Too sad after so many years it closed this month, August 2026. I am a longtime patron and I went there all the time with lots of friends since I was in my early 30s and now I'm 66. I will really miss it!!! read more

THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED PERMANENTLY (from what I understand). I should have accepted the remake of my food a month ago for receipt of an incorrect order instead of a credit for a future purchase! The manager must have known when he gave me the choice... Ugh! read more

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Tried but true place to go have a good time. Especially on their patio. Food and drinks are good.

This was a cool spot for some good Mexican food. My family frequently eats here, I was invited, and decided to give it a try. The chips tasted fresh and I like a good guacamole. The salsa was tasty as well. The fajita was plentiful. I ended up taking food home. The service was friendly and accommodating. The venu is a chill space. read more

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Food was OK. Not great, that's for sure. The server we had was so rude, so was the bartender. Not going to name or describe, as maybe they were having a bad day, but still unnacceptable. Really turned me off. Music was different in every room. Dark place with a very sinister feeling to it. They need some natural light. Probably won't be back. There are plenty of other mexican places that are 10X better. read more

Great food, service and ambiance! Tons of marg flavors. Jukebox. Patio. My nephew loves the crane game. The home made salsa they bring out is perfect! read more

Our 60th reunion class met here to tell tall tales and eat. I'm not sure I would have picked this place as it was quite loud, so talking was tricky at best. Our server worked like crazy to satisfy everyone in attendance. That part was terrific. The food, on the other hand, was average at best. Maybe because they were serving about 35 people all at once was the reason, but overall not your typical Mexican restaurant. Hard to get to because of road construction outside the restaurant. That will end. read more

Food and service outstanding Great atmosphere, Fresh ingredients used the tamales were outstanding read more

Recently visited this place. I had a great server....I think her name was Amy.... anyways. She made the visit delightful. The food was pretty good but unfortunately it wasn't very busy for a Wednesday night. I look foward to coming back into town and eat there again. My only negative was the margaritas. You should teach her how to make them correctly read more

9/15/24 An entrance to the bar at about 6 o'clock, we were mostly ignored. After a period she brought drinks. She was very busy talking to another server. She was also on her cell phone. Finally, we got her attention to get a menu. While handing us our menu she was picking her teeth. During this time, another server brought in cake for the bar server to eat. Another server came into the bar eating, talked a few minutes with the bartender and then took the drink that a customer ordered. Before our food came, the bar service food came. A customer was asked to bring her outside food from Arby's! Not a very good endorsement for the restaurant she is representing. Seems like if you are not a regular customer, they don't care about you. The counter on the bar was filthy. read more

Great food and margaritas along with good service. One of our favs Ambiance is authentic,which just makes everything taste even better. read more

This place was a beloved favorite for me when I would visit family in the area in the late 80s. Had to check it out 30 years later when I was in town. They have added an extensive patio area, which looks great- but the parking lot is much smaller and packed out on a Friday night by 5:30. Dining room is brightly decorated and there are booths and tables as well as a bar section and another area that could be used for groups. Our server was very friendly and attentive. Ordered the white con queso which was really good. The Tex Mex nachos were delicious and huge! Other food ordered at my table was also good as was the margaritas. They don't serve Coke products. It was pretty loud in there as every table were drinking and enjoying their night. I will be back whenever I come to town! read more

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Amazing food Amazing margs and awesome staff their funky bean dip is my favorite gotta try the fajita pizza also

Great food great drinks! My favorite mexican restaurant in toledo! The service is amazing!

Great ppl. Very polite and great hospitality. Food is awesome. FOMood came out hot and nicely placed on plate. Didn't wait long on food and drinks were served very prompt. Servers and bar tender were very prompt n easy to talk to. read more

Have been going regularly since trying this place over the summer. The food is always good and you can't beat their prices for what you get (great portions, quality food). Some of my favorites are the apps...all of which are good, but especially the crab nachos, shrimp rolls and funky dip. Did i mention the margaritas? Those will knock you on your butt lol. The patio is also quite popular in the summer. Consider this more along the lines of " Americanized" Mexican food, and going in with that expectation you won't be disappointed. read more

Attended Carmel's last evening and most likely will never go back. The music was so loud and people trying to talk over it made it even louder. As for the food, it was cold and I was beginning to wonder if it was fresh. My husband could not finish his food because it was bland and had no taste to it. One of the waitresses was flipping off another while we were trying to eat. The owner must not care if his business makes money. he food was something that I would not even feed my dog and the behavior of the staff was deplorable. read more

I was hoping to grab a frozen margarita after a long day at work, but our server said they were temporarily out of frozen margaritas! I was disappointed to say the least! read more

Immediately seated! The food was great!! It came out quick and hot. The service was amazing. Our waitress was very nice and polite as well as checking up on us and anything we needed!! read more

Pricey 5.75 tiny margaritas. Plenty of other reasonable Mexican restaurants with amazing reasonably priced food.

