Been going here on Saturday mornings since I was 3 and I will cry if this place ever closes. $10 for the best breakfast burrito you will ever eat. The employees are so friendly and kind. This place is our go to underground spot and I just love it. Highly recommend, especially for takeout. We order over the phone and it's always ready super quick. read more

The best breakfast burritos in Orange County. For those of you who remember Carmel's on El Toro and Lake Forest, you can order an Armando Borrito (potato, egg, cheese, beans) and it tastes exactly the same. I love this place! read more

El Progreso Mexican Restaurant - Armando Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Place flys WAY under the radar! But , if you know YOU KNOW . It's Carmalitas from back in the day. Best breakfast burritos on the planet And i always get the taquitos... they're perfectly cooked. Light and crispy Carne asada soft tacos are perfection as well! Run don't walk read more

The food is OK.. the service is good. but I wish they had a cleaner restroom.. it's really disgusting in there.

I had breakfast at El Progreso Mexican Restaurant 24602 Raymond Way in Lake Forest. It stopped raining so I left to eat at this location. The cashier was nice and friendly. She was helpful in ordering my meal. You pay at the front counter and they the meal to your table. For my Appetizer: Cheese Quesadilla; A large flour tortilla with jack cheese inside. Yummy! Mt Entrée; Fish Taco Combo Plato; Two battered fried fish tacos with sliced cabbage and a fish sauce. side: Spanish rice and refried beans. I drank Jarrito orange drink with my meal. A good combination of flavors. For dessert: Arros Con Leche; rice pudding topped with a dash of cinnamon. Delish! For take-out I bought four breakfast tacos & homemade tortillas. Then I drove off to find another review. Robert H. read more

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Nothing fancy. Nothing romantic or classy. "All" they offer is the most delicious and authentic Mexican food around. Large menu, fair prices, and incredibly friendly servers. Ricky is my favorite! I recommend the chiles rellenos. Sooooo good. Tacos aren't bad either. 1-5-20 Same outstanding rellenos. Best around! That's the main reason I come here. I tried the chicken tamales. Just ok. Not as good as the pork. My major disappointment is that they charge an extra dollar fricken fifty if you want chips!! Even to a regular customer. Whaaaaat? What Mexican restaurant does that? Taco Bell maybe. Ricky, please tell the owners not to be so fricking cheap¡!¡!¡! read more

El Progreso Mexican Restaurant - Chile relleno and tamale. Always on point! - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Do not come here if you like Mexican food. My family and I just went for lunch and would have been better off throwing $45 dollars in the trash. Their soda was flat and when we told them about it, they said it was because the ice was low. The food was tasteless and I couldn't even eat all of it. The customer service was terrible too. read more

Spent $12 for an all meat carne asada burrito. Mostly cheese and not very big. They even had a sign that said the "best burritos anywhere" and that is definitely not true. I would have been happier had I gone to Del Taco. read more

Best breakfast burritos in all of Lake Forest! Breakfast combos are excellent, too. Be sure to get something with potatoes because they are just delicious! The only thing I don't like is that they don't participate in DoorDash or Grubhub so I have to go pick it up. read more

OMG I needed a quick lunch between work hours and happened to find this restaurant on yelp. I am super happy with their service and their food! They had it ready very quickly but there is no lack of quality. Every item was made after you ordered so it was really fresh and everything I tried tasted very authentic. The prices were very reasonable less than I would expect. I will definitely be returning and encourage you to give them a try, you won't be disappointed. read more

chicken tacos and beef taquitos were very good great service also very good price for a lot of food. read more

Good food, good service at a good price. The Huevos Rancheros are so damn good I could eat them every day!

I heard that this place had the best burritos in town. I am not so sure. What I do know is that they need to fix their A/C. I came in for dinner the other evening at 6:30pm and the place was a sauna. It was hot inside and outside. They had fans running but all it did was blow hot air around. The air conditioning was nonexistent. We ordered a bean and cheese burrito, a la Jolla burrito with beef, 2 lemon margaritas and a beef taco. The best part about the place was the salsa bar. There was white sauce, hot sauce, hot avocado sauce, pico de gallo, habaneros, onions & cilantro, limes, and mild sauce. With so much selection you can doll up your burrito with just about anything. I should have opted for a breakfast burrito but I'm not sure if they serve those at dinner time. I'll have to ask next time. My la Jolla burrito was ok. I didn't finish it even though it's smaller than their regular burritos. The taste was fine. I just doused it with hot sauce and was happy with the result. I wish it had cheese in it though. My mistake for not asking for it. The price point was cheap and the burritos are huge. They didn't offer us any chips until we finished our meals. That's a shame. I might have given them more stars if we had gotten better service. So for now, they only get 2.5 stars from me. read more

