Such a good spot to get legit Salvadoran and Mexican food while on vacation. Food was fresh and delicious, service was great, casual environment, and great pricing. All the things. Taco salad was flavorful and delightful with soy meat :) read more

My family and I were headed to Cantina Louie that happened to be closed when we got there. I looked up a different place and saw the pictures and reviews and my boyfriend is Salvadoran and saw the pupusas so we went straight there. It's not a huge restaurant and it's sort of hidden so you have to know where it is to find it. Everything we ordered is exactly our favorite dish. My mom ordered a Stuffed Poblano Pepper and she's super picky but she loved this one! My dad loves burritos and was very pleased with his. My niece and nephew both got one plate of chicken, rice, and beans and split which was perfect for both and they loved it. I got a Mexican Sausage Torta which is my favorite and I absolutely loved it! My boyfriend ordered another one for himself after he tried mine. We also got another order of pupusas to take back to the hotel. Don Carlos was super sweet and gave us a bit of history of the place and chatted with us for a while. On our last day at the beach, we called in an order of exactly everything we ate including the Pupusas for the way home. We got to the place a few minutes before they were closing bc we got lost and the traffic but they were super nice to wait for us til we got there with our order ready. We absolutely loved this place and we're definitely going back when we go to St. Augustine again!!! read more

I LOVE Mi Carnal - best chicken fajitas ever!! I've been going there for years (old location and new), it's a tiny place, family run, and well worth checking out. I've tried lots of things from the menu, but I always come back to the fajitas. Yum! read more

This place was horrible! I have been a local at st.augustine for two years now. We went because of the raitings, and we were disappointed, the salsa was served hot it's was basically chili with tomatoes and seasoning. My friend got a taco salad and it was lettuce meat and chips and cut up avocado. We didn't get real plates nor utensils. Very disappointed. read more

Everyone is always looking for "That hole in the wall" place where the food is Absolutely Delicious... Well this is the place. Have ate here a few times and each time it has been fantastic. If your not looking for run of the mill food chain places, Give this place a try. The food is Spectacular. read more

This place reminds you of what Mexican food is supposed to taste like. Full of flavor, fresh and authentic!!! read more

Mi Carnal Restaurant - Food is authentic, full of flavor and fresh. - Mexican Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

I'm going to say this is the BEST Mexican and Salvadoran I've ever had in the US. We ordered the mixed papusa's, a carnita burrito, a beef stuffed poblano with rice & beans, and a variety of tacos, all with a side of fresh guacamole. We truly enjoyed everything but our favorites were the papusa's, the burrito, and the tacos. The guacamole was so good and had chunks of fresh onion and tomatoes. My husband watched them make the food fresh. Also of mention, I'm never fond of Mexican rice and refried beans, but these were excellent. Different than any others we've had. Nice people and very reasonably priced as well. Glad we found it! read more

Mi Carnal Restaurant - Mixed papusa's on the left, beef stuffed poblano with the tastiest rice and beans I've ever had. - Mexican Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

Excellent food! Authentic taste and affordable. The owners take pride in their food and customer service.

Thank you YELP for giving us a great place again. We were driving back to Louisiana from Florida on I-95 and decided to stop for some eats and visit St. Augustine. From the reviews, we were excited to find this place. As stated before, it is really small but the service was great, the food was fantastic and the price was beyond reasonable. My husband had the mixed pupusas, which where awesome. I had the biggest burritto. Everything was fresh, the salsas were great and the bill was well under $20 including an appetizer of chips with beans and cream. Next time we are in the area, we will be visiting again. read more

Some of the best Mexican food that I have ever had. My girlfriend and I went here on a whim because of the yelp ratings. We were greeted at the door by a guy who seemed to be the head of the operation. After we ordered the chef from the kitchen came to bring us our food. Everything we ate was very fresh and authentic. Also you get a lot of food for your money so go there hungry. read more

