My husband and I were welcomed into Carlota's lovely Mexican restaurant. A nice warm basket of chips and two salsas were brought to us. After reviewing their lunch options, I went with the Chicken mole with rice and beans. I loved it. My husband ordered the green chili Chimi that had a side of refried beans. He too enjoyed his lunch. The Chimi had a nice flavor and not dry at all in the center. The only improvement to the dish would be he said, perhaps a scoop of sour cream or guacamole. Our waitress took care of us. The overall experience on a Wednesday was a very pleasant one. read more

Wonderful food & service! Even with a monsoon blowing water under the doors, the service remained attentive. The food was excellent. We will definitely be back! read more

A beautiful restaurant with gorgeous artwork. Great service. Friendly bartender. The meat lacked seasoning. It used to be better. The enchilada was good. The tacos meat was under seasoned The margarita was delicious and on happy hour for 50% off from 4-6 The queso needed some green chiles and jalapeño, it tasted like American which cheese just melted. It needs garlic salt. (I would not recommend this unless it's for a kid.) The Birria tacos were good. The consommé had a sweet taste it which was a bit odd. The chile verde con carne I had was mid. It needed some spice and it looked terrible. I have had better. The beans were tasty and good with the chips. The rice was good but had some dry sections. I hope this place gets back to their glory days. It used to be better. read more

Carlota's Authentic Mexican Cuisine - Margarita and chips and queso appetizer - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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The open style restaurant with hard floors makes for a loud environment. Service is hit-or-miss. Margaritas are decent, but the prickly pear lacked flavor. There's nothing spectacular about the food; it's ok Mexican. Carlota's is the best Mexican food in Catalina. read more

Say at the bar for dinner. Staff was very attentive. Ordered the chicken fajitas. Lots of veggies including three colors of peppers. Large portion. Tasty. Will return. read more

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Way over priced for the quality and flavor. Lovely place good friendly service. More about over charging than pleasing. read more

Love this restaurant. Excellent food and great margaritas. Service has always been excellent. They may add and outdoor dog friendly patio which would be fantstic. read more

The service is excellent. The food is excellent. People aren't packed in like sardines. Very spacious seating. Every dish tastes better than the one before. Fried ice cream is the best. read more

Terrible experience tonight! Gave our name to the host and was told it would be 10 minutes. There was one coiled waiting before us. After us, two four tops came in. Everyone was seated before us. Waited a total of 20 minutes. When we questioned the host, he said he hadn't seen a table that we could sit at but if we waiting another 10 minutes he would seat us. We left. read more

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

Carlota's Authentic Mexican Cuisine - Restaurant and bar. - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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

Carlota's Authentic Mexican Cuisine - Handcrafted fresh fruit juices make for delicious Margaritas by Ricardo. - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Fantastic grilled avocado meal with fajita veggies and protein, fire roasted veggies are Delicious! Everything we have eaten here is great! So is service read more

Carlota's is probably the best Mexican Restaurant in north Tucson. North being defined as north of INA up Oracle Rd thru Oro Valley and Catalina. Prices are reasonable, and service is excellent. The food portions are large. The supreme margarita is wonderful. You would like it. The only thing negative (from our view) is the Mariachi band that plays on the weekends. It's generally too loud. But if you like loud Mariachi, you will enjoy this band. read more

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

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! read more

Carlota's Authentic Mexican Cuisine - Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Our to-go experience was very good. Salad was full of tender chicken and toppings. Other orders flavorful. Will definitely have to go in person. read more

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

Our first time trying this place out. My son is leaving for his two-month trip. We decided to take him out to dinner here. We did not regret it. Our server was very helpful and accommodating. She made sure we were taken care of. They have huge servings. The food has good flavor. I love their salsa. And there are lots of choices for cocktails and beverages. I did not hear any complaints. The place is kept clean and the decors are simply amazing. read more

Happened to stop here one early evening. Our food was excellent, I had an appetizer that our waitress suggested and it was really good. Margaritas were included in the happy hour. Delicious read more

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. read more

Carlota's Authentic Mexican Cuisine - Steam coming off Shrimp Fajitas. Look at the size of those peppers. And shrimp too. - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

We've never had a bad meal here. The food is very good and love the mariachis on Friday and Saturdays. The only thing I would complain about is that they'll charge you for additional salsa and chips after the first serving. read more

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! read more

Carlota's Authentic Mexican Cuisine - Restaurant menu - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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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. read more

Carlota's Authentic Mexican Cuisine - Chicken tacos wirice and beans (minus one taco) - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

This place is my new favorite Mexican place! I came here from a recommendation from a coworker. This place is so cute! The design of the restaurant is so pretty inside, they even have a picture of the day of dead near the bar. Ricardo was our waiter and he is just a joy. If you pay cash, you get a free dessert (fried ice cream) yum yum yum. I ordered the Carlota salad, the chicken was amazing (I think I tasted some lemon grass). Albondigas is to die for. My kids and husband ordered tacos and they were delicious. Our aunt had some smoking hot fajitas. All delicious and amazing portions. They were so kind to bring mild salsa for the kids and spicy for the adults! We are definitely making the drive back here for food next time! My aunt is Mexican and she is quite picky and she gave it a thumbs up! read more

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Our server, Kloi, not only excelled in bringing us our food, soda and water very quickly, but at my request she immediately responded and brought a small fan to help with my grand-daughter's health issue. This allowed her to stay there for entire meal as we enjoyed our early Christmas celebration meal together. Everyone was pleased with our food, but Kloi made our day! Thank you Kloi! read more

Very tasty food, excellent service and atmosphere. I will definitely go back. They give free fried ice cream if you pay cash. read more