Went for lunch on a Sat. Parking lot is small, but they seemed to have enough. No one noticed when I walked in, but service was great after I came out of the bathroom. She knew the menu, offered me a drink right away , brought amazing salsa & chips, took my order & brought it back within just a couple of min. Amazing food! The place was authentically decorated with wall art & even hand painted decor on the bathroom doors! It's a very cute place! I just stumbled onto it, but I'll be back - for sure!! read more

I have been here many times in the past, since I moved away from Toledo and came back to eat here, I have seen a downhill slide in Carmel's. When ordering Mexican food , they were unable to add black beans to a Quesdilla and a few other things. The waitress was not very accommodating and actually she was talking down to us. Interesting. My wife ordered a Taco Chicken Salad. She got lettuce and chicken and a side of sour cream. My daughter complained to the Manager which was out waitress, again she showed no empathy and defended the food. Hey I live in Raleigh and restaurants bend over backward for you. I was very surprised about the managers attitude. Well maybe she was having a bad day. This is a popular drinking spot, but I would not go here for Lunch, Dinner or whatever food taste you have. Taco Bell has a better taste, that is what my Daughter told me. I never go to Taco Bell. All 4 of us did not feel very good after eating here, something about the food was not agreeable. Looks like they are relying on their past laurels and not progressing to make themselves better. If you are looking for Mexican Food . look elsewhere, this is not the place. read more

Carmel's Mexican Restaurant - a car parked in front of a restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Toledo, Ohio

Carmel's has been around forever, and the patio can be really fun. It's a good summer hang out in northern side of town. The service that night was fantastic. The waitress had chips and salsa on the table within 2 minutes of our sitting down. Drinks were out 2 minutes later. She then took our (quite complicated) order without writing it down. About 10 to 15 minutes later, our food was out and everything was correct. I was impressed by her speed and accuracy. The food is pretty good; better than Loma's or Ventura's, but not as good as Mi Hacienda's or El Vaquero's. Pretty standard "Toledo/American Mexican." One thing that is a bit unusual is that Carmel's has menudo on a daily basis. (Although I try to avoid eating tripe and other innards, my wife loves menudo and thought Carmel's was excellent...even better than San Marcos). Margs are great tasting, and of average size and strength. We'll go back, and maybe Carmel's will earn another star. read more

We were introduced to Carmel's from a friend several years back. And now every time we visit Toledo from NC we have to go to Carmel's. As always tonight did not disappoint. We had our favorite dish Botanas Mexicanos or what we call Garnachas. The Guacamole and warm tomato stew served with it is amazing. read more

Carmel's Mexican Restaurant - Botanas Mexicanos (mini appetizer garnachas) - Mexican Near Me - Toledo, Ohio

I have been going here since I was very small and loved it since I can remember. The food is always excellent and I have never had anything there that I didn't like. Once I got older of course the margaritas became a favorite and still are...next to one I have in Santa Fe...LOL. I love how everyone wants to flock to the other "popular" places...and Carmel's remains mellow and homelike...making it better in my eyes. A nice margie, crab nachos, and a burralada and then home for a nap LOL.... A must try in Toledo... read more

Carmel's Mexican Restaurant - The Outside Can Be Hard To Find - Mexican Near Me - Toledo, Ohio

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Worst Mexican food in Toledo and that's saying a lot. Went twice for a friend's birthday because she had terrible taste. Gross both times. Only knew what it tasted like because it's so dark in that place you can't read your menu without a flashlight. Everyone says the margaritas are the best. If you call shaved ice good god help us all. I would never ever go there again. I can't believe they are still open read more

Visited on a Sunday afternoon. 3:00. Music way to loud for a Sunday afternoon. Customers having to talk or yell to be heard. Bartender was really loud at times. read more

The food here is actually good... once it arrives! Service on the patio was a bit slow, but tolerable. I agree with a comment about smoking on the patio... not tolerable! The House margaritas are delicious (and strong!). Don't bother paying extra for the Golden Cuervo Margaritas (which have a black licorice after-taste), at least to me. I ordered a vegetarian entree, which was very good and flavorful. Didn't realize until later that I was missing guacamole. The salsa was good, but you had to ask for more. Overall, I would give this place another try. Seemed like the patio was super busy beyond what their staff could handle. read more

Very disappointed in Carmels. Used to be our favorite neighborhood Mexican restaurant with good food and margaritas. Last night my husband ordered a margarita with no ice (for medical reasons). It came in a very small glass, which we just assumed was because less volume due to no ice, When we got the check we discovered that they had charged twice for the no-ice marg ($10 vs $5 for mine - only difference: no ice). We asked to talk to the manager and he said it was because it was pure alcohol, therefore more alcohol than a regular marg. That was just flat-out untrue. It was a *margarita* - same amount of alcohol as mine. He said everybody prices their drinks that way. We have a family member who worked in the restaurant business for many years - he said that was just bullsh*t. We will not be going here again. read more

Had a good first experience. I Ordered few basic tacos. All was well. Will be back to try more items.

