Mi Charrito Taqueria

Oh no, Ernesto, I’m so sorry to hear this bad news, (This day is very sad for me finding this out… I wish you and your family well. Please take care! I’ll always remember Mi Charrito and your friendly face, thank you!

CLOSED: A large menu of tasty food; friendly owners. Highly recommended… Now gone.

Hole in the wall, good food and good chances of a telenovela playing. Wish it cost less, but U-​District rent can’t be cheap.

Good food. I wish they were open later hours. Their horchata and potato taquitos are amazing, yum.

Ok this is the 3^rd time I’ve had Mexican this week so my palette is definitely sure when it’s underwhelmed.
First off when ordering, the guy was busy playing on his iPod. He seemed friendly to the other customers and he was by no means /​rude/​, but it just didn’t sit well with me, I guess.
I got the 3 taco plate with the beans and rice with lengua, asada, and carnitas (same set up I got at Taco City USA). I’m starting to use this line up as my «judge a place by its tacos» routine. The tacos were completely flavorless — I had to douse it with the watery salsas which were ALSO pretty flavorless. The rice had these sad, discolored vegetables mixed in that looked like they were from a frozen bag mix. The beans looked and tasted like they were out of the can. This combo was also $ 1 MORE EXPENSIVE than Taco City :\
Décor wise it has a random sink on the wall in the middle of the dining space. Probably due to lack of bathroom or something.
Although the food wasn’t «omg awful, 1 star» rating, I’m actually a little worried I might get sick from eating here.
Hop on the 48 and go to Union and 21^st for Taco City USA if you’re wanting some tacos. I haven’t been to enough places to say it’s the best or anything, but it’s not that far and it’s leagues better than this place.

Love this place. It’s a hole-​in-​the-​wall which bizarrely has a hand washing sink in the dining area, yet no restroom. Still, they make great food here. The potato tacos make my mouth water just thinking about them. Their salsas are tasty, their guac is solid, and my girlfriend swears by their pork. There is always a soccer match on television, which adds to the atmosphere.

As I said before, burritos are decent but nothing amazing. BUT. I went in a few days ago and on a whim ordered the churros advertised on the wall. They took forever getting out, but apparently that’s because they’re freshly fried! I’ve never had churros outside Costco, but these are absolutely amazing. They come with powdered sugar and caramel sauce on top, with fresh whipped cream on the side. Searingly hot, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, they were absolutely delicious.

What can I say? They’ve gotten even better.
Also, vegetarians: They’ve added some more elaborate vegetarian items to their menu.

Mi Charrito is one of the places I would come by fairly often when I lived close to the U District, but haven’t come to in a couple of years just because it was out of the way for me. It was always tasty and solid, and it’s the same now that I’ve stopped by again for the first time since. I got the #1 combo plate: three tacos with refried beans and rice (black beans are, from the available signage, available on request). Rice and beans were nothing special, although still tasty with some salsa verde, and the tortillas on the tacos could have used some time being grilled before being plated, but everything was fresh tasting and my food came out quickly. It was a little pricier than I expected, $ 10 before tip for my combo and a soda, but by no means unreasonable or out of line with other establishments in the neighborhood; and while the food perhaps isn’t the most authentic (and I’m no judge, either), it’s definitely tasty and better than a lot of other «Mexican» joints I’ve had in Seattle.
There’s a random sink in the dining area… I think its actually pretty cool, you can wash up right then and there, saw a couple customers doing it before their food came out.

I hate to rate a place off one experience but I think one experience might be enough. For 6 bucks I got the supreme cabeza burrito… it had almost no meat of any sort whatsoever… the burrito was of reasonable size and overall tasted pretty good… but still… where was the meat?! The food however seems authentic enough… I always like to rate a Mexican joint on their salsa… and their green sauce was deeliiiicciouuuss!!!