I love this place! You would never think to stop here, it's small and tucked away in a strip mall. The family/owners are warm and friendly. The food is simple, authentic and delish. Vegetarian options are wonderful, tasty. Prices are very fair. My family has eaten here quite a few times-never disappointed. read more

A little restaurant attached to a store! I had the carne asada tacos and OMG it was soooo good

I am such a snob when it comes to food. This place is a hidden gem. I can't say enough good things about their food and the people that run it. It's the best food I have ever have. I am an instant regular now for this place. read more

I didn't think the four reviews with 5 stars could be true. We were curious so we gave it a try. I'm happy to say Mi Carnal now has 5 reviews with five stars. Great experience from the minute we walked in the door. Very comfortable and really clean. I had the pupusas, which was very unusual and extremely delicious. My wife had the sausage and cheese Quesadilla. I also got a side of the whole beans with chunks of pepper, tomato, and cilantro. It tasted so fresh. The whole menu looks very good and I will have the carnitas next trip. The owner Carlos was a treat to talk to, and was happy to explain everything on the menu. The little side grocery store was fun to explore and of course we found items to buy we have seen nowhere else. The prices are very,very reasonable. We have found the best Mexican food in St Augustine. Thank you Carlos!! read more

Ok... Here we go... This is GEM. Have you noticed how many Latin American / Mexican restaurants always have the same things? I mean.. Rice, Tortillas, Pupusas, Refried beans? Well this one is no exception... But this is SUPERBLY DONE! A masterpiece of Pupusas, rice, and beans. Simple things but perfectly well done. Please come, excellent food and service. read more

I was craving mexican but I know the mexican restaurants around the area wouldn't satisfy my appetite, since I am mexican(raised in tx) and the style of cooking here is way different than what I'm used to. I came across this place on yelp when I was returning from an Orlando trip, so I decided to give this a shot since it's considered mexican/ Latin and I must say it was very good and most importantly "fresh".. We had fried plantains with cream and a steak burrito that wasn't filled with cheese sauce only, it had fresh ingredients like avocado, shredded cheese, lettuce, and pico de gallo. I will be returning on my next trip to Orlando. read more

Ohhhh the papusas.... if you never tried one you really should. They are essentially Tortillas stuffed with beans and cheese. Sooo good. The campenchella tacos are great, too - a mixture of steak and chorizo. Small place in St augs across from the Kia dealer. Has a small grocer attached. Very authentic El Salvadorian Place (though many may think it is Mexican). The owner and his staff (his family, I think) are all very nice and friendly. read more

A friend told me to stop here and try the food. He said to me it's pretty good authentic Mexican. The fact is my friend lied to me it is absolutely great authentic Mexican food. I have not set foot in another Mexican restaurant since my first visit. My only regret is that I can't tell enough others to come here and try them out. The location is not high style and the seating lacks but once you take that first bite nothing else will matter. The pricing is low and the quality is top notch. Eat here or forever regret it.....it is honostly that good! read more

I should of done like everyone said and ordered the pupusas the the mexican food is not authentic or taste like mexican food its good flavor but its more latin than mexican, I AM from Southern California i know mexican food. This are salvadorians cooking latin food good but they shouldent call it mexican food. read more

Wouldn't have found this place without Yelp. So glad we did. Delicious food!! The staff was so friendly. The prices were great too.

Soooo amazing. I am Salvadoran and these pupusas are authentic and extremely delicious. My vegan brother was also able to enjoy soy tacos. The owner of the place was so kind and we will definitely be back again!!! read more

I had their pupusas (mixed & bean & cheese) & fried plantains 2 days ago & am getting more today. They are absolutely delicious!

