El Charro Mexicano Restaurant

Food is good but service is a little slow. When food was served it was warm, not Hot like it had been sitting for a little while before being served.

Love love love this place!!! Usually get their shredded chicken chimichanga and horchata!!! Highly recommend this restaurant if you’re looking for legit Mexican food.

Living in Hawaii it’s hard to find a really good Mexican restaurant. So I was pleased when we came upon El Charro.
The food here was delicious and the service was very friendly.
We also went for a friends birthday and the staff provided a bunch of free desserts to help us celebrate.
The only difficult part of coming to this restaurant is finding parking. But once you do the experience and food is well worth it! We’ll definitely be coming back.

Service is horrible, I asked for hot sauce and it took them till the end of my meal to get it. i was promised a straw for my water and when i reminded the waiter 40 mins later he just laughed about it. Tables were dirty everywhere. Service was slow and they pay no attentions to you. Never going here again. i DO NOT RECOMMEND!

By far the best mexican food on the island at the best price! Great service, queso skillet and fresh stuffed jalapeños were on point! The Charo burrito with chicken had ACTUAL fresh chicken! Not the canned shredded stuff… unbelievable!
Definitely a new spot to frequent.

Sad to see the service has declined in this establishment. It’s the 1^st time we’ve ever had Jasmine as our server and while she was cordial she needs more training. She passed by our table multiple times with empty cups and failed up clear our stacks of plates after being boxed up.
We love the food as it’s almost the only authentic Mex on this island. I hope the next time we visit this isn’t the case.

So everybody knows I go to this restaurant at least once a week but when I went on yesterday (1÷12÷2016), I’m sad to say but I think they lost me as a customer… Here’s what went down: So, my youngest son and I went in for lunch and the waitstaff told us to sit at the booth in the restaurant, we sat there and as I soon as I put my purse down in the open space next to me, I looked on the window ledge and the biggest cockroach I’d ever seen laying there in it’s back! YYYUUUCCCKKKK… Now, I know this is pretty common in Hawaii but come on now! So, I got up and moved to a different booth. I thought about leaving, I really did but I stayed…(Don’t shame me) When our food came, I was to disgusted to eat but I got the strength to. My first bite was cold. I was more upset about getting cold food than I was about seeing a bug. I almost had the bug incident out of mind until two guys came in and sat at that very booth and they made a whole fiasco about it which at that point, completely disrupted my appetite.
Either way, it was a horrible experience and i will not be returning.

Very happy to finally try this place. When you drive into the parking lot it’s difficult to not go into Aiea Bowl to eat. Normally that place is automatic. Give this restaurant a chance.
I ordered the flautas and it was delicious. They also have a habernero sauce that is hot and tasty.
Service was quick, friendly and attentive. The chips come within a minute of sitting down.

Walk in on a Saturday, around 3:00 PM and there’s five tables occupied with dirty plates. No patrons, only the remnants of previous diners.
I typically don’t mind waiting, but the waitress appeared to be in a less than cheerful mood as she orders us to wait outside. No «please wait outside,» or «do you mind waiting outside,» but rather «wait outside and I’ll call you when the tables ready.» Really!!!
El Mariachi has better reviews

Nothing was open today (December 31 2015) but this place was!
I got the Carnitas and they were just AMAZING.
We got in and sat down immediately. Service was fast and friendly. Our server was so sweet. Once we ordered our food was out shortly after.
We’ll definitely be back

I’m a lifetime Mexican food lover who was referred to this place by a fellow foodie whose opinion I trusted (first time). Wrong move on my part. First impressions? This place looks like a dump (and not the good, hole-​in-​the-​wall kind). Realizing that doesn’t always mean the food will be bad, we plunged in anyway. But after sitting at the bar while awaiting our take out order, and seeing a seriously sparse to non-​existent selection of tequila, then looking down on the floor and seeing a huge dead cockroach at my feet, my enthusiasm for finally getting some good Mexican food dampened.
Stars of our plate? Two items were novel and tasty — both were appetizers. First, the chorizo-​stuffed jalapenos were fantastic; not too spicy and full of gooey cheese and flavor. Second, the carne asada fries were another unusual offering that hit the mark. A huge plate of fries covered with carne asada and melted cheese, topped with a pico de gallo salsa and sour cream and guacamole. A large and very tasty meal in itself. Unsure why no one else has thought of this.
Alas, the main dishes were as bland as Mexican could be. Regardless of the great appetizers, the dead cockroach in plain site has me wondering what the kitchen looks like. Coupled with the bland main dishes, I won’t be coming back.

We used to come here at least once a week. We knew all the waitresses and during the last few months they seem to have disappeared and the SERVICE now it’s is HORRIBLE.
They are short staffed and VERY overwhelmed, but bottom line is they are slow, and all over the place, today I had to ask for menus — ask for the check. No one checked on us at all.
I hope the owner reads some of these reviews because I just read several of the same problems with the slow bad service. So it’s not only me.
Looks like I have to find a new favorite Mexican food spot.