Yay, an authentic Mexican restaurant in the U-​District! Having just moved here from San Jose, CA, I really wanted this place to replace my old Mexican fix (Chavez Super if you’re familiar with the Bay). So…
I stopped in for lunch during my break and decided to grab a burrito. The location is very good, just off the Ave. The atmosphere was pretty quiet and pleasant, not the mob of students getting their fake Mexican food at Chipotle.
The place itself has the grimy/​hole-​in-​the-​wall feel going for it, which I think is totally required for a Mexican place. I personally like the random sink for washing your hands in the middle of the dining area (no public restrooms though).
The guy behind the counter was awesome. I asked if I could get their super burrito without onions and he’s like, «Whatever you want, amigo.» Ah, now that’s what I like to hear. It’s good to see the people actually running the restaurant were Hispanic, so they know what they’re doing.
The menu is bountiful and super cheap. To mimic my old standby, I grabbed a super burrito with al pastor (spiced pork) and a Mexi-​coke (the cokes in a glass bottle with real cane sugar) for around $ 7.
I sat down and was admiring the futbol playing on the TV when my food came out. That was fast!
With all this, seems like a 5-​star, right? Well, as much as I liked the place and the people, the burrito was severely lacking. It was really dry and had a lot of rice and beans. The salsa/​sour cream/​guac were on the outside… why not put them IN the burrito? And the al pastor was too finely shredded with little taste. Overall, it was a bland experience. I guess on the positive, it wasn’t super huge, and the coke was good (as always).
I plan on coming back and trying a few of the recommended dishes according to Unilocalers, but if I’m looking for my old standard meal, maybe I’m out of luck. Maybe I’m spoiled from CA Mexican, but I REALLY hope Mi Charrito can save itself. I’ll be back!

One of the first things that struck me here was the partial bathroom located right inside the dining area. A full on sink, soap, and towels right by your table. Yep, snazzy!
At least they are kinda ‘promoting’ sanitation. Either that or they don’t want you to see the back bathroom.
Its not a bad place, but it could some better upkeep. A family run business, they were super friendly and accomodating to our little group that walked in 30 min before closing. The menu was pretty expansive and authentic — the only thing I sampled there was the horachata; a rice based drink that tasted like milk with cinnamon. Refreshing but not amazing. At least I got free refills of it.
This spot is better suited for those who want more authentic and less Chipolte inspired Mexican food.

One day, I craved Mexican food. Being from California, I tend to have slightly higher expectations for Mexican food, but I doubt that the U. District of Seattle would disappoint. Well, this place delivered the ‘disappoint’. Time to break this shit down…
Atmosphere:
Eh, I don’t really care about it usually, but it really is a hole-​in-​the wall feel. Generally, they’re inversely related to the food quality, but I’m afraid that’s not the case.
The Food:
I ordered a chicken enchilada, and it tasted like it was microwaved. The tortilla tasted terrible and had a very viscous texture. The sauce wasn’t anything to write home about. The rice was OK, but I paid for a chicken enchilada with a side of rice — not rice with a side of chicken enchilada.
The Service:
The guy behind the counter either had a bad day or was an asshole. He had a heavy attitude, and he was very rude to our entire party. The menu was poorly organized, and I had trouble figuring out what to order. He seemed extremely annoyed at my confusion to their menu, as he always sarcastically commented on my questions regarding the menu.
In conclusion, don’t go here. You’ll save money, grief, and disappointment. My trek to find good Mexican food continues.

I can’t believe I never got around to reviewing this place. Mi Charrito has been my go-​to U District taco place for about a year now.
Listen. These five stars aren’t for the whole menu. I tried a couple of items at random, and wasn’t blown away. The burritos are kind of dry and beany. I once found a weird beige thing in my carnitas. The menu is confusing, scattered over all the walls and the door. But after a few visits, I tried the tacos al pastor, and haven’t been able to order anything else since.
The combo #1 comes with rice, beans, and three tacos. The rice and beans are forgettable. Forget them.
Each taco comes with two tortillas. This is necessary, because the sheer mass of spicy, greasy pork in each taco would rip through a single puny tortilla. On top of the meat is a pile of onions and cilantro. Yes, you’re going to need a breath mint later.
There is a procedure that must be followed for optimal taco consumption. Select a taco; I like to start with the middle one. Give it a generous squeeze of lime, and douse it in sauce. (The red and green are both quite good.) Fold and pick up your taco, and hold it at a forty-​five degree angle. This is a shallow enough angle to keep the meat from falling out, but steep enough for the fluorescent orange grease to drip out. Depending on whether or not your health insurance plan covers bypass surgery, you may discard the grease or use it to flavor the rice (which, you may recall, is otherwise forgettable). You may now commence eating.
You’re welcome.

