Wow. This place is absolutely awful. They are SO cheap and rude. I placed an order for almost $80. Waited quite awhile at pickup and then asked Alex to please remember the chips and salsa this time and that I had five adults eating. He assured me it was all in the bag but I did not trust this so I checked my order before leaving. He definitely was just trying to push me out of the store without doing anything because inside the bag was a McDonald's medium fry bag of chips and two things of salsa. I got back in line to ask for a couple more bags of chips and he started typing on the register. I was a little confused as I watched on register but Alex indeed was charging me FIFTEEN DOLLARS for two tiny sacks of chips. I questioned this and he had a big attitude in his response telling me only one bag was "complimentary " with each order. Give me a BREAK!!! Who charges ANYTHING for tiny bags of plain stale chips let alone $15? You guys should be ashamed of yourself. You're serious cheapskates. And Maria / Alex - you dudes should have Waited until i was gone to laugh and make fun of me. You must have a bright future ahead of you lol anyways this place is a 0/10. Gross. Alex you should also stop coming to work high because perhaps this effected your judgment in our interaction. Good luck to your spot - you're gonna need it with the employees you have. read more

I'm curious as to why they're starting to not be consistent with their services. First off, I was placed in a table that had another person already sitting, then I got placed in a table that was not fully cleaned.. and they didn't double back to clean it thoroughly. Then they stopped giving you the complimentary nachos. Did they really?.. or maybe they forgot? Or maybe they're not complimentary anymore? I wouldn't know.. but I can see some tables have them and some don't. Funny, if it's not part of their usual table offers anymore then they should just place the nachos in the menu so I can order and pay for them. And they should inform their patrons of these changes. Previous comments: This place is actually better than many commenter's expectations! I'm quite picky with my restaurant choices but I'd like to say I'm reasonable.. so despite me not having tried to order takeout from here and time how long it took them, I'd rather comment on how FAST they served my lunch order-4 minutes! My enchilada plate was hot off the grill. And the place was busy! The waitress was brief, but thorough and quick enough not to disregard me and yet not be overwhelming! This establishment deserves credit! read more

Very impressed with their safety standards during COVID-19. Employees keep inspecting and cleaning. And thank for giving the delicious meals. I definitely come again read more

Came for breakfast with my daughter. She had pancakes with strawberries and whip cream. Also bacon and eggs. I had 2 hard shell tacos and the food was absolutely delicious!! My five year old daughter er said she gives 100 stars and we will definitely be back again. Eric was our server and did an exceptional job. My daughter thinks he should get a lot of money! read more

Been frequenting this place often for as long as we've lived here. Love the variety on the menu. I think that is why it is our default choice if we can't decide as a family where to go to eat. There is always something on the menu for everyone. I like that the service is always friendly towards us. read more

Every time we are out in this are we always visit. The food here is great. I have never tasted such a delicious spinach dip. The bad thing about it is you get full and then cant eat ur food. . I love the puerto Vallarta shrimp. But their ground beef tacos and cocido is good too. My kids had pancakes with chocolate chips and whip cream on top which they loved. I have never had bad service but sometimes it is just ok. But today.. wow we had a great server. Fast & friendly . I never leave without having their chocolate chimichanga im obsessed with it. It is very very sweet so it might not be for you. read more

Carnitas Express - Mexican Near Me - Menifee, California

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We went on a busy Sunday morning but arrived just before the church crowd poured in. No one was at the hostess stand while we stood there and waited. Finally flagged a waitress down to seat us. Hubby ordered the breakfast special and I ordered the Menudo. Both food came out luke warm after 30 minutes. Looked like the food had been sitting in the window for a while. Couldn't find our waitress to change the food out so we had to get another waitress. Waitress went and heated the food up (instead of new food! the old food had been sitting in the window!). We asked for a manager, but the manager was uninterested in what we had to say, she was too busy to stay a minute to talk. She said she was going to check on our re-heated food and bring them back. Not once she said sorry, or anything. She was more annoyed than anything. By the way, the church crowd waited at the entrance much longer than we had to wait without being greeted or seated. read more

Place is extremely hot, ac is broken, manager/owner Eva is literally the worst person I've ever seen, came in for some tacos, had the worst experience. 0/10 i wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. read more

