We really wanted Mexican food and thought most of the reviews said it was "authentic". Um, have you been to Mexico? I agree with another reviewer about the chips and "salsa". A paltry amount of chopped up tomato with a bit of onion is not salsa. Chips cold and greasy and they tasted old.
Service. What service? We sat there for ages in that cold restaurant before anyone even came to get our drink order. By the time the chips and "salsa" arrived we were practically fainting we were so hungry. Then some time, a long time, after that our food came. It was not very good. Not worth the wait. Don't waste your time or your money.

Had a great meal with my wife tonight. Its like a little Mexican oasis in Port Moody. Authentic Mexican dishes and servers. The food was delicious and the service was friendly.

I will go back for sure. The red and green enchiladas are great !

The decor is very colourful and makes you feel like you're in Mexico.

We have tried other things on the menu but the red beef enchiladas and the chimichangitas are the best!

The cheesy mexican decor is fun and it really feels like you're eating in a good old fashioned family restaurant. Charlie has been there every time and always greets guests with a genuine smile.

We love going for a relaxed night out but their restaurant would be great for a birthday party too, they have a huge room in the back and sombrero's galore!

I have read the other reviews on here regarding Charlie's, and for all those that claim it is the best Mexican food in the Lower Mainland I really have to wonder if they've ever had Mexican food before (despite their claims to the contrary). I'm not even sure if I'd say it was the best Mexican food in Port Moody, and considering it's the ONLY Mexican food in Port Moody that's not saying much for the place!

I moved to Port Moody 9 months ago as of a few days ago I tried Charlie's for the second time. The first time I was there (about 6 months ago) the service was slow (even though we were the only patrons in the restaurant), the chips we got were old tasting and were overcooked (even bordering on burned), the salsa was tasteless, the restaurant decor (although eclectic and could be cute and homey if updated slightly) is in desperate need of a deep cleaning and could be described as almost dingy, and over all the whole experience was a disappointment.

Despite all of this, I was craving Mexican and didn't feel like driving to Poncho's (on Denman Street where the food and service is truly some of the best in the Lower Mainland) so myself and a friend decided to give Charlie's a second chance. Like a bad case of indigestion, my same complaints regurgitated themselves to come back and haunt me, making the second experience worse than the first.

This time when we arrived the place had quite a few people, but other than that everything was the same. Same old-tasting almost burned chips (which, I forgot to mention were cold -- whereas in most Mexican restaurants worth their weight in re-fried beans would serve them warmed). Same bland salsa. Same dirty atmosphere. Same horrible service (it took 20 minutes just flag down a waitress to bring me water and menu's, another 15 minutes to get a watered-down margarita, another 20 to be able to order food, and then another HOUR to actually get the food). When the food did arrive, it was cold (you'd think after an hour waiting for it that it would at least be warm, but you'd think wrong. By the time we actually got the food, we were so disgusted with the experience that we had lost our appetites, which was fine actually because the few bites we did take of the food proved to strengthen my first impressions that while the food it ok it's definitely not good. As well, considering it took the length of time it took to get the food you'd also think that they would let you sit for a spell and actually try to eat it -- but not here. Within 10 minutes our waitress (miracle upon miracles considering we barely saw here for the first 2 painful hours of waiting) was back at the table-side asking if we'd finished and if she could pack anything up. We then had (I'm assuming Charlie) come by and ask the same thing less than 10 minutes after that. We tripped over ourselves trying to accept his gracious offer of release from the culinary nightmare we found ourselves in, paid the over-priced cheque, and ran for our lives --- never to return.

If you have 4 hours to kill, money to waste, want ok Mexican fare and don't want to make the drive into Vancouver, then Charlie's is the place to go. Other than that do yourself a favour and skip it.

