids there...its a college restaurant pretty much. Plus, there are no televisions, so I think she has it mixed up with some other joint, maybe La Torre... Charreada as justin says has THE best queso...but yes, getting it can be difficult, I've gone 3 straight visits before ordering it but not receiving it. But its the most delicious thing ever. My two favorite things by far: --Burrito La Charreada: chicken or beef burrito, topped with lettuce, tomato, sour cream...with rice and beans on the side --Fajitas Jalisco: chicken, beef, and shrimp fajita with the positively most amazing flavoring ever!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, that rice, speaking of it--the flavor is AMAZING! And it has little chunks of potato in it to toss it up a bit! read more

Staff is so friendly and food is awesome. The food is delicious and the prices are great. The lounge is very nice, if everyone in your party is over 21 I highly recommend being seated there. One of the best Mexican spots in Bloomington for sure. read more

The people working were super nice and the food was really good. In MY opinion this is the best Mexican in Bloomington.

If you are looking for a surprise 4% surcharge for using a credit card and don't mind all the ingredients for a particular dish are not listed on the menu then feel free to enjoy this place. There are a lot more Mexican restaurants with better food and better customer service in this area. read more

Today was my first time here and I definitely was impressed! The staff was super friendly and helpful and got our food and drinks out quickly. The daiquiri I got was really good and had cute garnishes on top :) and then I got the steak fajitas and they were amazing!! I will definitely be returning :) read more

My favorite restaurant in Bloomington! The service is gruff but superfast, the drinks and large and strong, and they give you unlimited chips! What more could you ask for? THE QUESO!!! SOOO GOOD. The platters are all pretty good, but usually I filled up on the chips too much to eat much else. I can't wait to visit B-Town again and go to La Cha! read more

La Cha is your run of the mill mexican restaurant. You won't be super impressed by the food but you won't be let down either. The menu is extensive and you're sure to find something that looks appetizing. I have a special attachment to La Cha since it happens to be the place where I met my girlfriend, but I'm perfectly fine with only eating there once a year if we're feeling sentimental and want to celebrate our anniversary. I was contemplating giving a 4th star for the beer towers but I'm not giving out novelty points. With a large group they can be a great deal. I love my margaritas but La Cha's doesn't quite quench my thirst. read more

The question before going to any place with a name like this is if it's going to be Mexican, "messican", or Tex-Mex. We always expect Tex-Mex along the line of Chevy's, and in this case, we weren't wrong, which was alright. It was Valentine's day and the restaurant was well-decorated for the occasion, which was fun. The complimentary salsa that came with the chips was very nicely flavorful with just a little kick. It tasted fresh, which is a good sign. Despite sitting next to table of sorority girls who all seemed really afraid to try Mexican food (it was actually kind of entertaining to listen to them), it was a good atmosphere and the food was decent. The chimichangas had a nicely seasoned filling, though they were a little soggy from the sauce slathered on them, with no real crispiness left. The taco salad was goo, but also a little soggy. They really like their fluids here. Altogether, it was worth the price paid and worth another visit if we're back in Bloomington. read more

I came here with a group last night. The waitstaff were very friendly and on top of making sure we were taken care of. The large beers hit the spot in the warm weather. I got the carnitas tacos, and they were excellent. I also liked that they put the cilantro on the side, as some places add too much. read more

the best mexican establishment in bloomington. Other places in b-town is comparable to taco bell. Le Charreada brought back memmories of ghetto style mexican cuisine I would get ONLY back home in Los Angeles. read more

Joel was a great waiter, and the food I got (La Charreada Especial) was just incredible, if a bit heavy on lime. Highest quality meat I've had in some time, worth the price. read more

Our favorite Mexican restaurant in town! Great food, friendly staff, always clean. We go here often.