Mi Charrito is legit. It’s the real deal.
It’s a bit of a «hole in the wall» type of place, but the food is the most authentic Mexican I’ve had in Washington. BY FAR. This is the food I grew up with. This is authentic.
I’m. In. Love.
Futbol in espanol adds to the atmosphere.

The menu looks a lot more exciting than you might expect from a taqueria in the U District, and I’m sure this is a far superior place to eat Mexican food than Don Eduardo’s or Memo’s. Although many of the specials just seemed to be other menu items wrapped in a flour tortilla, the selection of traditional dishes is rather broad.
However, they don’t exactly seem to try very hard at actually preparing the food. My torta was already a bit soggy by the time it reached my table and was filled in such a way to suggest that they were really just dumping iceberg lettuce and taco fillings in between two slices of bread. As a result, a non-​trivial amount of iceberg lettuce and cabeza (tender, if not especially flavorful) ended up all over my plate every time I picked up the sandwich. Boo to that. The meal was somewhat redeemed by the tasty red and green salsas I was given as an accompaniment.
Mi Charrito is a very good choice if you are desperate for Mexican food but are trapped in the U District. If only one of those conditions holds true, I would advise heading elsewhere.

Yummy authentic food at a good price and friendly staff. It’s a winner! I had the enchiladas suizos. The green sauce is yummy, with heat up front. The chicken was yummy and the beans were squishy delicious. The rice was ok.
On the ambiance, many Mexican restaurants in Mexico and Texas have a TV. It’s not my ideal, but it is authentic. I like the sink in the dining room. It gives me a great chance to wash my hands, especially since there’s no public restrooms.

Let me begin by saying that I have lived right off of the Ave for four years now and have witnessed any and all sorts of disgusting things. This restaurant counts as one of them, and I will not be returning.
The first time I went there, the food was ok, nothing spectacular, but the place was dingy. The second time, I ordered two things (one for me and the other for a friend) to go and both wound up having random clumps of hair in them. Absolutely appalled and disgusted.
Also, the chicken they use looks very, very questionable (at least to my eyes)
I would rather walk the block to Don Eduardo’s where the restaurant is clean, the wait staff is friendly and there are no surprises in my food.

My whole experience at Mi Charrito Taqueria was a surprise. Good spice and flavored food– quaint atmosphere– nice and kind service!
I went in armed with my most polite– I don’t care if you are mean– attitude after deciding I WANTED MEXICAN on a blustery Saturday and only having the ability to walk to lunch in a short time period. I read the reviews from previous people and got the impression I needed to be on my game to eat here.
When I approached the order counter, I was instantly asked for my order– to which I stated I was not sure yet. The worker replied with «well, everything is really good» and laughed. I was off to a nice start… I ordered the Chipotle Enchiladas, which came with rice and bean, and received a smile from the order taker.
I settled into one of the many tables and positioned myself to watch the Futbol game that was on the TV in the corner (next to the ghetto hand washing station*). My food came quickly and I was told «hot plate» when it was delivered. I am use to this comment– having been to Azteca one too many times– so I smiled and nodded. My server responded with «The food– the food is hot– spicy» and followed up by bringing me a glass of water after setting the plate and repeating a similar statement.
The food had an authentic chipotle flavor and the two sauce smothered enchiladas were filled with lots of shredded chicken. Not much cheese was present and a dollop of real sour cream sat on a pile of lettuce. The half plate of rice and beans were piping hot and basic is flavoring– but tasty.
I was checked on a few times throughout my meal– always with a question about the spice– to which I replied with a smile (it did make me hiccup– but it was not too bad). When I left the server, was busy taking another order, he bid me farewell– very sweet.
FYI’s~
* Food is a 3+ and food + service + vibe= 4
* It is easier to figure out what you want to order from the pictures out front on the window or plastered on the walls because the menu behind the counter is extensive and you can get lost in it
* Basic burritos on the menu are about $ 5
* Plates (item + rice and beans) are about $ 7 + tax
* They offer a potato burrito and a chile rejeno burrito
* Space feels like a clean college spot hole in the wall

I can’t knock this place… the food ain’t bad.
The prices, however? A little more expensive than I’m used to. I guess I’m spoiled by Rinconsito’s amazing fast food prices. Even though chorizo was on the menu it wasn’t available when I was in. Boo :(For $ 10, I could do better, but in the U. District? This is probably as good of authentic Mexican as you’ll be able to find.