El Charro Cafe

While the food was very good, the service could have been a heck of a lot better. Three of our party had a dish with the El Charro Carne Seca in it. The fourth had a shrimp enchilada.
We went into El Charro’s about 3pm. They did not appear to be too busy at this time. The server did not get our drink order right to start off with. We had to ask for chips and salsa.
I found myself asking a busboy for a refill for my ice tea. The tea came back with very little ice. When our server did stop by again, he could not get the refill order correct for our ice teas, there were three of teas.
The food finally arrived about 20 minutes after placing the order. We all liked the flavor of our food but the food was not very hot. It was only warm but edible. It seems that it had sat for a bit.
Again, we enjoyed the flavor of our food but could we endure another visit with this service I doubt it.

Saddest review I’ve ever written. In fact, it’s hard to type through teary eyes. My relationship with carne seca may have come to an end. Not because I no longer enjoy it’s company, but because it’s difficult to patronize a restaurant run by an owner who is rude and condescending to his customers.
We tried to make a reservation for a Friday evening. Now the reservation process is always a complete fiasco. But it’s all been worth it, until now.
My husband made the call this last time, however, I could hear the conversation. He was initially put on hold for a good 15 minutes or so. Another person picked up, and he was put on hold again for at least another 10 minutes. Finally, a third (or was it 4^th?) person picks up. My husband asks for the reservation again, at which time the «gentleman» states, «I am the owner, and I’m not taking any reservations unless it’s a party of 25 or more. It’s the last weekend of the gem show. If you want to wait for a table, I suggest you come… unless you want to wait an hour and a half.»
So first off, we have been to the last weekend of the gem show several times, and have always made a reservation. Second, a simple, «I’m sorry, but I can’t take any reservations for Friday» would have sufficed. An «I’m sorry» inserted anywhere would have been nice. Third, why did it take 30 minutes and numerous people to find this out? My husband told each person he spoke to when he wanted the reservation. And that’s the kicker. When my husband pointed that out, the owner basically called him a liar. His immediate response was «You didn’t wait 30 minutes, I answered the phone as soon as it rang.» Thanks for caring about your customer experience Mr. Charro. If a member of your staff had treated a customer this way, it would be forgivable, but this is YOUR restaurant and clearly, you have too many patrons to care any longer.

This was the first place we came to when my girlfriend and I first moved here from the northwest. We’ve been back at least twice a month since. The atmosphere is friendly and happening, unless there are too many boring snowbirds from the Midwest there. The bartenders are such great people, and the bar offers so many great drinks. The food is second to none in Tucson, despite the fact that locals in Tucson always seem to have their own idea of what the best Mexican place is (that usually all taste the same).
Eat and drink here. It’s delicious.

Part of coming here is the authentic feel it has inside. Tables, chairs, and dare I say art all reflect an authentic south of the border feel. Another great place to checkout in the downtown area if you are looking for good food and atmosphere. Getting a table has always been trouble as there never seems to be anyone at the host station. You have to walk around awkwardly for a bit until you find someone to help. Service has always been average; nothing good nor bad to say. One of the better chimichangas and refried beans I’ve had in Tucson.

Service was slow but friendly, the place was full of older couples and families (tourists?), the food, eh, a lot of it was mediocre… but that carne seca, oh boy was that darn tasty!
I found this place as the ‘tourist’ go to for mexican food in Tucson… family owned, longest running family restaurant in the U.S., inventor of the chimichanga etc… sure, why not, we’ll check it out.
— The house location that the restaurant is in is cool and kind of neat.
— The chimichangas we had were good, not great, but fine.
— The pitcher of prickly pear margarita was none too flavorful, but was a good straight forward margarita.
— The chips and salsa were particularly tasty.
— That carne seca they dry on the roof though is darn tasty and makes me want to drop by again next time I’m passing through. It’s nothing too special, honestly just a spiced shredded dried beef jerky with some sauteed veggies… a bit salty… but boy was it tasty.
Nothing too special overall I would say, but I am a fan and will be back to get more of that dried beef next time I’m passing through.

