I will never be returning. Our waitress was incredibly rude and had no personality. One of the managers brought us our food and was extremely rude. My food came out with ingredient that were not listed on the menu and that I don't like. Finally our waitress gave us the bill an proceeded to wait right next to our table until we paid. I was extremely unimpressed with this restaurant.
Review Source:Their service sucks sometimes, but their food is exactly what you want when you want Mexican. Â Yummy queso and STRONG margaritas. While the margs seem expensive, they're worth the money; they can just take a while to finish. Â Typical Mexican, nothing special, it's amazing if you're in the mood!
Review Source:I went here for the first time last week and totally enjoyed my Tilapia fish tacos. Â The margarita on the rocks was pretty good and definitely got buzzed from the small sized. Â It comes in three different sizes defending how much buzz you want to catch. Lol. Â Going back here again with my Biatch, James and my new friend, Ms. Hutton Negron for drinks and dinner.
Review Source:Dump....
This place is disgusting. Some of the other reviews say the food is good. I don't know. I couldn't get that far. Â
I have never been grossed out by a menu before, but I was here. They were so sticky and dirty that I didn't even want to touch them. After I asked the waiter to wipe it down I still didn't want touch it. The waiter asked me to hand it to him (after ordering) and I asked him to pick it up as I didn't want to touch it. He loudly said, "Seriously?" and gave me a nasty look.
That was enough for me. I walked out immediately. I was already grossed out by the whole restaurant and didn't want to deal with his attitude.
I can't imagine ever returning.
I have been here a handful of times and each time it has been terrible! One time I ordered a chicken taco and it came back soggy and I got sick from it. Another time when the place was empty service was extremely slow- it took 20 min to get drinks, another 20 to get them to take the orders, and when I managed to flag someone down and asked for a box? The box never came. So I took the plate. No one noticed. Probably the laziest and worst wait staff I have ever encountered. Also they will not accept ID's that are not drivers licenses (like temporary DL or birth certificates) I understand that may just be a precaution but I don't think someone would forge a birth certificate to eat a La Cha.... The wait staff usually can't speak English either, so hopefully you know some Spanish. Not a good place for Mexican food, but they are popular because of their bar area and their margarita towers.
Review Source:Not amazing, but pretty good. Nothing to apologize for.
The ingredients are pretty good, but it's tourist-grade in terms of spicing. It's flavorful traditional Mexican food with predictable entries. It's fresh, and well prepared. There are lots of seating options and the wait staff is professional and helpful.
As mentioned in other reviews, it's just a bit bland, and it's not edgy in any way. It has the convenience of being near the IU campus, and has plentiful parking. It's adjoining a motel on the N side of Bloomington, and is somewhat easily accessible.
It's crowded, but has plenty of booths and seating for different size crowds. Vegetarians will find good and plentiful choices, but vegans need to read the menu carefully. Omnivores will find plenty, including the usual combination plates. They also serve breakfast dishes, which I didn't try. They seem to do a fairly large liquor business, but I didn't try that, either. Overall, it's clean, friendly, reasonably priced, and bland.
This is definitely Bloomington's best Mexican restaurant. My partner and I waited for our entrees for only 4 minutes tonight. The waitstaff is friendly and efficient. As my partner finished his drink and was about to set it on the table, our waiter magically appeared, taking his glass and refilling it before he could put it down. The margaritas and daiquiris are good. The food is consistently good. I'm not comparing it to Mexican restaurants in SoCal because that's just not fair. When compared to Bloomington's other options, this place is your best bet.
Review Source:The food is good and the salsa is great. It is by no means a great mexican place, but I have always had a good meal. They have pretty good margaritas too.
It is kind of funny because while most of it is a family restaurant, there is like another room that is kind of like a lounge. They play BET music videos in this lounge. It is hilarious. You are just sitting there dumbfounded but cracking up at the same time.
Maybe i'm just spoiled when it comes to mexican food, being from southern california, but this place wasn't that great. At first, I was encouraged by the fact that everyone was actually speaking spanish, but that didn't amount to much.
I ordered the especial dinner that basically is a sampler of several dinners on the menu. The proportions are pretty huge, and that goes for the beer too. But the food is just kinda bland. It really needed done hot sauce, which I never received.
That brings me to my next point, The service was not good. Granted, I came a bit early for dinner, it was just before 6, but that doesn't make it okay to ignore a customer. Basically, after I got my food, I never saw my waitress. She was really nice when she was around, but I really wanted some frigging hot sauce to spice up the bland food.
