The cashier on 4-22 was Superb!! He went the extra mile in menu suggestions and explanation of computer payment The food was excellent with adequate servings and great taste!! read more

Edit:I paid extra money for sour cream and they basically gave me none. Food is okay, I've had better, especially for the price. I got the adobada street tacos.It was messy and the tortilla is super small, smaller than the average street taco tortilla. The adobada meat was like ground meat instead of pieces of meat, so I wasn't a fan of that. The horchata was decent but very thick especially on the bottom.Better to mix it with water or let the ice melt a little. Service is fine, but sometimes they do take a long time. I do love that they have Bible verses on the cups and that they play Christian music. I will come back to support Christian businesses. read more

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A Phoenix staple that earns its reputation on two things: the beans and those incredible tortillas. We stopped in twice over a long holiday weekend--once for a massive takeout order for friends and family, and again for a quick breakfast on Monday morning before flying out. While it wasn't a perfect experience, the "highs" here are high enough that we literally flew a dozen tortillas back home to St. Louis. The Logistics: This location (Cactus Rd) is built for efficiency. It's simple, counter-service style with a waiting area in the middle for takeout and self-serve salsa/soda stations. * Takeout Experience: Ordering online was smooth and the food was ready on time. Pro-Tip: Always check your bag before you leave! We found a missing salsa and rice order, but the staff was super friendly and fixed it immediately. They actually owned the mistake and gave us extra salsa--more than I expected--as a "sorry." Great service recovery. * Know Before You Go: They are CLOSED on Sundays. We learned this the hard way; we had planned to buy a bulk order of beans to freeze and take home on Sunday, but had to settle for just the tortillas on Monday. The "Must-Haves": * Tortillas (4.75/5): These are the gold standard. Huge, super thin, yet delightfully chewy. As mentioned, these are good enough to pack in a suitcase. * Refried Beans (4.25/5): The texture here is creamy and almost buttery--you can definitely taste the traditional manteca (lard) preparation. Honestly, this is the anchor that brings us back; they make the best bean burrito in town. * Chips & Hot Sauce: Chips are thin and crispy (4.5/5). The hot sauce is unique--it's more of a smooth sauce than a chunky salsa, but I've been eating it for years and love the specific heat profile (4.25/5). The Meats: * Machaca (4/5): Note that this is the classic Sonoran Style--meaning it's cooked with tomatoes/peppers and is much "brothier" than the dry shredded beef you see elsewhere. Very flavorful. * Red Chili (3.75/5): Usually a favorite of mine, but this batch was heavy on the sauce and light on the meat. Still tasted excellent, just a bit soupy this time. * Chorizo (3.75/5): A solid choice. Fine grind on the pork with a bit of fat and a good spice level. The Misses: * Breakfast Burrito (3/5): A rare letdown. I paid extra for beans but didn't find them inside, and the potatoes were slightly undercooked. For a $10 burrito, it felt a bit small. * Shredded Beef Taco (3.5/5): Fresh and tasty, but needed a heavier hand on the beef and cheese to compete with other spots. Verdict: Carolina's remains a classic for a reason. Despite a few inconsistencies with the breakfast burrito, the beans and tortillas remain undefeated. read more

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Pissed is a understatement, bought 20 burritos for one of my refferal partners and look what they found in their green chili butrito. I call and what did they say oh if you drive back and bring all the burritos back then we will refund you. So therefore here we are, I'm reporting you guys and you guys lost a very good customer. Whoever I spoke to on the phone needs to get fired. Super rude! Like who doesn't start apologizing right away and basically says we will refund you for that burrito if you bring it back. Dude literally cut his mouth and hurt his tooth because you guys have metal in your food. And clearly you don't thoroughly check your stuff or there wouldn't be a screw in it. read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Green Chili Burro - Mexican Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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The quality of food has gone down in the last few years. This is one of my favorite places but don't go in anymore because it just does not have the same homemade feel to it. read more

Carolina's special Carne Asada burrito was not that great, mostly because they hardly put any French fries in the burrito. The meat was ok, but needed more fries to balance out the guacamole. Also the tortilla is too thin for the ingredients. read more

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We ordered a few things to try - bean and cheese burrito was yummy but adding sour cream was the way to go. Added a nice flavor. Chicken taco was good. There was six of us and everyone was pleased. My only recommendation, it would be nice if they had a selection of salsas. There was eight containers and they were all hot. This place is obviously successful so they probably do not need my advice. Scripture on the cups and Christian music playing - I was a happy girl read more

