El Charrito
122 W. Market St., Salinas, (831) 424‑9446 | 483 Calle Principal, Monterey, (831) 884‑5143, elcharrito.com
The story of this beloved restaurant begins in another time and place – over 50 years ago in Michoacán, Mexico, where the Moncada family owned a grocery store and bakery. They immigrated to the U.S. in 1965, and in 1981 various family members chipped in to buy a modest grocery store. The crowds smelled and tasted their way to the Best Taqueria, and staff tried to keep up at the small hot food bar (and housemade tortillas in the back) as lines formed out the door. Then in 2015, they took out dusty grocery shelves to make more room for that snaking line. Still, demand grew and in 2022, came a second location in downtown Monterey to serve the masses. And the masses have spoken: They are full and they are happy.