$3.10 per taco 3.61 Oz per. This place is consistently good. Everything about this taco is good: portion, price and flavor. Tortillas that are cooked just right in the correct amount of oil mixed with meat fats. Yum! Two others and I decided to embark on a taco trot through downtown San Mateo's taquerias to uncover the pinnacle of street taco perfection. We only judged the tacos and not any other amenities of the taqueria. We ventured from one taqueria to the next, leaving no stone unturned to find the ultimate street-style taco. Each of us had a distinct mission: one to evaluate carne asada, myself al pastor, and the third pollo tacos. Our rating system spanned meat, salsa, tortilla, overall quality, and value. We sampled our way through all nine downtown taquerias (excluding food trucks, grocery stores, and pupuserias). After tallying the scores, we reached a unanimous consensus on the top four contenders. These taquerias stood out for their commitment to delivering unparalleled street tacos. These are the only places in downtown to which we'd return: Charlie's, Los Primos #1, Al Vapor Nueva Italia, and Pancho Villa.

Great food, solid portions. I love how they put Tin foil at the bottom of your "to go" orders. Always comes out quick, always hits the spot, doesn't break the bank.

Good food at cheap prices. The combo came with free chips and salsa. There's decent seating in the place and good parking outside. I will be back!

I'll have to admit: My SO and I only shared a burrito here because I wasn't that hungry, but we enjoyed the burrito so much, I had to write a review ASAP! We've lived in San Mateo for years now and haven't really found a taqueria we love, especially not one for burritos. A couple bites into our super burrito and my SO was already claiming this is his favorite in SM. I might have to agree! The burrito itself is also pretty big and I felt like they didn't skimp out on the ingredients. They have a self serve chips station, which I had assumed was for dine in only, so I didn't touch it initially. But while I was waiting for my food, the waitress told me to get some chips and salsa. I really appreciated that! Along with chips and salsa, there were radishes, pickled veggies, and grilled jalapeños (super nice touch). Although I didn't dine in, the dining area seemed very spacious with lots of tables. It's colorfully decorated--think floor to ceiling jungle mural-- and just puts you in a good mood. I can't wait to come back and try more of the menu!

We walked around B street on a Saturday night, craving American food. Pancho Villa is ok, but we wanted more authentic Mexican food. DS remembered Charlie's. Not as good as Los Primos, but I wanted to try a new place. About 20 years ago, this location was Cafe Alfredo, a great little Italian style restaurant that we patronized frequently. DH and I both ordered carne asada combo plates. A nice amount of food with tortillas on the side. The beef was very tender with ok flavor. Rice and beans were pretty standard. Iceberg lettuce chunks with a nice ripe tomato slice and 1/4 of an sliced avocado were also on the plate. I used the tart green salsa as dressing. This fish was ok, not great. The Al pastor burrito garnered rave reviews from DS and DH. It was huge. Charlie's is good, not great overall.