I have been here many times. This time, I went to dinner with my son, and we were both in the mood for Mexican food. La Carreta has a great authentic atmosphere--very thematic. The restaurant does a very good job creating the feeling of a traditional Mexican restaurant experience. The service was very good--very attentive. Our waiter, along with another staff member, checked on us frequently and handled all of our requests promptly. My son had a Mexican beer with a lime, and I had a Cranberry and Club. We ordered Carne Asada Fries as an appetizer--a nice change from always ordering nachos--and the fries were delicious. My son had the Del Mar Fajita, and I had the combo with a chicken enchilada and tamale. The portions were generous, and we both thoroughly enjoyed our meals. La Carreta continues to be a reliable choice for good food, attentive service, and a fun atmosphere, and I will definitely continue to patronize this restaurant. read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - Very nice interior - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

On August 28, my cousin and I visited The Carreta Mexican Restaurant around 12:00 PM for brunch and to catch up. Unfortunately, the experience was disappointing from the beginning. It took about 10 minutes for someone to greet us at the entrance and seat us outside. When we requested to sit outside, we were met with an attitude. Our server was also not attentive. At one point, I had to get up and go to the bar myself just to place our order. After our food arrived, she never came back to check on us. The most concerning part happened after we had finished eating. My cousin and I went inside, paid our entire tab, received our receipt, and left. We sat in my car talking for about 10 minutes when suddenly police officers surrounded my car and asked me to step out. They told me I was being accused of not paying my tab. I was completely shocked. I immediately showed the officers my receipt proving that we had paid. They apologized to me once they saw the receipt, but what made the situation even more upsetting was seeing the owner/manager outside. This was someone who had personally seen us pay. From what I was told, they were the person who called the police. What was most disappointing was that after the situation was cleared up and it was confirmed that I had paid, the owner/manager never apologized or acknowledged what had happened. Being confronted by police over a bill I had already paid was extremely uncomfortable and completely unnecessary. I'm sharing this because I believe customers deserve to know about my experience before deciding where to spend their money. I would personally think twice before returning to or recommending this establishment. read more

Unfortunately, our experience at La Carreta was extremely disappointing from start to finish. When we were first seated, we waited over 15 minutes without our waiter greeting us or anyone coming by to take our drink order. After waiting that long, we finally decided to move to the bar instead. There was a young man working behind the bar who didn't greet or acknowledge us when we sat down. We actually had to say hello to him first. He seemed extremely nervous and unsure of what he was doing. Eventually, our waitress came behind the bar, offered us drinks, and took our food order. Our margaritas were okay, and our waitress was fairly attentive after that. Her service wasn't particularly great or bad-it was pretty standard. The food, however, was genuinely bad. The taco tortillas weren't even heated well enough to stay together, and the toppings were extremely lacking. My burrito tortilla wasn't good at all, the beans were dry, and the rice was so dry and hard that it seemed like it had been sitting out for quite some time. Overall, the quality of the food was a huge disappointment. What really put the experience over the edge was ordering three chilled tequila shots from the young man behind the bar. I literally had to explain to him what a chilled tequila shot was and how it should be made. He put what looked like two ice cubes into the shaker with the tequila, barely chilled it, and then didn't even strain the shots. He poured everything directly into the shot glasses and served them to us with the ice cubes still in them. I've ordered chilled tequila plenty of times, and I have genuinely never been served one like that. It was probably the worst tequila shot I've ever had. I don't expect every employee to know absolutely everything, especially if they're new, but if someone is working behind a bar and clearly doesn't know how to prepare a drink, there should be someone available to train, supervise, or assist them. Instead, he seemed completely lost, and there didn't appear to be anyone keeping an eye on what he was doing or stepping in to help him. I actually regret not asking to speak with a manager before we left. At the time, I didn't want to cause a scene or make a big deal out of it because I considered that maybe it was his first day, maybe he was still being trained, or perhaps they were understaffed. I wanted to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. But looking back at the entire experience-from waiting more than 15 minutes just to be acknowledged, to the disappointing food, to having to explain to the bartender how to make a basic chilled shot and still receiving it incorrectly-it really should have been brought to management's attention. There were simply too many issues throughout the visit to overlook. I can understand one mistake or an employee having an off day, but the entire experience was horrible and unfortunately left us with very little reason to return. read more

