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    Carlota's Authentic Mexican Cuisine

    3.7 (242 reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Open 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

    Carlota's Authentic Mexican Cuisine Photos

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    CARLOTA'S AUTHENTIC MEXICAN CUISINE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Happy hour specials
    Good for groups

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    Restaurant and bar.
    Wes K.

    Great food! Try the Mole! Loved the Margaritas! Great and friendly service! We'll be back!

    Handcrafted fresh fruit juices make for delicious Margaritas by Ricardo.
    Nick W.

    Great restaurant and Ricardo make the best Margaritas! Super friendly service. AAA+ Hospitality! Always a pleasure to dine here! Authentic Mexican music and ambiance.

    Margarita
    Amanda H.

    Both the food and the service is always amazing at Carlota's. They are great at remembering their customers and what they like to order. They've even added things to the menu based on customers' requests. The food is very tasty. I love the Carlota's salad for lunch; the chicken is so well seasoned, juicy, and tasty. The cinnamon tea and the margaritas are both great and I don't usually order margaritas. The ambiance is also very clean, nice and well put together. Overall this place is a gem in Catalina!

    Restaurant menu

    Carlotta's food is wonderful and we're glad to be back! Can't wait to take your wonderful Chile Rellanos to my father-in-law!

    Steam coming off Shrimp Fajitas. Look at the size of those peppers. And shrimp too.
    Craig W.

    Okay, this place is not in Tucson, unless the city jumped over Oro Valley and landed in Catalina, which is where this is located. Another place where it isn't easy to find. You head up on Oracle, then eventually you get to the paradise of Catalina. A magical place of, well..let's move on. Carlotta's is sort of behind a bank, so you need to turn left into McDonald's then drive around. Parking is limited, but they have some on the side. Key items to remember 1. If you are over 70, or understand what Sun City crowd means - they love to eat early, thus anyone younger, you want to eat later - dinner wise. The place is big enough, far more than the parking lot. 2. Be amazed how many of the old timers drink water as their beverage of choice. I was told of this and sure enough it's like a game you can have. Seems to be either margaritas (when they are cheap) or water. Hey its a savings of $3 to $4 bucks. 3. If you can't have corn, your options are very limited..either a burrito or Fajitas. I went with the Shrimp Fajitas. The shrimp are a good size, seasoned well. The peppers are fresh and really big. I love that they don't overdo the onions like so many other places. You will want a side of guacamole because what they give you will last one tortilla. There is enough food here for two people. I always ditch the sour cream and cheese. The Pico de gallio is good, but ask for salsa. For those who like mild and mild is being nice, go with that one, it's the one that comes out with the corn chips. OR go full tilt with the hot one, you have to ask for it. Oh, and when you leave with extras if you ask, they will add some salsa to a cup.

    Chicken tacos wirice and beans (minus one taco)
    Jim A.

    This was my first time at their new location In Catalina. I had been to their old location across the road on several different occasions. When they were at their old location, the food was amazing. Full of flavor and fresh. The staff was excellent and attentive. Something happened between the old locationand the new location. Something bad. Decided to break my diet one time and was really craving Carlotta's tacos. I also wanted to see the new location since it looked fancy, and I believed that the food was going to be excellent as it had been on my past visits in the old location. Boy, was I wrong. To be polite, the food quality was similar to a bad fast food experience. I ordered the chicken tacos (which I have had on all of my previous visits) with the rice and beans. When the food arrived, they brought a small bowl of chips and hot and mild salsa. The chicken tacos were in a premade shell, similar to those you get in the grocery store, stale and tasted like the package they came in. Then thicken was like warm and had no flavor. The salsa tasted like it came from a jar (it probably did) and had no spice to it. The rice and beans were okay, but nothing that anyone would crave. They didn't taste like they did at their old location. The staff was inattentive. They never came by and offered me a refill on my soda. If the food was good, I wouldn't care so much about the service, but since everything tasted and looked like it came from a box, service kinda matters to me. So, to sum it up, if you liked the old location, don't expect the same quality of food. This place is pretty much fast food, and there are other plac s around with better quality of food. In the bright side though, the new location is fancy and well decorated. Maybe the table and chairs had more flavor than the food.

