We heard about Carnitas Michoacan from our friends in Gilroy and they told us this is one of the best carnitas places in south San Jose so we gotta check them out. And oh boy they weren't lying! We went on a weekend day and this place is packed! Lots of customers eat in and also take out, we ordered some tacos and 2 pounds of carnitas, the meat is so tender and the seasoning is perfect! Also the tacos are huge one order can feed a grown man without a doubt. Now I see why people drive all the way from San Jose to here getting their carnitas! We'll be back soon! read more

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We are from out of town so trying to find a good restaurant is always hit and miss. This place knocked it out of the park. The establishment was clean people very friendly. Food was on point and brought to you nice and hot. Only thing was the salsa wasn't very spicy but not really a complaint. Definitely coming back during our stay. read more

This might be my favorite burrito in San Jose. I've been here twice now and I can't think of a burrito I actually prefer. So I figured the thing to get here is carnitas. And let me tell you, they have some seriously good carnitas. Well seasoned, tender, with some textural contrast to make it interesting. And you can get skin in the burrito too, which I liked but does have a bit of a gelatinous texture that not everyone may appreciate. Their salsas are also delicious, usually I find salsa verde to be superior given it's typically more acidic, but their salsas roja is also fantastic. The burrito size is appropriate for the price too, to my shame I didn't even finish a no-rice burrito last time. Their jamaica drink is also fantastic, still quite sweet but not syrupy like at some places. My recommendation is to get the small as the large is like a half gallon. They really don't want you to go thirsty here. All the people here are very nice and welcoming, even with my increasingly poor Spanish they helped me figure out what to get. Inside everything is clean and new, basically sparkling. It doesn't have an old school taqueria vibe, more like a fast casual space with with table service and a bar you pay at or get to-go at. Outside... well the large strip mall isn't the most photogenic but it seems relatively safe. During the day at least. Anyway, they take credit cards and there's tons of parking. If you like burritos come here and get one with carnitas, it will be worth it. read more

Carnitas Michoacan - A "small" jamaica which is like 24 oz, scared to know what a large is - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

Wow great service. I'm from Gilroy and grew up on these bomb carnitas, this place is very spacious and very clean and nice art work...most important is their carnitas my goodness so delicious and tasty as always no difference in location same great flavors , if you don't believe me go try read more

Carnitas Michoacan - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

I want to start off by saying I am glad we don't live close by so that it makes it special when we do end up coming here. We've eaten at the restaurant once and the food was great. We got the platter of carnitas to share and it came with beans & rice. The burrito are amazing and the quesabirrias are really good as well. The real star are the carnitas and we make the trip to SJ a couple times a year to pick up a tray of the maciza. The last time, they gave us costillas too and whoa! game changer. The price is so good and they are generous in that they always throw in a little extra. We sometimes get the salsas and pickled onions/veggies. So good! The location is clean, spacious and the staff is always friendly. read more

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Solid place in the neighborhood with amazing food! The carnitas and by the pound are such good deal and perfect for those parties at home! The place is very clean and very tidy. Behind the counter and in the kitchen you can see that things are well kept. read more

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My family and I love this place. We usually order for take out but have dined in our first time. I'm not sure how busy it gets for dinner or lunch time however all of the food is like going back to your abuelas house. It's so comforting. We love getting the carnitas mixto 1.5 pounds cart, it also comes with rice, salsas, beans, toppings, tortillas and jalapeños. It's easy to order and pick up. The carnitas are flavorful, tender, juicy. Really it's the best! read more

San Jose folks don't sleep on this carnitas spot. Friendly staff and clean dining area. You know their carnitas is legit when there is a separate line to buy by the pound. If you are adventurous try the mixed carnitas which has meat, stomach, and skin! read more

Carnitas Michoacan - Carnitas Plate (mixed carnitas - meat, skin, stomach) - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

Saw this place when I took the kids to Altitude since it was in the shopping Center as well. Decided to try it and came on a Tuesday afternoon and saw it wasn't busy at all. People here were very friendly and welcoming and the restaurant set up is nice and clean. Really cool art pieces throughout the restaurant. I came with an appetite and ordered asada super taco and the Jefe taco and asada quesadilla. I wanted a asada enchilada but they only do chicken or pastor. The salsa that comes with chips and dip was delicious. The super taco was very hefty and big, but was very disappointing. The quesadilla wasn't anything special just an ordinary one. The Jefe taco was the best thing I ordered. It comes with a sad and chorizo on a taco. Very flavorful and great mixture on a taco. Overall nice place but not something I'd go out my way for if I'm craving Mexican. read more

