Charro's Hot Tamales

Charro's is one of those gems you happen upon and are glad you did. Don't let the name fool ya, this is a NOLA style Po Boy Shop that could be in any of the City's neighborhoods. It also serves tamales--something New Orleanians know is just a quirky part of the city and was made famous by Manuel's Hot Tamales, founded in 1932. But this isn't about that. This is about an endearing shop that gets it right. And they start with the ONLY po boy bread worthy of greatness. Let's face it, if you put it on Leidenheimer's French bread that's half the original ticket. And believe me they get it right the rest of the way too. The fried shrimp and catfish 1/2 and 1/2 was perfectly seasoned with just the right cream meal to allow the flavor of the sweet fresh shrimp and the Mississippi catfish to stand out as the star of the show. I had it dressed and it done just right. Since it was Monday, the special was Red Beans with an old school favorite of pork chop--something real Coonie's know about and not so often seen anymore. Community Iced tea with fresh lemon slices cooled me down with self service and friendly table service refills. Order at the counter and they bring it to ya if you eat inside. The menu is extensive and the portions generous. I saw the biggest piece of mac and cheese I have ever seen--it took up the whole plate. So did the gravy fries which were an enormous mound of serious chow down. The prices are on the chalk board so I'm sure for seasonal items the prices or availability may change. The cost was well worth it and was within the norm for the menu (even on the cheaper side), however the amount of groceries given pushed the value way up. Same for the service; everyone was very friendly and accommodating and eager to make sure you had what you needed without hovering over you. They were genuinely thoughtful and proud of their place. I met Chef Val the owner and I gotta tell ya he was one of the nicest guys I have ever met--very humble, hard working and friendly; also a Veteran like myself so happy to support a Veteran owned business. He showed me around a bit and we two seasoned chefs exchanged kitchen stories. This guy is the real deal. You're gonna get fed and be taken care of when you come--it's the type of personal character that sticks with his people even when he's not there. I was really impressed with the place and I plan to return again and again. I gotta get into those tamales!

After reading the great reviews on Yelp, we stopped to eat. Restaurant was very clean. Staff so attentive! It was our first time eating there and they gave us a little sample of the tamales. Excellent! We ordered two roast beef po-boys, a small muffuletta and the crawfish egg rolls. The small muffuletta was huge and the po-boys dripping with delicious au jus. Ordered three egg rolls which were tasty and more than I could eat. Lot of great New Orleans favorites that can be ordered. Definitely worth your time.

Opened back up after being shut down for a couple of months. Roast beef is still the best in town.

The restaurant is unassuming from the outside, but was bright and air conditioned nicely. We were warmly greeted when we walked in. We ordered a hot tamale, muffaletta, roast beef po boy, and 2 cannolis for dessert. Everything was authentic and absolutely delicious! My husband said it was the best roast beef po boy he ever had, and he's had a lot of them! We would definitely go back.