Many people I know rave how great this place is. I have had their food on several occasions. It also tastes better when it's catered. The few times I have dined in I have been disappointed. Their prices are the same as most other Mexican Food restaurants. But, where they really miss the mark is they charge for chips. REALLY! I tend to forget when I have made this my dining destination. However, on Saturday @2 p.m. they didn't have any chips for sale. Mexican Food restaurant, charging for chips...but out of chips? When they bring the food to your tables it's in plastic containers, or flimsy paper plates. Sounds like a startup restaurant, right? No. They have been in business for decades. I won't describe how terrible the restrooms are, let's just say it does not reflect a successful business who cares about their patrons. read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Green Chili Combo Plate.i need a spoon. - Mexican Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

The service was very friendly and fast! The tortillas were homemade and delicious would return and just order dozens of tortillas. Really enjoyed my burrito and the masa on the tamale was really moist and delicious but I didn't care for the filling. Next time I'll try the red chili instead of the green chili corn because it just wasn't my thing. Nice place for pick up or or quick lunch. The salsa was so good! read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Dr Pepper - Mexican Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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Always a great crunchy shredded Beef Tacos Stop! Their chips and Hot Sauce is slightly addicting. Our family loves it. Cactus location is fast service wherever I've ordered takeout. We usually pick up a half dozen of their amazing freshly made huge flour tortillas. read more

Decided to swing by here on my way home. It was a weekday afternoon and thankfully not too busy - several folks dining inside. I ordered the bean, potato and cheese burro and a horchata drink (no ice). Service was quick and friendly. My order was ready in about 5 minutes or so and I was on my way. The drink was refreshing and cold, even without ice. Though it was on the sweet side and pretty grainy, price was good. The burro was initially pretty tasty; I love a burrito with an interior that is of blended consistency. The tortilla was slightly charred which was nice and overall a good value. However as I continued eating, the aftertaste of the cheese possibly was not favorable. I may come back and try different menu items because it is affordable and there is a lot to choose from. read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Bean, Potato and Cheese Burro and Medium Horchata - Mexican Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Carolinas has excellent food. I just wish they would add cheese....what do they have against cheese? It says they have cheese on their entrees but I never get it. read more

Saturday morning, this location did not disappoint. The Menudo was delicious, the Carne Asada fries on point. The staff was amazing! The restaurant was clean. Everything was all good. Thank you for the delicious breakfast.! read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Carne Asada fries - Mexican Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

The food here is always great. I had the machaca plate, and my wife had the shredded beef tacos. We usually order to go, the restaurant well nice and clean inside is pretty basic. read more

Inaccurate order fullfilment. Severely over cooked and somehow, still cold. Ordered shredded beaf taco and enchillada meal with green sauce. Got red sauce instead and th eenchillada was an extremely over-cooked cheese echillada. Was literally burnt. And yet, the entire meal was still cold. Gross. read more

Had not been to Carolina's in probably 30 plus years. Went to the original on the South side as a kid many times with friends growing up in central Phoenix. We stopped into the location on Catus and Cave Creek the other day and the food had not changed. Still homemade goodness. Service was amazing and when I said I hadn't been in so long she gave us complimentary chips and salsa. Sooooo good!! Easy going setting, walk up and order. Love the wall of high tables with seats. Their to go service is insane, non stop and so efficient. Our food was as delicious as it always was. So glad we rediscovered it again. Can't wait to come back soon. read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Complimentary Chips and Salsa for being new customers - Mexican Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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Been here a few times now. Quality is super random. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. Two times my order has been incorrect. Price is very far off for the quality too. I feel it's so overpriced for what I order. Inside is usually clean, with a convineint salsa bar. But only one salsa is available, the green sauce needs to be paid for. Again, over priced. Service is pretty sub-par as well. Each time I've visited Carolinas the staff is behind the register talking about video games while playing in their phone. They'll finish their story then acknowledge me. I have yet to experience a friendly worker, most just seem annoyed. Overall, it's an okay spot for Mexican food. But you will be nickel and dimed. $.80 extra for cheese lol read more

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

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Food is tasty and staff friendly . Having worked at Pedro's Mexican Food restaurant for nearly 37 years.. I can recommend