We were told by a friend's daughter that this place served great Mexican food. We noticed the many 5 star food ratings here. Some of the reviewers on this site said that they have experienced "real" Mexican food in the US and Mexico and that Charlies is up there with them.
We have also enjoyed Mexican food in the US and Mexico and on our last road trip to Southern California we even asked Latino gas attendants, etc for recommendations for local Mexican restaurants. So we have experienced Mexican fare way beyond the "Taco Bell" variety.
We had a disappointing experience there on a recent weekday evening. First, the chips and salsa are not complimentary (unlike all the Mexican restaurants we have visited in the US and Mexico), you have to pay for them. The chips we received had an old oil taste to them, and the supplied salsa, described as "homemade" was unusually bland, mostly tomatoes and onions with very little zip, mixed with a little oil (house recipe?). I order the Steak Tampiquena. The waiter who delivered my plate held it with towels so I imagined that the plate must have been hot. What a surprise - it wasn't hot at all and everything on my plate was lukewarm. The shredded cheese on the refried beans was not melted. The "guacamole" was largely tomatoes and onions swathed in a greenish "dressing" - was this the avocado? Strangely, the steak with pan fried onions tasted like it had been marinated in soy sauce or Maggi seasoning - and it was cold. I opened the supplied red plastic container of what I thought were soft tortillas and was surprised to see 2 small soft tacos instead, dwarfed by the container. My wife laughed - she also expected the usual larger sized soft tortillas. My wife said that her Chimichanga was bland, so we asked the passing waiter for some "chili sauce" (some Mexican restaurants provide a whole collection of bottled hot sauces for you to choose at your table, but here there was not a single bottle at the table). He clarified that we wanted "hot sauce? " - YES!. He walked away, stepped into the kitchen, came back out and began clearing some tables nearby. After a few minutes, we asked who we assume was Charlie for the hot sauce and received a small dish of something that appeared to have just been mixed in the kitchen. My wife said that the concoction in the dish was "gross." We didn't finish our food and didn't take home the leftovers.

Heres a tip: you can gauge the authenticity of a Mexican restaurant by the presence of beef tripe soup (Menudo) on the menu - and it's not offered here. Maybe we have been spoiled by our travels, but what we had here did not meet 5 star standards.

I have been looking for a good Mexican restaurant to try in Vancouver. I came across that restaurant while checking this web site and figured I should give it a try one day. That one day came when I was really craving for Mexican and all my friends are busy. So I went and got the take out order. I ordered a Mexican plate (one enchilada, roja, one verde, one beef tostada & one tamal). I had to wait for the food for a while even after I came back 20 minutes later as they suggested. The owner was very friendly, he apologized for the wait and even drew cartoon characters of him and his wife saying "Thanks" on my take out box. The food I found was really good. The salsa was excellent. It is worth the wait. I will definitely try to go back again to try different dishes.

We love Charlie's and think that it is some of the best Mexican food to be had throughout the lower mainland. My guy loves Mexican and since there are not too many restaurants around the lower mainland we have pretty much eaten at all of them. The decor is authentic Mexican and the owners are extremely nice and cordial - they always stop by to chat at our table when we're in.

I have to say that this is some of the best guacamole that I've had and it's worth paying for. Also, their refried beens are good - we've been to some Mexican places where they beans have a weird, burnt or bland taste to them - but not at Charlie's.

The one down fall of Charlie's is their service. It can be slow at times and good help is hard to come by. There are some servers that know their stuff and others who don't but over all we've always received what we've ordered and everyone was pleasant. Honestly, with the speed - we just joke and say that when you walk into Charlie's you're on Mexican time. Anyone who has been to Mexico or South American will understand what that means.

The food is quite good, and the prices are very fair.

Charlies is fun loving and laid back, and this is how he handles the front of house running of the restaurant - Service as a result can be weak.

If you are uptight and demanding, I suggest you visit on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

We have been to Charlie's cafe about 10 times within the last 2 years. We have always joked about the how bad the service is and have actually found it comical watching "new patrons" experience the service first hand. We have seen 4 groups just plain walk out after sitting 20 minutes without any service and Charlie just seems to take it in stride. The food is quite good but just noticed that the prices have gone up again and portions have gone down. If you want authentic Mexican food, drive down to Bellingham and you won't be dissapointed and the chances are including driving time etc. you would have probably received your meal at Mi Mexico before you would at Charlie's if you stayed.

I have always gotten great, friendly and problematic service from the servers and staff. Food is Top Notch but I did wish the portions were a bit bigger. I'm such a glutton! Prices very reasonable, excellent menu selections and after trying a variety of dishes on different occasions, I would certainly recommend this place. Great food, great prices, authentic tasting meals yet not too greasy. Nicely decorated to create a comfortable mexican feel. I noted that there are no other Mexican restaraunts around that I am aware of. Highly recommended!