El Progreso Mexican Restaurant - La Jolla burrito with an assortment of salsas from the bar - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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This place is always top tier with their quick service and amazing food. This has been my go to for years and I always come back for their burritos! Run don't walk!! read more

Yes, it's true! El Progreso is Carmel's with different owners, different name, same great food I grew up with! I was devastated when I heard Carmel's closed down. I used to go there every year to eat nachos on my birthday. (They are so gnarly, I only ALLOWED myself to eat them once a year!) So I was overjoyed when I heard about El Progreso. My husband and I went (just to check it out and make sure!) and ordered burritos and were so happy to see that they were exactly the same as the old Carmel's! I saw the picture of nachos supreme on the menu, and it looked the same, so I knew I had to come back here on my birthday. For some reason it's usually empty. I think people just don't know, so help spread the word! For this reason, I was so glad I chose to bring about 15-20 people here for dinner on my birthday. The staff was so nice and accommodating. They moved the tables all around for us so that we could all sit together, and they even let us bring a cake and they provided us with plates and forks. Everyone LOVED the food (most people got nachos, keeping with my birthday tradition)! When we were done eating, the entire staff, cooks and everything, came out to sing "Happy Birthday" to me! Then the owner told us his daughter was going to sing for us. They have a small stage and his little girl, all dressed up, went up and sang along to a CD while we all clapped along, and it was ADORABLE. At the end of the night, we all wanted to help move the tables back the way they were and they told us not to worry about it. I can't recommend El Progreso enough. The food is comfort food to me, and if you were a patron of Carmel's for over a decade like I was, then you know what I mean! And the service is actually even BETTER than Carmel's! Go eat there and spread the word, I don't want to see this place go away! read more

El Progreso Mexican Restaurant - Nachos from El Progreso... I'm only allowed to eat them once a year! - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

CARMELS IS BACK! Finally.... A little piece of me died when i moved back to California and they got rid of it... Service is good, food is better! If your going to come here, go on Taco Tuesday. Best $1 taco you can get!! Salsa bar is really good also read more

El Progreso Mexican Restaurant - Good salsa selection - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

We tried even though walking in to no AC and a really run down and unwelcoming vibe had us almost walk out. $2.50 a taco is steep and they were not great. Sometimes the hole in the wall places are great finds, but we had a few chicken, pork and beef tacos, none were good, service was not great, no salsa bar and overpriced, not worth returning. read more

FOOD: * GRAND menu. (Tacos, Burritos, Nachos, Tostadas, Salads, Breakfast Burritos, Drinks, etc.) * LARGE salsa section: 8 or more different salsas like red, spicy, hot, habanero, white, green, pickled carrots & onions, diced onions/cilantro, lemon. Guacamole is okay. I can make better and I'm Asian. Sorry but it wasn't that great. Endless chips were okay too. I liked how they keep the chips underneath the lighting to keep it warm. You can grab a paper container and help yourself to all the chips you want! :) Service is ok. Not much customer attention. Pretty clean. Round booths along the walls remind me of a diner. 1 TV in the corner to watch "Futbol". Party Venue: karaoke stage, disco ball on ceiling. read more

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I drove 45 miles (one way) this morning to get a burrito because I read that this place was opened by former Carmel's staff and I wasn't disappointed! I ordered a bean and cheese burrito with lettuce and sour cream and it tasted just like Carmel's used to make. I know, you're asking yourself why would I want something that sounds so unappetizing? It's better than it sounds and it's comfort food to me. Carmel's was a fast-food joint with a drive through and El Progreso is a restaurant in a strip mall. It has booths and large tables in the center for group dining. The extensive menu seems to be the same. I was here at noon on a Saturday and the place was empty. I noticed some sound equipment in the corner, so perhaps they have a hopping evening crowd. Their decorations could use a little improvement and the photo menu board makes it look like this place is confused between being a diner and a restaurant. But the food is good and affordable. read more

El Progreso Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Great Customer Service!!! :) Every clean restaurant I really love their breakfast burrito it's really gooooood!!!!! Love coming here to get lunch with my husband we both enjoy the food alot read more

Excellent crunchy tacos. Very unique and pleasing flavor. Their hot sauce is hot and really good. This place is a repeat for me.