Pretty good but not great food. This is close to home so ends up being kind of a regular spot so we have a pretty good sampling of items. Highlights are the chips and salsa, and, the fajita nachos with chicken. Tacos are ok but they are just ok. We have tried them all...chicken, beef, etc and nothing really to get excited about. Perhaps if you are there for Taco Tuesday they might be worth it. Service is usually pretty good but is variable and a bit frustrating sometimes. Ambiance is fine. read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - Neon - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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DO NOT EAT HERE!! DO NOT EAT HERE!! DO NOT EAT HERE!! The hostess was just on her phone and took mad long to seat us... and the place was literally empty. That already threw me off. The server was busy but like... we were getting ignored when there were other people who could've helped. Didn't even get utensils. My Sprite tasted like straight sparkling water, no flavor at all. The bathroom was nasty. There was a beer sitting on top of the toilet with the cap next to it, the sink was left running, and the trash can was right in front of the entrance. One of the servers even said people be saying the lemonade is watered down too... The sauce bar was bad -- sauces were nasty and one didn't even have a spoon. Food was salty and smelled off. And the backup server just kept staring, no care, no effort, nothing. Whole place was empty... now I see why. read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - Plate of tomatoes not good. - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

To start, I walked in and there was no one in the dining to greet me. Waited and walked out. Saw a few people going in, so I gave it another try. There was 2 people working the floor and 1 of them was NOT doing a thing. Brought chips and salsa after waiting on a table sat after me. Chips were stale. Ordered lunch Chorio Pollo, chicken was pounded out so thin you could see through it. It had a tablespoon portion of chorizo sausage on it. Rice and beans were ok. How can you mess that up. Waiter never came around to ask me how was everything or for a refill of tea. Booth seats had holes and tables were just old looking. Health rating was a low A. I can say I won't go back.... Bob H - Raleigh, NC read more

Not good, walked in with a women on her phone and stood there for 10 seconds. Took very long for server, and get this, the water tasted like toilet water. I'm not over exaggerating. I ordered the Ceviche and it was nasty, didn't eat it. Yeah no, even the salsa and avocado dip wasn't good. Please don't come here it puts a bad reputation on Oberlin. Only upside is that the building looks good. Sucks that I can't meet the standards of literally everything else. read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - Ceviche with just shrimp - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

We usually go here for work lunches the food is pretty good and they have an extensive lunch menu

Came here on a Saturday night to enjoy some food and a drink. Sat at the bar and got my chips and salsa. They were running a special for $5 house margaritas and it was served in this cute dish. I got the enchiladas Mexicano which was 3 chicken enchilada served with rice and beans. The enchiladas could've had more seasoning but overall I enjoyed my time there. read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - Enchiladas Mexicanos - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Customer service was terrible, I ordered a jumbo margarita but they brought a regular. I asked for Birria tacos and waited for over an hour while other tables got their food - came & LEFT! The Birria tacos had no onions or cilantro so I asked for some and when I took a bite - each bite I took was pure fat. I was so bummed over the entire meal. Also, we ordered an app which never came until we asked & then the manager brought it with the food and apologized & said it was on the house. read more

Dinner was lovely. I made reservations to sit inside the igloos. They were so cute. My daughter loved it. read more

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Herbert was awesome! We send him our love. Really good food and super fun expirience and good customer service

I ordered the Enchilada del Puerto with shrimp and crab meat, and it was amazing. The shrimp were perfect and the sauce was incredible. My wife had the Chicken Spinach Enchilada and said it was great as well. It was our first time there, and they appear to have made some recent renovations. Great looking interior. The menu was extensive so we will be back to check out other dishes. read more

Nice ambiance is what you are paying for. The service was ok. The food was a great disappointment. I could have went next door to Taco Bell for better quality. How do you mess up a taco salad?? The chips and salsa was the best part of the meal. The margaritas was a good balance with the flavors. I'm so sorry to report that "The prices are not right" for the food quality. read more

It was terrible. Service food everything. Left for a long time with no service had to go to the bar and ask for napkins and was asked if our food came.... We had appetizers. Food was cold and not good. read more

Manger is so rude and did not want to help me at all at this point I don't even want to go because if they don't even have time to speak to you and help resolve your problem then how am I supposed to expect good service read more

Service is slow, food has no flavor. I have tried to give this place a second chance and same results. Don't waste your time.

