Carlos Mexican Restaurant

Stop in for lunch order chicken roll tacos, chile rellenos we couldn't  eat it, nothing  worse  to have to pay for something  that you cannot  eat!

Reviewed on Yelp

OMG Of Course "Incredible" and "Authentic Mexican" cuisine  It's right around the corner from my house and I've never tried it before.  Shame on Me.  This quaint ranch house turned Cantina  Take the cake as then"Most romantic Mexican restaurant in Orange County". As you approach the quiet strong lights set the mood the low key music in the background a mix of mariachi and surf elevate the mood.  The Burritos were wet without even asking.  How is Carlo's these days?  Well, 5 stars for professional efficient service, ambiance and food. Coming Back and Recommendinf More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I  give this restaurant 10+ we had a large party they had everything ready fabulous service great food special thanks to Lus the entertainment was wonderful and was an added plus! If you want to have a venue for a large party this is the place to go the outside seating was so peaceful and relaxing thank you Carlos Mexican restaurant so so much     We will be backagain and again. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

My second time to dine at Carlos.  I am very pleased with the service and the servers.  They have great food and reasonably priced.  I didn't realize they have breakfast specials. The ambience is nice.  Good that they are open early for breakfast.  They also serve good coffee.  I will be frequenting this restaurant. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Great food and service! Any seat is great and they are hands off, so you can seat yourself anywhere! I typically use the booths inside to grab a bite to eat and study for classes! There was no pressure to get in and out and the chips & salsa kept coming even after receiving the check! All around great experience and the food is delicious! Compliments to the chef! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Excellent service and food as usual. Always love eating here

Reviewed on Facebook

My husband and I live in Orange County we love to stop here when we head down to San Diego. The restaurant has a wonderful patio, lots of plants and a big it you can sit around. The inside is inviting, there are two TV's and a small bar. Now for the food, always we have always had a great meal. I love the chicken tortilla soup, so darn good! Very flavorful. My husband loves the burritos as well. We had breakfast today, also good. And the coffee is good too! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Todo súper delicioso, y con una excelente atención

Reviewed on Facebook

Very nice outdoor ambiance on the patio, the staff are all incredibly nice every time, and there are some great menu items.  I had the Chile verde enchiladas the second time I went and I've gotten it every time since. Also a huge fan of The Peoples Margarita which is made with fresh pineapple. There are several items I still need to try like the whole fried fish and the picado that both look awesome, that is if I can manage to try something other than those damn (great) enchiladas. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

great food excellent service

Reviewed on Facebook

The chili Colorado was just the right spicy.  Lots of meat.  Dani likes the chicken fajitas with zucchini and onion

Reviewed on Yelp

Great service, they care and very friendly, and good food Very great location with ocean breeze.Good music

Reviewed on Yelp

$15 for the Mexican Bowl with chicken!?!? As you can see it's a majority beans and a little bit of rice with even less chicken. Better off just getting a burrito for $2 less or fajitas for $2 more. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Brekky Burrito is legend. Some top notch beans comin out of this joint, no quesh. My kids always make a hella mess with the endless chips, sorry about that dudes.

Reviewed on Yelp

This restaurant looks so cute and fun from the outside, but I had a terrible experience dining here. My brother and I split both the California Burrito and Carlos Burger. The quality of the food was absolutely terrible! The fries were not salted, the burger had barely any meat and all bread, and all of the food was not seasoned well. The margarita barely had any alcohol and was 80% ice. We sat at the bar and it seemed like the manager was also sitting at the bar, since she was micromanaging everyone around. We overheard her telling her employee to swing by Smart and Final to grab some more ingredients. An employee came up to her and showed her that a customer had left her purse and asked where to put it. Another employee told the manager to out the purse in her office to be protected, but the manager chuckled and said it's probably fake anyways and that it doesn't matter. The service was also terrible, constantly having to wave down someone to get us something and them constantly forgetting. Would definitely not recommending coming here! Definitely not worth the price, either. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Best service and amazing cheese enchiladas !! Luz is the best waitress we have ever had . We come every Friday night to see Luz ! I highly recommend supporting this restaurant. Old school Dana Point! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We are regulars when in SoCal.  New menu (for us anyway).  We love the patio and servers are always friendly.  BONUS...and a surprise: the Friday night band is a traditional jazz quartet!  Check it out.

Reviewed on Yelp

We were looking for a relaxing patio meal but also good food that appealed to everyone.  Our party included vegetarians fish eaters and giant appetites! The atmosphere was lovely. The patio intimate enough but distanced well from others. Our sever was attentive friendly and patient- do many wonderful choices made decoding difficult. The food was plentiful and tasty  the jazz band added to our overall great experience! We will definitely return More...