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Worst customer service ever. Especially the old lady. We ordered 1 1/2 pounds and were barely given 1 pound, yet they even weighed the box with the meat. The small box is supposed to be half a pound according to the lady . When we politely asked about it, the lady in the front rudely said, "You can come look at it yourself." Then she started speaking in Spanish about us, not realizing I speak Spanish too. Extremely disrespectful and unprofessional. What made it worse was watching other customers order the same thing and get bigger portions immediately while we waited almost 20 minutes for a tiny amount. I honestly don't understand how this place has 4 stars. The attitude and favoritism were obvious. Management seriously needs to train their employees on customer service read more

Carnitas Michoacan - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

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Wanted to find Mexican food close to our hotel (Hayes Mansion). This place popped up as it was 5-7 minutes away. Yelp this restaurant is amazing! Any restaurant that has the name of a dish they serve in their name has to be confident in what they're serving. First off it's located in a nice shopping center with plenty of parking. The restaurant on the inside is new, clean, spacious, and Latin minimalist decor (great vibe). I really liked the art work on the walls. Every single staff member was super friendly, helpful, polite, and gave us great customer service. The food was a 5. The carnitas are so flavorful. The meat chicharrones are soooooo goood! The refried beans are a star on their own. The salsas are flavorful without burning your mouth. Overall such a great experience and we can't wait to visit San Jose again so we can enjoy this delicious meal again. read more

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Just had lunch at Carnitas Michoacán and I have to say--what a great experience. The place was spotless, the atmosphere was welcoming, and the service was fantastic. The chips and salsa were fresh, and the carnitas were juicy and perfectly seasoned. Honestly, you can get a full meal for two for about $34, which is an incredible value for the quality. And I'll say it quietly... the carnitas might have been better than my mom's. (Don't tell her I said that.) Definitely worth checking out if you're craving great Mexican food. read more

Carnitas Michoacan - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

Food was decent but too many items not available despite a dinner time of 5:30 on the weekend. There was a breakdown in communication as we asked for menudo without the feet but discovered we had feet in the soup. We also had to have our carnitas order redone. They had no ice tea so we only drank water. As I don not drink soda and didn't want a beer. Our orders all came out in different times and not together so it made it weird to eat without all our meals available. Over all food was ok, service could have been better and the ambiance was ok. I'f you're in the area and willing to try a decent Mexican restaurant then I would still say give it a shot and maybe your experience will be a better one. read more

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Solid. This passed every picky eater in my fam - particularly my Baby Bear, who is a lot more like Goldilocks. He LOVES carnitas so I consider him a connoisseur. LOL This spot might be our new spot for carnitas and tacos! We ordered takeout but I went to pick it up. I was pleasantly surprised to find a really nice, new, open restaurant so next time we are going to dine-in for sure! We got the Carnitas family meal along with a couple Quesabirria tacos for the kiddo. He loved it all and literally ate (2) Quesabirria Tacos and I think (3) carnitas tacos. We live in Eastside SJ so there is no shortage of taco spots. He said this is a good one. Portions are good, food is great, and restaurant is nice. Adding to regular rotation! read more

Carnitas Michoacan - Orden de Carnitas: perfectly portioned for 2-3 as they say! - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

Chicharron, chile verde, asada and guacamole chips Come here for take out dinner Friendly staffs, don't come here too early in the morning, sometimes chicharrones not ready read more

This place is so good. Ingredients are fresh and have so much flavor, and the portions are huge for the price.

Wife and I came here not too long ago and was great. I came here before to get a burrito and was one of the best I've had. The carnitas were juicy and had tons of flavor. Because of that, had to bring the wife to show what she's missing out on. We came here and got the carnitas family meal. The meal comes with a whole kit to make tacos at your table as you can see from picture. Again, the damn carnitas were so freakin good. I've had carnitas from a lot of places but so far, this one takes the cake. I gave this place a 4 because I wish they had a little more alcoholic drinks. (Me being picky sorry). I also ordered a michelada for the wife and chavela for me. However I think we got 2 micheladas as my chavela had tomato juice in it... either way .. a drinks a drink and was still tasty. The only small downfall was the guacamole. It was around 8$, was super tiny, and really only tasted like avocados. Needed more salt, lemon and goodies in there to boost the flavor. Wouldn't get this again most likely. read more

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Went to Carnitas Michoacán today and ordered a 2lb carnitas meal and one pound of chili verde. When I got home i noticed I did not have the chili verde in my meal. They also did not give me a receipt. When I went back to the store I let them know kindly that I didn't receive the chili verde and was given attitude by the manager telling me I needed a receipt that they did not give me. When I showed her how much I paid for the meal totaling 80 plus dollars from my bank account I let her know the price of the carnitas meal and the one pound of chili verde totaled the 80 plus dollars. I was still given attitude and recieved some leftover shitty chili verde from them. Safe to say I won't be coming back here just form the customer service alone read more