So, my husband and I are Mexican and love going out looking for authentic Mexican food restaurants and this is one of the best restaurant we've been, not the best though I ordered the chicken taquitos with rice and beans and they were amazing! My husband had something with beef and veggies gags but I don't remember the name exactly but was kind of like a beef stew, anyway we really liked the place and what really surprised is was that we arrived like 30 min before they close and we could taste that the food was made fresh! :) it took them a little bit to cook our food but it was worth the wait, my chicken taquitos were so crispy and the chicken was so moist. Now the thing here is that, for what I ate, I can say this restaurant is homemade style food so I understand the reviews saying that some stuff was bland, soggy, not seasoned well, didn't taste like other Mexican foods they've had and yes! That's right, it doesn't taste like something you'd eat at other Mexican restaurants but what you'll taste here in the food it's priceless if you are Mexican and are really used to homemade food and if you haven't had that in years... Oh men! This is the place for you :) I really miss my moms food and when I came here and tasted the food I felt like home back in Mexico! There's nothing better than homemade dishes :) read more

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I took my family here for breakfast, expecting perhaps too much due to the positive, even glowing reviews. The only thing that really stood out was the selection of salsas, and the homemade tortillas. Menudo: This was good. A very nice base, with plenty of tripe, although much of it being the soft, slimy type. I'd give it a seven out of 10. Chorizo platter: Moist and good, and better than most places, but nothing to really rave about. Pancake platter: All three of my kids had this. The pancakes were bitter, with a very strange consistency on the syrup. The eggs, all scrambled, were drenched in margarine, and tasted of it. Not at all good. They even had a sickening shine like they were dipped in a vat of oil before being served. The bacon was not fresh, and was hard and overcooked. None of my kids like it, and it was obvious why. I don't think I will go back. read more

Skip everything else on the menu and go straight for the Anaheim chili burrito. So, so, so good. It comes with rice and beans, but most won't really need it because the burrito is grande! Mom had the Carne asada burrito and said it was good too. Not a fancy place, not a lot of ambiance, but they do have good food, offered at a great price. They serve traditional Mexican drinks and also beer and wine (including sangria). read more

Don't forget they have delicious breakfasts (burritos or tacos etc)... Mmmmm with white sauce and spicy avocado salsa. read more

Living in south OC has its pros & cons... A major con is that there's no authentic Mexican food around here, so I usually drive to Santa Ana for some great grub... Until now.. First of all, it's Christmas Eve & I had a late night craving for tamales and Mexican food since I'm not home with family at the moment... I called the restaurant & the owner Miguel was kind enough to stay open until 2200 for me. He gave me a free tamale to sample before buying any & he was able to make my made-to-order meal. The hospitality at this place is amazing! Like I said, it's Christmas Eve & the staff told me to take my time & enjoy my meal... The food was soo good! I know this isn't Pelican Hill or Mastros, but I gave this place 5 stars because of their hospitality, the cleanliness, their hours and most importantly the food! It's a must try! It's kind of easy to miss though if you drive past the shopping center off Raymond, so pay attention lol good night and happy holidays! read more

El Progreso Mexican Restaurant - Taquitos, tostada, rice & beans combo plate.... Delicious! - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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This place is my go-to for breakfast burritos - my favorite is the bacon, egg and cheese. Like other reviews mention if you knew Carmel's from days past this is the same food - I discovered Carmel's and their breakfast burrito in high school and every breakfast burrito since then has been a disappointment but not the case at El Progreso. Their taquitos are also amazing with the thinnest tortillas that they make in house. Definitely recommend coming to El Progreso for a delicious meal. Such a great spot. read more

Terrible terrible greasy greasy do not come here terrible customer service they just left me sitting here. Offering to fix anything but please stay away the place is clean I can get that for us unbelievable on $8 chile relleno that was so greasy a Carnitas Taco was so greasy edible food read more

I would visit less frequently since I had moved away, but I always recommended the food to friends and family. The last time I visited, I took a big group of family members and we didn't receive good customer service. Must have caught the young girl behind the counter in a bad mood that day. I didn't​ like being treated rudely so I no longer eat there. read more

