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    La Carnita

    3.7 (581 reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Closed 5:00 pm - 1:00 am (Next day)

    La Carnita Photos

    LA CARNITA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Hipster
    Loud
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - La Carnita

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    Navya J.

    Tried out this place when I was in Toronto earlier this year, and it did not disappoint! I got the lunch prix fixe which was a great deal. The chips themselves were not the best, but the guac was delicious, although I wish the portion was a bit bigger. The shrimp taco was AMAZING - super juicy and flavorful, as well the carnitas taco which was a close second. -Navya J @nyconthetable Note: I don't know how this place has been affected since COVID.

    Best place for tacos and tequila! Matt is an awesome bartender! Food comes out so fast!

    a plate of meat with sauce
    Greg V.

    Food was fantastic! Cocktails were great too. We were there on a Saturday night, the music was terrible but clearly for the bulk of patrons who were all under thirty. Order the short ribs!

    Mushroom Tacos
    Lynn Z.

    Their mushroom tacos are amazing mushrooms are in the hard shelled tacos. The taco shells themselves are served with a fresh corn aroma. The sauce is authentic Latin American spicy, given a great punch of excitement to the sautéed mushrooms. The protein tacos are served in soft shells, great too.

    Pollo frito
    Gokul M.

    Been to this location in the past. John street location as well, and since I've moved to new neighborhood the location near eglinton as well. We drove out to college st location specifically since we knew it would be better, and sure enough it was. Fish and chicken are our go to. But the shrimp is excellent as well. Margaritas consistently great. More importantly staff is super polite and provide great service. They missed one taco in the order and was kind enough to provide a little package to go as an apology. Quality of food and thoughtfulness of staff did not go unnoticed and we'll be back even if it's further. Also since los colibris has closed near king and John a whole back, there's been a Mexican cuisine void in Toronto and carnita fills this gap well.

    the interior of a bar

    Food was very good we ordered tuna ceviche, pork belly taco, pollo frito , baja shrimp , carne asado and honey mushroom quasadilla thyre all very good. Pork belly , pollo frito and mushroom quasilla was exceptional but it took 1 hour before we got to order. Price in menu for tacos are per taco, but thyre filling. Music was loud theres speaker right above our table and our table was so dark unlike other tables and we were placed in front of kitchen door when light keeps interupting our talk everytime someone open and close because we are beside our table that that have uneven legs. We asked to be moved to a better lighting quieter table and the staff helped us move places. Our new waitress was really nice and attentive . Veryyyy nice. Overall its a cute place food are good and good service Just the first tablenwhere we sat kinda threw us off and the waiting time for orders. But i recommend ths place!

    Neon sign and seating
    Samuel A.

    The service was speedy and food came out very quickly. It was all very good, we did visit late at night so it felt like the food may have been prepped for a while. There also were a lot of fruit flies around the bar (a sign of the freshness of their juices and fruit) other wise extremely clean. Aside from that the eight spice tiger shrimp is awesome! Great cocktails and atmosphere.

    Menus

    This restaurant hit the spot before a long flight back to Cali. It opened at 4pm so we made a reservation online to stay on schedule. We arrived early and were able to choose our table. The water was served in a tequila bottle. Cool touch! Highly recommend the tortilla chips with 3 dips: corn, salsa and beans. Amazing! The tiger shrimp was nicely marinated and served with small tortillas. The carne asada and al pastor tacos were flavorful. Service was great and staff was friendly. Get here!

    Mexican meatballs
    Shakira H.

    If you want to add some hip to your taco then this is the place to go! You've got a pretty edgy menu that's packed with fantastic flavour. I've had their Mexican Street Corn and Mexican Meatballs. The street corn is not worth $8 and off-putting with the cream. However, the Mexican meatballs are a winner! Definitely loved scooping up the beef with the chip they provided. Their tacos are also generally delicious. They do a mean Chicken Taco aka Pollo Frito. If you're feeling something fishy go for the Squid the Kid Taco (Tuesday) which has calamari in it. Hands down my favorite was the special Arctic Char Tostada - holy heavens! However, I wasn't a fan of the Cripsy Oxtail Taco (Friday), which seemed very bland. My most favourite part was desert. Pick up one of their many available flavors of Paletas (Popsicles). For $4 you can have a frozen version of a Nanaimo bar in your mouth - you just can't beat that! My only complaint is the setup of the place. It's cramped due to the communal seating. However, very necessary for when you need shout to your neighbour over the blaring hip hop. At least the music is good.

    Tacos
    Tim R.

    This place is dope. Tasty Mexican food, cool vibe, and real hip hop blasting. We started with the Mexican Street Corn before we hit the tacos. For the tacos we got the Voltron Cod, Pollo Frito, Beef Cheek, and Moke Rojo. All of the food was great, creative, and lived up to the hype from the locals. They had a decent bar selection with of course a focus on tequila and Mexican beer. They even have 40oz, keep it OG. I tried the margarita on tap and it was whatever but a few Pacificos later, I was a happy camper.

    Strawberry Margarita and So Fresh, So Clean (clean)

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    4 years ago

    They always seem to be low on tequila. They should remove the 1/2 price promo from their menu since they never seem to honor it.