    Fancy back drop

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    1 year ago

    Really great authentic food, and impeccable service. This is a favorite of ours when we visit my parents!

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    5 months ago

    Food very mediocre and overpriced. Very few customers at 1:00 in the afternoon. Will not be returning again.

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    1 year ago

    All I can say is best Mexican cuisine I've had ever. Drinks exceptional. Food best ever. Service above average

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    Guadalajara Original Grill

    Guadalajara Original Grill

    3.9
    (1.6k reviews)
    15.4 mi
    $$

    Food: I ordered the chicken molcajete and it was delicious!! I had never had molcajete and it was…read moreexactly what I hoped it would be. Also they make you salsa table side to your liking! Love this idea and even better because there is no charge Drinks: I ordered the jumbo margarita and it was delicious! It was $22 for a margarita with three shots. Ambiance: fun and colorful decor Parking: designated parking lot Service: everyone was very nice and accommodating

    Ugh! I feel genuinely bad about giving this place three stars because it has all the makings of…read morebeing a five stars if not for one very important thing...the food. Which, you know, is kind of the whole point of a restaurant. The atmosphere was great, a little on the nose, but great none the less. It feels like a Mexican dinner or at least what I imagined a dinner in Mexico would look like. The staff where beyond amazing, especially the woman who made our complementary salsa right at the table. And the salsa was yummy but sadly that's the only part of the meal that I can say that about. The thing is, nothing was truly bad, but just about everything was incredibly bland. You'd have expected someone who puts raisins in potato salad to have served it, not an authentic Mexican restaurant. Though the positive is the lack of seasoning is really the only major problem. The food did not have any weird taste, it wasn't dry, the presentation was fine. It simply needs to be seasoned and this place goes to a solid 4/5 rather than a three.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Table made salsa
    Table made salsa
    Table made salsa

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    Table made salsa
    El Charro Cafe

    El Charro Cafe

    3.6
    (2.5k reviews)
    18.7 mi
    $$

    This is a MUST TRY whenever you find yourself in Tucson. The ambience and authentic chips and salsa…read moregreets you as you settle into their surprisingly large menu. No need to linger..,go straight for the queso birria chimichanga and thank me later. After all, THIS is where the chimichanga was originated! The service was attentive and polite and the owner is actively in the dining rooms to ensure stellar service. Can't go wrong. Give it a try!

    We were in Tucson over the weekend and wanted to try some authentic Mexican food. El Charro kept…read morepopping up in our search, and since we love exploring historic places with a story, it seemed like the perfect choice. Located in downtown Tucson, this iconic restaurant is full of character and beautifully decorated. We visited on a Saturday around 1 PM without a reservation and were told there would be a wait since the place was packed. They only have air conditioning in the indoor dining areas and basement, not on the outdoor patio. Luckily, we were seated in the basement, which turned out to be perfect. The service was commendable truly some of the sweetest and most attentive service we've experienced in a long time. We started with freshly made chips and salsa, which were an instant hit. For drinks, we ordered the El Tamarindo, Mangopeno, and Monica's Cafetini. For food, we chose the Vegan Jackfruit Taquitos Trio and the Fresh Corn Tamale Platter, which came with a side of squash. The drinks were excellent, with the Mangopeno being my favorite. But the real star of the meal was the tamale platter. Oh my goodness it was absolutely delicious! Everyone at the table kept digging in and couldn't get enough. Even the squash side was so flavorful that we ordered an extra serving. The vegan jackfruit taquitos were a bit too deep-fried for our liking and didn't quite compare to the incredible tamales. To finish, we shared a caramel flan, which was the perfect sweet ending to the meal. The pricing was very reasonable, the service was exceptional, and the food was memorable. We will definitely be back again if only for those amazing tamales!

