El Charrito
122 W. Market St., Salinas, (831) 424-9446
483 Calle Principal, Monterey, (831) 884-5143
There are routinely long lines at El Charrito’s original Salinas location and the El Charrito Express offshoot in Monterey, and for good reason. “It reminds people of their grandmothers’ cooking,” says proprietor Kenya Moncada-Jay. “It feels very homemade.” There are reasons for that too: Everything is still made according to Moncada-Jay’s grandmother, Teresa Moncada’s, original recipes she opened with 43 years ago, and everything is made in-house. That includes the buttery homemade flour tortillas, and it feels a little bit like winning the lottery if you score a bag. The odds are in your favor to get a delicious meal in the hot line, but the odds of finding extra tortillas are not. Play at your own risk.
