I have drove by this place for years. For some reason have never stopped there. Went to lunch with some co workers. First thoughts. The menu has some great options from À la carte to combination meals. The service was great. Very friendly staff working the register. The place was clean and easy to find the condiments. I ordered the 4 street tacos with rice and beans. The tacos were a little smaller than I was expecting. But they were very good. The rice and beans were very good. Nice and fresh. All in all I will Come back for sure. read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Combination #17. 4 carne asade street tacos with rice and beans. - Mexican Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

SWEET CAROLINA'S {YUM YUM YUM} Good food never tasted so good {So Good! So Good!} I've been inclined, to believe they never would.... With the increase in the taco shops around the valley, the street taco craze is taking over the majority of the fast, casual Mexican eateries. Carolina's has stayed true to their recipes with the home style, comfort food that the your nana would make. Carolina's original location was famous for their scratch tortillas made on premise and was one of the first restaurants that would produce tortillas to buy by the dozen. These tortillas are unique because they are very thin, just about half as thick as the typical tortilla. To me they don't have that bite or chew you feel with other tortillas and also less moist. They are still good, just different. GREEN CHILE BURRITO- meat and sauce wrapped in a tortilla with really good flavor. It is a decent amount of meat, but very saucy, so the flimsy thin tortilla can rip or make it challenging to eat without dripping all over. I kinda wanted to double the tortilla to help absorb some of the sauce. The interior is nice and modern of the restaurant. This location is huge inside. Great for large groups and families. The wide open space with lots of tables gives you plenty of room to have a get-together. It also felt very clean and sanitary inside which makes for a comfortable dining experience. read more

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The green chile burro comes out to your table wrapped in tin foil and a paper plate. The burrito is mostly tortilla and no meat. The green chicken enchiladas with a small side of rice and beans comes out to you in a black divided container. The green chile enchiladas had no flavor very bland and looked more like a gravy sauce on top. Chips are not complimentary, and salsa is by the drinks station with pour bottle. read more

Fresh, hot tortillas made right there and a great bean and cheese burrito. The restaurant was so spotless you could practically eat off the floor. The service was fantastic and the cashier was efficient and had great customer service. Highly recommend if you're in the area! Prices were affordable and definitely would eat at Carolina's again! read more

Customer service was great! But food was pretty bad. Flour tortillas were good, but the meat was dry and flavorless.

The food was delicious hot the tacos were crispy. The beans and rice were on point. The dining area was clean and it smells good. The environment was relaxed, chilled time to unwind and have lunch when you walk in the customer service was excellent. They greeted you. they welcomed to win. They were knowledgeable on their menu. I recommend this place. read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Number 9 (2) shredded beef tacos rice and beans - Mexican Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

We recently decided to stop into Carolinas, eager to dive into their vibrant, mouthwatering cuisine. As, we approached the entrance, our, anticipation heightened at the sight of a long line.. It was clear that this place was a local favorite, and we were excited to join the buzz. Once inside, the lively atmosphere enveloped us. You place your order at the register, where the friendly staff greets you with warm smiles. After ordering, you're given a number, a small token of your upcoming delicious feast before finding a cozy spot to wait. The best part? You can watch the chefs in action right before your eyes! It's like dining in the kitchen of a culinary show, where each ingredient is expertly prepared, and the aromas wafting around only heighten your appetite. When our food finally arrived, we were in for a treat! The tamales were divine, perfectly sized and bursting with flavor. Each bite was a celebration of spices and textures that danced on our taste buds. We savored every mouthful, completely enchanted by the hearty, comforting taste that felt like home. While Carolinas does have a downside--namely, the lack of alcohol. the beverage selection more than made up for it. We opted for a refreshing "Mexican" Coke, which perfectly complemented the rich flavors of the food. There are also other delightful drink options to choose from, ensuring that everyone finds something to quench their thirst. After enjoying our meal, we stepped outside to find ample parking, making our visit easy and stress-free. Overall, the experience at Carolinas was nothing short of fantastic, a whirlwind of delicious flavors and a vibrant atmosphere that we can't wait to return to. If you haven't checked it out yet, make sure to stop by for a culinary adventure that's sure to leave you craving more! read more