Well my love of Mexican food made me try this place again. My first review was one star, and we’ll that’s where it stands.
The service was slow, with barely any people in the restaurant.
For an appetizer we ordered the queso. YUCK! It tasted like it was microwaved cheese, the bottom of it was burnt and nasty. We took a bit each (just the two of us) and didn’t eat the rest. I should have taken a picture of how nasty it looked. Yuck. Avoid that dish!
We both ordered a Carne asada burrito. Which was pretty good. (for Hawaii) no complaints about the burritos.
However when our waitress was taking our order down after we repeated our order to her twice, she walked away, and then came back 5 minutes later to ask us what we ordered again… What in the world was the pen and paper for the first time?
Then it seemed as if all the staff went to the back of the house and there was only one guy in the front… On his phone. So we politely waited for him to finish his conversation so we could get our check.
It seems that it’s just one bad experience after another when going to this restaurant.
I won’t make that mistake again.
Here is my original review:
Happy Cinco DE mayo yeah? NO. Not at this restaurant. And I will NEVER recommend or go here EVER again.
Me and 3 of my friends went here for a Margarita for Cinco DE mayo, the restaurant was packed and the bar was completely empty. We made our way to the bar and the bartender looked instantly annoyed. We were polite and asked the bartender for 4 margaritas. She said that we should go to a different mexican restaurant so we asked where. Her reply was taco bell. Excuse me? Ok. Thank you for your pissed poor attitude and service we will gladly take our service elsewhere and NEVER return and be sure to tell everyone about our experience.
If I could give zero stars I would.
I have been here before and the food was decent but the service the worst. Last time I ordered tacos and I asked for cheese on my taco and I heard the waiter go back to the kitchen and told the cooks «the little white girl wants cheese on the tacos»
This place is a joke.

I love this place! On the island we really don’t have much mexican food that tastes authentic. This place tastes the most authentic and delicious.
My husband always orders the steak fries and I order the chilli Verde NOT delicious!
They don’t give refills on their chips and salsa, unless you pay extra. Chips are crispy and salsa is delicious.
Overall I really like coming here!

Located near the bowling Alley which signals for lack of parking especially around lunch and dinner.
The restaurant looked really small from the outside but surprisingly big inside. Ambiance is okay; it is a bit dark and gave a crummy atmosphere.
Service is okay; our waitress was really nice, although she seemed a little down. She was surprised when I asked how she was; she said most customers usually don’t bother to ask how they’re doing. (Sad but true, BUT if you’re reading this, you can change that.)
They have a good selection; including lunch specials. Chips are not stale and salsa tasted like regular store bought salsa. I was really hungry and ordered a chicken burrito which was divine! It was really good! In addition, everything are reasonably priced.

So here I sit writing this review as I am still here in the restaurant. I came in for a bowl of menudo at 1050. It takes forever to get seated in an empty restaurant. How long does it take to plop some soup in a bowl? Takes 15 more mins… then as I eat it the menudo is meh… then the kicker… I find a small black hair in my onions. Also they left bay leaves in the soup that broke down and constantly are getting stuck in my teeth. Feels like eating tree bark soup. At least the tripe is super tender.
It’s now 1145 and I’m still waiting for the bill… waiting…waiting…and waiting with no one coming by to even bitch about the hair in my food. Sigh…
Update I’ll give two stars since the waitress gave me a refund.

Unilocal 100 Review Challenge 2015: ⁵¹⁄₁₀₀
Believe it or not, this used to be my FAVORITE Mexican restaurant back in high school… probably because it was close to home. I hadn’t been here in over a year and decided on it because El Mariachi (also nearby) was closed until July 23^rd. I have returned to find over inflated prices and worst service than I remember.
Of course when you’re young, talking with friends and playing on your phone as you waited for service distracted you from noticing exactly how long you’ve been waiting. Well now that I am (a little) older, I have taken notice to the slow service (though this place has always been understaffed). It’s not unusual to enter this restaurant and remain lingering at the entrance wondering if it is self-​seating or someone will eventually acknowledge you, don’t worry, EVENTUALLY someone will seat you. I know this restaurant is small but still, you need more staff! As for the inflation in prices, everywhere has been increasing prices but for the quality of food and service, the price hike is just not worth it for me here.
The food was okay. I enjoyed the salsa, that isn’t the least bit spicy, but my SO stated it tasted plainly like tomato sauce. We ordered a Chimichanga plate (includes rice, beans, sour cream and guac) and though this place has always been skimpy on their guac portion, the amount we got this time was ridiculously minuscule. We also ordered a Taco Salad (see picture below) that had watery oil?! under the shell which made it soggy. I enjoy the cilantro in their pico de gallo but not enough to offset the Taco Salad that I struggled to finish.
Back to the service… we waited, and waited, and waited to get our bill. Then we waited, waited and waited to get my credit card back. And it wasn’t only us because I observed other people looking around, trying to get the servers attention. Like I said before, they are understaffed!
But the worst part of it all was when we got home and both of us had horrible indigestion (TMI?) I felt unsettled, unattractive and plain grouchy all night. My experience here was truly disappointing as this restaurant has fallen from what was once my most favorite Mexican restaurant.

Service: friendly, quick, she made some good suggestion
Parking: depending how busy the Alley is… There’s a few spots right in front reserved for the smaller restaurants… So parking is not a problem. There’s also lots of parking on the other levels too.
Food: it was… ok … It wasn’t horrible, but I’ve had better. The hot sauce made everything taste better tho… Maybe I’m a spicy freak because the stuffed jalapeños were good too. Although, for the price you pay, it’s not that bad.
We came here because the other place was closed.
Would I come back? Yes.
Would I recommend it to friends? … Maybe
Worth my money? … Kinda
I liked the atmosphere and how the restaurant looked on the inside. So … I might be back… Some day

Service is improved now, maybe because we try to avoid this place during the busy times. Still the best Mexican restaurant on Oahu.

Ordered a bunch of takeouts for office lunch. A little bland. Definitely needs salsa or salt.
Mexican food does not travel well, like Whatcha Fillin’s food, as it loses it’s glory when it begins to cool down. Definitely food that needs to be eaten as it comes out of the kitchen, while it’s still hot.
Better luck next time.