Such a great spot that we would never have found without the help of yelp! We ordered chips and salsa and guacamole to start with. The salsa and guacamole were both delicious and fresh. For dinner I ordered the chicken tortilla soup. It had large chunks of chicken and was fantastic. My sister and brother in law got the pupusas and really enjoyed them. They were served with a pickled cabbage that added a nice crunch and texture. My dad ordered the beef poblano pepper and said it was excellent. We will absolutely visit this place again! read more

this Mexican restaurant is located in a plaza on US 1 right before Walmart, if you're driving from downtown. It's open everyday except Sunday from 10:30 am to 9 pm so it's good mostly for lunch and maybe an early dinner. i went there for lunch and i got a tamal, that is a classic Mexican dish made out of masa that is a corn-based dough steamed in a corn husk and a cheese quesadilla with some fried plantain on the side with just a glass of water. i found the quality of the food much higher than a typical Mexican restaurant as the taco shop, and the fact that other than me and my friends there were only Mexican people as costumers eating makes me understand that in this restaurant you can eat authentic Mexican food, costing me a total of 11$ quality: 10 most probably the best Mexican food in town, if you are looking for authentic Mexican cuisine, come here. quantity: 8 definitely enough especially for the price you're paying value: 10 very good value for the dollar especially considering the quality and authenticity, 3$ for a tamal with pork, 1 dollar for a side of plantain and 6$ for a extremely good even tho really simple cheese quesadilla and enough to feed you for a nice meal. service: 9 not excellent mostly because it was really busy at the moment and there was only one person taking the orders and serving (i think he was the owner) but deserves a 9 because even though he seemed stressed for the overload of work he kept his kindness trying to be as nice and available as he could. decor: 6.5 the only aspect i didn't like too much was the modern looking decor, i think if it was more traditional would be better for the type of restaurant that it is, but seemed very nice and clean. overall an excellent restaurant, definitely the best Mexican restaurant in town and one of the best i have ever tried, definitely coming back. read more

They had exactly what I needed and then some for an authentic Mexican dish. Very helpful and friendly.

I would have given this place a five star if they weren't out of most of what I ordered, but hey -- it was later in the day, so what can I expect? We stumbled upon this place on our way to purchase an old, vintage Pentax 6x7 from an old man in Saint Augustine. It looked promising from all of the great reviews. We ordered cheese pupusas (which were foreign to us), steak and chorizo tacos, carnitas tacos, horchata, and fajitas. The fajitas were too spicy for my husband, so if you aren't big on spice -- I wouldn't go that route. I personally had zero complaints. The pupusa was perfection. I am now obsessed with pupusas. The carnitas were juicy and delicious! And the steak and chorizo taco might have been my favorite. The horchata didn't come out of a machine, like most places.. And strangely, I perfect the fountain drink horchata. (I'm probably weird for that.) One thing I loved about this place was the little bottles of homemade green and red sauce they bring out to you. The verde sauce is necessary! This place seems authentic, built on love, and worth a try. You won't regret it. read more

* Location of establishment (describe it's external setting): Mi Carnal is located on 2471 US Highway 1 South, St Augustine, FL 32086. The restaurant is part of a building complex with many other businesses around it, but it is not hard to find. There weren't many outdoor decorations that would signify that the restaurant is a Salvadorian restaurant, however the insides did have a few Latin decorations around hung on the wall. It is a small place, but it holds a decent amount of people. * Meal type (breakfast, lunch, dinner, tasting, other): We went there and had lunch, but the portion is decent enough to be considered as a dinner meal. * Food/beverage you had: I had the 'Pupusas' which is a famous meal that they have at the restaurant and it was also recommended by my friends. For the beverage, I had the Salvadorian Malta called Pony Malta. * Rating scale: o On a scale of 1-10 (1-extremely poor to 10-perfection) rate the following items and describe each in 1-2 sentences: food/beverage quality; (9): The food quality was very good and delicious and very authentic to the country of El Salvador food/beverage quantity: (10) The food quantity is just perfect because it is just enough to fill one person and its not too little either. value for the dollar: (8) The value of the dollar was very decent because you get enough food for what you have paid for. Service: (9) The service style that they had is, you order your food at the counter and then they bring it out for you. They also provide everything else the table would want with special homemade spices. Décor: (7) The décor was very Latin based and cultural however I wish there was more emphasis on El Salvador. I wish there were more Salvadorian flags. * Brief summary of what you did and did not like about the entire experience with one suggestion as to how it could have been better. The atmosphere of the place was very cultural, they played Spanish music and that added the Latin atmosphere to the restaurant. My experience was very great, and the people were very nice, it also helped that I can speak Spanish, so it was nice to relate to a few cultural things. I would only add more references to El Salvador because when I walked in, I wasn't sure where the owners where from and the type of food the restaurant served. read more