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Never again! We were so disappointed in Carolina's. It is a Mexican fast food restaurant. They serve the food for eating there in a plastic to go container, with plastic utensils wrapped in plastic. Very tasteless!! Also we bought the tortillas. Not sure why it is award winning. They are 16 inches with no taste or depth. The restaurant is noisy and self serve!!! Not worth going!!!! read more

I'm not sure what's more frustrating, the lack of flavor in the green chile or the lack of customer service at this location. As a customer of any business i would like to think that we all deserve a little respect and friendliness from the employees. Now this issue wasn't even mine to be upset about but the longer I sat at my table the more unhelpful and checked out the workers seemed to be. Just the expressions on their faces alone were enough for me to tell myself I won't be coming back. The food was super bland, I ended up throwing almost most of it away. I've been here numerous times but it just seems like the longer this place has been open the worse it has gotten. I'm not interested in coming back. Too bad I'm not closer to the original location. read more

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I've been eating at Carolinas for nearly 40 years! I order multiple dozens of tortillas several times a year. Just bought 3 dozen today. They are terrible. Weird flavor. Tastes completely processed. Strange. Also got a Oaxaca Special Burro. That was not normal! The 'chorizo' was nearly identical to Taco Bell taco meat. Beans were flavorless. What happened to this place?!?! read more

Always solid good food! You'll enjoy your meal here if you order any of the crunchy tacos or burritos. I get the cheese, green chili, bean burrito:) The restaurant itself is spacious and clean. I look forward to my visit every time. read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Mexican Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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I've heard so much about Carolina's I wanted to try it, but I've also heard the Phoenix location was the best. Considering this location is closer I dropped in yesterday to give it a go. There's lots of seating inside and the AC was cranking, always a good thing when it's 115°F outside. The staff were pleasant and helpful. No complaints. I got a carne asada taco and a bean and cheese burrito. Both were ok....nothing special. The burrito was rather small based on the portions you get from most places. The tortilla was meh, but still ok. My friend got the chicken enchiladas....they also were "meh" on their review of it. On a scale of 1 - 10, this was a one-and-done for me. There are way better options. I left wishing I could get a "stomach" refund and have the food removed from my stomach so I could get my burrito fix from somewhere else, but that process sounds expensive and I'm not sure how it would work. read more

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First time at Carolina's Mexican Food. My green chili burrito was too soupy--I had to use utensils to eat it. The meat was seasoned well but not enjoyable. My coworker's chimichanga was crispy and flavorful. Also, disappointed that chips cost ~$4 when many places offer them for free. Mixed experience overall. read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Mexican Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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Thus place has amazing salsa & chips (among other delicious items) but it definitely is my go to place to do a quick pick up of a large bag of chips and a quart of salsa or any outdoor parties or indoor fiestas you have going on! Also, management is very thoughtful and very helpful as I picked up a catering order from them, and everything was boxed up and ready to go! read more

Carolina's Phoenix location was the first Mexican restaurant I ever went to in AZ. Food was great but the place was far away and in a bad neighborhood. I was excited when I found out they opened a location in Mesa near my house. We come to this location 1-2 times a month. The food has never been quite the same as the Phoenix location but for the convince, cleanliness and safety it is fine. Here is the #1 issue. The past few months we came the salsa is literally red water. You dip your chip in it and you now have a wet chip with no salsa. This is not ideal at all. Tonight I was literally drinking the salsa and holding it in my mouth and placing a chip in my mouth full of this water salsa. I poured some on my rice and it shot straight to the bottom. Ridiculous. Who ever is making the salsa needs to be retrained and fast. Hopefully they fix this fast or me and I am sure many others will stop coming. read more

