Yuma · West 8th Street · Family Mexican since 1949
El Charro Café
A family-run Yuma institution since 1949, serving Lola Gutierrez’s Sonoran-style recipes: cheese crisps, chile rellenos, tamales and big plates with margaritas.
Opens El Charro’s Toast page, with the menu and takeout ordering. Dine-in is first come, first served as far as we could find.
Details checked October 2026
Type
Mexican restaurant
Family recipes, Sonoran-style plates and margaritas
Price range
$$
Yelp’s price level; menu prices aren’t posted online
Hours
Tue–Fri 11–8 · Sat–Sun 10–8
Closed Mondays; online ordering shows a 7 pm close
Time needed
About 1 hour
Our estimate; expect a wait at peak times
Parking
Free off-street lot
Per Tripadvisor; no posted RV rules
Since
1949
Family-owned; in this building since 1970
On the menu
Cheese crisps, rellenos and tamales
El Charro serves Sonoran-style Mexican food from family recipes, many of them Lola Gutierrez’s originals, with homemade tortillas, a full bar and flavored margaritas.
Photo: Zekerags on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Start here
Start with a cheese crisp
The Arizona cheese crisp, a big flour tortilla baked flat under melted cheese, is the dish Google reviewers mention most here (44 reviews). Share one at the table, then order a plate; the restaurant has named the steak Mexicano, chile relleno dinner, albóndigas and green chile enchiladas as its most popular dishes.
RV tip: portions are big (91 Google reviews say so), so one plate and a shared cheese crisp can make lunch and dinner for two.
Also worth ordering
- TamalesNamed in 35 Google reviews.
- Chile rellenosA house favorite, mentioned in 29 Google reviews.
- ChimichangasMentioned in 25 Google reviews.
- MargaritasFlavored margaritas come from the full bar.
Why go
A Yuma family table since 1949
Tony and Lola Gutierrez opened El Charro in 1949, cooking Lola’s recipes, and in 1970 the family built the larger restaurant at 601 W. 8th Street. It is still family-run, and the Yuma Sun’s Yuma Stories series sat down with the founders’ granddaughters in 2026.
It holds 4.6 on Google from more than 2,200 reviews, one of the highest scores on our Yuma list, and Yuma Sun readers voted it the best Mexican food in town six years straight through 2023. Reviewers praise the generous portions and fresh chips and salsa; a few find some dishes dry or the service slow when it’s busy.
For RVers it’s a classic Yuma meal about 9 minutes from Suni Sands and about 15 minutes from the parks off I-8 Exit 7, and Monday is the one day to skip.
Photo: Wotancito on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Why it made our list
- Family-owned since 1949
- 4.6 on Google from 2,200+ reviews
- Voted Yuma’s best Mexican food by Yuma Sun readers
- Big portions and a full bar
- Online ordering for a night in at the RV
For RVers
Taking the rig to El Charro
The practical stuff we wished someone had told us before we pulled in.
Bring the tow vehicle
Tripadvisor lists free off-street parking, but El Charro posts no lot size or RV rules, and 8th Street runs through a neighborhood. Unhook at camp and drive in.
Skip Mondays
El Charro is closed on Mondays. Tuesday to Friday it opens at 11 am, and on weekends it opens at 10 am.
Go early on weekends
It’s a local favorite, and reviewers mention waits when it’s busy. An early lunch or dinner is the easy way in.
Take it back to camp
Order ahead on the Toast page for pickup or curbside, and eat at the picnic table at your site.
What visitors say about El Charro Café
The visitor report card
We don’t copy other sites’ reviews, but the published scores are worth reading together. Scores checked October 30, 2026.
Serving Lola’s family recipes in Yuma since 1949.
Our summary of the family’s story, from Copper Courier (2023)
What visitors often mention
Recurring themes in Google’s review topics
Large portionsCheese crispTamales
Google’s review topics put the large portions on top (91 reviews), then the cheese crisp (44), tamales (35), chile rellenos (29) and chimichangas (25). Checked October 30, 2026.
What reviewers mention most
Number of Google reviews that mention each topic, checked October 30, 2026.
Good to know
Price level$$ on Yelp
ClosedMondays
WeekendsOpen at 10 am
Good forFamily mealsMargaritasTakeout
El Charro doesn’t post menu prices online that we could check, so we haven’t listed any. Hours come from Google, Yelp and Tripadvisor, checked October 30, 2026.
Know before you go
Plan your visit
El Charro Café
- Address601 W 8th St, Yuma, AZ 85364
- HoursTue–Fri 11–8 · Sat–Sun 10–8
Closed Mondays; online ordering shows a 7 pm close - Phone(928) 783-9790
- OrderMenu and online ordering; delivery, curbside and catering
- Getting thereEl Charro is on West 8th Street about a mile south and west of Historic Downtown, a few minutes from I-8 by way of 4th Avenue.
- ParkingFree off-street parking, according to Tripadvisor. Lot size and RV rules aren’t posted, so bring the tow vehicle.
Closed Mondays. Call (928) 783-9790 to confirm closing time, since the online-ordering page lists 7 pm.
Where to stay nearby
RV parks near El Charro Café
These are the Yuma RV parks we have visited and written up. Suni Sands is the closest; the other two are off I-8 Exit 7.
Suni Sands RV Resort
An Encore 55+ resort on East 32nd Street by the airport, with a pool and hot tub, a ballroom and a full winter calendar.
Arizona West RV Park
A 55+ park off I-8 Exit 7 with 227 back-in sites, shade trees, a pool and spa, and pickleball.
Villa Alameda RV Resort
A 55+ resort with 302 back-in, full-hookup sites among orange trees, plus a heated pool, spa and rec hall.
Helpful answers
Frequently asked questions
The questions RVers ask most before pulling in.
Tue–Fri 11 am–8 pm · Sat–Sun 10 am–8 pm
Hungry for a cheese crisp?
Come early, bring an appetite, and plan on taking leftovers back to the RV.
Thank you to the people behind these photos and this video. Please support them by giving their work a look. Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Zekerags (an Arizona cheese crisp; CC BY-SA 3.0) and Wotancito (a chile relleno; CC BY-SA 4.0); the images were resized. Food photos marked “not taken at” show the dish, not this restaurant’s plate. Video: the Yuma Sun on YouTube. Review-site logos are trademarks of their owners.
Disclaimer
RV-Roundup is an independent, community-based resource created to help RV travelers and to support and promote the places we feature. RV-Roundup is not owned by, operated by, or officially affiliated with El Charro Café unless otherwise stated.
The information on this page was prepared using the most current details available at the time of publication, including the restaurant’s published materials and publicly available sources. Hours, prices, menus and other details are set by the restaurant and may change at any time without notice. Before you travel, please confirm all details directly with El Charro Café at (928) 783-9790. RV-Roundup is not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes made after publication.
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