I can say, you get a hell of a lot of food for the price and the food isn't terrible, but it also isn't great.
I was staying next door without transportation so my options were here or Steak n Shake, and little time before they closed. Â After reading reviews I didn't have high expectations but it fell even under par of that. The menu I was given was covered in someone else's greasy cheese fingerprints and cheese, which was an unappetizing greeting. Â The upholstery on the benches was filthy, and where I sat Iingered some kind of funky smell reminiscent of a pre school or dirty diapers. Â It took 15 -20 minutes before I was asked to place my order. I decided to play safe and keep it simple by ordering a beef taco, chicken chalupa, guac tostada combo. Â I managed to confuse 2 waiters with the fact I only wanted guac and no meat on my tostada, not to mention the other meat choices were thoroughly confusing and it took 5 reiterations of my order for my waiter to get it right. Â Each item from the combination came on a separate plate and at different times. I had to ask 3 times for sour cream and hot sauce, which I had ordered initially. Â The food was mediocre at best. Â Apparently the chalupas here are just tacos with very soggy tortillas. Â The salsa was bland. Â The atmosphere was full of loud, obnoxious, rude college kids. Â The reviews that said this place is good if you've never had good or real Mexican food were exactly right. Â The service was mediocre but friendly but I would never come here again even if it was my only option.
Review Source:La Cha is your run of the mill mexican restaurant. You won't be super impressed by the food but you won't be let down either. The menu is extensive and you're sure to find something that looks appetizing.
I have a special attachment to La Cha since it happens to be the place where I met my girlfriend, but I'm perfectly fine with only eating there once a year if we're feeling sentimental and want to celebrate our anniversary.
I was contemplating giving a 4th star for the beer towers but I'm not giving out novelty points. With a large group they can be a great deal. I love my margaritas but La Cha's doesn't quite quench my thirst.
One of the better if not best Mexican in btown. The back bar area is an awesome spot for dinner and drinks. You can't go wrong with the margaritas or the beer tower. As far as food goes stay away from the fajitas, the chicken is dry and the beef is too tough. Stick with enchildas, chile rellenos, or the combo plates and you'll be  happy!!
Review Source:La Charreda... or Casa Brava?! Same place!
Standard Mexican food, not too exciting, not too bad. I've had the tacos, enchiladas and tamales there, none of which stood out as really tasty. However, every time I'm definitely full when I leave, probably due to the chips and salsa.
Make sure you go at lunch where you can get a giant meal and drink for around $10. Don't go at dinner where the prices go up 50%.
Overall, it's not bad but very far from being exceptional.
LOVE this place!!!! Â Staff is awesome, super friendly, drinks are huge and really really strong!!! Â My ex and I went in once and man! We got the monster margharita with a floater (haha it was one of my last weekends before moving far far away)... the guy brought the margharita out and then brought a pint glass almost half full of tequila bc I told him I dont like all the sour restaurants put in margharitas and if he could put less in that'd be great, even if it meant not filling the cup to the brim... he filled the cup, it was strong and not sweet at all, and then he brougth the pint glass on top of it! Â OH MAN! Â Foods good too, awesome atmosphere, just stinks that its so dog-on far away! Â Luckily cabs in btown are the cheapest.
Review Source:My friends like meeting up and eating here but I've been here maybe 5 times and each dish I had wasn't satisfying, I didn't even bother to wrap it up to take home. The dishes aren't visually appetizing. I have nothing again Mexican food, whenever I'm at Uof I, I go to Dolce Reales every time. One major thing that I was disappointed was how hard it was to find some Orchada. The only reason why it's 2 stars it because the soup is good and the service is nice.
Review Source:After reading about the legendary cheese sauce I just had to try it. It was much like touching the electric fence when you were a kid, you knew it was going to be a jolt but you did it anyway. Needless to say, the cheese did not disappoint.
Best re-fried beans I've ever had, hands down.
Fast friendly service, nice atmosphere, and no kids or TV's as was previously mentioned. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for good Mexican food in the area.
We were trying to find somewhere to eat and ended up here, after striking out a few times (apparently closed down, not open on Mondays...). We were also missing Mexican food, being from a town with a lot of Mexican folks who do some fine cooking.
We tried the cheese dip as suggested. We noticed a lot of other people eating it, too. Â I don't think it is an authentic Mexican dish, but it is tasty! Â We just had the plain cheese dip for around $3.50, not the one with the Chorizo.