New to Chandler. This historic Mexican restaurant has expanded. Tacos were crisp. Quesadilla was big. Enchilada sauce is a bit smokey but nice. Street tacos were delicious. This location has indoor and outdoor seating. It also has a drive thru. read more

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I was referred to this restaurant and it was alright. I ordered a burro that included carne asada and fries and Chicken Flautas combo plate with sour cream, guacamole, rice and beans. The tortilla of the burrito easily broke as it was too thin. They had salsa by the fountain drinks to grab but appears to be only one type of salsa. It was good salsa though but the food did not stand out. The restaurant had the A/C on high which was nice since it's hot outside. The inside of the restaurant is spacious and pretty empty. read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Chicken Flauta combo plate - Mexican Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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My buddy and I were in the neighborhood and I told him I loved Mexican food, he said there's a nice place up ahead to go for lunch. I have never even heard of this place so I agreed. When we walked in they were fairly busy so I thought that was a good sign! I decided to build my own burrito and since I'm trying to go less carbs that day I decided to get a carne asada with cheese guacamole and sour cream. It was about $11 with tax and my friend ordered some type of chicken burro with red sauce and made it into a combo. Oh yeah I had the horchata, the horchata was pretty good. When my food came out the Expo told me they accidentally made me two burritos, so I was jumping for joy internally. But the first thing my buddy and I said was good thing they made you too because the size of one didn't look like much. If I were to put everything into one burrito there would still be a lot of gap in the tortilla left. I will say the meat is pretty good but the lack of anything in my burrito was subpar at best. When I opened up my burrito, I was questioning if I even got cheese and sour cream in it and the only reason why I knew there was guacamole was because I saw hints of green. Nonetheless I still ate it and theirp tortillas are very soft. For the price I paid I wouldn't recommend eating here for such a skimpy burrito but I will say it was really well seasoned and I enjoyed the ample amount of tortilla. read more

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One of the best Mexican spots in Mesa! Great food with plenty of options on the menu. We always have to get a dozen tortillas when we come here! The tortillas are so fresh and delicious! read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Green Corn Tamale - Mexican Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

Found a LABEL in my chicken taco! Usually their food is good, but the service and now quality of service -- very disappointed read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - 2 chicken & A LABEL tacos. Very disappointed since the food is usually good. - Mexican Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

The food-- chimichangas are delicious. The service is fast and efficient. The ambiance is like a trip to Mexico. read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - One chicken enchilada, one chicken taco with rice and beans - Mexican Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

WTH. Normally very good but a rude server and awful food make for a terrible meal. I don't know what's going on there but wow. Sucks tonight. Red chile burrito. Look at the flaco thing! read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Red chile pencil? - Mexican Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

My favorite.. 3 way burro excellent with red chili, beans, green chili. Service was quick and efficient. Take out had its own dedicated person which was very helpful. read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Three way burro combo- add horchata - Mexican Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

I was really excited to try Carolina's. Coming from Cali I've been trying many different breakfast burrito spots and I had heard this was very good. I am sad to report this was one of the worst ones I've had. By far the smallest breakfast burrito I've had here in the valley and just wasn't good at all. Only plus was the salsa was awesome. I never write yelp reviews but had to after that BS read more

Decent food, shitty service. They may have been around a while but still can't figure out how.

3 stars might me generous on my part. I've eaten here four times now and frankly there is NO Ambiance. There is nothing special about the food I've tried plus it's over priced compared to similar establishments in Chandler. My biggest disappointment was their Machca and egg burrito. A small burrito with just some roast beef and eggs. No onions, peppers or tomatoes which is how it is normally served. If you're hungry for Machca go to Fredrico's or even Filiberto's. The beef tacos only have cheese and lettuce and if you want pico on it that's extra. Just not impressed at all and I do not intend to go for a 5th visit read more

Food has been generally great. Usually get a chorizo or red chili burro. This time we decided to also buy a dozen flour tortillas to enjoy with a pot of homemade beans. Man, we were very disappointed. They are dry, brittle & lacked monteca (lard). Too bad your closed Sunday. I would have drove back to return or exchange them. Next visit I will no doubt check them out better before I buy another batch. read more

