el charro restaurant & lounge

how disappointing!. ate here with husband and son, and none of us were impressed. between the three of us, we ordered an assortment of the menu, and it was all mostly bland. the relleno was lackluster, and was floppy. thetacoswere soggy- which was weird, because the service was incredibly quick, and we got our food after ordering in less than 10 minutes. the salsa for the chips was flavorless and watery. the best thing i had was the enchilada sauce on top of the tamal. i had heard good things about this place for several years, and can remember this place as a staple of downtown mesa cuisine since i was a small child. finally gave it a try around christmas time, and was not blown away. when we arrived, the dining area was packed, and the parking lot was nearly full, but i can't imagine why. this may be good for tourists and snow-birds that haven't had a lot of mexican food before. as for true aficionados, those of whom probably grew up in az, ca, or nm, it is not the real deal. i would recommend a small taqueria or even filiberto's before this place. was really disappointed.

el charro!. this past saturday, my girlfriend and i decided to have lunch at el charro, the mexican bar and cocktail lounge, located on 105 n. country club drive . the past few weeks i had been bragging to her that this was the best mexican food in mesa, and hoped that she would enjoy eating there as much as i do. i chose to order the three soft taco dinner, which comes with a side of beans and rice. on the other hand, my date decided to go with the two taco, one enchilada dinner.
while we waited for our meal to arrive, we were given chips and salsa to help the time pass more quickly. the chips are not really worth bragging about in their own right, but i still always find myself eating as much as possible. they don't come salted, but you are provided salt at the table, which you can add personally. you are given two different styles of salsa. the first is my personal favorite, and is much chunkier than the alternative. it consists of tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and other ingredients to give it its unique taste. the other salsa is more like a paste, and comes in a plastic tube which you can squeeze out onto the chips. it's not really my cup of tea, but they provide it for those who don't like the first choice.
our food arrived a few minutes after our order was taken, and it was delicious to say the least. the tortillas of the softtacosare soft, and feel and taste homemade. they stuff thetacosfull of meat and lettuce. the meat is full of flavor and juice, and i never can eat too much of it. they don't have all the stuff that comes withtacosat other restaurants: guacamole, sour cream, salsa, cheese, and the works. however, i don't believe thesetacosneed anything more! the meat and tortillas go so well together that any extra flavoring would just distract from what thetacosalready are. the spanish rice and beans are the perfect complementary foods for the tacos: they give your taste buds a rest from the amazingness of the tacos.
i also had the chance to taste my girlfriend's enchilada, and i have to agree with her in saying it was the best enchilada i have ever tasted. they load these enchiladas with cheese and sauce, and you can't help but shed a tear of joy while eating them. she also agreed that the beans and rice that come with the meals are perfect.
all in all, the food at el charro is amazing. i have asked many of my friends who eat there regularly what their favorite food is, and not one has given me the same answer. if you're looking for a relatively inexpensive place to eat that serves great food, then i highly recommend el charro. they just do mexican food right.