La Charrita Restaurant — Restaurant in Santa Clarita

La Charrita is a great Mexican place for adult vegetarians, vegans and omnivores--but not for vegetarian kids. We stopped by for dinner with high expectations to a have a solid vegetarian dinner, with some ambiance, and, for the most part, our expectations were met.

I ordered the enchiladas de mole' vegano, which consisted of 2 corn tortillas filled with organic jackfruit and covered in a delightful mole', served with vegetarian rice and creamy pinto bean sides. It was truly delicious. My wife ordered the las fajitas veganas, which was made with sauteed non-GMO soy chick'n, bell peppers, onions and a squeeze of orange juice. It came with 4 tortillas (corn, flour, or a combination). This was also very delicious, even after experiencing paper plates, plastic silverware and parking lot seating.

The positives: 1) finding healthy, hearty, authentic and tasty vegan/vegetarian Mexican fare (that's a rarity!) 2) friendly and attentive service

The disappointments: 1) outdoor seating consisted of 2-person tables next to parked cars; 2) paper plates and plastic silverware to eat $15 dinner entrees; 3) we promised our vegetarian 4-year-old he'd have a quesadilla at an authentic Mexican restaurant. Unfortunately, they could not accommodate this simplest of requests. After we finished our meal we were forced to go to a 2nd Mexican restaurant a half mile away that had a kids menu to fulfill our promise to him.

I believe I was generous with my 4-star rating, only because, to me, the quality of the food reigns supreme, especially for a vegetarian looking for good Mexican food. The rest of the experience is important, but recovering from a pandemic, and wanting to sit outdoors to keep our unvaccinated child as safe as possible, I can overlook the rest. Without the pandemic, i may have given 3 stars.

Overall, I recommend La Charrita for an authentic Mexican meal, especially a healthy and hearty vegan one. The ambiance may leave a bit to be desired, but the experience with still...

Went there with Jess Phoenix, who then was campaigning to become our next Congressperson, and she invited people to sit and talk with her about her hopes for our 25th District, once she'd knock out the current Steve Knight. Alas, she didn't make it, but that was all about money, which she couldn't get enough of, sad to say.

BUT, the food here is real MEXICAN Mexican food, and I went absolutely c-c-c-c-c-crazy for it, especially because I'm an ethical vegan (for decades), and there were so many great choices for someone like me! And the people who work (cook and serve and clean) there were all immensely sweet!!! I can't wait to find someone who would like to go there with me, Dutch Treat, so we can enjoy their delicious food together!

La Charrita is kind of in a hiding place, but persevere... it's worth finding and going into and ordering and enjoying, enjoying, enjoying, believe me!

AGAIN... I especially recommend La Charrita for all the vegans who live in and around Santa...

La Charrita was recommended to us after we visited The Gentle Barn as a delicious and flavorful place that has a vegan menu. We were very surprised to see how large the vegan menu was. It was very busy that day and the small staff were still very pleasant and helpful and took the time to ensure all our questions were answered and made recommendations that were perfect. The food was great! We ordered the Chimichunga with mushroom asada, Carne de Jugo and a couple street tacos...one with Adobada (soy curls in adobo sauce) and Nopalitos (Cactus). All very flavorful and delicious. I've never been to a restaurant where they serve soy curls so it was great to see as I've been cooking with those for years. We will be going back when we're...