I came here based on the 4 star reviews and wanted authentic Mexican food. Not even sure how they got 4 stars so far. The restaurant is old and dirty. Ordered chicken taco plate and was disappointed. Didn't taste good at all. You have to get your own condiments which is fine if there were any. There was no onions or cilantro. How do you eat tacos without them. When asked if they had any more. The waitress said no but she will let the cook know. It was 11:30 am. How do you not have any? It's lunch time. I do not recommend this place. read more

El Progreso Mexican Restaurant - Chicken taco plate - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

I remember one day I was at work chatting with a coworker about amazing places to eat by us that have come and gone. Top of my list Carmels. Imagine my surprise when she tells me "you silly fool Carmels is still around it's just called el progreso." So I went and yep it's Carmels. Hidden now in witness protection in a dumpy center off el toro filled with medical marijuana pharmacies...damn you pot heads why didnt you tell me Carmels was back!! They have the best taquitos in the WORLD. Yep they are that good. Crispy, not soggy, light yet satisfying covered in lettuce and guacamole. They also have home made horchata, carnitas that makes pigs all over the world quiver in fear and a salsa bar that dares you not to turn everything you order into salsa soup. Go here, eat here, then kick a pot head on your way out for not spreading the word Carmels did not die. Damn hippies. read more

Wife was looking for a good breakfast burrito and yelped for her search. This place came up. She got a breakfast burrito, then got me a chorizo burrito. She only ate half the burrito and was so unimpressed she didn't eat the second half. There was absolutely no flavor to the burrito. Bacon was flavorless and weird texture. As for my chorizo...same thing, no flavor, actually tasted mushy and old. The whole burrito was just mushy. Kinda weird. Anyways, my wife did say they were very nice and had cheap prices, but we'd never go back again. read more

"CARMEL'S MEXICAN RESTAURANT LIVES" If you miss the old school days of Carmel's, look no further. The same staff from Carmel's Mexican restaurant that served up those famous - Armondo burrito's, killer French toast, one of the best salsa bars with the classic hot sauce and white sauce, carniasada burrito, have reorganized and re-opened the FAMOUS CARMEL'S under a different name and new management. I heard the rumor from a friend so I had to investigate for my self and it is true... The only bad thing I noticed is the location sucks, it's hard to find. It is tucked in the strip mall across Raymond in the opposite center from Sizzler. But after going in and trying out the classic breakfast burrito and salsa, I was not disappointed. Brings me back to the good old days. After talking to the new owner who was a previous cook for Carmel, sounds like the have all the great recipes and intentions to re-store the old Carmel's without infringing on the old owner (Carmel). This place is simply lacking it's old customer base (probably cause no one knows it here). I'll be back for sure. read more

El Progreso. Empty. Not a good sign especially after I suggested this place after I read the Yelp reviews. Also, it was 12:30pm. Yipes. We walked in and the menu we saw was above the place we had to order. It was hard to read and all over the place. It didn't seem to have an order of any sort. I felt rushed, even though we were the sole patrons in the whole joint, so I just ordered a green chile burrito. I have been known to try a place's verde sauce as a benchmark of how they do Mexican food. Mexican food anywhere in a 10 mile radius of Irvine is very suspect to me so I had to try it. I felt empty as I paid for my meal like I really wanted something else but I was happy with what I ordered and went off to get my chips, drink, and salsa from the salsa bar. The salsa bar was okay and not very attractive by any means but who cares if the salsa rocks. I did my usual tasting of all the salsas and there were a winner of sorts so I went with that one, a roasted rojo salsa. As I walked back to our table, I checked into Yelp on my phone. I happened to start looking at photos and I immediately saw a Torta. THAT'S WHAT I WANTED! I knew something was missing from the ridiculously huge overhead menu and that was it. I had saw that on their Yelp site and I had told myself that I was going to get that and I ended up with a burrito. Man. The burrito came and I was happy. The sauce was tasty and the beans were well cooked and homemade. It was very homey tasting and very homey looking. Homey meaning that it looks like one of my Mexican friend's mom made it for me like they did when I was younger. I loved going to their houses to eat if they invited me to. I can't say it was the best Mexican food I've had but that's because we were so close to Irvine. I am brainwashed already. If this place were in the barrio of East LA, I might have a different opinion. Anyway, clean up the menu and get some lunch patrons in and I will definitely be back. read more