Reviewed on Yelp

The food is great and so authentic. Just like cooking from a homemade grandma recipe. The staff are very friendly. Margaritas are the best. We love the casual atmosphere. Don't miss the jazz music on Fridays which is fantastic. It is a great experience to be there. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We ended up here after walking out of the Harbor House. The service was horrible there, we sat in a booth for 20 minutes and no one came to our table. We walked right in to Carlos and was seated right away. Someone came to our table and greeted us. We got water, coffee and chips and salsa within minutes of being there. The breakfast was amazing. I went traditional and got Carnitas and eggs breakfast it was delicious. My boyfriend got biscuits and gravy breakfast. We eat that out quite a bit. They were some of the best biscuits we have ever eaten, ever! Thank you for being professional and gave a great friendly staff!! We live close by and will definitely be back soon!! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Hello. New to Dana Point here, moved here from Santa Ana/Tustin area and was searching for a good taco Tuesday spot nearby my place. This place was lacking in flavors for most of the tacos. Our server seemed to have an off day by forgetting to put in our orders or refilling waters. The only thing he was attentive at was getting our beers. My friend ordered 2 Mahi fish tacos, and it was just plain boring. Just fish on tortillas. I also ordered the enchilada plate and needed utensils but the server was nowhere to be found. 15 mins later, my food was room temperature, so I just boxed it up and took it home. *sigh* not sure if I wanna give this place a second chance. Just seems like a place to get cheap drinks, oh and if you're a local of DP, you get treated like royalty here. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

$17 for a small cup (not big glass like normal) Of shrimp cocktail with only 7 shrimp. It seems like they blended a bunch of tomatoes cut a slice of avocado and stuffed it into a small glass. No flavor or spice to it at all. Would not go back. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We stopped off after a day at the beach  for dinner and wanted to enjoy the ambiance on the patio as it reminds you of a bit of Cabo less the water lol. It has a nice vibe when it has a nice group of people.  It also has a side patio for those who are out or traveling with their pup - there is dining inside but when you can eat outdoors these days it's the place to be . As for the menu it offers the reg food - ala cart and the 1-2-3 item combos with beans and rice. There was some things like lobster etc but that day they were out as I over heard the guy wanted badly behind me was disappointed. We ordered the 2 item combos and it was pretty good - my tamale was a bit thick and tough but other then that all was good rated a 4 over all . Tamale 5 tacos 5 . The fresh chips and salsa 5 .Draft beer  5 it was fresh and cold . Prices well average combo 15.00 so if you go just expect to pay about $50 for dinner for two . It's the location and average meal price . I would go back . I would just order a more healthy meal hehe . More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Tasteless burritos, expensive,  not the place for great Mexican food.   Nice patio and friendly staff,  so it's a nice place to get a drink.

Reviewed on Yelp

Wow have to give 5 * delicious and so authentic!!  The salsas were amazing especially the salsa verde !  Had the napolitos con puerco and it was outstanding.  Would recommend when in town a must visit. Atmosphere really nice too. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I must say for the price and mellow ambience is worth a visit. I'm a meatball soup connoisseur and I give them a 4 out of five star rating, very fresh and tasty just not quite like Mom's LOL. When I'm in the area will gladly revisit. Kinda close to the old Macayo Vegas if you ever tried. Staff very friendly, and the complimentary chips and salsa was nice touch. Wife had fish tacos, and I beef taco & cheese enchilada combo for the price was cheap. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Delish. Came for breakfast after a long drive/ weekend in Palm Springs. Got the chilaquiles and subbed beef steak. Different than what I've had before but extremely fresh and authentic. Bf got the chorizo and eggs and wiped the plate clean. Service was good and attentive. Exactly what we needed after a long weekend of fun More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Food is meh, cocktails are poorly made, prices are high for level of quality of food and drink.  Service is fine.  I've been here several times for breakfast and dinner, always consistently average or below. Many other spots to go for Mexican food locally.  We live close by, and would love for them to up their game. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I saw on Instagram they have live jazz on Friday nights. So my wife and I headed over here.  Right off the bat, the music was awesome and the patio ambiance was excellent.  The service was just average but the main issue here is food.  We ordered the whole fried fish and the 7 mares soup, which is supposed to have shrimp, fish, clams, squid, mussels, octopus and crab.  The fried fish was decently cooked, but had zero seasoning and flavor.  We had to put a ton of salt and lime juice to make it taste decent.  After that, it was fine.  But the 7 mares dish was a disaster.  First of all, they bring this crab cracker tool along with a plate of onions, cilantro and jalapenos, which makes you think you are going to crack some crab legs.  What a joke! I even brought that up with the waitress and she said the crab is inside the soup. (eye roll emoji).   When the soup arrived, there was ZERO crab in it.  It had 4 or 5 popcorn shrimp (not exaggerating), 2 green mussels, 2 baby clams, 4 baby calamari bits and 2-3 baby octopus bits.  This tiny amount of seafood was submerged in a huge bowl of broth.  I think at $22 this was a major rip off.  I would suggest to go here for beers and music, but save your money to have your dinner elsewhere. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Delicious food, great indoor and outdoor ambiance, friendly staff and the quality and portion size of the food was fabulous at a very reasonable price! My new favorite Mexican restaurant! Highly recommend! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Taco Tuesday!  Super deal on tacos with their regular $7 margarita ( not happy hour, always $7). Service was excellent.  Drink was weak. Fire pit was nice.  Salsa was fresh and tasty with house made chips.  Shrimp tacos were bland, like boiled shrimp with not seasoning.  Sorry, not a fan. Will try other dishes next time! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