    Photos
    Steak burro
    Steak burro
    Beautiful setting of Mexican Folk Art
    Beautiful setting of Mexican Folk Art
    Charro Street Tacos

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    Charro Street Tacos
    Amelias Mexican Kitchen

    Amelias Mexican Kitchen

    4.4
    (711 reviews)
    12.8 mi
    $$

    Wow, wow, wow!! We were craving Mexican while traveling and stopped by on a Saturday night. You…read moreknow it's gonna be good when folks are waiting outside to be seated. The food was creative while maintaining that fabulous fresh, handmade Mexican flavor profile. Absolutely delicious! Pricing landed somewhere in the $$ amount per person including beverage and appetizer. Very fair for the level of hand-crafting going into every dish. We didn't have a reservation (highly recommend getting one for busy times) and were happy to sit where they could fit us. Our server Louie was EXCELLENT. He walked us through the entire menu in 3 minutes and we felt confident ordering. He also suggested an amazing appetizer featuring chilies stuffed with cheese and shrimp and wrapped in bacon . I ordered the Fajitas Mixtas for my main as I wanted to try several meats. Hubby ordered the shrimp enchiladas with both green and red sauce. Both were beautiful and delicious. I also tried the mocktail that had prickly pear puree. It was delicious and refreshing. The menu had options available for folks seeking Gluten Free, too. Amelia's was decked out with modern, slightly edgy decor that was welcoming and exciting. Seating for wheelchair users could easily be accommodated by dining table chair removal. The Oracle Street location isn't huge, but the staff does a fantastic job getting folks in and you won't feel cramped. I could definitely see the place needing to expand due to popularity someday soon. Go and you won't regret it. This has made the list for returning to the next time we're in town!

    So many years in Tucson, and how did I miss Amelia's before?…read more The service was wonderful -- attentive, genuine, and kind. They have a great selection with plenty of options, even for the picky ones (aka me!). The prices are very reasonable, and the food is colorful, beautiful, fresh, and absolutely delicious. The only reason I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 is the noise level. It gets so loud that it's really difficult to have a meaningful conversation, which takes away a bit from the overall experience.

    Photos
    Breakfast burritos at lunch time
    Breakfast burritos at lunch time
    2 QUESABIRRIAS W/RICE & BEANS, CALDO (Juice meat)
    2 QUESABIRRIAS W/RICE & BEANS, CALDO (Juice meat)
    Beef Tamales con Juevos with black beans

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    Beef Tamales con Juevos with black beans
    La Yaquesita Mexican Cuisine

    La Yaquesita Mexican Cuisine

    4.6
    (109 reviews)
    18.5 mi
    $$

    Delicious food with a very relaxed and inviting atmosphere. The service was excellent. Highly…read morerecommend the Jarritos Paloma, it's delicious! I stopped in for lunch and the food and drinks really hit the spot. I also love all the plants on the patio. It feels like eating at Abuelita's house.

    Overall, the service was good and the food tasted good, but the pricing didn't quite match the…read moreculinary experience for me. Honestly, I wish I could give Yaquesita a little more, maybe half a star more, because this place definitely has potential. Their flavors are good, but compared to similar restaurants the menu feels a bit overpriced. For a party of three we ended up paying around $100, which felt like a bit much for what we got. The restaurant itself is pretty small with only about 3-4 tables inside, but the patio is a decent size and has a cute vibe. It's actually a nice option on cooler days if you don't mind sitting outside. Some items were better than others. The wet-style burrito was delicious and definitely a highlight. The quesabirrias were good, however the birria felt more like fancier shredded beef. It was missing that rich, spicy, slightly acidic, earthy flavor that usually sets birria apart from barbacoa or traditional shredded beef dishes. The bowl was just okay and had lots of lettuce. It felt more like a salad with a bit of meat, rice, and beans. Honestly, Chipotle does bowls better, and that says a lot considering the price. The nachos were good, but I've had better. Seis Kitchen has amazing nachos to share. That said, it's definitely a place I'd come back to mainly out of convenience, not because one particular item on the menu won my heart. I really do hope they continue refining the menu because the flavors are there and this place could easily become a standout spot. Personally I just think at the total price of my ticket other restaurants should not even have room in my mind during my meal. If you're in the area and looking for a safe bet where everyone will probably find something they like, it's worth giving them a try.

    Photos
    A glimpse of the decor
    A glimpse of the decor
    Sonora Hot Dogs and fries
    Sonora Hot Dogs and fries
    2 Piece Quesabirrias IG: ea_yelpelite

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    2 Piece Quesabirrias IG: ea_yelpelite

    Carlota's Authentic Mexican Cuisine - mexican - Updated August 2026

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