Those of my regular readers know that I rarely give a 1 star. We had taken a little drive to look at vehicle my fiance wanted to purchase. It was late afternoon, and by time were done it was dinner time. If we had driven home it would have been way too late and besides I had not had lunch and the little just had a corndog for lunch. I figured it's Cinco de Mayo let's go to a Mexican restaurant. It was around 6:30pm, which is probably a little crowded, but figure maybe not to bad a wait. Now there are about 3 doors which you can enter. Two were blocked by people who seems to have the horse blinders on, so we went into the 3rd door, which was like the bar part. There was a sign that said wait to be seated. So like good little readers we are, we stood there waiting to be seated. Mind you were were literally 3 steps from the bar. No one acknowledged us, or came up to us, eventhough we were passed by several wait staff. So about after 5 mins we asked if someone was going to seat us. To which the bar tender said " oh you can go over there and put your name down and someone will call you." So we did that and with in about 3 mins they waitress called us and asked if we wanted a booth (which we would have waited for) or there was a high-table in the bar area. Since we were hungry, we took the bar. Figured not a long wait.... WRONG!!!! She sat us, didn't ask if we wanted anything to drink. We sat, and sat, and SAT. I get that it was Cinco de Mayo, but after about 20 mins of sitting and watching wait staff walk by our table several times, mind you were smack dab in the middle of the place, I was about to walk out. So I caught a guy waiter and asked if anyone was waiting our table. He said he'd get someone. Still no drink order yet. Waited 5 more mins, and then someone finally came with no apologies for keeping us waiting. Almost seemed a bit on the prejudice side, as most of the clientele were older non ethnic people, except the cooks, and between the three of us, we represent East Asian, Asian, and black. I got a chicken burrito, and my little one got a bean and cheese burrito. Mine was awful.... I was more like an enchilada. Shredded chicken which was folded in a tortilla, with red sauce and the chicken was luke warm. No rice or salsa in it. Ok so there was rice and beans on the platter. My little one, bean and cheese burrito, fell apart while she was eating. Could have got better at Taco Bell for the price or I should have taking my 6 years suggestion to get Vietnamese food. Needless to say won't be seeking this establishment out next time I'm in the area. read more

Three stars means I will return, because I found more pros than cons when I took my family to eat here over the weekend. Granted, 6 of us went in for dinner after a long, tiring day, and my kids took a good moment or two to settle down. Sorry, what can I say? PROS: We were seated immediately... Our waitress came over within a moment or two to take drink orders... same waitress was attentive and fairly quick with service. She could have been more friendly (though I have no complaints here, to be honest), but then, my kids could have cooperated instead of taking 5 minutes to agree to seating arrangements... Chips and salsa were off the hook! ...My girls ordered breakfast and ate every bite... Taquitos and guacamole was tasty... I ordered possibly the largest burrito in the west, a wet "Matador" which basically has everything in it including your choice of meat. The burrito was good! Not great, not fantastic, but certainly not bad...price was moderate. It wasn't an amazing deal, but for a decent sit-down meal, I was surprised it didn't cost $10 more. CONS: The environment was a bit bland and the whole place could use an update!... I ate here about a decade ago and couldn't get enough of the delicious food, but I wasn't as impressed this time. I wasn't dissatisfied by any means but I wasn't blown away either... The restaurant's layout. The restrooms are located right near the bar and bar seating, the salsa bar, and the door to the kitchen. I mean, really, who wants to order a drink or grab more yummy salsa when it smells like a fart? In any case, I'll try it out again, sans the stinky salsa bar. read more

I seriously love this place. The wait to get sat (any day/time of the week) can get crazy so we usually end up sitting at the bar. The food is amazing and the service is aways great. I don't know the name of it but they have this chicken fajita salad that is to die for :-) and its like 8 bucks...really?! Wow! The chips and salsa is great, the food is great and the atmosphere is kinda lame but who cares when the food is wonderful :-) read more

After reading all the reviews here on Yelp, I was really looking forward to giving this place a try. We placed a togo order so I don't have anything to say about the service. We ordered nachos with shredded beef, a carna asada burrito, and a bean and cheese burrito. The shredded beef in the nachos was great. Overall I would give the nachos 3.5 stars. Good eats right there; however, some fresh jalapionos would have really put it over the top! Now to the burritos. The bean and cheese burrito was average. Kinda hard to mess up. The carna asada burrito wasn't good. It wasn't horrible, but the meat was bland and didn't have any flavor. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing. I give this burrito 2.5 stars. My overall review of Carnitas Express is 3 stars. I will be back to try something different. read more

