I was really disappointed in this place. It was Cinco de Mayo, but our large party called 5 days ahead and made a reservation. When we arrived, it was absolutely packed, we were told, rudely, that they did not take any reservations for May 5. So either someone took a reservation that should not have, or they just lost it. Either way, it was just handled poorly by the restaurant. They said we could sit outside, but it was about 50 degrees outside, so that seemed inappropriate. After several members in our party spoke with one of the managers, we were told they were trying to put some tables together, but because the hostesses were so rude to begin with, we opted to go somewhere else. The previous reviews echoing poor service seem to be accurate. read more

Needing a New Mexican restaurant, we decided to try Caliente's in Carmel. Lots of parking behind the restaurant. When we walked in, I loved the brightness of the decor. So many colors that were festive and appropriate. It is done in a pleasant way so you do not feel like it is temporary or cheap. We looked in the bar, which is small but have a large screen. They do have a few screens up in the main dining area. Not important to me but nice to my husband. It was Margarita day and we got a big ultimate mix. It was huge and fun for us to share. We enjoyed the salsa and chips for a while and then ordered fajitas of steak and chicken. They were excellent! Not over cooked or dry. We did have to get more guacamole and sour cream but with that request we were both very happy. Refried beans did not come with the meal and my husband missed having them. He forgot about that after the extra sour cream and guacamole arrived. He will probably order them on another visit. Food and drinks were so enjoyed and there is no doubt about our ultimate return. Definitely, the best Mexican food we have had in Carmel. The waiter was fine but hard to understand. Not that bad cause everything came out great. We also thought the prices were very fair. It was a very pleasant meal and adventure for us both. Go and have fun! read more

Caliente Mexican Restaurant - Margarita Day at Caliente was muy bueno! - Mexican Near Me - Carmel, Indiana

Food was good, standard mexican fare. Very festive decor. Reasonable prices. However, what completely ruined our experience was the nonexistant service. We had to ask 3 different people for our coke before it finally appeared 20 min later. Asked the same 3 people for chip and salsa refills that never arrived. Had to wait forever to order and for the check at the end. So frustrating. Came on a Saturday night at 8pm but it wasn't crazy busy so not sure why the service was so lacking. May get take out because food was fine, but won't waste our time dining in again. read more

This was our first time dining at Caliente. You walk in and the decor is fun, lots of bright colors and pictures. The hanging lights are cool, and it's a family friendly place. The chips and salsa are great. My husband had the taco salad and thought it was delicious. I had the caliente enchiladas, and they were fabulous! I requested a few substitutions to my order, and the server assured me that it was no problem. Sometimes places act like they are put out, or up charge you, but not here, and they got my order right. There was so much food that I took half of it home for later. The service was impeccable. The only thing that wasn't an a+ to me was the guacamole, but it was still good. Overall, this is the best Mexican food we've had in Indiana since we moved back here from California. We will definitely return. read more

This is our favorite Mexican restaurant. The food is really good but the service is so slow. It normally doesn't bother us on a busy weekend night, we'll just have another Margarita but we stopped in for late lunch on a Sunday and it was still bad service with only a quarter of the tables full. But if you're willing to deal with waiting you can't beat the food for a reasonable price. read more

The decor and atmosphere was 5 stars. Service was horrible. We tried to be patient, but after 40 mins of waiting for our food, it came soggy and cold:/ waitress didn't check on us once, no refills of drinks. I think if the food came out when it was supposed to, it would have been tasty. I had to give 2 stars just because the service and food was bad:/ read more

Poor service and food quality was poor. Beef and chicken was very salty and lacked any flavor. Salsa was very spicy and could not be eaten. Our party could not get our drinks refilled. Restaurant was empty but had to wait for everything. read more

Sub-par mexican at best. The service was border-line terrible, and the food was well below average. I certainly expected more from a place with such favorable Yelp reviews. Perhaps it was just a bad night? read more

Stopped in here for some dinner. The decor was bright! The service was ok. Typical salsa and chips. I will tell you I thought the food was a step up. Our food was good and portion sizes were good. Definitely worth a stop. read more

Pretty space, nice service, okay food

Great authentic Mexican restaurant. The cheese sauce on the quesadilla favorita is amazing. Good customer service and cool ambiance too.