Horrible service here. We came before 4 and got seated pretty quick. We were well past getting drinks ordered and brought out when we realized we never got chips or salsa. When we asked the waitress she replied by saying "that's not my job to bring it out, but I'll let someone know". Such a bizarre way to answer. I don't think she let anyone know because 10 minutes later we still hadn't received any and had to flag someone else down. Once the food came out we got everything except the kids meal we ordered. A good 10 minutes went by and the waitress finally came around the corner apologizing saying our plate was dropped at another table. I wasn't able to clarify if this was a new fresh plate or not. I wasn't too happy with the idea other people could have been touching his food before they realized and brought it to us. After our meal our waitress was MIA. I had to flag her down for the bill so we could leave. Food was meh. We've been to enough Mexican restaurants in Raleigh and this ranks pretty low. The salmon was very dry and the chicken we got was rubbery and chewy. My husband did like his burrito, though. Drinks were good. We enjoyed the festive selection. Don't come here like we did because everyone was raving about the Christmas decor. While it was nicely done, it wasn't worth the $100+ bill for terrible service and subpar food. read more

My sister-in-laws & friends & I were very disappointed in our experience. Not only did they seat us in an igloo like we wanted, but they then made us get out of it and go sit inside with our multiple kids. Then, we tried to order their festive menu items for breakfast and they took our order. Only 5 minutes later they came and said they didn't have any of that. So we came to try the pink holiday pancakes then had to order taco salad. We waited forever for our checks and they charged us the dinner amount instead of the lunch amount. I asked about this and they changed it but overall, it was such a bad experience. We went for the igloo Christmas meal and got nothing of that sort read more

Ive been here a few times in the past but it has been awhile since ive been here. We went last night (Saturday night) and i am not sure if it was just a one time thing but the food wasnt all that good. I literally had to force myself to eat it as i don't want to waste food and im not the person to complain asking to get a refund etc. i will just deal with it. For the price everything was It wasnt worth it. Im not sure if management change or what but hopefully they'll figure something out but sadly i want be going back. read more

i definitely recommend this restaurant it's really pretty with good food and mari cruz she was very nice, i would recommend her

Service was bad, and the server charged 20% gratuity on a table with 5 people... last time coming here

Nice outdoor area, but was underwhelmed by the food. Our dishes came out like warm, despite the piping hot plates. My partner and I thought the tacos were pretty good, my enchiladas were okay, but the rice, beans and guacamole dip didn't taste fresh at all. Service was polite. read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - Outdoor area - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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HORRIBLE SERVICE! HORRIBLE FOOD! The only thing they got right was their advertisement and promo, which is what led me to trying this place out, bringing my whole family! What a disappointment. This place deserves -5 stars. Drinks, food, service is awful! Don't waste your time. read more

Sunday was Father's Day, so I decided to take my dad to eat dinner. The restaurant is decorated nice and the food was ok. Our waitress was awesome but.... as soon as we got to the restaurant a short chubby lady sat us down, had a terrible attitude. If she does not like her job then maybe she does not need to work here, OTHER THAN THAT I HAD A NICE EXPERIENCE read more

La Carreta was very festive and the atmosphere was amazing. However when seated it took 10 min for the waiter to bring a drink meniu and another 10 minutes for him to come back and take the drink and food order. Once drinks came out one drink was forgotten. Once food was brought out we had no silverware and had to wait for that. The food was very underwhelming for everyone at our table. It was super flavorless and extremely overcooked. The tortilla shells seemed as if they were barely warmed up. When the tickets came out two were mixed up with items that belonged on the other's ticket but was quickly corrected. I paid for my order with my credit card and wrote zero for the tip and rewrote the balance I paid in the section as instructed. The next day I received an email from my card with the transaction details and an additional $5.00 was added to my bill and taken off my card. We had a party of 4 so I'm not sure why this was done other than the obvious. I will never return back to this establishment again. Not mention we were celebrating a birthday. Once asked what they did for birthdays (we already knew because we waited to be seated for a hour and knew they sang to the patriot), we was told they would give her a shot. With that shot we thought they would sing Happy Birthday to her and put a Sambrano on her like they did other people that were celebrating their birthdays, but they just gave her a drink ( that we were very appreciative of) and cheered her on. Not sure why we didn't get the full experience like others. read more

Stopped in on my lunch break and decided to order a Seafood Quesadilla. It took over 35 minutes to prepare my food only to be told the kitchen had some issues and the grill wasn't hot. (Not My Issue) My lunch break was over and I still didn't have my food. I got up to exit the building and the waiter ran around the corner with the food and I said NO my break is over. The lady then proceeded to want to charge me full price for a meal I didn't get. These people are WACK, this is not the first time with their slow service but it will be the last time I come here !!! They saw me in my uniform so you should know I wasn't coming in there to sit for an hour or two !!!! Either get it together and close down like that hot dog shop did on the corner!!!! read more

