I've literally been coming here since the market first opened. Back when I was a kid, it was a neighborhood market that also served hot food. Folks would go to church across the street and then stop in to grab food to go. My favorite was the tamales, crispy potato tacos, and chili verde burritos. My grandfather would ride his bike over and buy a packet of tamales and two frozen chocolate covered bananas for my brother and I when we were kids. Was in Salinas for a reunion and had to stop by. I was surprised to see that the mini market was gone, instead the place is a hot plate food to go with drinks and snacks. Place has been fully renovated to a modern look with seating on the side of the building and a long queue that fills up and goes out the door. I was warned about the long queue and wait for tortillas. Since I can't sleep well in hotels, I got up early and headed over. Roads were practically deserted, got there around 7:30 am on a Sunday and I was about the 10th person in queue! There's about an army of staff working the hot plates so the line moves quickly. The tortillas are no longer in a bin near the front door, they're located now behind the register with a maximum order of two packages per customer. Yup, they're that good. One of my coworkers who also grew up in Salinas has a funny saying that in her family, guests have to be tortilla worthy to be offered a El Charrito tortilla! My nephew wanted to know why they were so good, I told him it's because they're made the traditional way with lard! While in line I had noticed the tortillas being brought to the front counter, since I was at the end of the queue, I went over and the cashier offered to place two packages aside for me. This turned out to be a blessing because by the time I got my food, which was a mere 10-15 minutes later, all the tortillas were gone and folks had to wait for them. I had ordered my two chili verde burritos and two chili Colorado burritos and noticed that the Carnitas looked yummy. Ended up ordering another burrito with both chili verde and Carnitas. Do yourself a favor and ask for extra meat, it is so worth it! Stowed my goodies in the trunk because I was having breakfast before we left. Later on the road, checked and the burritos were still lukewarm, I was curious about the combo burrito and decided to eat it on the road. Gave the hubbs a bite and he loved it so much that he took over the burrito which is very rare for my fussy eater! Even after sitting for several hours and only lukewarm, it was probably the best burrito I've had in a long, long time! I'm just so sad that they got rid of their tamales because their tamales were the best!

The lines are super long on Sunday but they go by pretty fast. The tortillas are hand made and you can tell and if they aren't well gosh darn they have amazing tortillas They don't have indoor seating since it's a To-go type establishment but they do have a bit of outdoor seating at the patio but sometimes they don't have their chairs out. The food is very reasonably priced specially when compared to chipotle and other places like that. This place has legit burritos that aren't the Americanized ones if you get me. The meats have really good flavors and the salsas are good. I wish they carried Yerba mate or celcius but they only carry redbull and monster :( The ladies working are super fast and efficient. Highly recommend this place for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. GREAT BURRITOSSS

A ten year update. Nothing new, still a great burrito and even better tortillas. Service is good but if you call it in it's way better. The lines are almost always long and you'll probably wait at some point. Not much to look at inside but it's clean...please move up! Last words...always.

Went out on a limb and decided to stop in Salinas for some Mexican food. I'm now so sad this is so far from the bay! We got 2 beef and potato taquitos and a chile verde burrito. The taquitos (which I think of as a fried rolled taco but this one was a fried taco), were so perfectly crispy and flavorful. I added crema and guac which costed extra but so worth. Also their salsa verde was perfectly spicy and I wish I could've just purchased that on its own! My boyfriend got the burrito with pinto beans, rice, guac, pico de gallo, and chile verde. The handmade flour tortilla is some of the best I've ever had. It was extremely fresh and soft. The chile verde was also super tender and paired well with all of the other ingredients. There is only a couple of tables outside but it seemed like everyone was getting their orders to-go! There's a good amount of parking that has quick turnover. We were in and out in about 20 min on a Sunday afternoon!

El Charrito is a true gem in the Salinas area, and it has a rich history that adds to its charm. By far, they serve some of the best homemade burritos I've ever tasted, wrapped in delicious flour tortillas that perfectly encase all the flavorful goodness they prepare. Whenever I travel from Ventura County to Salinas, I make sure to bring a thermal container to pack a couple of these amazing burritos for the trip back! The taste is simply irresistible. The staff at El Charrito are incredibly nice and helpful, making every visit a wonderful experience. If you're in the area or passing through, I highly recommend stopping by for a burrito that will leave you craving more!

Hands down one of the best handmade tortillas I've ever had and truly the star of the show! While the burritos are on the smaller side, all ingredients are prepared fresh and it'll still get you full. Usually I don't like excess tortilla on the ends but it's so delicious I didn't mind today. Plus, you can't beat the price -- only $6 for my burrito!

Pre ordered 20 mins before arriving because I've heard that the line can be long around lunch time. When we arrived we still had to wait about 10 mins before our food was ready. The line was in fact a little long but the food is so worth the short wait. I ordered the Pollo Guisado (chicken burrito) and it was delicious. El Charrito has the best tortillas I've ever had in my life. This location has no indoor seating but works very efficiently with the assembly line to order. There is a large variety of soft drinks and agua frescas for sale. The cost here is hard to beat for the quality. I would certainly recommend this location to anyone and I can't wait to come back.

Giving 5 stars here. Fresh, crunchy, meaty chips. Not those weak paper thin ones. 6 flavors of salsa but I took the hottest. Immediate sweat beads. Also took some guacamole to quench and the smooth creamy freshness sank in. Stuff was fresh! Meats all looked good, smelled good and were smokin hot. Fresh made flour tortillas. Carne asada tasted just right. Wife got pork something or other. We both agreed that the whole experience was a five. Oh! The price! Being the cheap ass that I am, carrying cold beverage, I got out of there with a big, too much to eat, tasty dinner for under 20! The same burrito I just ate woulda cost 15.99 in the Bay Area. Quality shop, great service, hot tasty food! Winner!

The reviews on this place were great and I'm always down for a good burrito so we popped in for lunch on the way home from Monterey. It's in an industrial part of Salinas so for a tourist like me, you'd definitely have to seek this place out. Plenty of parking, there is a dirt lot in the back. It's definitely a no frills kind of place, the type of place where it seems like you get a lot of locals/regulars coming in. The line was out the door but it moved relatively quick. You can get burritos, tortas, or bowls, and there's a nice selection of meat options. Being my first time here, I got a carnitas burrito (a good standard for comparison), my wife got the pollo guisado burrito, and we got 3 taquitos for the kid. The burritos here are cheap, less than $5! Of course they are nowhere near as huge as the "mission style" burritos that can come as bit as the Rock's forearm. One may not be quite enough to fill up someone who is very hungry but it's nice having a smaller option. The burrito was good, the carnitas were juicy and their tortillas were handmade! I was a little disappointed in the taquitos. I was thinking rolled tacos but they were fried little pockets, kind of like the size of an empanada. A little overfried, a bit burnt and dry, I'd take a pass on these. Besides the burritos/tortas/bowls, there is a great selection of drinks and chips to pick up with your meal. No tables inside but there are some outside tables you could eat at.