Food was absolutely horrendous! For the price I paid I could have had a nice meal at Don Pablo's or Carrabbas. The beans with the meal was straight out of can and looked like dog food. Everything was bland. I do not recommend this place if your looking for somewhere to eat. The interior was boring...in fact I thought they were remodeling. White walls, nothing on the walls, and exposed pipes and airducts. read more

Carmel's Mexican Restaurant - Beans straight out of a can. Looks like dog food. - Mexican Near Me - Toledo, Ohio

Besides giving my husband violent diarrhia, there's not much to review. The patio was filled with over-age cougars and bikers and the salsa is from Old El Paso in a jar. The chips are Tostitos (although I like Tostitos) The beans have lard in them, which the waitress described as "rotten meat juice"--definitely not good for vegetarians. Since I'm veggie, I had the quesadilla, which normally comes fried (wtf?) but I got it baked. The only reason this place gets 2 stars is our awesome, knowledgeable and fast waitress. This is definitely a place to go just to drink (they had a million anti-drunk driving posters). read more

Worst dining experience ever. I'm a foodie and write a chicken & waffles blog.. I've eaten my way through many cities. This was the absolute worse dining experience. My "enchilada" was basically greasy dog food, wrapped in a cheese covered tortilla... That's it.. No sauce.. Just a small handful of wilted lettuce and tomatoes on the side. I took one bite. The atmosphere was awful! Nothing on the walls except some ridiculous drunk people.. No music just loud drunk idiots. read more

Carmel's Mexican Restaurant - Dog food - Mexican Near Me - Toledo, Ohio

I decided to try Carmel's after noticing how busy they seemed last summer... The atmosphere, when you initially walk in, is bar...and then you walk around and the restaurant dining is in the back(it made us think, they didnt even serve food). Everything has a clean appearance and fresh paint, mood lighting etc. Staff here was really kind and sweet, fast and courteous..I had no issues there. HOWEVER! I came to Carmel's because I'm pregnant and I was craving Mexican food and I didn't want to go all the way downtown to San Marcos, where I know it's good. Everything tastes and looks like it just came out of a box, bag or can. The salsa, was clearly store bought, syruppy VERY red salsa (cheap) and the chips were stale. I ordered Tostadas and they weren't fried, they were also store bought shells and my meat was C O L D. -_- I informed our waitress of the distaster I wasnt about to eat, and left. I paid for what I received, which was good service (tipped) but I did not pay for the meal seeing as I took 2 bites. *Never Again!* read more

This used to be a great happening little Mexican restaurant with music, great food and the best margaritas anywhere. But.. now under new ownership. The margis are still great but no music. No fun. The place is dead. What a shame. read more

We had to get out the mitten.. since our state was still closed on quarantine we decided to spend our money in OHIO and take an overnight trip to Toledo. Stumbled upon Carmel's the food, MARGARITAS and the service was the BOMB.. Jessie was our girl and we will be back soon! read more

This place has great atmosphere and wonderful Red Eye MARGARITAS!!! I don't know exactly what is in one but they have a "moresy" taste...I want MORESY! From the first time we were brought there it has become a restaurant we always look forward to visiting when we come to the Toledo area. It is one of the more authentic mexican restaurants I have been too. Click my margarita glasses in both hands to Carmels! read more

This restaurant was open and pretty busy tonight. We went to bar initially and had drinks and appetizers, the chorizo dip was very solid. Put our name in for patio, somehow we got taken off wait list and it was over an hour before we finally got seated. The burralada I had was interesting and tasty, their creation which you don't see often. The patio is ok , but lots of smokers so kind of spoils things, maybe don't allow smoking there?? read more

Whoa if there were no stars this place would get them. Been going here my whole life came into town and my mom and I ordered the food was so terrible my mom couldn't even finish hers it's disgusting. DO NOT EAT HERE read more

Alright listen up. This is the duke of Carmel's typing and I'm going to set all you haters straight. First off: I don't come to Carmel's expecting some 3 Michelin star meal and you shouldn't either. I don't drink but every time I'm here, it seems like the whole place is drunk and having fun and I love that shit. Respect. Second: The nachos are badass. Order nachos always. Third: The beans and rice are always banging. Fourth: the Tamales are cheap as hell and delicious. I mean don't act like you're about to get your family recipe Tamale...it's cheap for a reason. But still, I'll put down 10 of em. Lastly, Carmel's has a charm to it that clearly you Yelp warriors don't recognize. That's on you. I'm at Carmel's right now about to put down a mini chicken chimi. Bye bye. read more