daren green

A quiet little restaurant in the heart of San Simeon which serves authentic and pretty good Mexican food. A classic Mexican menu with the upgraded cocktail list to go with the usual margaritas and beer. Great views of the ocean and if you time it right you might get a great sunset in as well. We were staying at the hotel next door and stopped by here to eat and we were delighted. Old school authentic Mexican food. You can't beat it.

+2

Alison Barnes

Great Mexican restaurant near the beach in San Simeon and right next to our hotel! Couldn’t have been better located! Good choices for vegetarians on the menu, we had the veggie fajitas and they were very tasty! Lots of seating indoors and a lovely seating area outside. Restaurant has a lovely garden area, and you can watch the sunset. Staff were friendly and attentive. It seems their dessert special is homemade Lemon ice cream, just wish I’d left enough room for this as it looked delicious and lots of fellow diners were very complimentary about it. If you’re in the area this place won’t disappoint!

+5

Very good small Mexican restaurant at San Simeon on Hwy 1. Very nice rustic ambience. Dined here in July 2021. They allow inside seating. You can also sit outside, enjoy the breeze and ocean view. Very courteous host and server. I recommend this place if you are driving by this location.

Akshay Bharti

El Charito Mexican Restaurant, conveniently located on US-1, is a great stop if you’re looking for satisfying Mexican food with friendly service. The location itself makes it easy to access, whether you’re passing through or planning a casual meal, and the welcoming atmosphere sets a positive tone right from the start. The food overall was quite good and clearly prepared with care. The flavors were authentic and comforting, making it a solid choice for anyone craving classic Mexican dishes. One highlight worth mentioning is their red sauce. While it had a rich depth and bold character, I personally found it a little on the bitter side. That said, taste is subjective, and others may appreciate its strong, robust flavor profile. Aside from that, the dishes were enjoyable and well presented. What truly stood out during the visit was the service. The staff was courteous, attentive, and genuinely warm, which made the dining experience even better. Orders were taken promptly, questions were answered patiently, and the overall hospitality made us feel welcome and relaxed throughout the meal. In summary, El Charito is a dependable spot on US-1 for good Mexican food paired with excellent service. While the red sauce may not suit every palate, the quality of the food, combined with the friendly and professional staff, makes it a place worth visiting again.

Arianna Hammer

The building was very clean but very quiet. The service was fast for only 3 employees. And the food was INCREDIBLE!! I got the Chicken Fuentas, and not only was the size big but very good! Fully cooked, not raw or charred. The bathroom was very clean and the server was very kind. I would definitely say they had a good amount of food. The options was scarce but traditional meals. The ice cream, OH MY GOSH, they hand make it, and it is totally worth the price! The meals were all about $20.00 each, but you get a lot of food for the price. I would definitely return.

The food here was generally ok. Serving portions were on the small side, in particular, everybody in my family complained about the beans, both black and refried. My lady said the green sauce was sour, without any heat. And l pretty much abandoned the rice, as it was tasteless. So they may have forgotten to prepare it last night? Otherwise okay, but nothing special. I won't rush back....

Don B.

We have been here many years ago during vacation. And we were happy with everything. This vacation we passed by and it was a no-brainer to have dinner here again. In a few words, the service was not good, it took ages before we could order. Nobody stopped by after serving to check if we would need something. Refill of drinks came when we were leaving the restaurant. The food had "very natural" tast, no spices or salt on anything, regardless of meat, beans or rice. Only the salsa was pretty hot. Portion size was very small. No creme fresh or some lettuce on for the fajitas. Tortillas were on request only - never had that before.

David Molner

We just finished our tour at Hearst Castle. We were hungry and quite a ways before we would get into town for lunch. Driving down the coast and caught this place through the corner of my eye. Great location but also not much else in the area. We walked through the door and th out it was closed until we found someone in the back. The place was clean but a little run down. Decent menu but food was average. I liked my plate but my wife was not happy. When hungry and not much else in the area, don’t hesitate but don’t go out of your way for this one. Only saw one person working there. She was pleasant and helpful.

+7

Tero Rissa

I would give 2 and 1/2 if possible. Their $40 burrito(!) is not worth having unless you are really starving and every other place nearby place is jam packed. The salsa that comes with nachos is clearly straight from a store bought jar, enchiladas and quesadillas are very close to store bought pre-made ones. The only saving grace is that the shredded beef is ok and hence the one additional star, but even that is ruined with low quality salsa. And if the $40 didn't illustrate the point clearly enough, everything in here is grossly overpriced.

Deborah Soares

Milk was spoiled, service was excellent, food was not so great, mole was the worst I ever had in a Mexican restaurant, and I LOVE Mexican food, salsa was terrible. I had 2 combo, the beans were good. Not much else I can say for the place unfortunately no

This place is nice, that's all. The food is NOT MEXICAN AT ALL, it's not authentic. The rice was undercooked. I ordered an enchilada, a tamale, and a tostada. The enchilada tasted bad; the chili seemed canned. The tamale was hard and dry, as if it had been frozen. Don't stop at this place unless you can't tell the difference between fresh Mexican food and frozen, processed food. The staff is friendly.

Catherine Astorga

Ordered 2 cheeseburger one was raw when I went back to inform them they stated the owner would get back in touch with me. So apparently they do not care either. HORRIBLE!!! BUT NOTE THE LOCATION OF THIS AREA IS BEAUTIFUL

James Kuzma

The food here is both terrible and overpriced. I ordered carnitas that were extremely dry, with flour tortillas that were hard around the edges. The rice was overly salty, and the beans were served at room temperature. We also tried the chicken flauta, which was flavorless, and the sides were just as disappointing as stated above. The only redeeming item was the salsa, but even that was dragged down by the stale chips. Despite only ordering 2 meals and waters, our bill was still over $50, which feels outrageous for the quality received. This place needs real cooks, not crooks. With food and service like this, it’s hard to believe it’s still open—hopefully a restaurant with actual quality and integrity will El Chorlito's place.

Monique “Momo” Martinez

This place looks amazing, the food and the service not so much! I order chicken fajitas and they were not that great, I order chicken tortilla soup and it tasted like a can soup, no tortilla or other condiments with this, no flavor tasted like the inside of a pot pie, the hard shell beef taco was ok. Sadly the service hurt this rating, had me waiting, the waiter wasn’t there, one of the hosts was a bit rude. At the end I try to support local small businesses but this wasn’t a good experience.

+6