Laguna Beach, California
75 customer reviews
VIP1000dines
Delicious! Slow service during the week. Grilled shrimp salad, ceviche, and the bomb, spicy giant shrimp.
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YvetteE
I had always seen the restaurant as I drove into Laguna. I’m so happy we finally made it inside. The experience and food was awesome. We had so much fun, and the food and drinks were on point. More...
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OpenTable Diner
great food, free chips, what’s not to like!
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Jimanie
Carmelita's is our go-to spot when friends are visiting. The food and drinks are excellent and the service is the best! It's across the street from the beach so if you're lucky, you can catch an amazing sunset!
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SabrinaH
Delicious dinner, great food and terrific service too. Always enjoy having a meal here when I'm in Laguna.
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OpenTable Diner
My daughter ‘s birthday.
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TerryC
Great food and even better margarita's. Definitely worth it.
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NoKooks
Exceptional as usual! Great ambiance and food! Best in town
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wdmkl
Mexican food in Laguna Beach seemed iffy to me -- but good old Trip Advisor sent us to the #1 place in Laguna and it did not disappoint. The margaritas were amazing as well as downing too many chips/salsa and guacamole before the arrival of very large and tasty entrees...Definitely would go back and glad I used Open Table for a Saturday @1:15 lunch reservation because the place was packed! More...
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beckyh
Great chips and salsa and appetizers! Blackberry margarita was yummy!
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Lacey
Wonderful night and delicious food. Drinks were pricey but I guess that is what you get for Laguna Beach lol
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OpenTable Diner
Had to wait more than 45 minutes even with our reservation
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Reliesonreviews
Great food and fun atmosphere. Try one of their specialty margaritas!
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OpenSesame
Always love the food at Carmelita's in Laguna, a local favorite. The service is super friendly and the food is good quality. Drinks outstanding! It can be very noisy, but were usually too busy eating to care. More...
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OpenTable Diner
Good as always
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kelly122
Really nice Mexican food - I highly recommend the street corn and spinach enchiladas. The skinny margarita was also quite good. Above average service.
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RheaL
My favorite Mexican food restaurant! Consistently good food, friendly staff and good service
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FoodieINGB
Live live love this place and can’t wait to go back. It is so good
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RaychelR
The shrimp taquitos are amazing. Make sure to order them! And all the margaritas are super tasty!
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FoodieINGB
Food is absolutely amazing make a reservation
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Mary
Best guacamole we have ever had!
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DonBueno
We go here every Christmas Eve with family. It’s always a wonderful experience.
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OpenTable Diner
Awesome as always
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OpenTable Diner
Great food!!
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OpenTable Diner
We love eating here. Mexican food is a favorite and is even more enjoyable with their own flair on the food and presentation. Not to mention their drinks are DEE-LISH! More...
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OpenTable Diner
My parents were visiting Southern California from Michigan, and we have tried various restaurants in Laguna. Out of all places we visited, Carmelita’s had the most outstanding food. I love the lighting and setup in there—classy yet casual. I would highly recommend this place to anyone! More...
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MelainaO
We come here often either by ourselves or with friends and are always happy with the elevated cuisine, spicy options and outstanding service. A friendly warning on the crab-stuffed jalapeños, some of them are extremely hot, and I'm used to spicy foods. Worth it though! My Fiancé and I had our first date here, so it's a good luck spot too! More...
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CrystalR
Stood at the door for almost 7 min before they even greeted us and we almost left.
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MerylC
My husband said it was the best Chili Verde he’d ever enjoyed. Margaritas were terrific and service outstanding.
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JustinV
great food and decent service. Every time I make an open table reservation though, they tell me they can't find it.
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NicoleK
Recommend for a casual dining experience. I sat at the bar and the bartender took great care of us. We enjoyed the salsa and bean dip with tortilla chips, margaritas and the blackened salmon tacos. They were delicious! For a quick, tasty bite I'll definitely be back for more! More...
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woody
Place was mobbed on Friday night. Menu was interesting, Food was very good. Service was prompt and friendly. 10 corkage fee for wine also a list.