My husband picked up takeout from here for us. It was ready on time and pickup was easy! We got a lot of food for how much we paid which was great. The not great part is they messed up our order. I ordered green salsa, they gave me red, we ordered an extra tortilla and instead they randomly gave us a chicken taco? So I feel bad for the people who ordered a taco and just got a plain tortilla instead. My husband got the quesadilla and it was like extremely greasy to the point where it looked inedible but he said it ended up being better than he thought! My son ate the rogue chicken taco and loved it! I got a combo with the green corn tamale, crispy potato taco, and cheese enchilada. The taco was all broken apart somehow, but everything tasted pretty good! The rice was really mushy but good flavor, my son enjoyed that too! Guac I got on the side was fresh and my husband and I enjoyed the chips we shared! My husband did mention it was super busy which may have attributed to some of the order mistakes. Glad we tried it though! read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Combo with green corn tamale, cheese enchilada, and crispy potato taco, beans and rice - Mexican Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

The service was wonderful, and I really appreciated the option to mix and match items. The prices were reasonable, but nothing really stood out as exceptional. I've ordered to go a few times, and unfortunately, the food was a bit inconsistent. read more

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

Very nice experience here for dinner. Staff is extremely friendly and very thorough with making sure the orders are entered correctly and they and they even check your to-go order with you before you to ensure it's correct. We had tacos, quesadillas, and a burrito, plus sides. Evergone in our family was very happy with their meals. The only suggestion would be a bit more seasoning on the chicken as it was not so flavourful..everything else was wonderful. Can't wait to go back soon! read more

Great food, horrible customer service. The cashier was extremely rude and didn't even acknowledge me even after being told by a co worker. I'm not going to drop a name but I'm sure management can figure it out. I know I'm not the only person, because her co workers definitely don't like her. read more

Three stars but only for the food. Zero stars for service and speed of service. Every time I come here the service seems to be slower and slower. And half the time they say they are out of tamales... I have been coming here for years and hate to see an amazing authentic place weighed down by speed of service for Mexican food. I always see impatient customers here and I don't blame them. It shouldn't take that long for an order of tamales and rice and beans! Let's get more efficient cashiers and another cook on the line. read more

I live close to the Cave Creek and Cactus location, so ordered two entrees to go and picked them up, one item was a machaca chimi, mine was a carne asada burrito. They said the order would be ready in 10 minutes so I left right away, though I could walk there in that time. My carne asada burrito was cold, simple and tasted like cafeteria food, the accompanying beans were so watered down you could drink them through a straw. The bill came to $31 and change, regardless of being located nearby, will not go back again. read more

Was exited to try heard great things but honestly felt like a nice place for old people who are locals to get there food, red burrito was distasteful and the crunchy tacos had cold meat on the inside , will not come back read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Crunchy tacos and Red Chili Burro - Mexican Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

So disappointed with how terrible Carolina's is now. You can tell they are doing this without passion. The food is bland, the salsa has turned to water, and the service has given up. The restaurant wasn't being cleaned properly between guests. I had an enchilada that was disappointing and lacked quality. I also had a favorite of mine the machaca taco salad. Which was just ok now compared to before. I won't be giving my business to this place anymore as there are so many better options. read more

Decided to get this Location another shot since my last visit went so horribly wrong. On my last visit, they had almost nothing left that I wanted. They were out of nearly everything despite being far from closing time. This time I decided to order early, surely they should have everything prepared by the time they're open right? WRONG. BIG. FAT. WRONG. THEY DIDNT HAVE RICE!!! My only option was potatoes cooked in lard. Isn't that appetizing? What kind of self-respecting Mexican food restaurant does not have rice??? Truth be told it was my fault for giving this place another chance. Would give zero stars if possible. read more

