La Charreada

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!

«La Cha,» as they call it around here, is an awesome place if you want decent Mexican food and GIANT margaritas in giant martini glasses! They are beautiful and turns any regular mealtime into a holiday. If you want to feel extra fancy, go to the lounge area in the back for a more private, luxurious experience. However, I like the front just fine because it’s that comfort Mexican restaurant feel that I enjoy best. The servers greet you as they have known you for years.

This is authentic great tasting Mexican food. I was very pleased. One of the better Mexican restaurants I have ever been to.

The food is great especially the queso there’s no doubt about that. The reason why I give it 3 stars is that it tries to market itself as «Authentic» Mexican food to the unsuspecting consumer and that is not the case. It is very Americanized, if I have specifically to ask for Corn tortillas over Flour and explain what certain dishes are when I ask if they serve them, we have issues

This was over all an excellent meal. I meant to take pictures because I think it helps a lot to evaluate place but we all are so fast it was too late. Bar is definitely best place to sit. In fact it has a little to strong cleaner smell in the main dining room. It may face ruined the experience. I had something I can’t pronounce or spell but it was chicken with vegetables cheese and rice along side was tortillas. SO excellent. My son recommended and had same. Friends had quesadillas and the steak one is a favorite. Chips were fresh and they luckily had queso blanco which was key. Amazing specials including drink specials. I would not have normally stopped here but glad we tried.

Decent food for the price, La Cha definitely has their hit and miss days though. Margaritas are great, they’ll have you feeling good for sure. My only complaint was how scarily fast the service was — so fast that I’m pretty sure they just nuked the meals in the microwave and served them. The lounge is also pretty sweet… I’ll be back again.

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 décor 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.

Love the new lounge area! The atmosphere at La Charreada is always up beat; servers are on top of it, and food is yummy! Whenever we need to have the staff meet for a lunch meeting we often hit La Charreada. The service is always expedient even when we have larger group meetings.

While the initial entrance and loudness of the music was a bit disconcerting, the food more than made up for it. From nachos to burritos to quesadillas, this restaurant executed excellently in taste, appearance, and texture for every dish. The appetizer chips and salsa tasted Homemade in the best way, and the waiters were efficient and polite with drinks and orders.

Sometimes I like this place and sometimes I don’t. Chips and salsa come out quickly at no extra cost. A $ 7 meal tastes like it is worth $ 7 or less. I tried a special and the Guadalajara is fair at best. My server did not understand so brought me two beers. I could tell he did not want to take them back amongst arr half-​price Sunday but I just blew that cost. The server attentiveness is zero. Had to ask for silverware. His English is not good. I have had some good meals here (Fajitas) & I have had a few better servers. A Mexican in a restaurant in Mexico City would likely not Elvin back — based on my many visits to Mexico City and great restaurants. I will likely returns when I am really hungry. My wife liked her burrito loco because of the many flavors.

I have been here a couple times before and never really had a problem, which is why I returned most recently, but I quickly realized that I had made one of the biggest mistakes in my adolescent life. The service has never been anything to brag about. It is usually sub-​par and it feels like the customers work harder than the servers by constantly trying to flag down the speed-​walking employees. This time, however, I was actually surprised with how terrible the service was. I came here at a time when it was not busy at all. There were two occupied tables in my section and a couple more on the other side, but overall the restaurant was empty. There were more employees working than there were customers eating, yet the only time I was able to say anything to my server (server code 08, didn’t get a name) was when he came to our table to take our order. He rushed each one of us by asking, «Same thing?» over and over again after the first person ordered Arroz con Pollo. On top of this, he refused to make eye contact and took our order from a distance, looking like he had better places to be. The food was out very quickly, and at that time I asked for corn tortillas, but I was blatantly ignored and laughed at (they talk a lot of sh*t in Spanish, but I am a student majoring in the language and understood everything they were saying about me and my group). After a disappointing meal that we shouldn’t have paid for, we left early and did not tip. I called immediately afterwards and talked to the manager. I told him that we did not tip and that we received awful service and we would not be back. His reply was a chuckle followed by, «It’s okay, it isn’t the first time he didn’t receive a tip». Well, it isn’t okay, and La Charreada of Bloomington is a poor excuse for a business, especially in such a nice town. They belong in a back-​alley garage next to a run-​down Jiffy Lube, in my opinion.

The food was fairly typical Mexican food that you could find in the middle of Indiana. Still, for the area it’s quite good. The margaritas are delicious as well– and they’re huge. 2 $ off on Mondays. The service here was so so, however. They weren’t the friendliest, but they were fast. I’ll probably still be back again because this is among the best in Bloomington.

Service leaves a LOT to be desired. You must actively flag them down or they won’t be back for large stretches of 15 minutes or more. Don’t bother calling for a reservation — they will give it away to anyone who walks in. Food is generally excellent, large portions, very tasty. Bartender makes expensive drinks very weak, avoid the mojitos for sure. You will pay out the nose for an unremarkable margarita. If the service and drinks would come up to par with the food we would frequent this place much more often than once or twice a year.

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!

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.

I ate here last week. The food was good but the lounge area smelled like urine. The glasses hanging from the bar were extremely dirty. I bet if the place smelled better and was cleaner it would be awesome. However the smell ruined my appetite and set the tone for my dinner.

La Charreada is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants! I love the lounge and really enjoy the at home atmosphere from the bartender. Favorite drink is a Bloody Mary, and Johnny makes the best!!! The menu has something for everyone, even the kids!!! So bring the whole family for a great dining experience!

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.

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

I love La Charreda. I always feel welcome and right at a swanky place on the bar side. Nice outside seating for the summer. Good drinks… and good daily specials on food and drink.
Yes. This is you standard Mexican restaurant in Indiana. No… there aren’t better places. I have had a bad experience or two out of the many many times I have gone.
Usually I can get in, get fed, get a buzz for under $ 15 and less than an hour. Can’t beat that!!!