The historical aspect of eating at a Tucson original is nowhere near enough to overcome El Charro’s faults. What faults? I hardly know where to begin.
Actually, I do know where to begin — the seating. It’s awful. I just can’t imagine a less comfortable chair — the metal ribs dig into your back. The tables have weird legs that make it impossible to put your feet in front of you! Not to be believed!
The food does little to make up for the discomfort of the seating. The waiter assured me that their Margarita was famous — I found it to be insipid, weak, and watery. The ribs were actually good (the second star), but every other menu item we tried was bland or worse.
Drive by if you want to see an old (but not quaint) building and then eat somewhere else.

Our family decided to come here for a large family gathering on a Wednesday night before family left town the next day. We had 6:30pm reservations but were still seated nearly 30 minutes after our reservation. The service was also extremely slow and inconstant. The food, although good was not quite as good as we hoped especially considering the promising reviews. In all honesty, it was pretty average food which made it hard to justify the higher price. We were also not happy that the gratuity was included at the end of the meal because a lot of us felt that the service was not justifiable. From start to finish, we were there for almost three hours between ordering, eating and receiving the checks. Perhaps we caught them on an off night but I don’t think we’ll visit again when there are many other similar restaurants with food just as good but better prices and service.

They have very nice food and an old world style. You will be paying for parking but it’s only a couple bucks.

Oooh the salsa. So good. The chips. Yum. The enchiladas, great. The ambiance of this place is largely what makes it so great – my friend and I got there on a weekday when it wasn’t so packed, so the whole experience from start to finish was on point. House margarita was delicious, too.

I want to give this place 4 stars but I can’t. Went on a Sunday evening and the place was packed! Great sign that the food must pull its own weight. Took about 30 mins to get a table for 6 which was just fine. The atmosphere is very interesting (in a good way). Two buildings sewn together with a cool little patio space in the middle. The employees recommended their house made carne seca. I tried it in the enchiladas and was a bit disappointed. It’s supposed to be dry and it was VERY dry but I did enjoy the red and green sauce on top. The rice and beans seemed to be bulk from a can. It took an hour to get our entrees and the bar was very slow on getting drinks out as well. Our server was incredibly friendly and enjoyable (Omar). I’d like to give it another shot on a slower night.

We had a bit of a wait on a Saturday night but nothing unusual or excessive– the service was really really good for the amount of people in the establishment– very attentive and friendly– food was excellent too– tad too expensive for what things are, beans, rice, veg, bits of meat– they must pay the staff well cause anything over $ 15 per plate it had better be good! The décor is lovely, way too hot in the building and I hate having a 1 man bathroom– that I hated the most about the place! I won’t go again though.

We asked the hotel front desk where to go for dinner and he suggested El Charro Café in Tuscon. He was right on with the quality and authenticity of this restaurant. The food is delicious and so fresh. The atmosphere is casual and welcoming. Do not miss out on this hidden treasure. Omar was our server and he guided us through the menu and shared the history of the restaurant — which is worth a visit just on the merits of the owners. We tried several menu items and even had room for the flan!!!

Rolled in with 5 minutes left on the Happy Hour clock (4−6pm). Had 2 draft beers ($ 2.50 each), guac ($ 5), 3 taquitos ($ 5) and churros/​sopapillas for dessert (just missed the $ 2 off) and left fat and happy with a $ 23 tab! Loved it! Very busy. Come early!

Whenever I have people from out of town, I bring them here at some point. The Mexican food is very authentic and has great choices for vegetarians and vegans too! The happy hour is from 3 – 6 and has a great deal on margaritas. Pitchers are half off so it’s only $ 13! The service has also been very friendly and accommodating every time I’ve been here.

We absolutely love the cozy and tastefully-​decorated interior. Dining here isn’t just a feast for the stomach. It’s also a feast for the eyes. We have been here twice. We have ordered the tamales, chimichanga and enchilada. Overall, the food is quite good but not great.

Longest family owned restaurant in the US and it shows. One of the restaurants to helpTucson be the first place in the United States to recently be honored with the Capital of Gastronomy from Unesco. Food made with love in a funky old home of a restaurant. A rare treat for a vegetarian. We sampled the vegetarian chimichanga, tamales, and chili rellanos. All fabulous but the tamales we amazing. Best we’ve ever had. Service was great.