I have not been to Carolina's in quite awhile. We ordered a kids burrito meal, 2 chicken tacos and a tortilla with butter. It took almost 25min for our order and everything was cold. There 7 people in here so not very busy but unfortunately we came an hour before closing. The tortilla with butter was ice cold, the butter was a glob in the middle of the tortilla. It used to be amazing food, not sure anymore. read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Tortilla with butter - Mexican Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

tl;dr the basics are the star at this slightly premium Mexican fast-casual chain Manuel and Carolina Valenzuela originally served Mexican comfort food out of their family car in the 50's, before opening their first brick-and-mortar restaurant in 1968. Over the years, Carolina's made-from-scratch flour tortillas, the backbone of their most popular dishes, reached a legendary status. Now, the Carolina's brand (operated by the same family as The Original Carolina's at 12th and Mohave) has expanded and boasts 4 locations around the Greater Phoenix area. The North Phoenix outpost on Cactus is clean and contemporary. The sunset-yellow plaster building stands out within an otherwise dull strip mall. The checkout counter, kitchen, and condiment bar all run along one side of the space, while bar-style half-booths line the other. Staff members can be seen tossing fresh tortillas in the kitchen. A Carolina's themed painting greets you immediately upon entering, while a collage of black-and-white family photos decks the back wall. Contemporary pop plays throughout the space. My partner and I visited during a busy weekday lunch service. We opted for a Butter Tortilla, Green Chili and Oaxaca Burro combo platters (both Chimi style), and a large Horchata. Within a few minutes, our order was fulfilled, wrapped in styrofoam takeout containers, and stacked in a plastic bag. My favorite components of the meal were the fundamentals -- the large, rich, and chewy tortilla; the balanced tangy and spicy salsa; and the delicious, creamy refried beans. The rice, while standard, was worthwhile to enjoy with the salsa. The chimichangas were both reasonably large and sported a layer of enjoyable, evenly crispy tortilla, but neither was perfect. The green chili beef was plentiful but underwhelming in taste and wholly messy, while the Oaxaca boasted a more complete flavor profile but ran skimpier on meat. Meanwhile, the horchata was enormous and not overwhelmingly sugary but felt gritty despite being light on cinnamon flavor. Service was efficient and friendly, and a staff member gave us a complimentary refill on our horchata. The bills worked out to $30 for a solid and hearty fast-casual meal. If you're planning a visit, the no-brainer moves are iconic tortillas and combo platters -- both additions definitely made the meal more substantial. read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Oaxaca Burro, Chimi Style - Mexican Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Used to eat here a lot, but stopped coming when they started messing up our orders. Gave it another go. Tonight, we are missing my husband's order completely, and mine was wrong. The machacha in my burrito was watery and just bad. I had ordered the burro with cheese inside and we paid extra. No cheese inside. Reaffirms why we stopped eating here. Will not return read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Machacha burrito with cheese. Watery, and no cheese. - Mexican Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Why is Carolina's response to me about a breakfast burrito and the price of eggs. I did not get a breakfast burrito I ask for one pat of butter for my tortilla. And the price for the pat of butter was $1.00. The OG's of Carolinas are rolling in shame in their graves. No reason to eat at Carolina's any more Finished with Carolina's!! read more

this location is slow slow slow and the service absolutely sucks. food? not great but not bad. other places would be so much better

We like to pick to go orders from this location. Typically, we get sides like beans and rice. Yesterday, we decided to pick up some tortillas as well. Omg they were still warm! They were so delicious and HUGE. read more

It has been too many years since the last time I ate at Carolina's. Their food is just so good. I would say it is quintessential authentic Mexican food. Tonight we shared the mini chimichangas, a cheese quesadilla and chips and salsa. We got a kids meals for the girls. Service was good, it is an order here and pick up there service, pretty straight forward. Casual dining spot with good music in the background. read more

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This place has longevity and nostalgia for some - I just don't get it. The food here is subpar to bad, and it's expensive. In the valley there are tons of better options for Mexican - this place needs an overhaul. Food is drab and greasy with no character. read more

staff is cold hearted, and condescending. charge me $5.00 for some sauce on two tamales. they are useing people that do not check there receipt. not good business practice. read more

Great food! You have to try this iconic restaurant. I went to the original location but I hear there are two

Got the orders wrong. Tacos were half filled no cheese. Shells raw greasy. Only good thing was sauce. Second screw up order in 2 weeks. No one was even there? read more

no one doesn't better or more authentic and world class tortillas, beans and rice along with the mains

Decent mexican restaurant. The menu includes various items including tamal (machaca or corn and chile verde), and tacos of, for example, carne asada. The proportions are relative small, especially the tamals, but they are very tasty. I would definitely return to enjoy the authentic flavors, and I see the kitchen is also working hands on real sonora style flour tortillas that definitely deserve a shot. read more

Carolina's Mexican Food - Taco de carne asada - Mexican Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona