Had called in my order to pick up like a month ago or so and as a local who hadn't been in a while I was hopeful. Wasted money and disappointed. Nachos were not nachos. Not like they were many years ago. Huge plate of dry chips, chicken and no cheese or beans. read more

Great location with pet friendly outside seating. The prices are reasonable and food is plentiful but a little bland for my taste. Mexican food should be spicier than they serve it and service was a bit slow even on a slow night like Thursday. read more

Dos Carlitos - 2 salsas - Chunky and Black bean/corn. - Mexican Near Me - Santa Ynez, California

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Met friends for a small gathering for a birthday party here and I'd been wanting to try it. The staff was very nice and service was friendly and efficient. We just got appetizers and margarita's. They were GREAT! I got the ceviche and it was some of the best I've ever had! I can't wait to go back and try their other offerings soon. read more

I was super excited to try out this Mexican restaurant after reading the great reviews, but I was left disappointed. To start, the complimentary salsa had an overpowering black pepper flavor; you couldn't even taste the salsa. Our server recommended ordering the fajitas and seafood enchiladas. The steak fajitas were really good, it even came with homemade tortillas! However, after eating about half of the seafood enchiladas, my dad found a long strand of red hair in his mouth. We both lost our appetites and I couldn't even finish the rest of my food. I would not come here again as everything else was also mediocre. There are better, more sanitary authentic Mexican restaurants around the area. read more

Stopped in for lunch. Food and Waiter were awesome. Staff was amazing and friendly. Big portions. Worth the drive. read more

Dos Carlitos - We ordered the a chili relleno, beef enchilada, chicken taco, and a chicken enchilada. It also came with a salad. . - Mexican Near Me - Santa Ynez, California

Beautifully decorated! Great food and service. Loved the tortillas and chips replacement. Their street tacos were wonderful. All of us enjoyed our meals. read more

Amazing food! Service was spot on, not rushed at all very fun ATMOSPHERE. Let's go again soon! Oo no photo... oops read more

Great food, great service. Never disappointed it's always so beautiful whether we are inside or outside.

I tried the shrimp fajitas I would probably mix it up next time & reach for something different just prefer something with more flavor like enchiladas as a dinner to try !! the margaritas & restaurant feel with the group tables made that all more inviting! read more

Delicious food. Everything I ordered which were the gambas de ajillo, shrimp empanada, chicken mole tacos and the banana taquitos as our dessert were delicious. I didnt want to expect much out of this place because of the price but everything turned out terrific! Tasty and proportion was pretty worth the price given I got shrimp. I would definitely recommend this place when you're in the area read more

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Outstanding service and Fantastic food. Thank you to all the Staff and waiters and waitresses I will come back to eat your amazing Mexican food. read more

I can't recommend this place enough! The food is soooo good, especially their hand made corn tortillas! I always get the tacos al carbon, steak, with the corn tortillas. The meat is very tender and flavorful. They are very generous with the meat, so I always make 4 tacos, which I can never finish lol. Their skinny margaritas are amazing as well. Great service, beautiful location and very good food! Can't wait to return! read more

I had a wonderful dinning experience. The food was awesome and our Service Cameron was great, very personable and friendly.. definitely coming back. read more

My Crew and I were in town for four nights to work in this town for the first time every night we had dinner here we were treated like kings!! The waiter Alfredo took care of us every night class act!! The food was delicious!! Best restaurant hands-down in this town!! Thank you Alfredo see you next year read more

Dos Carlitos - Juan Franco Tree Service From Pasadena - Mexican Near Me - Santa Ynez, California

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This is our favorite Mexican food place in California. Sometimes we make the 2hr drive to Solvang just to eat their chicken fajitas and flan! Our kids really enjoy the chicken tacos. The margaritas are so strong ! read more

Once the pinnacle of exceptional Mexican food but over the past three visits this year, the quality of the food and consistency has gone downhill. Such a shame, as this was our go-to Mexican restaurant that we would both fly in or drive 2-hours just to dine there. The service and drinks by Ernesto are always exceptional, but the other servers seem to be more interested in checking email or joking around than acting professional and doing tasks. Unfortunately, after the third disappointing visit and lack-luster food, we are done. What a shame. read more

To start on a positive note, the service was good. Unfortunately the food was not. At all. The chicken was super gross. Food wasn't hot and nothing seemed fresh. The drinks were weak and didn't taste good. Overall it was a very disappointing $100 dinner. read more

Fun place. Good food and service. Clean room good selection of Tequilas. Good chips salsa and black bean medley.

Very unfortunate that they do NOT take dinner reservations. Makes it difficult when you have a party of 6.

after having spent our 5 year anniversary weekend in Los Olivos wine tasting, eating exceptional cuisine and devouring a gluttonous amount of charcuterie, nothing beats some good old fashioned mexican fare. enter Yelp with Dos Carlitos. just a little ways off the main highway, off another smaller highway, is this mexican gem. unpretentious, they have the standard offerings you can always count on. burritos, tacos, salads, etc. on this day, after a full wine weekend, only one thing could quench our proverbial thirst... NACHOS!!!! one order with chicken and extra jalapenos. service and food was quick. i ordered a beer to wash out all the grape juice i'd been drinking. the jalapenos were of the pickled can variety, which I LOVE! sour cream, guacamole and extra salsa. bam! so effing good. i literally licked mine and mama's fingers clean. so effing good. highly recommend to break the monotony of all the grapes you have been drinking. read more

Dos Carlitos - Yummy salsa - Mexican Near Me - Santa Ynez, California

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What an absolute gem. Impeccable ambiance and aesthetic. The food and presentation has clearly taken a great deal of thought and the service was beyond compare. The GM/Bartender, "Cameron" was impossibly charming and knowledgeable, he assumed ownership of our weekend itinerary and we felt like we knew the staff for years. Couldn't love this place more. Best part, his mother, Valerie, who owns a boutique, "Valerie's Vintage and Supply" which we and the wives all adored, showed up and is clearly the boss of all bosses and the Co-Mayor of Santa Ynez (with the big fellow with the cool 68 Cadillac with the jacuzzi in the back- whatever his name was). We love this place and this town. read more

More like a 3.5 because the staff is just so warm, efficient and helpful. We came from SD and we know our Mexican and just a few things fell short of a 4. The tequila selection is amazing. So are the margaritas and they are huge! Served in basically a water glass and they don't skimp on the tequila which we respected! Had chips witha salsa trio that comes when you walk in and also added the very generous portion of guacamole as another app. Chips come with a standard fairly bland mild salsa that seems canned, a very zesty, spicy smoked one (yum) and a unique black bean and corn one which was great. Guacamole was very decent. Can't remember everything we tried but the menu items were very tasty and HUGE! Consider sharing any fajitas unless you are a very big eater. They only serve black beans which I like better than pinto so no problem there. Rice, however, does not come with all dishes. But that is ok because there is a lot of food to begin with, don't need to add carbs. I got a specialized order of tacos al carbon with shrimp (shrimp wasn't offered on that combo, but they kindly and happily obliged). Very generous amount of shrimp but with tails on (no prob to just pluck off). I think they fell down on the tortillas although they are homemade. They are very thick and they didn't have the taste or texture I'm used to with lard. In fact, I ignored mine and just ate the shrimp and accompaniments. They have no problem if you'd like to bring in a wine from your earlier adventures that day to have with your meal. Don't know if there was a corkage fee as I didn't pick up the tab that night. They are totally five star with the service. They are very warm and efficient and helpful. The interior is one of the more classier Mexi looks and very cozy. Will def come back again when in SY! Try it for a really nice night out! read more

They seat 2 people at a 4 person table so when you come in with 4 there's only tables for 2

Table service can be a bit slow on occasion, but the Margaritas and good food make this a worthy destination.

What a nice find! Our food was delicious, portions ample, service excellent, value good, and there was nice safe distances between the outdoor tables. When in the area, would look forward to a return visit! read more

So sad, this place used to be my go to place. This place has gone downHill with the service. Some of the worst service I've ever had in my life! Stay away. Management needs to seriously get involved with the bad service and nasty attitude from wait staff. So sad to treat locals so bad. read more

I don't find myself in the town of Santa Ynez very often but I'm always surprised at how such a tiny little place can have so many great places to eat. We were jonesing for Mexican this day and there's no better place for that up there than Dos Carlitos. Now because of the darn COVID thing we couldn't eat inside which is alway a treat but it was a nice enough day to eat on the patio anyhow so no problem. Dos Carlitos is one of those places that has a certain thing in the menu that I just love and that's their Mole' Poblano tacos. So I'm always stuck in that familiar conundrum. Do I get what I know is great or do I try and see if something else is great but risk it not being quite as good as that favorite thing? Now I love mole' but I also love verde, so I took the risk with their chicken enchiladas verde. Great tangy tomatillo flavor with lots of nicely cooked chicken and cheese. Damn fine! My wife went with her favorite thing Gambas Al AJillo (Sautéed shrimp with garlic, herbs & chili flakes served with Solvang Bakery country bread). I'm not a huge shrimp guy but she just loves the flavors in the delicious sauce (that's what the bread is for!) definitely glad we stopped in and even though it's a tough time to be around a lot of people we had fantastic and super polite service from Dario, doing a great job man!! Can't wait to get back out Santa Ynez and Dos Carlitos, but, have to say, next time I'm getting the Mole' Tacos!! :-) read more

Dos Carlitos - GAMBAS AL AJILLO Sautéed shrimp with garlic, herbs & chili flakes served with Solvang Bakery Country Bread. The sauce is sooooooo goood!! - Mexican Near Me - Santa Ynez, California

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This is a 5 star review I was taken back by how good my burrito was the steak was so flavorful, everyone of us enjoyed our food and time here, service was great. read more

Dos Carlitos - Mexican Near Me - Santa Ynez, California

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The food was okay not bomb tho. I had the seafood enchiladas. A little tasteless. I dunno maybe just me. The cocktails were good. I don't think I will return. The service was good and the outside patio area was cool too. But next time I'm in that area I'll check another place out. read more

Dos Carlitos - Cocktails - Mexican Near Me - Santa Ynez, California

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Nothing really blows you away as far as the food overall. Great setup, dining areas. Was really cold inside, and they would not shut the front door, so we had to wear jackets, so not so relaxing and comforting to dine and unwind. Sure the staff doesn't notice, cause your body temp is higher when you are working. read more

Wow! Fantastic from the moment we walked in. Great chips and salsa, margaritas excellent! Then the food came and was absolutely amazing. We sat near the bar and the bartender was great! Very friendly and attentive. We will definitely return!! read more

To quote one of the most used phrases one Yelp: I really wanted to like this place. After all , it is even named after me. Sort of. To make a long story short the food was good, but expensive. Case in point: $23 carne asada. OUCH. Did I say OUCH? Was it good? It was above average. Was it $23 good? No. Keep in mind I've eaten carne asada in Mexican, Salvadoran and all sorts of latin american kitchens since I was a kid and at dozens of restaurants so I have some basis for comparison. I did enjoy that the server gave me queso fresco with my dish. The guacamole was VERY good. All in all - if you want fancy Mexican this is your spot. If you want an inexpensive meal, this is probably not the place for you. I don't want you to think this review is negative. I enjoyed the decor, enjoyed free parking (which I imagine is common around here) and the food was above average but balanced out with the price I have to bump it down. read more

Dos Carlitos - Mexican Near Me - Santa Ynez, California

This is a really good Mexican restaurant. The decor is charming, the facilities are clean, the service is friendly and thorough, and the food is very good. Make sure to make to make an appointment. Depending when you go, it may be pretty busy and space is limited. It's not always easy to get a large party seated if it's busy on the weekends (just like anywhere else). So plan ahead. When it's hot, it's HOT. So if you have a large party, you may get seated outside and the umbrellas don't necessarily cover all of your party but then, if you are 2-4 peeps, you're fine. The only thing I think can be better is the value. The food is terrific, especially the fresh guacamole, but it's pricey compared to most Mexican restaurants. But you're in Santa Ynez with wine tasting everywhere and the part of the world is a bit pricey on all fronts so when in Rome... read more

Food was tasty and portioned perfectly (not too much/not too little). Service and staff were friendly and prompt. This restaurant now allows socially distanced seating indoors and outdoors. I recommend outdoor seating on a beautiful day. read more

Dos Carlitos - Shrimp fajita. - Mexican Near Me - Santa Ynez, California

The decor its updated, lighting depressing and the music sucks but the worse part its how filthy this place is !!!! food is terrible and the drinks are made with the cheapest ingredients the server was friendly and he was the only pleasant part of the nite !! if you are planning to go this place bring a jacket because they don have heaters in the patio !! read more

Dos Carlitos - Mexican Near Me - Santa Ynez, California

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I have passed by this popular spot many times, I'm so glad we went there for mom's birthday! First of all the servers we're excellent, not only with good suggestions for our meal, but we never felt neglected. The regular margaritas are the best, made with Respado tequila. We ordered guacamole with our chips, great but so much! I had the enchiladas with shrimp and scallops, they did not disappoint. Pozole was the best! Mom had two carnitas tacos yet none of us could finish our meals. I can't wait for our next trip to Santa Ynez and our new regular spot for Mexican food and margaritas, Don Carlitos. read more

excelente servicio toda la comida con un exquisito sabor es la primera vez que vengo y es mi próximo lugar favorito lo recomiendo

The food was amazing and the service was great! Everything tasted especially fresh. We visit Dis Carlitos every time we're in town!

Where to begin ..... The food was not good what's so ever absolutely no taste on the fajitas they just place chicken on top of veggies instead of sautéing it together to mix the flavors, Nachos were ok with steak but the chicken also had no flavor on it. I also ordered 2 sodas and a Michelada and after 20 min of waiting for them I had to get up to ask for at least the drinks. I'm sorry but I have had at least a Michelada from over 40+ different places and this is the only one that has ever tasted sour and rancid. (We got our food about 40-45 min later The waitress and the cashier were super nice though they are the only reason I'm putting 2 stars. read more

While wine tasting, we got hungry; our winery host suggested Dos Carlitos. We'd never been to Santa Ynez, so we were up for an adventure on a sunny mid-week January day. Dos Carlitos is part of a family-owned small group of restaurants in the Santa Barbara area. This is one of the newer additions to the group. We sat on the outdoor patio, soaking up the sun and general cuteness of the restaurant and Santa Ynez. But it got better. Way better. The food and service were top notch. Our server dropped off water, chips and salsa almost as soon as we were seated. He promptly returned to take our orders and the food was delivered in under 10 minutes. I had the beef tacos al carbon: excellent! Hot, tasty, and served with a selection of toppings: guacamole, black beans. Plus, more than enough to take back to the RV for dinner! Hubby had the combo plate with the beef enchilada and crunchy beef taco. He's a marginal fan of enchiladas but raved about the flavor of this one! Again, he could not finish it all so the leftovers were dinner, too! I would have to rate this as one of the best Mexican restaurants in my experience. Everything was freshly made, tasty, and nicely plated. Next time travel takes us south, Dos Carlitos is certainly on the menu! read more