Absolutely perfect food. Very hard to find our native food and Mi Carnal has done it!!!!!!! We love coming here to eat. Great customer service!!! Food is authentic and taste soo good. Thank you for bringing El Salvador to us! We love pupusas read more

Oh the pupusas!! Lotta work for momma. But good god worth it. Salsas are homemade. Real Mexican coca cola made from cane sugar. And the tortas. You can't buy the ingredients to build those huge sandwiches for the price. Mad props to Carlos and his family. read more

The pupusas are delicious and made fresh on the spot when you order them. Try all three: cheese, bean and cheese, and the mixta with pork rind, beans and cheese. The Huevos Rancheros were also very good. Very friendly service by Don Carlos. They also have a little market inside where you can find several Latin American products. read more

Get the Pupusas, mixed preferably. It's a dive-y little join that is small on price and big on flavor. I'm going from memory, but I believe their Al Pastor plate and tacos were all fairly delicious in the visits I've had here. I would recommend you go if you haven't. read more

We eat at Mi Carnal pretty often. At least monthly. The flavors are closest to what we grew up in California. I go by myself. I go with my husband. Sometimes our daughter joins us. Sometimes friends join us. It's a small restaurant with and attached small grocery store. Limited seating, but I've never really had to wait for more than a few minutes. The guacamole is fresh and real. Made then and there. The tacos are street taco style, with onion and cilantro. Just like back in Mexico and Southern CA. I have friends who always return for the fajitas. My favorite is the taco salad, and I have it with campachano (a mix of chorizo and beef). read more

At first glance it doesn't look like a lot but want you walking and you notice the single refrigerator in single counter and tables you know you're in a authentic restaurant and definitely not a chain you can tell it's owned by a family because there is one man behind the counter and two females in the back possibly a wife and a friend everyone that comes in seems to know them because they greeted they friendly and wife comes from back I had the mixed burrito so it contained both meats of steak and chicken it was great it was full of flavor and they come out with three different salsas that are different heat ranges so you get a choice and the food is a mixture of Salvadoran and Mexican so it's a nice surprise when tasting the meat and beans and rice a very even balance and my mother had the tamale with rice and beans it was traditional made from El Salvador so the tamale contained olives and small bits of potato but my mom wasn't displeased even with her being accustomed to traditional Mexican food so all and all it was a great experience and they offer beer if you are looking for that as well 6 to be exact . Hope you enjoy it read more

Great food and clean place to eat. Don't miss out on this. You will regret it. I always order the biggest burrito steak. It's great.

The pupusas are awesome!! The tacos and burritos are also great. Very helpful and friendly customer service as well!! Definitely check this place out!! read more

This place is a gem of a small, independently owned restaurant. Service was good and the food unique. Worth a try if you're in St. Augustine. read more

Love this tiny hole on the wall. My son and I get take out at least once a week. The Papusas are to die for!

Best meal of our trip in Florida. I'm from California, have spent a ton of time i Mexico, so I've had my fair share of mexican food. Is it the best I've ever had? No, but it's pretty good for where it is at. Papusas were the best. Tacos were good. Guacamole needed more kick and bigger portions, burritos were good, tamales were ok. I'd go back next time I'm in town. read more

Excellent food. Not sure where my previous review went. Everything on the menu is delicous and the family.whp own it all cook consistent and are very friendly. I frequent this place weekly. read more

Second annual visit to mi carnal and continue to love this place. Wonderfully fresh delicious food, must eats include the tres pupusas, homemade guacamole and horchata. Owner is kind and friendly. Great little store attached where I found avocado leaves, something I've not been able to find elsewhere. Highly recommend! read more