ONLY 3 STARS!! The reasoning for only 3 Stars is because every Mexican restaurant should have two things perfect when they own a shop, the Spanish Rice & Refried Beans!! This restaurant does NOT have the refried beans perfect! My Daughter ordered a bean burrito and the side was Spanish Rice and Refried Beans and it was HORRIBLE!! The beans were not smashed at all. They didn't take the time to smash the beans or add a sprinkle of cheese nothing! If they can't get the basics right who knows how they prepare the remaining foods. Reason not 1 STAR!! My Husband got Carne Asada Fries and said they were good. They hardly give you avocado on foods? We're in California, is there a drought for Avocados here?? Apparently at this place there is! Be prepared to pay extra for avocado! Very disappointing! read more

Great food. A little pricey. But not bad. Good looking breakfast as well. Came for lunch. Good chip and salsa bar.

Still good! Quick service, good cheap food, large booth of the family. Caring waitress will cut the straw for the kiddie drinks. Kudos on that. read more

Their food is good. It's really good. I usually stop by when I'm in the area and take dinner home with me. The only thing is they alllllways forget something. I've ordered chips and salsa with my meal at least half a dozen times over the past year, I think I got them once. I love their food so I'll continue to go, but if you're taking food to go, check your order before you walk out of the door. read more

I've been coming here since they opened in the early 90s as a kid. I should of left when Irma ignored me and helped 3 other groups that came after me. I confronted her and asked her if she had any intentions of helping me and she just rolled her eyes at me what a disappointment when I realized she was the manager! read more

The service was good and the food was excellent! The bar area in nice and they have great food and beverage specials! I love their margaritas! All the food is fresh and hot! The staff is so friendly! Large area for dining. I stop in at least once a week sometimes more! The owner is very supportive of other local businesses. read more

Carnitas Express - A great bar with awesome servers! - Mexican Near Me - Menifee, California

Great chips and salsa. Spicy! The place is a greasy hole in the wall. I like a few things on the menu. Burritos wet with the chili verde sauce. I think the one I order is called chili verde but if not, it's pork with green chili sauce. Quite good. Sometimes fatty so I always ask for lean but it only works 80% of the time. Still good and big enough to split. I also like the Carnitas. Authentic Mexican. For lunch I often order the tostada (which is lunch size) and add Carnitas. Add salsa and it's a meal - cheap. Remember...greasy, not fine dining but the service is great and the food is good. read more

Carnitas Express~~ NOT!!! Went to karaoke~~ in the BAR~~ but there were kids till 11:40pm!!! Singing &~~~ dancing up where the karaoke is done!!! Great parenting!!! Selfish & cheap more like it!!! I thought it was a law about kids in a bar that late~~ hmmm seems they aren't following the rules!!! Our "party" complained to the manager & she didn't do anything!! Wow~~ way to have your customers back~~ BAR!!!! Liz the~~ "karaoke" girl was more strict on our party ~ having to~~ follow her rules than she was about kids in a bar jumping around up on the "singing" floor!!! Adults had to wait for the kids to sing!!!! Weird!!!! I am more interested in going to a REAL BAR with a "step up" on the karaoke!!!! read more

Seriously, this place is incredibly delicious. Great food, great prices and definitely great service. If you should find yourself in Menifee and in search of great Mexican food, look no further. The albondigas soup was the bizzzniss! Nowhere near as tasty as what my mom makes, but it's definitely good, and served in a gargantuan size bowl. A great variety of salsas, hot sauces, onions, cilantro and lemons are provided for all of your garnishing needs. Haven't had the pleasure of trying their breakfast, but I've heard it's incredible. read more

How did this place go from a 5 star to a 1 star. Well you go for Taco Tuesday and your waitress does not know prices to drinks and tells my group the house coronarita is $7 and its really $10.. $3 is a big difference.. We did not complain as we love this place, but its going to be a while before we return. Food, service and atmosphere is why we eat out at times. You have to get all 3 right! read more