We also had a chili relleno, which was nice and crispy on the outside but I think had white American cheese on the inside, a burrito/enchilada combination with a thick dark red sauce, and something else....it escapes my memory, hence was not memorably bad or good.
They are in the process of painting the interior. I always like to see a restaurant caring enough to update its dining room. Â Hopefully they finish it up soon, since it looks like a construction site! Â I chatted with several of the servers, who are from Mexico themselves. Â They missed the more authentic Mexican food, too.
I liked La Charreada and would eat there again if I lived in Bloomington. If you live in Bloomington, enjoy it, but next time you come west for vacation be sure to get some Mexican to see how else it can taste.
My favorite restaurant in Bloomington! Â The service is gruff but superfast, the drinks and large and strong, and they give you unlimited chips! Â What more could you ask for? Â THE QUESO!!! SOOO GOOD. Â The platters are all pretty good, but usually I filled up on the chips too much to eat much else. Â
I can't wait to visit B-Town again and go to La Cha!
After making this restaurant one of my mainstays for 4 years during college, I seem to deem a Mexican restaurant's worthiness based on whether or not they have cheese dip.
Let me tell you...not many restaurants in Chicago, or the Midwest, have the creamy, smooth, spicy white cheese dip that La Charreada offers! So when I come back to Bloomington about once a year, eating at this establishment is an absolute must.
I always order the fajita quesadilla. I love this because it's everything I want from the huge, sizzling orders of fajitas, but for a fraction of the price. The chips here are so light and non-greasy- perfect with the cheese dip.
I also love coming back to this place as a non-college student. I can appreciate how cheap the drinks are. The huge, gigantic margaritas are only $12. I think the beer tower is around $10. Very cheap prices for huge drinks. Last time I went here I was so surprised to see the La Charreada Lounge! Faux suede walls, swanky light fixtures, and flat screen T.V.s. I thought it was pretty tacky, ironically wonderful, and hilarious.
Me an my girlfriend went to all the local mexican places we could find and came to the conclusion that this place is the best in bloomington! The food is really cheap at about $10-15 per dish. Each dish is easily good enough for 2 meals so it would be ideal to split it with the person you're with. Best of all, they have these ridiculous tower beers that are HUGE! Best place to pregame on a bar night!
Review Source:La Charreada has fantastic Mexican food if you're like me and from the middle of nowhere. However, the staff more than makes up for the good food -- I've been here three times, and the service seems to get consistently worse. I don't know if they think it's that I'm a college student and I tip bad (I tip well anyway--always leave at least 15%, though if they were nicer they'd get more), but they completely ignore my table, food arrives after an hours wait--normally after it takes them about 30 minutes to get my order in the first place.
I still go back, hoping that maybe it was just the last time that the wait staff didn't like me. I've gone once by myself, once with a friend, and once with a group, however, and each time the service has been horrible. The food is still good though...so if I have a lot of time on my hands, I'll go back!
I don't actually know what abbyladybug is talking about. I go there on a very regular basis and have never seen kids there...its a college restaurant pretty much. Plus, there are no televisions, so I think she has it mixed up with some other joint, maybe La Torre...
Charreada as justin says has THE best queso...but yes, getting it can be difficult, I've gone 3 straight visits before ordering it but not receiving it. But its the most delicious thing ever.
My two favorite things by far:
--Burrito La Charreada: chicken or beef burrito, topped with lettuce, tomato, sour cream...with rice and beans on the side
--Fajitas Jalisco: chicken, beef, and shrimp fajita with the positively most amazing flavoring ever!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, that rice, speaking of it--the flavor is AMAZING! And it has little chunks of potato in it to toss it up a bit!
I come to Bloomington just for the cheese dip. Â Nevermind my friends and the fun times I have: the queso is my best friend. Â
One thing I have noticed is that if you call it "cheese dip" you can't get it hardly. Â Refer to it as queso and it's there instantly. Â
I think I may have to get some tonight.
It's close to a 5. It really is. The food is AMAZING. And man, that cheese dip. YUM! The ceviche tostadas are really tasty. I've had several menu items, and they are all good.
My complaints are weird. The family that owns the place often has their kids there at night, so they are sort of running around a lot. Also, the TV is generally up too loud, and either the kids or people who work there have it up pretty high on Spanish language stations. i just find it irritating to be on when I'm there to eat... especially when the kids have control of the remote. The channel tends to change a lot at those times!
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