We found Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant in Gainesville through a last-minute Facebook Valentine's…read moreDay event, and WOW what a surprise! The event said no reservations needed, so we showed up not realizing how popular it would be. The place was PACKED with a line out the door! Even so, we only waited about 25 minutes for a table on Valentine's Day, which honestly wasn't bad at all considering the crowd. We went specifically for their Valentine's special: 2 margaritas, fajitas for two, and dessert, such a great deal! The margaritas were delicious. We ordered the Rita sampler and the blueberry margarita tasted like blueberry pie, so fresh, organic, and absolutely yummy. We also ordered homemade guacamole, which was delectable, paired with fresh, crispy homemade chips. Our fajitas included steak, pork, chicken, and shrimp, and everything was cooked to perfection. The flavors were incredible!!! And can we talk about the restaurant itself? It's HUGE! It felt like one of those multi-level Times Square NYC restaurants, with multiple floors and even outside patio seating. It was like a magic trick walking through it! Our waitress, Lia, was fantastic, attentive, helpful, and so sweet despite how busy it was. The staff worked incredibly hard all night and it showed. Plentiful parking, amazing food, great atmosphere. We will definitely be back to this hidden gem we didn't even know existed in town. Thank you for making our Valentine's Day special after a long day of yard work

Great food. They are very popular so it took us awhile to get seated. We were seated in 2top that…read morewas too close to bar where waiters were entering and exiting constantly bumping my seat. I really liked the vegetarian trio course and the salsa bar. They make their own salad dressing that was my favorite. We tried the margarita sampler it was fun and good presentation. Mostly frozen dessert cocktails. If you want something to pair with a main course it's better to get regular margarita.

This place is a lively place to grab lunch. Order at the counter and then find seating…read more Surprisingly very quick service! When we arrived, it was very busy, but there was places for people to sit. It's Tuesday lunch hour. There was at least three groups of 8+ tables multiple booths with 2 to 4 people there was plenty of open seats at the bar. I would say from ordering to sitting down our food arrived probably in five minutes. It was so quick. And the quickness did not take away from the deliciousness. The food was fresh, and Tasty we will definitely return! For the margarita lovers ...They offer Full bar and they had margaritas listed for buy one get one from 11 AM to 6 PM Monday through Friday!

This was our first time here. Food was very good. The only problem that I had was the price of the…read moreindividual tacos was different on the menu than what I was charged. I pointed it out to Daniel, the employee behind the bar area, and he said "well I guess that was an old menu and the price went up". He didn't offer to refund the difference. Didn't seem concerned. Probably will not be back.

The food was great, I had the King memorial combo , which is their chicken burrito and 1 beef and 1…read morecheese enchilada and a hard taco with queso cheese with rice and beans. They definitely give you plenty of food for the money. I also had a frozen swirl margarita that was lime and Strawberry, it was not bad. The decor inside the restaurant is cool with the colorful Mexican tiles and the rustic wood walls and the vintage pictures. We had a server Rebecca F that was awesome and took care of us . I will definitely come again.

The hostess was fun and we were seated quickly. The server sweet and attentive. The interior decor…read morewas a nice vibe reminiscent of a Mexican vacay making the ambiance inviting. The food needs work. The flavors are on top only. The salsa serve with chips in entrance was flavorless

This restaurant was in the recommendations from our Airbnb host. It did not disappoint! It was busy…read morebut there is ample seating. We went on a Wednesday, where the special was fajitas for $5.99 - such a good deal. My husband got the steak fajitas and I got the camerones a la diabla. The chips and salsa were so good. The chips were crunchy and thick. Good for dipping. I was disappointed that I didn't find any of the same chips in the supermarket attached to the restaurant. I'd come back for sure!

What's the deal about eggs ???…read more La Hacienda is a down to earth, unassuming and friendly place where truckers, traveling nurses, and all kinds of people come together over genuinely excellent, shamelessly affordable Mexican food. Starved .... I showed up at 11:15 AM craving Huevos Rancheros and found out they'd cut off breakfast at 11 AM. I get that restaurants have systems, but La Hacienda is in the perfect position to serve breakfast ALL day. Shift workers need breakfast all day. Truckers eat at weird times and also need breakfast all day. Nurses finishing graveyard shifts still need breakfast all day. The food quality and value here are genuinely unbeatable, which makes this so frustrating. So what's the deal with the arbitrary cutoff???? Why can't eggs be served all day? I've never understood this.