Every time I make a trip to see my family I have to visit Carnitas Michoacan. This is the best spot for carnitas in the entire Bay Area. They have the original location in Gilroy but this location in San Jose has the original cook and he brought with him that flavor. I ordered 4 lbs. of their carnitas. They will chop them for you so they are ready for your tacos but I like whole pieces because my family likes the lean pieces, I prefer a mix of cueritos (skin) and buche (not sure what that is) but it's delicious! The big pieces heat up better for me. I ask for a little cooking juice to add when I'm re-heating them at home so they don't dry up. the customer service here and the people are awesome. They always help me out. This time they gave me extra "juice" or gravy and I put it in my refried beans at home. Thank you! Tip: bring your own Tupperware container if you're a traveler like me and you're bringing carnitas from San Jose to Carson. You can order your carnitas by the pound, at around 13.00 dollars but they have whole meal packages that include beans, rice, and tortillas for a few dollars more. The ambience here is chill and homey. Families gather here and enjoy the flavorful carnitas as well as their birria tacos. They have a variety of home made dishes, you will find something you want to eat here. Thank you for continuing to make these delicious carnitas that my family has enjoyed for many years. Much love and respect to all of you hard working employees. read more

The carnitas are always good except for today the meat was hard and the pork skin (cueritos) Harder than the carnitas

Siempre que vengo aqui, a lo menos me como 4 tacos de maciza con cueritos. Bien recomendado el lugar! Verdad de Dios que si!! Les enseñava foto pero ya desaparecieron mis tacos jeje. Gracias! read more

They say something but don't keep their word. I used to go to this place all the time, until they made their chicharones as hard as rocks. I stopped going there for 6 months then two days earlier I was in the area and wanted to give them another try. I went in and got 2 pounds of carnitas, and half a pound of chicharones. I asked the guy that was working at the time if the chicharones were good and soft. And he replied "of course they are if they're not good come back and return it with the recipe." And the lady that worked there also agreed. I told the guy that I stopped coming because the chicharones were hard to bite and it wasnt cooked good. The lady butted in and said we had one guy that ordered a family meal ate all the sides and didn't eat the carnitas because he said he wasn't happy with it. And he gladly returned it 3 days after he purchased it. ( mind you 3 days!!) today I went back to get another pound of carnitas and pound of chicharones. I went home to eat it with my family. Carnitas was okay. But then again a major part of chicharones were hard as rocks. Not edible. I could have ate it but I then I would be missing teeth. I went back within two hours and the lady that was there was the lady that told me that she would gladly returned the food if we were unhappy. I told her it was hard she said it was fine. She tried to break it with her hands but failed. Imagine you can't break it with your hand how are you going to break it with your teeth. Her feelings got hurt and acted as if she was the owner and said she was not going to sell any chicharones to us anymore. I told her that was fine with me. And she gave me my money back. read more

Stopped by this restaurant for late lunch. It was busy when we arrived. The restaurant is famous for carnitas and chicharon. We order carnitas plate one lbs, chicaron and chimichanga. The carnitas and chicharon is by lbs. The chicharon is very fresh from the fryer. All are yummy. The carnitas is tender. It comes with fre fried tortilla and salsa. The salsa and tortilla is yummy. We feel satisfied after the meal. Service could be improved as looks like the server forgot our carnitas order and we have to remind the person. read more

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Living in the area, I've heard of this place but never tried it till now. My husband and toddler came for dinner around 5ish. It was pretty empty but after we ordered more families stopped by. I loved the carnitas and they gave me a mountain of it. I barely made a dent and enjoyed it the next day. My husband got the enchiladas and he was definitely pleased. We'll definitely be trying more items on the menu next time. read more

Carnitas Michoacan - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

If your craving carnitas this is the spot to go to! Fresh chips and salsa, warm tortillas to companion carnitas large portions. Big facility with spacious seating nice big windows and nice decor throughout the facility. Staff was very friendly too. read more

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Bomb carnitas. Eat in or takeaway by the pound. You can't go wrong. Try their chicharrones too - take that Lipitor!

Worst chicharron ever! I've been here many times and this the first time I was given this hard rock chicharron! I even asked the lady for a new one and she said no this all we have and hand it me a bag of rocks! Definitely not going back!! read more

Carnitas Michoacan - Bad chicharron! Harder than a rock! I can literally lose a tooth eating this! Very disappointing! - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

Took the 40 minute drive here from Hayward and must admit I wasn't disappointed. We had the quesabirria tacos and carnitas. Salsa and chips are given when you are seated. Salsa roja was good with a taste of tomatillo. Carnitas deliciously seasoned and tender. Restaurant located in a modern shopping center with plenty of parking. Very spacious and clean inside. Great service!We also took two lbs of chicharrón to go. read more

