Getting the Most Out of Los Charros in Rushville
Rushville is a small town in western Illinois, population around 5,000, and finding good Mexican food there requires knowing where to look. Los Charros has been around long enough that you can tell it is established by the way the regulars greet the staff by name. I stopped in on a Tuesday evening last October and ordered the enchiladas verdes with mole on the side, which is not the standard combo unless you have been eating here for years. The enchilada came out lukewarm at the edges, which happens at any place that batches sauce in batches. I asked the server to reheat mine, and they brought it back in about four minutes with a fresher crunch from the cilantro topping. People call it a legend around here because it is basically the only decent Mexican restaurant within thirty miles, and the word gets around through word of mouth more than any advertising. The menu is straightforward: tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tamales, and a selection of fajitas that you order tableside when you want the drama of it. The prices sit about ten percent below what you would pay in Peoria or Springfield, which makes sense given the location. Their horchata comes in quart jugs now, not just glasses, because demand caught up with capacity sometime around 2019. I have eaten here maybe two dozen times over six years. The consistency is decent but not perfect. Some nights the carne asada is overcooked, some nights the guacamole tastes like it sat under a heat lamp. The kitchen runs on a limited crew, and the lunch rush between eleven and one thirty seems to stress them more than dinner. I learned early on to avoid the patio on Fridays if you are in a hurry. The wait can stretch to forty-five minutes on a packed night, which is unacceptable for anything that isn't a leisurely outing.
One thing nobody tells you about ordering here: the breakfast menu runs until nine thirty, not nine. I showed up once at nine fifteen expecting the chilaquiles, and the server told me they had just shut off that section. That cutoff is real and enforced. If you want breakfast items, get there before the half-hour window closes, or settle for the lunch staples. I switched to doing breakfast runs at eight fifteen and never looked back. The salsa bar is worth using before the food arrives, not after. Most people wait until their plate is in front of them to grab a spoon, which means the mild salsa is gone and the habanero is your only option. I always hit the bar during the first two minutes of sitting down. You can build a small bottle collection that actually changes the flavor profile of the meal in a positive way. The tomatillo salsa on the left and the red garlic salsa on the right pair well with the birria, but the habanero will ruin a delicate tamal if you are not careful. There is a workaround for the Friday problem. I usually call ahead around four PM and ask how busy they are getting. The hostess will give you a rough estimate, and sometimes they put your name down for a table without you physically waiting in line. This does not always work, especially on holiday weekends when the call gets ignored, but it saved me from sitting in a parking lot for thirty minutes on Cinco de Mayo last year. The trick is to be nice when you call. People are more helpful when they are not being yelled at over the phone.
Their micheladas are strong enough to make a second round unnecessary for most people, but weak enough that you can order two if you prefer. I have seen couples split one between them because the glassware varies from twelve ounces to eighteen ounces depending on the bartender that shift. It is not a flaw, just something to be aware of so you know what you are getting into. If you drive through Rushville and see the sign, it is worth pulling in. The food is good, the portions are generous, and the service is friendly even when the place is slammed. You are not going to get five-star dining, but you are also not going to get sick. That is the real standard here.
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