We love El Charro and the carne seca chimichanga is to die for, so it’s a must try on the menu. The food is outstanding!
The building itself is cool, with lots of niches and interesting seating areas with an outdoor patio if it’s nice.
My oldest kids flew in from Indiana recently for my birthday and we decided El Charro would be a perfect place for my dinner birthday. It’s a great place to take visitors. We checked in and had an hour wait, which was expected. We were told we could wait in the lounge but it was too crowded for the seven of us. We thought we would try the patio since they have an abundance of patio heaters but here’s where the problem begins. Keep in mind it was VERY cold for Tucson, having dropped in the 30’s on our last visit to eat there.
Out of all the patio heaters readily available, they had 2 overhead ones going. One was being utilized so the 7 of us squished under one heater, trying to keep warm. I have RA, so my joints do not do well in the cold, which is one of the reasons we moved to Tucson. We asked a passing waiter if he could turn on more, perhaps some of the standing heaters, and he informed us he could get fired if he turned them on but he would check with management. He disappeared and never returned. There were at least 2 more overhead heaters and several standing patio heaters that could have turned the patio area into a very nice waiting area and I’m sure the drinks we WOULD have ordered whilst waiting would have more than paid for the costs of the heat, but as it was, we were too cold for drinks. We froze for an hour outside while waiting for our table and many other people were standing around also, too cold to drink. There are a ton of restaurants in Tucson with outdoor patios that utilize patio heaters during the cold months. I don’t know if the owners of El Charro are just too cheap to utilize the ones they own or what the problem was but rest assured, we will never eat there during the cold months again. For that, they lost a star.

The chimichanga was invented here at this restaurant.
They said, ‘Tia Monica was frying taco shells and accidentally knocked a nearby burrito into the hot oil. When the burning liquid splashed onto her body, Tia Monica let out a common Spanish expletive that she barely managed to censor in the presence of her nephews to «Chi … michanga.»
so… I had to try their chimichanga. I liked it. I really enjoyed their chimichanga. Carne seca is also famous here but it was a-​ok for me.
Unfortunately, the service was very slow and not so attentive. I had to keep flagging the server for more drink and anything else I needed.
Since I’ve tried their world famous chimichange once, I think that was enough.

El Charro is the restaurant I think of first when entertaining out of town guests. It was one of the first restaurants I visited in Tucson and definitely stuck in my head as a great unique experience that I like to share with friends and family. I love the story behind the restaurant (can stake a claim on inventing the Chimichanga!) and the location here definitely has a ‘Tucson’ feel to it that can’t be replicated.
I do DEFINITELY suggest getting a reservation for any size of group if you are going during peak lunch or dinner hours. Both times I’ve taken people recently we’ve had to either wait for a while to get seated or just take some seats in the covered front patio area that lacks the fun ambiance of the historic building. It can also get very crowded and we’ve had long waits for food etc. in peak hours so this is definitely a place to plan to chat and take your time instead of trying to squeeze in a meal.
The food here has been consistently good every time we’ve been. It’s pretty standard mexican fare however, and if I’m with someone who –really– enjoys authentic mexican food, I wouldn’t take them here. I like to suggest the house-​made (on their roof) carne seca for people to try (not my cup of tea, but a specialty lots seem to enjoy). And of course a chimichanga has to make an appearance at some point! I personally like their carnitas burro ‘tri-​color’ with red and green enchilada sauce as well as queso.
Overall, a great place for a fun, authentically Tucsonian time.

Very busy, even though we came around 1:30 on a weekday.
Took a while to get our drinks initially, and chips, etc. food was worth the wait. Salsa has a unique and great flavor, you can tell it’s made fresh at the restaurant. The tortilla soup was the best I’ve had, very skillfully seasoned.
The Charro burgers were immense– our kids’ eyes about bugged out of their heads. And they were not disappointed, at all.
Everyone in our party of 8 was happily full and satisfied with their meals. Worth the wait, and our waiter even comped us all beverages for the extra wait. Highly recommend!

