12819 Venice Blvd. ~ (310) 391-1885 ~ Mar Vista (See Taco Map)
El Charro is a great Mexican spot that's sort of out-of-the-way and very low-key. The front is hand-painted in saints, animals, and the diner's star dishes; the inside is mostly countertop, the walls draped in photos of Mexican revolutionaries, movie-stars, and Marilyn Monroe.
Their cook might be one of the hardest working men in the business, a tough-looking hombre who really knows his way around the kitchen and does so tirelessly from 10AM-10PM. Bellying up to the bar, sometimes the only soul in the place, you feel like you're sitting with a famous sushi chef, often one-on-one, with his scrounging up pots, pans, and ingredients for you and only you.
El Charro does a lot of things well. There are standards like tacos, enchiladas, and rellenos of varying goodness, then there are their specialties like 2 types of chile burrito, camarones a la diabla, goat soup, and pescado frito. My companion went for a carnitas taco and nachos, while I chose one of my favorites, the very hearty and protein-filled scrambled eggs with machaca, which is spiced, shredded beef.