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These are the best carnitas in San Jose! We always enjoy the food here! Usually do Togo orders! We haven't dine in just yet! The service is always nice and kind to us! No issues with customer service! Very friendly and helpful! Goto order is the carnitas! It comes with rice and beans and fixings with corn tortillas! Very good portions and taste so good! Very homecooked style feeling! I definitely recommend this spot! 10/10! read more

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Came here on a Friday night for dinner before going on a road trip. The restaurant is very spacious. There is a space for children to play as well which was interesting. It was nearly empty when our group of six came in. We were greeted immediately when we walked in. We got a plate of salsas and chips. The salsas could be spicy! The chips were fresh and crispy. I ordered a tamarindo Jarritos (the best flavor) and a dos tacos plate. I had to clarify with our server that it was a plate I wanted, not just two tacos. Prices are a bit steep for Mexican food. For my meat, I got carnitas but there was an option where it was mixed with innards. We went along with that and it was really good! The texture was a bit soft and it stood out from the other typical meat options. The burritos that my cousins ordered were massive. They were the size of their forearms! They could easily be two meals, but they decided to chug through it and finished the whole thing. That's a recipe for a food coma. We all wanted ranch style beans but unfortunately, they were out. We did not know until the food came to our table though. Overall this is a clean, spacious place to eat with good service and tasty food. I'd recommend it! read more

Carnitas Michoacan - Dos Tacos Plate - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

I ordered two carne asada super burritos on door dash and got the wrong order. I was given two carnitas burritos. I have not been able to contact the restaurant to get my money back. Each time I call, I'm told they can't help me. This is unacceptable. read more

We had a good feeling about this restaurant since it was packed on a Sunday evening! Carnitas Michoacán is located in a large strip mall. It has a large indoor seating area and while we chose to eat inside, it looked like they do a great take out business too! Lots of people were coming in to grab their take out orders. We were told the wait would be about 20 minutes for a table but it was more like 10. We were seated, our server took drink and food orders, and we were given chips and salsa. I was disappointed that they were out of horchata! My meal was very good! I ordered the carnitas chimichanga. At first I was worried because the first two bites off the end were just rice, but then it became full of carnitas! It had just the right ratio of meat to rice and beans. The guacamole on top was good too, it had a little spice to it. The chimichanga was extremely filling! I wouldn't hesitate to eat here again. The menu is extensive and has a lot of items I'd love to try! read more

Carnitas Michoacan - Carnitas chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

Really good carnitas and quesadillas Birrias. Very friendly and I loved the green salsa!!

I'm not going to bash this restaurant for everything that occurred on my visit but it wasn't very pleasant. The waiter service was terrible, we waited about 20 mins to order and there was only one other customer besides myself in the entire restaurant. The manager was SUPER rude & she knows how badly she treated me as a customer. I was very disappointed in the overall experience. Even if the food was good, I will not be returning here again. read more

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Itzel was very friendly. The food was delicious, my team loved the breakfast burritos and the carnitas were delicious. read more

Carnitas Michoacan - Carnitas - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

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Although the service is always slow, the food is always delicious. Definitely have to try the carnitas - comes with tortillas, salsas and toppings. Tried the menudo as well which was also great and quesabirria plate. Haven't had anything I didn't like. read more

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Food is always great, Carnitas and the salsa are bomb! We eat here every 1-2 weeks. Friendly staff, wait is never too long, very clean and this is a must for me. Highly recommend. read more

This location saves me to going to the one in downtown Gilroy. I just go for the carnitas. It's an easy breakfast/lunch to take home for the family. We pick up 2lb for a group of seven. The green salsa is not to spicy but great flavor. The red salsa is spicier. You can sit down and have other foods that they offer too. I just prefer to take it to go. The servers are quick on preparing the to go orders too! read more

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Food is excellent but service can be slow at times. If they improve service i will definitely come more frequently. I always order the carna asada or carnitas. (Regular taco) The chips and salsa are very good as well. If manager reads this review please work on attentiveness to customers. That would help alot especially when under strict time constraints for business etc. read more

The decor is clean and bright and modern. Beautiful accent wall on the left when you enter. Honestly, not what you typically expect from a Mexican restaurant. Breath of fresh air to see. Ordered the family option for carnitas. It's rare to find places that gives you sides when you order carnitas by the pound. To be safe, I got the upgrade for the rice and beans sizes, and really, it was A LOT more than my family needed. I really enjoyed the two salsas that came with the order, and the rice. The price is also very reasonable for what you get. I enjoyed this place and the service. And to be completely fair with my review, here are three recommendations that could really elevate my next experience: 1) When I walked in, there was no one at the kiosk to be seated, but I saw the lanes where you can order walk-up. From someone who orders at carnitas places often, I knew to naturally just go there and they would take my order, but maybe a sign when you enter would be more effective; 2) The cueritos and carnitas came off a little too salty for my liking; 3) The vegetarian section can be spruced up a bit. read more

Carnitas Michoacan - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California