Charro Steak & Del Rey — Restaurant in Tucson

Ribeye steak was best I've had in town, even with it being Choice level quality, I was pleasantly surprised with the really good seasoning and flavor it had; I'd choose it over Silver Saddle and Cattletown by far and even Daisy Mae's (which I like). Now I didn't try any of the really high dollar steakhouses that serve Prime beef while visiting Tucson, so I can't compare to those, but this place does charge a premium price, so much so that I would consider it on the very high end of Choice beef pricing. In addition I really liked the complimentary chips and homemade salsa - the tomatillo salsa was excellent! I was also satisfied with the beer tap selection. My rating is 5 stars for the flavor of the meat and over quality of food, 4 stars for the prices/value, and 3 stars for overall wait staff/ambiance (5 for friendliness/good service and a 1 for odd behavior as you can read below).

While this place charges premium level prices, the staff do not live up to this level of pricing. Not that the staff were rude or anything like that, my service was actually pretty good at the bar the two times I came here earlier in the year. Interestingly enough though, I had similar observations of odd behavior both times I visited, which is an indication of a management problem. The first time I had told my bartender/waiter that it was my first time here and asked what recommendations he had and then I indicated that I was looking for a good steak; he went on with this diatribe of information noting how good the steaks were and that you won't find better steaks/prices at any of those high dollar steakhouses because the chef keeps everything local. I said "ok, so the steaks are Prime here then" after he provided a definitive "yes" he went on another diatribe of how good they were and pricing, etc. It was rather odd so I queried him about the steaks some more because he was talking them up with such a passion. At some point thru my querying he said "I'm pretty sure they're Prime, but let me go verify with the Chef" - I think he realized that he wasn't going to B.S. me. He came back and said "it's Choice steaks tonight bro". I remember it so vividly because I've never had someone talk the food up so much, provide some wrong information, and then come back with a responce like that. It was my first indication that something was off, however as noted, I was pleasantly surprised with the steak. If it would have been Prime beef I would have agreed with him on the pricing, but it was still an expensive cut of Choice beef. My second indictation that something was off was on the same experience, I kept seeing the hostess coming back to the hostess stand and reading her book in plain sight of everyone, which seemed odd as she wasn't even trying to hide it. Fast forward about a month later I decided to come back again and got the exact same ribeye steak, which was delicious again (2 for 2)! This time a different hostess, but similar behavior scrolling there her phone. Also this hostess was going back and forth behind what looked like a private area with sliding walls, however they weren't shut all the way, and she would pop some food in her mouth then come back out chewing it - she probably did this close to a dozen times. Additionally on this same trip a group of waiters, the hostess, and what looked like a manager were goof balling around right next to the bar area for quite a period of time. Again, not bad service, just behavior you wouldn't expect to observe at such a nice place as this. Apparently, I am really observant when I eat by myself, because I'm not sure anyone else noticed, but I must say that I've never observed this type of behavior at the other places I eat at. I will probably come back to this place again for the ribeye steak when I'm in town and see what other types of odd behavior I come across, but I would definitely not hold any type of business function here, due to the lack of...

had this place bookmarked to try since the Hubs and I love a good steak. I was pleasantly surprised by the clean edgy cool decor. It is like rustic cowboy ranch meets semi posh meets wide open spaces. High ceilings, not super cluttered and very casual yet classy feel. We had made a reservation on Yelp but did not need it. They have a lot of tables. The parking could probably be an issue depending on when you came but we lucked out and found parking right away given it was 5 on a Friday.

The hostess was sweet and seated us at a table by the window and we were facing the bar as well as kitchen down near the end of the restaurant. The reason I even call this out is that we had a great view of the entire restaurant which was not busy but there was a TON of staff, likely ready for a start of the weekend dinner rush. Our server came right away and told us the specials and took our drink order. He recommended the "El Maestro" cocktail. I went for it, actually went for two of them. SUPER tasty and spicy with tequila, sweet and sour, some OJ and jalapenos and fruit. My only gripe is having 2 inside of an hour, I didn't even have a little buzz (low tolerance) which tells me they pour super light. Annoying if you are throwing down 12 bucks for a drink.