I’ve been here for lunch about 5 times now, and my experience has been very uneven. Today I had the Banderas trio, a chicken chimi, tamale, and carnitas with 3 color sauces. MIne was very good. My daughter and her husband shared the Carne Seca platter, more than enough for two people for lunch. My wife had the Pescado Tropical, which she has ordered before, and thought the quality had really gone backwards.
My biggest gripe was the slow service. For about 15 minutes there was nothing coming out of the kitchen except chips, and a lot of patrons were getting impatient. We went through two bowls before our food came. Also, their prices are high for what you get. There are a LOT of options for good Mexican food in Tucson, and theirs are on the very high end.
I go more often to the location in Oro Valley near my house, but we really like the ambiance at the downtown location.

This place was cool. We came here before a wedding for a couple of beers and drank them in the «Toma» section of the restaurant. Great prices on beer, by the way, $ 2.50 for a Barrio amber!
The bar area was a little cramped so we just stood around, which was fine — I ended up standing next to the free chips and fresh salsa.
I will likely come back here so I can review more on the actual food, but my first impression was definitely not a bad one.

On my last night in Tucson, I had been told from the locals I had to: 1) try carne seca and 2) at El Charro. Now they also told me this place is reputed as the origin of the chimichanga. And I LOVE chimichangas.
Built into a former house, the spot has a mix of patio and indoor seating. While larger parties were told a 45 minute wait, as a single person I got seated right away on the patio on the nice night (though the parking lot across the street isn’t exactly a mindblowing view), and before I could look at the menu received chips and salsa.
The menu has all the Mexican staples — burros, tacos, enchiladas, tamales, and marinated chicken and fish dishes. I was on a mission for carne seca, and might as well get it in a chimichanga. And elegante style! Should have gotten a combo…
Carne seca is like dry ropa vieja, and unfortunately I’ve never been a fan — I just don’t like my beef that way. While it’s not to say the food was bad, it’s just now that I know what it is, I can skip carne seca. Hey, I got what was recommended and its why I love crowd sourcing, but for those like me that don’t like shredded beef, there is a huge menu with a lot of other options.
I also got the Tucson’s Best House Margarita, which was very nice. Next time need to try El Charro Café 1922 Amber Ala.
The staff was great and friendly, the food huge, the drinks nice. I would come back again next year, probably for that Numero Tres combo.

5 stars for the vibe, 1.5 stars for the food, unfortunately. To the new residents to Tucson, my thought is that it there is no need to hold your breath to try this place out.
The food isn’t horrible. But it’s hard to go easy on the rating when El Charro serves mediocre Mexican food (by Arizona standards) with a 30 minute waiting line! I would recommend this place only if you’re a tourist to Tuczon/​AZ and have no understanding of Mexican food.
The vibe is lovely. the place has been open since 1922 and has a rocking house that has been converted to a restaurant. Wish I could just take a tour of the house instead.

My fiancé and I just ate here yesterday, and we absolutely loved the food so much, we’re going to have our wedding reception dinner here in December. We arrived during their «happy hour» and were able to get a great deal on a HUGE plate of nachos to try.
The food was great. I had the chicken enchiladas with green sauce and it was amazing. Just enough spice to feel the kick of the green sauce, but edible. Rice and beans as a side were good. My fiancé had a bean and cheese chimi that he says was very good. The nachos that we had were huge, and we really liked the chips that were used. The salsa here is very tasty. We also ordered a mini-​chimi sampler plate to try different flavors. It was to die for!
The only concern was that the service was a little bit slow. Drinks were refilled, but not promptly. It was very busy, so hopefully it will be a bit better the next time we come.

Food and atmosphere great but boss was in back yelling at employees and ruined our lunch from his yelling at employees in kitchen area. We used to take out of town guests here all the time and love historic area and menu but this was very embarrassing as I took a friend whom had never been. I do t know if I will come back and really loved coming here.
I asked to speak to manager owner and refused to come out I ran into Marcus manager owner and he became belligerent to us. We will not be back ! He offered us no resolution and was nasty to us!

This is the Old Timey Mex place in all of AZ let alone Tucson is my understanding.
I can rave about their Happy Hour. Good prices on some very basic foods.
Nice indoor and outdoor settings.
Parking can be an issue at certain times in this area of downtown. So that makes Happy Hour times even better.
They make their own chips. The salsa is very good. There is a huge supply of Jalapenos chips if you want to heat things up.
I have had a number of appetizers and they are all good.
This should be on your Mex places to try in Tucson.
Enjoy!