The Mexican food was awesome! Prepared and cooked to perfection!…read more The service was prompt and courteous, employee check on food wasn't invasive and refills were automatic. The decor was bright and festive. We really enjoyed the experience.

Don't waste your money. The chips and salsa are half decent, but the food was not good at all…read more Think Taco Bell if you order their tacos. Rice and beans were cold. They're closing their store down to three days a week now it's probably a good idea.

Very authentic Mexican food! This is a great Mexican staple for Gainesville. You order at the…read morecounter and choose a table, so a great place for lunch or a quick dinner. The service is always super fast. The food is always fresh and authentic. Not pictured are the birra tacos, which are my favorite and go-to item at La Tienda. The spice is tolerable, and the meat is always fresh. The nachos were a huge portion and had nicely seasoned meat. The queso was warm which was lovely

True Mexican restaurant. Very casual and basic. Some of staff speaks English but not all. Inside…read moreand outside dining. Order at counter and they bring food out. Cash discount on food. Good size portions. My husband had the chorizo eggs with beans and rice. Just ok. I tried the Huarache (house specialty) with Barbacoa beef. Masa pancake with meat, lettuce, shredded cheese, sour cream and avocado. Delish! We are from out of town but would definitely come back for if in Gainesville

Food is soooooo damn yummy bro OMG; ordered the Drowning Fatfuck sandwich with steak (Torta…read moreahogada) and i pigged out on that shit. The mole sauce was delicious as fuck. Chairs are cute as hell and the artwork makes gives a great atmosphere. Waitress was very kind and meal only ended up being 44$ after tip to serve two individuals

I wish I could give a 3.5. Ended up going down to a 3 instead of up to a 4 because they no longer…read moreserve alcohol, which was a bummer because we were looking forward to beer and margaritas with our Mexican lunch. The decor was very festive, but overall the premises have definitely seen better days. The wall paint was peeling in places and the ceiling tiles were stained. Definitely an older place. But the service was very friendly. The salsa was delicious, as were the spicy and verde sauces that came with it. I loved the enchiladas. The bistek con mole was my favorite. My husband's Toluca had an amazing flavor, but the ribeye was very thin and a little tough. Would recommend the dish but maybe the chicken version. All and all, we are not running back, but we'd come by again in the future if we're out on that side of town.

Wonderful experience and food! Our favorite Mexican…read moreRestaurant... Enjoy the Mariachi Troupe especially to celebrate anything!!! Great atmosphere and great food!!! The staff is friendly and accommodating... OLÉ for the Margaritas!!! Mexican Mariachi

Great skinny margaritas. Period. Awesome…read more Good service. Nice ambiance. Let's talk horrible salsa... if that even was salsa (certain not). Here's a recipe to try: tomatoes, onions, jalapeño peppers, cilantro, garlic... put in blender and voila. This place has a pure liquid of questionable origin that tastes like crud. The chips... dear lord. The fajitas.... Great veggies awesome seasoning. The meat I'm guessing was cat and now that I'm home I can't find my cat so I'm not super happy. Why would fajitas meat be a centimeter wide by three centimeters long? I'm interupting my own review to find my cat. Horrible food. Learn to cut meat so it doesn't look like cat.

So disappointed! I love the nachos here and have always gotten them at the restaurant and brought…read moreleftovers home. I've ordered nachos several times through a delivery service for about a year, and tonight indulged and had nachos delivered. Omg, disgusting! First of all, way too much food for the box, which would be a good thing if edible, soggy, cold, limp, very little other than steamed chips. Had to dig for the chicken, and usually I bring extra chicken home as there is so much! I cannot even explain the box of cold, steamed, tasteless, pile of garbage that was delivered. Never again

Came here yesterday for lunch on a break from work. It was really busy for a Wednesday and…read morelunchtime, in my opinion, but nonetheless I thought it was cool to see it busy. I walked in and the place was a little dirty. I figured it was because of the turnover of people and minimal staff, but it definitely caught my eye. I went up to the counter to place my order. I ordered a steak burrito and a coke. I had planned to eat in the restaurant, paid my bill, and quickly took a seat. I parked at a high top in the corner because it was just me and came to realize that the table was dirty. I took it upon myself to wipe it down before taking a seat. I opened up my company to do some work and watched as more people came in. Maybe 15 minutes later my food came. The chips were fresh and well salted. The burrito itself was really good, too! It was huge and had a lot of steak in it. The jalapenos, as always, are spicy - which I like. Overall, decent experience at this establishment and a good place to take a seat on your lunch break.