The Hubs ordered the Porterhouse, I ordered the Filet. We got a few sides that you order separately and are not included -- Mac & Cheese, House Potatoes, Calabasitas. They bring you Charro Beans that are included along with warm tortillas. So the steaks were great, super tender and tasty. I did expect more from that Chile Verde Mac & Cheese (really dry), it was "okay" but the house potatoes was like their version of the scalloped potato and was seriously hardcore delicious. We ended with the PB & Choco Tres Leches... different and it had chocolate and peanut butter, I can't ever say anything negative about that combo.

The service was odd -- the server who shall remain unnamed, even though I remember his name -- was friendly/nice but seemed awkward. Maybe he was new, I have no idea but if you are working for a restaurant that has a semi pricey menu, you best be on the top of your game. After he brought us our drinks initially, he stood over at the bar... like the whole time. Someone else brought our food and got us situated with that... my El Maestro had been empty for at least 10 minutes, and he never once asked me if I wanted another. My Hubs had to ask for refills on his Iced Tea, twice from people other than our server. My steak needed a little more time on the grill, and if the Hubs had not waved him over he probably would have just walked back to the bar to hang out over there. It was not until he brought my steak back that I was able to ask for another cocktail, 30ish minutes after the first one had been sucked dry. The server was not intuitive with his guests, period. My guess is total inexperience, and this guy would be slaughtered in the server world in a bigger city. The place was not busy at all, particularly being so well staffed, so give this dude some extra training?

I struggled between the 3 and 4 stars, and 3 stars won out based on the lack of service. When I think about ratings, I have to put it in the context of the type of restaurant, price, etc. If I am going to pay these prices, service HAS to be on point. This is a nice Steakhouse with a Mexican flare and I am really glad I tried it, I am on the fence if I will go back. It is definitely unique and the food was good -- if you are from Tucson, at least give...

We had high hopes for a fine dining experience here at Charro as the hype around town has been significant. Given the prices we assumed the experience would be aligned, top dollar, top service and food.

We had reservations for our 18th anniversary and arrived an hour early to enjoy happy hour. Initial impressions were favorable with a nice acoustic guitarist entertaining the guests. We sat at the bar on the El-Rey side and ordered some margaritas and enjoyed the atmosphere. The bar tender was very nice and made us the drinks. Once we got the margaritas we quickly found they were very very weakly mixed, I’m sure glad they were happy hour prices. Not a good value and definitely not up to the heady digs we were in.

After the margaritas we transitioned over to Charro Steak for our Dinner, and were promptly seated by the hostess. Once seated my wife and I debated on whether or not to waste more cash on mediocre beverages, we opted for water initially then caved in for another round.

After looking at the menu we both decided on Ribeyes medium rare with a few of the sides. I was ready for a nice steak and had high hopes that the 50.00 dollar steaks would be the best in Tucson. Within a very reasonable time the food was delivered, but our steaks were well done, and the beans were cold. Immediately we notified a server and he removed the steaks to have new ones prepared. So now we are left with side dishes whilst they re-fire the steaks. I definitely wasn’t expecting this based on the hype and prices of their food. It is worth noting that they were not terribly busy. While we sat there with our sides (which should of been pulled and our whole meal been started a new) another staff member asked us if things were okay. We explained what was happening and he indicated he was going to get after it and insisted it’d be handled. Ten minutes later the new steaks arrive, our sides have been nibbled on and are now cold. No replacements were offered no discounts just a half hearted apology from Carlos. Never a visit from a manager nothing at all. So much for a romantic high dollar anniversary dinner n drinks. We so wanted to love this place but I cannot after the way they handled the mistake. We understand things happen and everyone deserves a second chance. The fact that they found it acceptable to just re-fire new steaks and leave the sides at that price point made me irritable, disappointed and distrustful of this restaurant and their team. I can tell you we’re likely not going back. When your team screws up please fix it correctly and chalk it up to the cost of doing business in the pursuit of customer satisfaction and retention. (They knew it was a special night for us too) All in 48.00 at happy hour, 167.00 for dinner and a 30.00 tip, yeah we tipped….Talk about salt in a wound…. You are welcome Carlos, wasn’t your fault but you were our representative and should of did the right thing and fought for us with management. Suffice it to say the anniversary dinner was a bust, we were ripped off by Charro steak. The correct responses to the mistake was to re do the whole meal and apologize sincerely. Charro you blew it and...