El Charrito Taqueria — Restaurant in Aiken County

First of all, please do not go here if you are looking to drink. They do not have their liquor license yet. That being said, DO come here to eat authentic, amazing cuisine and have some of the nicest service around!

This place is SO underrated around the area because it is new, and not many people know about it yet, but they should! I'm going to do this review in the reverse order of the star ratings. Let's start with the atmosphere. It's a quaint place, decorated with some flags and a bright and cheery mural on the wall. There are tables and booths available, and normally, you can sit wherever you like. They will bring you tostadas (1 per person) instead of chips, and you are able to visit the salsa bar at your leisure. Pay attention to the labels. Some are very spicy. Extra tostadas are a small upcharge.

Now, for the menu. Read it carefully, maybe even twice, and ask questions! Some things listed are spicy and do not say they are. I went in not expecting this and got a tamale that was way too spicy for my palate. That was NOT their fault, but my own. I didn't ask enough questions. If you don't recognize something, please ask them. They are more than happy to explain things to you! They also DO NOT have southern-style sweet tea. A great, tasty alternative is their hibiscus tea. I know you're rolling your eyes right now, but please just trust me and try it. It is so good! They also have another one, but I didn't try that one... too hooked on hibiscus.

Let me talk about service now. The lady who is the waitress is super sweet but struggles with some English. Be patient with her. She is wonderful and extremely helpful. She always has a smile on and is glad to help you with any and everything you need. The male waiter is amazing. He is bilingual and often helps the lady when she does not understand something. He is so polite and willing to help you with any and all your questions and needs. He is so sincere with everything he says, and he makes you feel like family. Their hospitality makes the experience that much better, and they honestly are a major part of the reason we return. The great food is just a plus.

I have had a few different things at this point, including salads, enchiladas, rice, refried beans, and chorizo tacos, all with slices of avocado. Everything has been delicious save for that spicy tamale I mentioned earlier, and it was still really tasty, I just can't handle spice well. My fiancé is hooked on chorizo tacos with lime. Everything we have had was exceptionally great and never took long from ordering to receiving it, even though it all tasted very fresh.

We have eaten at this establishment over five times over the course of two months, if that tells you anything. Oh, and did I forget to mention that their prices will not break the bank? For the same price you would pay for two "cravings boxes," you get a full, authentic entree here. Seriously, what are you...

Decided to try this place on a Friday evening because I have heard they had good food and they had good reviews. To start with, it was hot! Hot enough to make you sweat in there. Granted they do have some fans going to provide a little breeze but it was still hot. Especially when your sitting there an hour waiting for food it's hot! Maybe the AC was not working but if so tell us. We get our meals ordered. I ordered the chicken burrito and the waiter tells me it does not have cheese but they can add it if I want. So I tell him sure, add some cheese. Then we wait and we wait and wait. Everyone else is getting their food but not us. Several families come in after us get their orders placed AND get their food, but nothing for us. The waiter comes by and does apologize for the long wait which had been about 45 minutes by that time. They do not have chips that you normally get at a restaurant so nothing to snack on other than super spicy salsa from the salsa bar. No mild. I ask the waiter why we have not got ours yet while everyone else coming in after us had and he says he will check on it. He comes back and says. Oh , they just put it on so it will be coming in five to ten minutes. Five minutes later my husband gets his and then my son gets his about five minutes after that and then just about as they are almost finished eating mine comes out. I had ordered a chicken burrito, so it should not have been too hard to make. Thinking now I can finally eat! I see these huge white chunks in the burrito. Im thinking it's the chicken but no...it's huge chunks of cut up cheese inside the burrito. Not melted but just solid pieces of cheese. By this time I am hot from the heat, mouth on fire from the salsa, hungry and tired of waiting. I show the waiter and tell him I thought it would be shredded cheese not big hunks and to just bring me a to go plate and I will take it home and heat it up there. Thinking the cheese would melt and it would be ok once the cheese had melted. We pay our full bill and leave. Get the food home and I microwave it....apparently this is a cheese that does not melt well and I end up having to pick the chunks out. And still could not eat it as it was dry, tasteless and unappetizing by that time. Needless to say we won't be back. I understand things happen but just too much went...

My husband and I recently moved to Aiken and have been eating our way though Mexican resturants in order to find one to replace our amazing place back home that we went to every Friday night where we were treated like family.

So far, we have tried at least a dozen places in Aiken and North Augusta and have been disappointed (severely by some)...UNTIL TONIGHT!!! El Charrito Taqueria has ended our search!

The salsa bar is awesome- especially the tomatillo sauce, which was excellent! My husband ordered the smoked pork chops with ceamy Chipotle sauce and I had the pollo asada taco plate.

The tacos were fresh and bright with well-seasoned, tender chicken and plenty of onions. The accompanying beans were quite good and the rice was probably the best I have ever had (and I am picky about my rice!).

On to the smoked pork chops! The two huge bone-in chops had a deep, smokey flavor and the creamy Chipotle sauce was hands-down phenominal! You truly have to order this dish!

We also ordered churros, and they were absolutely PERFECT! Crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside, with just the right amount of cinnamon sugar.

The service was just as good, if not better, than the food. Our waiter was the son of the owner and he was such a trip! He had us cracking up all though the meal- we have not had that much fun at a restaurant in a long time! In fact, he did such a good job that his Mom really should help him buy that new pressure washer for his side business (Trying to do you a solid here, kid. Hope it works!).

Really, this place is great! You will not find better Mexican food in Aiken or...