This has been one of my favorite restaurants for many years. Now that my daughter is 8, Carlos' has become our "go to" for excellent, authentic Mexican food and a really comfortable ambiance. Even better than the food and surroundings is Eddie. He has a sensitivity as a Waiter that is hard to come by these days. He is always kind, patient and is extremely attentive but he never makes you feel bothered or rushes while you are there. Conversation flows easily when Eddie is the one taking care of you and both my little girl and I always leave there happy - sporting smiles - when we leave. The staff at Carlos' has always been wonderful but with Eddie in the mix, their Team is outstanding. Great food. Great people. So grateful. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We stopped at this restaurant by chance on the way home to San Diego. The outside patio with the fire pit was awesome! I had cranberry mimosas which I had never had before and they were delicious. Both of us ordered seafood dishes, seafood enchiladas and mahi mahi tacos. They were absolutely scrumptious. Service was a little slow at first but it was Sunday brunch time and the place was packed. We will definitely be back when we come up this way. Thank you! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Delicious meals, pretty atmosphere and great service!

Reviewed on Facebook

Very delicious and authentic food. Friendly staff. Good location and convenient parking.

Reviewed on Yelp

This restaurant was mediocre. Server was not friendly and had too many tables to serve. (Not necessarily her fault but managements error). On go the food- bland bland bland. Very little flavor. Ordered a pick 3 combination: crispy chicken taco, chicken enchilada, and chile rellano, rice and beans.As I was leaving I ordered some chicken tortilla soup (which was not awful in ingredients and concept) but the problem was that all the liquid came out of the container and was in the to-go bag.  Honestly, decent ambience but with bland food, unwelcoming servers and poor to-go packaging I'm not sure this restaurant will find success. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I don't understand the hype about this place.  I got the chicken enchilada and the sauce had no flavor.  Server was nice but new because she couldn't answer some basic questions.  Food was very mediocre.

Reviewed on Yelp

I love the ambiance of the patio and the food is so tasty and the skinny marg was perfect. the portions are generous and we could not get enough of the salsa. We will be back!

Reviewed on Yelp

Great Mexican breakfast and home style American breakfast

Reviewed on Facebook

I enjoy eating there when I come into Dana point Took my new friend there. He loved itWe ate outdoors very nice outside Good choices on food Very good service and great food

Reviewed on Yelp

Nice service, food was good, outside sitting very beautiful. Live music Coming back again

Reviewed on Yelp

Carlos Mexican Restaurant is worth a stop for the patio vibes alone. For whatever reason Dana Point seems to be the city in south county with the greatest number of restaurants with exquisite patios and I am all for it. Nothing beats kicking back with a nice libation in hand while watching passerby's and enjoying some engaging conversation. Carlos Mexican Restaurant is an impeccable option if this is the experience you are looking for. The  service is stout, the prices are elevated - sure - by considering the locale that should be expected, and hey, the cuisine is even decent (again figuring in the neighborhood -- this isn't Santa Ana). My party stopped to wet our beaks and enjoy a few appetizers together. The Mexican Style Shrimp Cocktail offers large fresh, succulent Shrimp served in a thick and well-seasoned Tomato Sauce spiked with Lime, large cuts of Avocado, and the ubiquitous Onions and Cilantro. This is made just as one would expect in Baja Mexico. This is easily their flagship starter and it is perfect for sharing. Have a hoppy IPA in hand for the ultimate results. I know many will balk at the $16.00 price tag but between the ambiance and quality of the ingredients employed I would argue the value proposition isn't totally out of wack. Just know that you are paying a bit of "beach tax" for dining in Dana Point going into the deal and you will be fine. Worth a stop if you are in the area, no question. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I'll cut straight to the point. If you see American food on the menu at a Mexican restaurant, turn the other way. The food was sloppy, small portions and Americanized. Waiter came for the drink and food order and that's the last time we saw her. Dropped the check and turned the other way. It would be reasonable if I was a douche bag but I was with my mother and 2 younger brothers on our best behavior. Fake. Mexican. Food. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

AWESOME FOOD, Best Mexican Food in South OC

Reviewed on Facebook

Been here for dinner several times and disappointed in the quality of their food. Not going back anytime soon.

Reviewed on Yelp