Carlota's Authentic Mexican Cuisine - Fried ice cream - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

The first time I went I was so happy to see machaca on the menu. It was good but that was too many onions & tomatoes and not enough meat. The salsa was good. Service was attentive and the ambiance inside was nice. read more

This review will focus neither on the agreeable wait staff, the decent frioles, the mediocre salsa, nor the bone dry and scarcely edible chimis. Instead, it is this: One of our party is disabled and has requested several times for Carlotta's to have a toilet facility she can use. Up until this point, no such accommodations have been provided. Not sure if this is legal. Get with it Carlotta's. read more

When I entered, I was pleasantly surprised by the mix of Mexican and modern - there is no ceiling, rather the air conditioning vents are exposed; on the wall to the right is a huge picture of Frida Kahlo, and the furniture and colors are your basic Mexican green red and white. We were greeted warmly and seated immediately, with menus handed to us. The service was efficient and friendly and although we were there for three hours, we never felt rushed or uncomfortable. Carlota's has an extensive menu of various combination plates - tacos, enchiladas, rellenos, fajitas, seafoods etc., all very nicely served in warm oval plates. Although it seems pretty standard, some of the plates can be confusing. My favorite dish, Chile verde with pork, is listed on the menu as tomatillo pork, and to my dismay, upon ordering "chili verde", what I got was asada with chiles. Although satisfying, it was not what I expected. For dessert, we ordered flan and it was fantastic ! This was my second visit and I look forward to trying the seafood platters. read more

Carlota's Authentic Mexican Cuisine - Asada with chilies - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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Ate at Carlota's up in Catalina on Saturday on the way back from the ren faire with my daughter and her friend, both 16 and was served moldy corn tortillas. Showed them to the server, and was offered new ones. I was so stunned, and starving, I went with flour instead. The lead came over and asked if I needed something, I had already asked for new tortillas. After this we saw no staff . I had to ask the hostess for the bill, and waited 10 mins to check out. I was charged for the new not moldy tortillas. So I called up the restaurant to make sure they were aware of the moldy tortillas, Ana the manager then proceeded to scold me for not making a scene when I was severed the moldy food. People, check your tortillas and if you get bad service up there , Ana says make a scene because she would . Ana has changed how she responded to this on my google reviews about the incident. She is stating I didn't inform anyone until 2 days later, that is a lie. I informed the server as soon as I saw the mold. Ricardo and Ana both confirmed on the phone on Monday that it was mold. Ana said they rotated out the tortillas and asked how to make things better. I said at the least I should not have been charged for replacement tortillas, which she said I could come up to the restaurant to collect. I have reported the moldy food incident to the heath department , they will conduct an inspection. I will make sure to tell everyone I know about the moldy tortillas and rudeness of the owner Ana. read more

From the moment you walk in you feel welcomed. Great bar area separate from the restaurant. The service is very friendly and fast. The menu is robust and our entrees came hot and delicious. Definitely will be our go to spot! read more

Food is okay at best. Went Saturday and ordered our meals. The shrimp that came with my dinner was so overcooked that it was pretty inedible, I tried because I paid for them but couldn't eat more than 3. Terrible. The steak had no seasoning and was flavorless. Dunno if we'll return. I remember they have good hamburgers so I may go back just to see if those are still any good, otherwise Kirby's is really calling me back. The service has been excellent though. read more

Carlota's Authentic Mexican Cuisine - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

We didn't have a reservation so we decided to wait at the bar for a table. I loved the Mexican vibe and decor of this place. We had to wait 30 minutes for a table but it wasn't a problem because we were having fun at the bar having drinks. Once seated we ordered some more drinks and our food. Our waiter was so friendly but there definitely wasn't enough wait staff in the place and he kept apologizing. We were fine but he was so worried he was giving us bad service. We told him to relax and that we were enjoying ourselves. When our food finally came out it was great. You could tell everything was made from scratch with fresh ingredients. The food had great flavor and a good amount of spice. I definitely recommend this place for the fantastic ambiance and authentic tasting food. read more

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The food is amazing however the service is unfortunately terrible and sadly it's due to a specific waitress named Amber. This was the second time she's waited on me and nothing has changed. She waited on our group of 6 and showed up at our table occasionally. Then to rub salt into the wound she had the audacity to add 20% gratuity to our bill. How arrogant is that!!! Give lousy service but submit above average gratuity!!! What happened to the customer deciding the amount of gratuity??? Their only saving my loyalty is their food. read more

Dog food is tastier. Bland, expensive, small portions. Service was good but don't ask if I want change, just bring it. Food was horrible and the margaritas had a chemical taste. If you like this place, you have not had real Mexican food. read more

I'm sorry I didn't take pictures this time because I was so hungry! But I was pleased with our food it was delicious! I had the shredded beef chimi and my husband had 3 fish tacos he said were excellent! To make things even better, we were delighted to have been seated in Ricardo's section. He was so delightful and gave great service. We will be back definitely! So good!! read more

Excellent green corn tamales, $3 margaritas on Thursday, great chips and salsa and a nice dining experience. My fave Mexican restaurant in town. read more

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

This was a more grab and go experience. The restaurant looked very nice and inviting so did the bar. I'll have to double back and do it in dining event. I will say that the food was a little greasy more so than I expected. It had some decent flavor, but definitely could use some work read more

I love this place. It's definitely a more authentic option. So some people may not be used to that. Service is amazing. And the atmosphere is cozy and intimate. The food was delicious. Only thing, was that the ground beef had too much gristle for my liking. The fajitas came out steaming, and were huge! Chips and salsa were delicious. Will definitely be back! read more

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