It's a very family friendly place. We have been here many times and the service has always been amazing. Servers and bartenders are great. I love their quesa birria!! read more

Service was terrible, food was sub par, they were out of guacamole which is crazy! Carne asada way over done and rubbery

Food was good. Everything was super slow. Chips, drinks, meal. No refills. Waitress was clearly frazzled. Holiday decoration were nice

Came here around 9:20, they close @ 10. Felt very rushed and bad attitudes all around. Clearly Ordered the grinch shots(6$) but was charged for a bigger portion. The Mexican Wrap (steak) was completely fishy tasting. If you have fish allergy be mindful of this place. Atmosphere near Christmas time was nice , pretty much the only good thing. Super underwhelming. read more

Good place to grab some good Mexican food on Oberlin. A friend and I came here for lunch one Thursday. Mexican is our favorite thing to eat so we were looking forward to it and we were not disappointed. This location is in a shopping center with many other businesses and restaurants so the parking directly in front of the building is very limited, but there are a couple parking decks very close by and attached to the shopping center. We were seated quickly and received our chips and salsa. The chips were fried just right and the salsa was fresh and flavorful. They do have tableside guacamole, but we did not order any on this visit. We did, however, order queso and it was great! I wanted to order a cocktail, but they didn't have the correct liquor for the original order (which I can't remember now what it was) so I settled on the Mama Maria and it was really good! Not too sweet, not too sour, and not too strong. For my meal I ordered the lunch Chori Pollo and it was delicious! I love chorizo and especially Chori Pollo so I was definitely glad this was offered because not all Mexican restaurants have chorizo options. Everything was cooked well and I was able to sub black beans instead of the refried beans. I will be back! read more

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We enjoyed this restaurant for lunch with family while celebrating a graduation. Service was a little slow. They seemed understaffed. But the food was delicious and everyone enjoyed what they ordered. We'll definitely dine here again. Making a reservation is easy through Open Table. The location was convenient, close to NC State University. read more

Every time we walk in, we get seated very quick! Amazing food, great music, the environment is friendly and the waiters are very professional. Food tasted like great authentic Mexican food! read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - Chips & Salsa - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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If you wanna find a good spot for lunch, then this is your place. We had our lunch here yesterday late afternoon. I enjoy there chicken chipotle burrito which is under the Fajita section all the way in the back of the menu. Even tho it's not a Fajita it's still label underneath it which I find interesting. The mango seasoning and strong cilantro gave me the best taste I was expecting the flavor my mouth is looking for. My husband also had a fajita burrito which comes with enchilada. The proportion serving size is pretty big for a lunch size. So if you want decent big meal serve, this is one the types of restaurants to eat at during the day. They did good services as well and are good at giving explanation if you have questions on any of the meals on the menu. As a bonus that's what our waiter did while taking our orders. read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - Fajita Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Very conveniently located to where we stayed, this mid level Mexican restaurant offered a decent, even though not extravagant lunch prior to getting ready for the football game. Nothing special, nothing bad, just eating for the purpose of eating rather than any specific fun. Common choices from burritos, quesadillas, or fajitas were reasonable, lacked pepp and spices, but after all, were fresh and good. The server was annoying that he wouldn't serve any alcohol when showing the photo image of the ID ... read more

Service is horrible the employees are just talking and they don't even ask how your doing also we orders some food and the meat was not cooked and it tastes horrible and it was slimy. read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - Tablazo - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Fairly generic surroundings that might lead you to overlook this place, but don't let that fool you. This is solidly executed food with the usual Americanized Mexican offerings but some really unique items you don't see on every menu. Ive enjoyed each meal I've had here. I'm a big fan of the Mocajetes (steak, chicken, shrimp, etc cooked in stone bowl) - wonderful seasoning and a chance to sample lots of different flavors/ingredients. Prompt efficient service and fair prices. Will continue to go back often. read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - Mocajetes with all the fixins'... - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

The service was terrible. My husband got the wrong meal. We had a large party with separate checks. The server couldn't get the meals divided correctly. It took several tries. Then when I got our bill it was way too high. I had ordered fajitas off the lunch menu but was told after the fact that they don't use the lunch menu on the weekends, although this was not noted on the menu. So my entree was $8 more than I expected. They reduced it by 1.20. Then I was also told that the prices had gone up on all the entrees by a dollar or two but that they hadn't changed the menus to reflect this. So I guess they can charge whatever they want. I won't go back. read more

Sooooo good!!! Awesome lunch!! Service was awesome didn't have to wait or ask for anything!! We will definitely be back read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - Ground Beef Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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