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    Playa Cabana

    Playa Cabana

    3.9
    (503 reviews)
    2.3 km
    $$

    Visited this spot as its close to the museum and Casa Loma. The strong reviews looked promising so…read moreI decided to book a reservation here. The place is a bit small so it can be a bit tight so I would highly recommend having reservations if you have a large group. Tacos: The soft and the crispy tacos were both delicious. The tinga chicken and the beef barbacoa were juicy and full of flavour. The portions was fair, the quality was a standout and tasted quite authentic. Overall, I really had a great experience at Playa Cabana, totally would come here again to try out their other dishes.

    The food was awful. I ordered the vegetarian enchiladas, and I've never had enchiladas served with…read moreraw zucchini and carrots. On top of that, the entire meal arrived cold. It got worse. When I went to the basement washroom, I swear I saw what looked like the end of a mouse's tail sticking out from under the door. Needless to say, I completely lost my appetite. When the waiter asked how everything was, I told him honestly that it was terrible. I had only taken two bites, and there was really no response. I wouldn't have wanted a replacement anyway after that experience. I also had some fruit bites, and about 10 minutes later my stomach started gurgling. By the time I got home, I felt awful. I was shivering, felt like I was going to throw up, and had to rush to the bathroom. It honestly felt like food poisoning. And I still paid for my meal Unfortunately, I can't recommend this place.

    Photos
    Inside of restaurant
    Inside of restaurant
    Tacos
    Tacos
    Playa Cabana

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    Quetzal

    Quetzal

    4.3
    (148 reviews)
    0.2 km
    $$$$

    I've been wanting to try Quetzal for years because my brother has raved about it nonstop, and it…read moreabsolutely lived up to the hype. We got lucky and they were able to squeeze us into seats at the bar area, which ended up being the best possible spot because we had a front-row view of the live fire cooking the entire night. The ambiance was lively and hip, with a great energy that made the whole experience feel exciting. This was my first time watching each main courses get cooked over live fire in real time, which added to our amazement given that all the dishes came out cooked to the right doneness. Every bite of meat and seafood was perfectly kissed with flame -- the char, the subtle smoke, the texture. Beyond the fire element, you can really taste how fresh everything is. Nothing felt heavy or muddled. Each dish was well thought out with balanced flavors, but the ingredients and that fire/smoke magic were always the main event. Service was also superb. All the staff were attentive and high-energy. Different servers checked up on us throughout the meal, our water was always kept full, and dishes were cleared in a timely manner. Only drawback: the heat. Sitting by the fire is incredible for the show, but it definitely started to feel like a sauna at times. Still, I'd do it again and choose to sit at the bar without hesitation. If you're in Toronto and you love a tasting menu, this is a must. Just make sure you book at least a month in advance - it's popular for a reason.

    Pricy but totally worth it. $145/person curated menu, but you can request certain items from the…read moremenu if you'd like it included. Quetzal was recommend by our server when we were dining at a Vancouver Michelin restaurant (Barbara), as our server was originally from Ontario. So of course we saved it on our list for when we visited Toronto. Very very accommodating staff and attentive. All the tables next to us seemed to really enjoy their meals as well. Every dish was amazingly flavoured and presentation was on point. Atmosphere was lovely too, laid back but chic. Comfortable yet elevated. Highlight was the scallops, we asked for it to be included on our set menu, and they delivered. Can't wait to go back!

    Photos
    Quetzal
    Bone marrow & wild Argentinian shrimp
    Bone marrow & wild Argentinian shrimp
    Coconut Nicuatole

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    Coconut Nicuatole
    La Carnita

    La Carnita

    3.3
    (499 reviews)
    1.8 km
    $$

    Finally got to try La Carnita with my best friend, and it was such a fun, relaxed meal! We started…read morewith a couple of drinks to kick off the night, the Steel Town cider was a bit of a disappointment, but the pineapple mango Vizzy was incredibly refreshing and hit the spot. For food, the LC nachos are absolutely massive. The chips themselves are excellent, thick, super crunchy, and full of authentic corn flavor. But the absolute highlight for us was the tiger shrimp. It comes out beautifully in a skillet with a spicy, slightly creamy sauce that is just pure heaven, especially when you scoop it up with the warm flatbread. We also grabbed some tacos to share. My grilled steak taco was a little on the dry side, but it was still really tasty thanks to the super generous and fresh toppings. Even with a couple of minor misses, the standout dishes and great vibes totally win you over. I'd definitely come back, especially to load up on those nachos and shrimp again!

    Made a reservation for 5:00 on a Friday because I had my family of 6. They jammed us in the back…read morecorner on the 2nd level with the TV blaring and the restaurant basically empty. We asked for a better table with some room and the waiter said he couldn't accommodate us. I made a reservation btw. 5 mid ass tacos and a warm beer later they still had not brought my kid his meal and when they did it had apparently been cooked the previous week. His fried chicken was basically cardboard. The place smelled like my college frat house (not good). And was absolutely filthy. Would be zero stars but the guac was not absolutely horrible. When we left the place was still at 40% capacity,maybe. Would not recommend.

    Photos
    La Carnita
    Nachos with guacamole, corn, and tomatillo salsa
    Nachos with guacamole, corn, and tomatillo salsa
    Daily Specials Menu | August 2022

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    Daily Specials Menu | August 2022

    La Carnita - mexican - Updated July 2026

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