Been coming here for at least 16 years now place is a staple in Menifee. Huge portions and amazing food with the best red sauce I've ever had. They also serve beer which is also a plus. Not a bad thing on the menu try it all. read more

Carnitas Express - Wet breakfast burrito huge and delicious - Mexican Near Me - Menifee, California

First timer. Came with my mom on Valentine's Day. Place was packed but our waitress always stopped to make sure we were okay. The meal was fantastic!! I had the enchilada with rice and beans and sour cream and guacamole. Delicious!! And I plan on coming back with friends and family. read more

Carnitas Express - Complimentary chips and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Menifee, California

First time here since moving to the area. Glad we found this spot. We came for lunch on taco Tuesday and I ordered 1 of each; chicken, beef and ground beef. $1.49 each. Sweet deal and the tacos are big with plenty of meat and cheese. Read through the menu and the prices were all reasonable. Definitely coming back for happy hour and the margaritas. My husband ordered the El Matodor burrito with carnitas and green chile and it was not only huge but delicious. And great for the price! We'll be back for more. read more

Carnitas Express - Taco Tuesday - Mexican Near Me - Menifee, California

Love the food , excellent customer service, will definitely be back, we ordered carnitas burritos and they were made exactly how we requested everything was outstanding read more

Came here on a Friday night, not too busy...we walked in sat at the Bar area and were immediately told we had to pay $5 cover charge. Lol it wasn't like a dance club or anything great just a restaurant bar. Ok we gave up our credit card to start up a tab...ordered two beers each...no complimentary chips and salsa boooo. My buddy ordered a carnitas taco and I ordered guacamole and chips. Total $34 bucks plus tip. We just happen to see the place in the parking lot of a busy shopping strip and decided it looked like a place to try. Nothing fancy, music was ok playing in the background. That's it...boring! Just a place to try....or not! read more

Waitress was awesome. My friend and I both ordered the French Toast Cinnamon Revolution. What was served to us was cinnamon bread that had been cooked with a bit of the egg on the outside. Very dry and no egg soaked into the bread which is the whole concept of French toast. We sent both orders back and what returned was essentially the same thing but with more egg on the outside. Still dry bread once you cut into the French toast. This dish and a cup of coffee cost me $14.00. So ANNOYING!! read more

I love carnitas in general. I went in there for that then I seen all of there cooks handling food without proper sanitary gloves. I wanted to run quickly out of there but I was hungry so I order the Gordo platter. Awful, bland with no taste. It seemed like they don't change there oil often cause the taquitos were horrible. read more

Carnitas Express - 4 Flat Screens - Mexican Near Me - Menifee, California

So........have been going here for 20 years or so. Always enjoyed it. The last five times have not been great. The prices went up $4 to $5 per plate. That's a big jump. I realize minimum wage went up but everyone knew that it was going to go up so maybe raising prices slowly would have been better. Not such a shock to everyone. Note: This was Memorial Day and there were only 3 tables with customers (including ours). Ordered coffee and received a nice hot cup with someone else's lipstick on it. Really? You didn't see the hot pink lipstick on the white cup? Pay attention people!!! GROSS!!!!! Our waitress (Zoey) took our food order. I got your basic bacon and eggs and hubby got an omelette. Over-medium eggs came out very well done. The whites of the eggs were brown (burnt). The biscuit was so hard that it could have hurt someone if I threw it. Really? We had to ask for more coffee. Is only one cup standard these days? She never came back to fill our coffee. OH, and right before we were ready to leave, one of the cooks dropped a ton of tortillas on the floor and just picked them right up and put them back. All in all, not feeling it anymore. VERY disappointed. read more

With a name like Carnitas Express, and all the positive reviews, I expected their carnitas to be awesome. Unfortunately, it was instead under seasoned, over cooked, and not crispy on the edges. Very disappointed. My wife had the chicken fajitas and it was bland also. Had to order pico de gallo ($1) to add some flavor to the food. Maybe their breakfast items are better, but I would not come back for lunch or dinner. read more