One of the worst experiences with food in my life. I'm not sure what type of Mexican most of the people who are leaving reviews have had, I would assume Hacienda and similar "bland" restaurants, but there is nothing authentic about this restaurant. I was beyond excited to have a "Mexican" restaurant just 2 minutes from work, but I'm disappointed to say I will never eat here again. I'll continue looking to get my authentic taco fix somewhere else that's close to work. Staff was very friendly though, props to them! read more

We loved the service, atmosphere and food. We'll definitely return and highly recommend trying the burritos and chimichangas read more

Caliente Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Carmel, Indiana

I've been dying to have a new favorite Mexican-American joint and I think I've found it! Most Mexican places I've been to lately have been unclean and off the same enchiladas with canned pasty beans and boxed rice. Drove by this place and had to go in. As soon as you walk in you're hit with an eclectic design and rainbows of colors! I love how customized the decor is, taking the Mexican art theme and introducing Colts and other Indiana fame throughout the restaurant. It's really fun to wait on your food because you can just look around! The service was outstanding! Our server kept calling us his amigos and it just made me smile. I had an enchilada and a tamale with beans and rice. And of course had to get some guac to go with it. The chips and salsa are very fresh and have great flavor. Sometimes I'm scared to order Guacamole at places because there's nothing worse than paying $6 for a disappointing bowl-o-guac. This guac was so fresh, a little spicy and full of flavor. The enchilada and Tamale were cooked perfectly and had great flavor. The rice wasn't that great, so that's the only reason I gave it 4 stars. The prices were very reasonable. You have to try this place! read more

Caliente Mexican Restaurant - Tamale and enchilada - Mexican Near Me - Carmel, Indiana

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Nice internal decor, great food and service, prices are very reasonable. One of my favorite Mexican restaurants.

This review is solely based on my carry out experience but I hope to try out the dine-in option soon! The ordering process was painless; I found the menu online which was difficult to use in the full site but worked flawlessly on the mobile version. The server took the order and it was ready in fifteen minutes or so. The order wasn't quite ready when I got there but there was a large party so I'll attribute the wait to that. The food itself is delicious and the portions are very good. Overall, pretty great food especially for the area! read more

Service sucks most of the time but really good food and atmosphere so we go regularly, but always build in a little more time to eat and can always expect about 3 screw ups each visit. read more

Food is good, service is good. Food came out hot and was tasty. Drinks were tasty too and good amount of liquor, but would not call it a fantastic restaurant. Watch your bills though, twice we have had the waitresses round the tips up to an amount they like. read more

We used to love this restaurant, one of our favorites. We've been here a lot and the food is always good, every time. We carry out a lot and the food is always good. Now the but. But on our last carry out order, someone gave themselves a nice tip on our credit card. We are naturally disputing the bill, but what a shock! We never would have thought, but then again we usually pay with cash. SO BEWARE IF YOU USE A CREDIT/DEBIT CARD! Once this is resolved, we unfortunately will still not go back. If I can't trust them with a simple transaction, what else are they doing behind the scenes? WHAT A SHAME. We really liked the place. read more

We found the cheese dip and quesadilla we shared delicious. The salsa was also fresh and the chips warm and yummy. I got a diet coke as well and our total including tip was less than $20. We will be back! read more

Pretty much has the same menu as most Mexican restaurants around. Good food, great atmosphere. Only real issue is the service can be a little slow at times. read more

It has been a week now since I emailed you per your request and yet I've heard nothing. Apparently costumer service and keeping customers happy so you will have repeaters is not in your grasp. Still extremely unhappy with this place. read more

Great Decor sets the mode for nice atmosphere and"Best Mexican food in Carmel"Got the Texas Fajitas they where phenomenal,One of the Quesadillas Supprema was very good and one Burrito Supremos that was awesome.The Texas Margarita was strong,just what she needed.The Service could not have been better.Thanks again!! read more

I work nearby and lunch here is fantastic. Super quick when you have a short lunch like me but service was great. My go to Mexican in the area! read more

This is my favorite Mexican spot right now. The decor makes for an amazing atmosphere and food is great. I love the Nachos Texanos. I would highly recommend. read more