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KathiG
We enjoyed our meal and our drinks very much. We were seated within minutes of our reservation.This restaurant is very noisy so it isn't easy to converse. It didn't help that there was a particularly loud party near us but there are wood floors and there's a high ceiling so the noise bounces all over the place. More...
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jonti
I had skirt steak fajitas and my husband had pork carnitas. Both meals were presented beautifully and tasted delicious. We had a rum cake for dessert which was wonderful. . The service was excellent. Because of a longer wait for our table, the Maitre de graciously offered us a guacamole appetizer on the house. We felt like very valued customers. We will definitely return. More...
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NancyJ
Brought our friend from Michigan. They loved the margaritas and their meals. I’ve tried several things in the menu but the chicken breast with the chipotle and grilled onions was off the charts. That and my pineapple jalapeño margaritas made me a happy camper!! More...
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MichGirl
Received a friendly welcome as we arrived (early) and our seating was reserved and ready for us. I have to say the host staff are always welcoming, friendly and make us feel good that we chose Carmelita’s for our dining place. Food is authentic, flavorful and portioned sized perfectly. Husband ordered the blackened burrito which is very large (enough for two for smaller appetites). I ordered the Classico (taco, enchilada, relleno) which was very good and I enjoyed the variety. Daughter loved the fish tacos and the recommended Julio’s margarita. My only recommendation would be that the server write down our order. We can be picky eaters, no onions for example, and my order and my husbands order was not correct and was explained to us as a misunderstanding. Overall, I still give this restaurant five stars because of the host staff, tasty food and drinks, chips/salsa/bean dip and energetic, felt-good atmosphere It’s our go-to place whenever on vacation! More...
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jimm
Fantastic meal, will be on my list to go to again. Service and food were excellent, lobster Chile Ellen's and vegetable stuffed Poland's is what we ordered. The grandkids loved their burrito and chicken taquitos. More...
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ChristineB
Our experience at Carmelitas was exceptional. They give you a huge amount of guacamole which we can never finish. My boyfriend and I have an ongoing list of the best margaritas and Carmelita’s is now in our top 2. The street tacos were delish and I love the beans they serve with their chips. We will definitely go back when we’re in town again. More...
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OpenTable Diner
Perfect for a date
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OpenTable Diner
Always great
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TNT2EAT
Our local favorite Mexican restaurant. Danny, Marcos and their team are great. So accommodating. It's the place we go to even when we just flew back after 3 weeks overseas. ..just had to have the good Mexican cuisine! More...
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DaveandLisa
Another fantastic evening at Carmelita's with great food (Marisco Trio is my favorite), great wine (Cakebread Chardonnay goes great with the seafood), and perfect service. This is a hidden gem in Laguna and we hit it at least every week or two. More...
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kraftcheese
Nice place for a date or a girls night out. It’s a pretty small space, which makes it feel nice and intimate. The service is extremely friendly, but slow. I get the impression that they’re slightly understaffed, but everyone who came to our table was very pleasant and accommodating. I love that their margaritas are not too sweet. The complimentary bean dip that they provide is to die for and everything we ordered was delicious. More...
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MichGirl
Good food, though pricey for authentic Mexican ($20 for 3 pork tacos). Love the warm chips, salsa and bean dip. Two men helping with seating very friendly and helpful.
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MikeM
Carmelita's is a must for anyone visiting Laguna Beach. They are a perfect balance between authentic and upscale Mexican food. While there are no velvet paintings of Jesus on the wall, there is also no creamed pumpkin seed ranchero sauces (or the likes) either. More...
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OpenTable Diner
Excellent service and chips are the best
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Annabelle
Annabelle says : great ambiance. Terrific helpful servers. Yummy food. Terrific location after walking all over Laguna
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lovesfood
Excellent Mexican cuisine. Beautiful presentations as well as delicious.
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JayandM
Carmelita’s never disappoints! Great food, service and ambiance. It is pretty loud in there, but we don’t mind it :). We recommend the salmon with poblano crema, Oaxacan steak tacos, and the ceviche. Yum!
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Luv2xplore
McKenna did a great job as our server.
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