El Charro Loco

What a find! First, we walked in and there was a tiny panaderia, or bakery, with some of my favorite sugary treats — that alone is worth stopping for. After checking out what we would have for dessert, we sat and munched on chips with an excellent salsa while perusing the extensive menu. I ordered the spinach and chicken enchiladas with rice and beans, husband got the fajitas, and kids chicken quesadillas… The presentation of the food borders on beautiful. Everyone enjoyed their meals fully. Mine was so large I had to take the left overs to go. Our waiter was charming and struggling with English, which only made the experience all the more authentic. We finished up the meal with some bakery items — yum. Only drawback, and I would suggest working around it by getting the meal to go, is that they do not served beer or wine. Next time we are in Moab we will be going back to El Charro Loco!

WOW! This place is legit. Ordered fajitas and they were unlike any fajitas I’ve ever had. This place has now ruined me as no fajitas will ever be the same again. You’re probably wondering how fajitas could be so good… seeing/​tasting is believing!
Hope this place survives because I want to eat here again on future Moab visits.

big burritos ! great food! best mexican food here. and now selling freshly made bread!!!

We’ve eaten at every restaurant in Moab that offers Mexican dishes, and El Charro Loco is easily the best. The restaurant does not front on Hwy 191, but look west across from the Chevron station and behind the Chinese restaurant to spot it. The modest building and décor belie the exceptional food.
Tonight we had fish tacos and tacos al pastor. My wife loves a good fish taco and is frequently disappointed. Not so tonight; she gave them an «excellent.» The fish portions were generous, and the fish was mild and perfectly prepared. The al pastor pork was very tender and given a distinctive flavor by the marinade.
The food and presentation will be a pleasant surprise your first time here. This is not «fast» Mexican, so be prepared to anticipate your meal for a few minutes. Definitely worth the wait. El Charro Loco is a great little restaurant that rates as a dining highlight in Moab.

Stopped here on the way out from Arches and wow! It was delicious. Had the pineapple charro loco fajita for one and two of us ate. Another family member ordered a quesadilla it was also really good! And the burrito is huge! You definitely get your monies worth! Great service too! Our food came out super quick! Would definitely recommend if you are driving through Moeb!

First, the website attached to this restaurant is NOT the right one!
Second, this place is fantastic! The food is hot and yummy and original. Keep in mind that this is a new restaurant and they are just getting things functioning.
If you are in a hurry or expect the super fast efficiency of a long time establishment, this is not the place for you. But, if you want excellent food, friendly service and something to tickle your taste buds, this IS the place!
The sauces they use are different, the one that came on my vegetarian plate (bean burrito, cheese tostada) was a creamy cheese sauce; oh my goodness! I’ve never used the word «rich» when describing Mexican food but this truly was.
My husband, who looooves Mexican food, couldn’t say enough good about his steak and chicken chimichangas.
We will certainly be back when we come through Moab again.

My wife and I decided to spend Thanksgiving night in Moab. After reading the reviews on Unilocal we decided to try this little place. We ordered the beef fajitas for two. The presentation was a bit different than what we were accustomed to but the food was AMAZING. The meat was tender and flavorful with lots of peppers and onions. I don’t remember when I’ve had better rice and beans. We’ll be back.

Wow. I was unsure what to expect. The restaurant area was small, nothing fancy. At first glance, the menu looked just like a run of the mill Mexican resaurant menu. I found something unusual and ordered it (spinach and chicken enchiladas and fajita style nachos). I was pleasantly surprised with both dishes. The sauces were uniquely flavorful and the dishes were beautifully presented. The portions are huge (not that we minded ;).
I would absolutely recommend this place, especially to weary climbers after a long day on the rocks.

Excellent service and authentic mexican food. This is not Tex-​Mex so be warned if that is the version you prefer. Also, there is no alcohol served here. I will be back, there are a lot of mediocre restaurants in Moab but not many great ones.

Don’t sell this little off the beaten path hole in the wall joint short! The service was great, the prices see fair and the food was fabulous! My friend had chicken fajitas and wow! What a great presentation of a very generous serving. I had quesadilla supreme. An absolutely delicious shrimp creation that stopped me and I admit to having a big appetite.
The ambiance is what you would expect. Nothing fancy but neat and clean. If I ever come through Moab again I will be sure to stop here again!

Really good. The service was fast, the portions were generous, the food was great. I had lunch special #1 which included chile rellenos, chicken quesadilla, and refried beans (or rice) for like 8 bucks.
They also have really delicious horchata and house made hot sauce (which is good, since the food wasn’t that spicy even if it was flavorful).
We got an order of sopapillas to split as well and it warm, chewy, and a little sweet.
Totally worth it.
For a quick lunch in moab I’d definitely recommend it.

Good hole in the wall old school Mexican. Good portion sizes and a fun option for Mexican food in Moab.