Ordered a new combo with four street tacos. The tortillas were wet so when I picked them up, they fell apart. What a mess. I ate the meat out of them. I love the food here I'm going to stick to a burrito or a crunchy taco. Street tacos were not the business.. read more

I have been going to Caolina's downtown restaurant since I first moved here in 1978. I have always had good service and excellent food there. But this time I went to the Mesa location and my opinion has changed from the best to the worst. The service was terrible. It took them over 27 min to finally serve me my order. Four other folks all that ordered after me had already received their food meanwhile I observed the 6 people working and cooking the food only one had a hat on to keep their hair out of the food a clear violation of the health laws and the amount of horseplay with the staff was for all to see. I was also approached by one of the female customers that offered me a special time out in the parking lot. This not what I expected from the old Carolina's. This place is one to AVOID at all times. read more

2.5 The tortilla is great, but not anything to write home about and everything else was middle of the road. Non authentic really. Horchata was weeeeeak, just one salsa option. Wouldn't recommend unless you're like looking to eat within the block. read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Mexican Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

Favorite place for Mexican food. Can't go wrong with anything. Wish the staff was more on top of things. So many times they'll forget a side or something. Not a big deal but it's annoying. They also keep it insanely cold in the dining area in the summer. Prices have gone up, so it's not as affordable as it used to be. We don't go as much as we used to. read more

Delicious! Never disappointed at Carolina's! I've never been disappointed with Carolina's food and service! read more

We ordered beef tacos, cheese enchilada, beef chimichanga a red chili burrito and beans. Everything was so good probably the best in the Valley. Only problem is the distance-open one in Ahwatukee PLEASE!!!! read more

This is my first time dining here. I usually go to their location on/near Cactus. I have not had their food in awhile and decided to have a triple cheat day. Their flour tortillas are amazing... fresh, hot & soft. I really wanted one with butter. But, I was a good girl. I ordered their chile verde burro with double beans and a beef flauta a la carte. The food came rather quickly, considering their indoor dining room; was practically full. The food was great as usual... they are one of the few family run restaurants, where you get consistently great food. It is no frills Mexican food at its best. The refried beans are heavenly... if you eat too much of them you will fall asleep. I'm ready for bed now. My chile verde burro was nice an flavorful, the only bad thing was my tortilla falling apart. Unfortunately, I just had to dip it in my beans. I wish they let us choose red or green sauce on the side. If you want green sauce you have to pay for it regardless. The only thing I disliked was Hayden and her rude attitude. Everything was great. I'm sure I will be back. Their to go orders were flying out the door. read more

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It's the same lady " Nicole " every time and every time I do my best to give this place another chance but they gotta do something about the rude lady at the front,she always has an attitude, it's one of the reasons why I skip past this place. read more

I ordered a tostada, and instead of being packaged properly, it was wrapped in foil. By the time I opened it, the tostada was completely smashed. This is unacceptable--tostadas should be packaged in a way that preserves their structure, not ruins them. read more

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I hate to do this, I really do because I absolutely love the food. This is the second review/complaint at this location. THIRD time they did not get my order right. The last visit they forgot my papas and I left it alone, but here we're again. I asked for double papas and my boyfriend asked for papas and rice. We both received beans & rice. I really wish management would take these reviews seriously and do better. Unfortunately you have now lost a customer at this location read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Mexican Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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A refined version of the Original Carolina's ("OC"). Food equally delicious with a well kept air conditioned location and better service.

Food is authentic and flavorful. I like their Carne asada street tacos with rice and beans. I have ordered for both in house dining and online for pickup from their website. Both were good experiences. read more

Carolina's is by far the best fast Mexican food you'll get in the Phoenix and surrounding areas. It's not fast food but it's not luxury dining either. It's just amazing Mexican food period. read more