I met my wife for lunch today at Castro St. in Mountain View. Castro offers perhaps the highest density of lunch spots within a ten-minute reach of my work in Santa Clara. Not knowing quite what we wanted for lunch, Castro was the place to go--but you have to get there before noon for parking. After wandering south on Castro, we settled on Taqueria Los Charros on Dana.
In the past, we enjoyed Los Charros for their sizeable portions and especially their killer shrimp burrito. It had been at least a year since we'd last eaten there and we were both disappointed that today our shrimp burritos came without sides of yesteryear and the burrito itself was considerably smaller. Although the burrito arrived hot in a foil, it lacked the heft of most Bay Area burritos, which approach the size of a Duraflame.
To the restaurant's credit, the wrap didn't drip and it came loaded with shrimp. I don't recall taking a bite without grabbing a shrimp or two. My wife's burrito, however, also came with a pebble. I don't want to imagine how the part of the ground could have made its way into my wife's burrito. Rock or not, though, for $5.75--today's lunch was $7--I'd much rather have the larger burrito (though it would be with chicken, pork or steak--not shrimp) with more flavorful filling at Las Islitas in Sunnyvale.
There was a time when one couldn't hope to get a table at Taqueria Los Charros at noon on a Friday. Throughout the lunch hour today, the restaurant never reached capacity. After having today's letdown, it was easy to see why.
Taqueria Los Charros
854 W Dana St.
Mountain View, CA 94041
(650) 969-1464