I really love this place... I could eat here multiple times a week if my husband would let me (he gets tired of coming here so much with me that he often needs a break). It's really affordable for us because we don't eat huge portions and can get away with a la carte items. My go-to is the taquitos appetizer and I ask for fresh shredded cheese on top. My husband gets a bean and cheese burrito or two-taco plate, sometimes a carne asada burrito. I've also had their blended margaritas and they are the consistency that I like--more like a smoothie and less like a snow cone (I hate tiny ice chunks in a margarita). The only reason why it's not 5 stars is that they do not ever have a hostess at the hostess stand. I've often watched people walk in confused when no one greets them and they just stand there not knowing what to do. I've asked an employee about this before and he said they typically do have a hostess but they were short-handed that night. However, of all the times I've been there, I have yet to see a hostess standing there ready to greet guests. I think it gives off a bad first impression and can really set the mood for the rest of their experience. I once had some friends meet me there and they had never been there before. I raved about how good this place was, but when they got there before me, they didn't know they were supposed to sign in at the hostess stand--and when I say sign in, I literally mean that you have to get behind the hostess stand and write your name on the sheet of paper. So, I guess we are our own host/hostess. My friends thought that it was really bad customer service and I think it made them question the type of service we might receive during dinner. I had to convince them that the service is pretty good, once you get seated. Regardless of this one downfall, I will definitely keep coming back again and again. If they would just hire a hostess, I would be willing to give it the full 5 stars. Come on, Carnitas Express, I'm sure you can afford just one more staff member! read more

If you are hungry get the El matador burrito! Has to be the biggest burrito around.It was full of tender meat not just beans and rice. I doubt many can finish it ,they also have great service and cold beer's on tap. I was actually at the sports bar in the same lot and decided I wanted Mexican food instead of burgers and pizza with slow service, really glad I did had a better time here. read more

I can't believe that Carnitas would allow children in the bar past 9:00 on a Friday and I can't believe that "parents" would want there kids there.... These parents love to point out that it's a restaurant... Which it is at dinner time... But once adult activities like karaoke begin, IT'S A BAR!!!!!!! I will never again go to Carnitas for this reason... Such a shame cuz it would be a fun place to sing in.... Shame on these parents and shame on Carnitas... Maybe what they should do is have a family karaoke night on a Tuesday or something... And advertise it as such so it stays kid friendly. A bar on a Friday night is a place for adults and it's irresponsible to have children present!!!!!! read more

Only good thing on the menu is guacamole! Asked food carrier for more salsa she never came back had to get myself. Then no senior discount but they do offer military. The discount wasn't the usual 10% but only 10% off my husbands meal. He showed his card but they never asked for mine I'm ex military also! read more

This is my favorite place in Menifee. I enjoy the food and the service. I ordered from DoorDash and the order was wrong. I called and they immediately sent me a complete new order. If you haven't tried their Chili Colorado it is delicious. My husband and I go in at least once a week. read more

We have been going to carnitas express since it opened, always good food, ordered a pound of carne asada and a side of beans, our usual, to go. it's been about $25 usually, last night I was charged $39.10 they said do to the price of meat now that's the price, never going back again! Oh and the meat was the most bland I've ever had! read more

This review is for the home fries specifically. Um, fried, pre-cooked, un-seasoned potato chunks are not homefries. When I said to my waitress, "These are more like hash browns, huh?" Her response was, "They are chunky potatoes, if you wanted onions and bell peppers you have to ask specifically." I'm confused, I thought asking for HOME FRIES was asking specifically. Hash Browns is specifically asking for plain fried potato. She did not offer to have the cook make me some home fries. Too much trouble I suppose. read more

Food is bland and tasteless. Breakfasts are ok but the other meals are poor. Food does not have any seasoning and very bland. Can you say Hospital food? read more

Pure amazing! My husband and I rarely agree on where to eat, but never again- carnitas express has got us covered. This hidden gem doesn't look like much from the outside, but enter and it's a diner with absolutely everything that you possibly want or dream about! My husband decided he'd have breakfast- he had a giant omelette which came with two sides which were really additional entrees! The French toast side was delicious and perfectly done. The biscuits and gravy flavorful and fresh. I decided on the one taco lunch special. Incredibly affordable at $6, but still the portions were large and satisfying. We were also served freshly made chips and salsa which were to die for! In California eating out has gotten unaffordable, not at carnitas express! The bill only came to $24.00. We love you carnitas express! We will be back soon. read more