Food was ok — we had the fajitas for two. Portion size was very generous and good value for the price. My only objection was the presentation. It came sizzling to the table with the cheese and sour cream already on it. A bit too much.
The food by itself would have garnered maybe 4 stars, but the weak spot was the service. It was really slow and the water glasses went dry — I hate that. The restaurant was pretty busy and service improved as it cleared out. But the poor server really needed some training. Her inefficiency in delivering meals and refilling water was torturing me (literally one plate at a time). Anyway, good place, just have patience and don’t be hangry.

The food was amazing! I had the enchilada bandera and my husband Carne Asada! Everything was very well prepared!

Delicious and fresh. The fajitas were sooo good. Portions are pretty big and reasonably priced. The homemade flan was amazing. The only thing I didn’t like was the salsa– a little watery.
The place is small but clean. Our server, Carla, was very nice and funny and her food recommendations were spot on.

The food was delicious and the service was amazing! Recommend the piña loco-​stuffed pineapple. Life changing! And so reasonably priced!
A little difficult to find. Right behind the Chinese restaraunt. Take the time. It’s completely worth it!
We’ve been talking about it since we left and can’t wait to find something as authentic in our home town.
We could say more but words don’t do it justice. Just do yourself a favor and pay them a visit.

My girlfriend and I went in here extremely hungry from a long day of hiking at Arches, she was in the mood for Mexican so we settled on El Charro Loco. First impression of the place is that it isn’t anything special at all, it’s tiny and looks like it would serve Chinese take-​out. We were promptly greeted by the one server who was probably the daughter of the owner and she quickly brought us waters and chips and salsa after we sat ourselves.
The menu was a little bit confusing, but everything sounded really good and different from a typical Mexican restaurant. The restaurant was at about half capacity at this point (5 tables including a 5 top), so it took the server a little while to get our orders, but my girlfriend got the pina loco fajitas and I ordered the burrito chipotle.
The food came out quickly though, considering there appeared to be just one cook and the dishwasher helping him as much as possible. By now the restaurant was completely full though (9 tables, this place is tiny) and the server was working her ass off and seemed to be handling it well, though one table did appear to leave early when not being greeted after about 5 min.
Anyways, the FOOD: It was amazing, some of the best Mexican I’ve ever had. Both dishes were presented beautifully, like nothing I’d seen before. The chicken in my chipotle burrito had an amazing grilled flavor and the grilled peppers inside added a good amount of spice and flavor (definitely not too hot though). The chipotle appeared to be in the sauce that was on top of the burrito and went perfectly with everything inside. My girlfriend’s fajitas were just as flavorful and visually appealing, plus it comes out in a freaking half a pineapple!
It didn’t take us long to be done eating because we were so full, and we had enough food for another meal left because the portions are nice and big for their price. At this point we were just waiting for a box and a check, but the server was working hard to take care of everyone so we probably waited 15 minutes. The dishwasher was helping out with busing and filling waters and chips now, so we got him to bring us a box and not long after the server brought us our bill.
Overall we had a really good experience and definitely enjoyed the food. They just need one more person working there that can help when it gets busy (Friday night), because the dishwasher wasn’t quite enough especially since he also had work to do in the kitchen. The server did an amazing job though, but one person could only do so much. We were fine because we’re pretty patient, and most of the tables there appeared to be, but if they want to up their service to the high level of their food then they need a little more help.

In Moab on vacation and based on reviews decided to try this place. It’s a little hole in the wall and if you blink you’ll miss it. Try not to.
The food was excellent. My fiancée and I ordered the Charro Loco Plate for two. It is amazing. A mix of chicken, shrimp, and steak served with pineapple, peppers, and onions in a hollowed out pineapple. They said it was for two, quite honestly it could serve 4. Presentation was nice. Rice and refried beans served on the side in a separate dish.
We were so full we didn’t order anything else, but the entire menu looked delicious with tons of Mexican options. The food tasted fresh and not pre-​made.
The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was the décor, which is not fancy and reminiscent of a takeout place, and the TV blaring Spanish language programming on the wall, as well as the fact that there are no alcoholic beverages available. But if you’re looking for good Mexican food this place is tough to beat!

We stayed at the hotel next door. The kids wanted the Chinese place next door but I wanted to try this place because of the good reviews. Got the chili rellenos, they added unusual ingredients, it was interesting and I enjoyed it.
I have to laugh at the reviews that say this is authentic Mexican. This is mexi-​moab fusion. It was good and the portions were big. The kids meals were a little pricey. but they got filled up.

So I went back the next night and tried the pineapple fajita which was suggested to me by my server Javier.
It was epic.
Half a pineapple filled with steak, chicken and the biggest, succulent, thick super jumbo shrimp … The size of a silver dollar, six of them. I was amazed.
These are not the chain Mexican restaurant shrimp… the size of a quarter.
So now El Charro Loco is two for two. I’m sorry I’m leaving tomorrow, but if I’m ever even close to Moab I’ll stop in. Just found out they are open for lunch.