Pretty excellent breakfast burrito here. Might be top 5 or even top 3. I was hesitant getting mexican food in south county but my worries were alleviated almost instantly when I walked in and saw a woman on a handmade tortilla press pumping out the fresh tortillas. Chorizo + egg + potato burrito. Chorizo was not extra greasy as you normally see which was surprising as the burrito stayed very well put together. Good salsa bar also. read more

I have tried burritos all over Orange County and Los Angeles. Now, there are a couple great burritos and tacos near LA that I will go into on their pages... But this place, that used to be located up the street and be called Carmel's, has THE BEST burritos in Orange County, period. I have to force myself to NOT go there more often... As it is, I drive from northern OC nice a week to pick up burritos from here. Everything in their burritos is completely fresh and quality products. Absolutely top notch. Not only are these burritos quality, but they are massive... They are close to 2 lbs of food... Bring your taste buds and your appetite. The next best thing about their burritos... They are like 5 bucks. Yes, seriously... They have food that good, that big and that inexpensive. Go here, now! If you enjoyed Carmel's and wondered where it went... Here it is! Secondly, their salsa bar is awesome. Not a huge selection, but I highly recommend the red salsa (on the far right) and the salsa verde (make sure to get enough to coat your massive burrito). Try the simple bean and cheese first, before hopping into the carnitas. My girlfriend prefers the Ortega Chilli burrito, which has vegetarian beans and is out of this world. Their Ortega chilies are cooked to perfection. I seriously don't have a gripe about this place. It's very At I I there and very very good. All of those who work here are friendly and helpful... Plus they have free chips. You cannot beat this place... And I love food. . . Especially a good taco or burrito. I will buy your next burrito wherever you'd like if you go here and it isn't the best burrito in the OC. Addictive... Simply addictive. read more

I was really excited to try a new Mexican food. After arriving and seeing the pictures of the food we decided to try two small things and go from there. We ordered a chicken soft taco and a carnitas sope. The food was clearly microwaved - rubbery and nuclear hot. The chicken in the taco was good but the tortillas were nothing short of horrible. They were the thin, larger "corn" tortillas. They of course resemble cardboard more than corn. The texture was not helped by heating them in the microwave. The sope wasn't the worst thing I've ever eaten. The carnitas were really rubbery (thanks Mr. Microwave). We fortunately only spent/wasted $5. It seems like the people working there are very earnest but the place is empty and the food not good. Hopefully they will fix some things and it will get better. read more

OK, there are different opinions as to if this is (or is not) the same as the old Carmels. I can only vouch for the bean and cheese burritos and the hot sauce being the exact same as Carmels. It was the only item I ever ordered at Carmels. Sounds odd but to true Carmel Bean & Cheese Burrito fans, they know what I am talking about. Hands down, it's the same. Sorry I can't rate any other food items here, it is what it is and its strictly about the Bean & Cheese burritos :) Atmosphere? I don't care, I always get my burrito to go. Staff? They are friendly, no issues there. Parking? Ample spaces. The burritos alone get the total 5 star rating :) read more

Went to El Progreso today for lunch. It took me a while to find the place because it is hidden behind Denny's and because there are a lot of Mexican restaurants around that area. I finally found it after driving around for a while. So the menu is the same plus they added a few extra special items. I think they literally took the menu board from Carmel's when they closed. I asked them why they don't advertise themselves as the new Carmel's and the guy working there said that they can't. Must be a copyright thing or a deal they made with the owners of Carmel's. The place was completely empty, which makes me sad. Another customer finally came in about 1/2 way through my meal. I ordered my favorite, taquito basket from Carmel's. When my taquitos came they tasted just like I remember. Crispy and fresh tasting with guacamole, lettuce and tomatoes Yummy. The ambiance does not have that OC surf vibe that Carmel 's had but more of a traditional Mexican restaurant, with dark booths, Mexican tablecloths and traditional Mexican clothing on the wall. There is no drive-through. It even has a little stage where I imagine mariachis play on the weekends. Can't wait to go back and try their 99 cent tacos (al pastor) on Saturday or Sunday night or their $7.95 Sunday brunch buffet. If you were a fan of Carmel's stop by El Progreso. Let's keep this place in business. read more

I ordered three carnitas taccos and found bits of chuncky white stuff in them. I left after one bite. Cute southwestern enviornment. bathrooms really need to be cleaned read more