El Charro - Tucson, AZ

Posted By Michael Stern on December 22, 2001 11:33 AM

El Charro is a century-old mission-style home now expanded into a multi-room restaurant, bar, and gift shop. It is a fortress of Southwestern foodways.

The tostada grande, created here by founder Monica Flinn, is a broad cheese crisp known on many local menus as a Mexican pizza. Most people get it with a thin veneer of creamy melted cheese on top; other options include green chilies, guacamole, air-dried beef, and refried beans. El Charro’s round-the-world version is a majestic appetizer, served on a pedestal, garnished with fresh basil leaves.

Carne seca is a Tucson passion. El Charro’s is cured high above the patio in back of the restaurant, where strips of thin-sliced tenderloin hang in an open metal cage. Suspended on ropes and pulleys, the cage sways in the breeze over the heads of customers, wafting a faint perfume of lemon and garlic marinade into the fresh Arizona air. Sautéed after it is air-dried, carne seca is customarily served in concert with sweet onions, hot chilies, and tomatoes, making an explosion of flavor like no other food. El Charro has a full menu of tacos, enchiladas, and chilies rellenos, plus such rarer regional specialties as enchilada Sonorese (a patty of fried corn meal garnished with chili) and chalupas (small corn meal canoes filled with chile, meat, or chicken and whole beans). Beyond the indisputable goodness of these hearty meals, the kitchen offers a full repertoire of nutritionally enlightened fare – lo-cal, lo-fat, good for you, and good tasting!

El Charro is noisy and sociable, almost always packed with tourists, Tucsonians, health nuts, and burrito hounds who spoon up fiery salsa picante with corn chips and drink Tecate beer served in the can with a wedge of lime on top. Mariachi music sets the mood as the sturdy wood floors veritably rumble with the crowds and the air fills with the inviting aromas of hot tostadas grandes. Wall decor is a kaleidoscope of vintage south-of-the-border advertisements, straw sombreros and rawhide bullwhips, and years’ worth of El Charro calendars, many of which feature melodramatic scenes of Mexican horsemen (known as charros), proud steeds, and pretty maidens all making flirty eyes at each other amidst stormy landscapes. The calendars are a house trademark, and a good memento of the high spirits of an El Charro meal.

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Posted By Anne Ritchings on September 7, 2008 3:53 PM

Established in 1922 by Monica Flinn, El Charro is a much-loved Tucson institution. On our two visits we sampled several of the mainstays on the menu and we weren't disappointed by anything we tried.

I ordered the "original" Charro-style taco, which the menu describes as "a legend filled with passion and opinion. 85 years ago, there was only one way to truly make a taco: form a ground beef patty, fold it in a tortilla and fry it in a pan. This is how to do tacos, and if you want a taste of history, give 'em a try." History never tasted so good!

My dining companion ordered the Cabo soft taco with grilled chicken, which she loved. On our second visit we had the flautas Famosas and the El Charro carne seco and chile relleno. Interestingly, they make their chile rellenos with Anaheim chilies. These don't have nearly the flavor of the New Mexican green chile, which is exactly the same chile. Apparently, it really does make a difference where the plant is grown. Still, it was a tasty dish, one I would happily order again.

For dessert we shared the pumpkin tamale. What a fantastically rich, decadent dessert.

I would happily return to El Charro.

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Tamales Dulces

Cabo Soft Taco

Chiles Rellenos with Carne Seca

Flautas Famosas

"Charro Style" Taco

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Posted By Steve Godwin on May 6, 2008 11:07 PM

In the old days, El Charro was one of the best places to go in Tucson for Mexican food. But not any more. The Flores family has evidently partnered up with The Metro Restaurant group and sadly, the food has lost a lot of its original flavor and has become much more mainstream American.

On a recent visit, we ordered a topopo - the signature salad - and the waiter asked if we wanted it with raspberry vinaigrette. That may sound just fine to anyone unfamiliar with Tucson cuisine, but for us locals, it's sacrilege. The salad itself was duded up with all kinds of things that no self-respecting topopo would be wearing, including some little deep-fried crisps that reminded one of the crispy noodles from Chun King chow mein (which were great, mind you -- but not here!). The salad tasted OK and the veggies were fresh, but it was more American than Mexican.

El Charro is fine if you're not looking for a great regional dining experience. But sadly, the new management is trying to make the old restaurant over into a dynasty by watering down the food, opening up more locations and becoming a "brand." They even have a toll-free number and sell space in their menus to advertisers.

There are so many better and cheaper Mexican restaurants in Tucson. Try El Torero, El Minuto, Casa Molina, or El Guero Canelo. For more upscale dining, you simply can't beat Cafe Poca Cosa.

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Posted By Roxie Kellam on January 13, 2004 1:04 PM

We found this restaurant to be highly over rated. The service was indifferent, the food ordinary and way too expensive for it's ordinary quality. This was by far the most expensive Mexican meal that we had - and not worth it. Perhaps it was once great but it resting on its laurels. One of the dishes was so salty that it approached in-edibility. The chips were ok - thin and salty (kind of par for chips) and the salsa was tasty. The drinks are expensive for Tucson.

We had Carne Seca Topopo and the Three Mole Enchaladas. The Topopo was ok - a bit salty (perhaps to be expected for carne seca). The topopo presentation was fun - a volcano! Best were the carrot, avocado, jicama around the volcano of chopped lettuce with chipotle dressing (ok - could have been tastier - more "dressing" than chipotle flavor)and carne seca. Not appreciated were the batons of boring yellow cheese.

The Three Mole Encaladas - were highly salty, boring sauces (hard to find the flavor with so much salt). Best was the chicken and mole and machaca and enchalada sauce - really bad was the seafood and ??? sauce (was THAT supposed to be garlic - couldn't tell - something white and gloppy). Cheese and seafood does not go together!!!!!! Well, maybe some white crumbly Mexican cheese but certainly not yellow boring cheese. Speaking of cheese - sooooo much of it - all over the enchaladas - what are you trying to hide??).

In general the food seemed to lack distinctive flavors - muddled would best describe the flavors. (did I mention that the food was oversalted - including the chips!).

The margaritas were ok - not my style (I'm a lime and tequila type - no sweet and sour) - but expensive $7.

The service was indifferent. Not that we waited for the food - we didn't. In fact we were seated right away and got drinks and ordered right away. But it wasn't welcoming. Seemed like UA students - who really aren't interested in the food or making your experience enjoyable.

We would not go back. There are so many better Mexican restaurants in Tucson - better food and less expensive.

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