Stopped in for lunch. Not impressed. Salsa was good but chips were not fresh. Ordered the Burrito Caliente. Not sure what kind of beef was in it but it was the most bland carne asada I've ever had. The first 2 bites were all fat and gristle. The meat sticking out of the end of the burrito was all dried out as if it had been sitting out a long time. Not sure what the cream sauce was supposed to be either. Maybe I just ordered the wrong dish but I think if you are going to name it after your business it should be special. To top it off the waitress disappeared and it took over 20 minutes to get the check after asking 3 other people who also disappeared. read more

Another one of my local go to restaurants. There was worker there that did not want to help us so I had to ask for a different server but other than that I've been there probably 100 times and that's the only issue I've had! read more

The decor of this establishment was very neat & authentic looking.However,the quality of the food left much to be desired. When the entree was brought to the table, it was too spicy to eat.....a replacement was brought out only to find it lukewarm at best. The service itself was poor, as well as the cashier made us wait several moments before even acknowledging my presence. We will not be back to El Caliente and do not recommend this restaurant to anyone. read more

Great food and excellent service. The chips are very fresh.I had three hard shell tacos which were very tasty and not covered in cheese or sour cream. The wife had a tilapia dish which was a nice serving of fish and excellent flavor. read more

Chips and queso and margaritas! Yum!! Such a gorgeous restaurant. The food is amazing. It has become a common spot for my coworker and I. The service has been good. read more

What a pleasant surprise to see that Caliente is now open! Wonderful service, very reasonable prices, bright and fun atmosphere. Complimentary chips and salsa are appreciated (as always), but pretty standard. I ordered the huevos rancheros lunch special, which was quite tasty, although the eggs were a tad over cooked. The ranchero sauce was delightful - had a nice little kick to it. I will definitely be going back! read more

Decided to stop in for lunch and loved it. Doesn't seem too special from outside but all the wood carvings inside the building, along with the fountain in the entrance, let's you know this place is special. They got daily specials and the food is not only delicious, but very well portioned. Only complaint is their beer selection is limited to macros, but all around a great place! read more

Went on Cinco De Mayo and expected longer wait times but I did not expect such bad service. No frozen or flavored marguaritas. "They were too busy". Asked for Corona with lime. Got a lemon. Never brought back a lime. Got queso but brought no chips. Had to track down a different waitress for chips. Ordered cheese and ground beef enchiladas, got a cheese quesadilla and shredded beef enchiladas. Sent it back. Husband ordered sour cream. Waitress said they were too busy to have it. Finally got my plate when all others were done, it was also wrong but ate it anyway. Food was good overall. Water had a odd taste. Again I definitely understand longer service times on a busy day but not indifference in service. read more

Food was pretty good. Decor very cool and Mexican themed. Service was very slow and lacked importance with staff.

I was here, last month, and the service was much better, this time. We had a group of 6, but our drinks stayed filled, and we got more chips and salsa, without issue. I ordered a lunch plate that came with three enchiladas and a verde salsa on top. Unfortunately, I did not realize it would be served with half a tub of sour cream (not a fan). I simply scooped it off and enjoyed the rest. The thing that is unique about this place is all of the very colorful wooden art work all over the place (literally all over the place). This is a regular spot for my Carmel colleagues. read more

Great salsa and chips (fresh). Quesadilla was full of chicken, grilled onions & peppers!

Excellent Mexican food! Great atmosphere with friendly service. Margaritas are very good but the "table side" guacamole is awesome. Not actually done table side but request it that way. Their "standard" guacamole is just ok. I have been now 3 times and none has disappointed. read more

Flavorful food but not spectacular or with wow factor. Most dishes are topped with a white nacho cheese. Husband had nachos which were overall good. I had a vegetarian combo that was disappointing - bean burrito was literally just refried beans wrapped in a tortilla and smothered in white nacho cheese. Basically fine food but nothing to write home about. read more

LOVE Caliente!!!! Everything is wonderful! Salsa, chips, queso, guacamole, margaritas, Everything!!! I was introduced to it about 1 month ago and I've been about 5 times since. read more

Every time I order take out, (3 times in a row) they "forget" the guacamole. How does it happen 3 times in a row?