Pedro and Mayra Sanchez opened El Charro, a Mexican and seafood restaurant, in Crawfordsville in 2012. Based on its popularity and success, they opened another one in Lafayette last year. The former home of O’Charley’s at Tippecanoe Mall now houses El Charro II. The food and decor reflect the vibrant style of the owners’ hometown, Guadalajara, featuring tacos, ceviche, fajitas, burritos, cocktails, and much, much more. A small cadre of the Dining Divas & Dudes visited El Charro II recently and wished we’d brought a bigger crowd when we saw the size of the menu.
Four regular DDD’s and guest eater Jackson had a hard time narrowing down our choices from the wealth of tempting dishes. Our charming Chilean server Daniela helped with the menu and answered all our questions. She also pointed out that they have great drinks and many events. You can find out about them on Facebook—happy hours, karaoke nights, mariachi from time to time.
We were all impressed with the house salsa and chips that greet you when you sit down. Iseral had been to the Crawfordsville El Charro recently and noticed the salsa there too. It’s kind of creamy, thick, and orange, not the usual bright red, and not too hot. We had an order of guacamole, which Iseral warned us might have quite a bit of jalapeño in it, which they do in Crawfordsville, but ours didn’t have it. It was very fresh with big chunks of avocado.
Jo’s vegetarian fajita was a standout, featuring a colorful mix of julienned and chopped vegetables cut to just the right size, substantial without being bulky, yet never too fine. Served sizzling hot on a cast-iron skillet, the dish arrived with an inviting aroma and a perfectly balanced seasoning that brought out the natural flavors of the vegetables without overpowering them. Paired with creamy guacamole and savory refried beans, each bite came together as a satisfying and well-rounded combination, with the seasoning from the sautéed vegetables tying everything together beautifully. True to form, it was very much a “Jo kind of lunch” fresh, flavorful, and thoughtfully prepared. She also generously shared her warm flour tortillas, which arrived wrapped in foil, with Iseral, rounding out both the meal and the moment.
This is an ideal restaurant for Linda, since there are many options that include shrimp. Let’s see. There’s shrimp coctele, shrimp burritos, shrimp ceviche, shrimp quesadillas, shrimp tacos, shrimp fajitas, shrimp tostadas, shrimp caldo, and more! Linda opted for the tacos, which she loved. Shrimp was succulent, perfectly cooked and seasoned, and served with radishes and cucumbers on corn tortillas. Linda will be back to sample the other shrimp dishes.
Kay had shrimp too, in the form of a shrimp ceviche on a tostada topped with avocado slices. Recommended highly by Daniela, this was a perfect warm weather lunch, fresh and citrusy. Ceviche is chopped seafood marinated in lime juice usually which ‘cooks’ the fish. This one was chopped shrimp, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, and cilantro on a crisp tostada and was absolutely delicious.
El Charro has daily specials and Fridays was chimichangas, which are deep fried burritos. Jackson opted for one with chorizo. There used to be a place in WL advertising burritos the size of your head, and this was pretty close. Stuffed with rice, refried beans, cheese, and chorizo, deep fried and topped with a white queso sauce and pico de gallo, it should have defeated Jackson, but he managed to clean his plate. Iseral had almost the same meal, but his was a chicken burrito, so different protein, and not deep-fried. But it was just as big, with the same toppings and looked formidable, in a good way. It did sort of defeat Iseral and he took some home for later. Both Jackson and Iseral appreciated the generous portions and comforting combination of all the food groups in the chimichangas and burritos and recommend them highly.
I think the DDD’s will need a return trip. Mainly so that Linda can sample more shrimp, but also because we left so many categories on the menu untasted. Please visit yourselves and take a crowd. You will be happy you did. The colorful décor, including walls of plants, are worth the visit, but you’ll also get some excellent food.
