Saturday August 1st party of 5 we walked over after wine tasting at I. Brand Wines what an incredible experience. Seafood nachos was our absolute favorite appetizer and the carne Asada was perfect. Thankyou again for the wonderful experience. read more

While in Carmel Valley for a long weekend my mom and I went to Plaza Linda for lunch. We got there around when they opened at 11:30am and thought it was closed at first because the parking lot was fairly empty and the restaurant seemed dark. Turns out we were the first customers for lunch. We were greeted and seated immediately, and the waiter was attentive during our whole meal. I had two carne asada tacos and rice, which were delicious. My mom had a cheese enchilada plate with rice and beans and she enjoyed it very much. We ordered chips and salsa, too, which cost a little extra; unfortunately, the chips were a bit stale. The salsa was good though. Several more customers arrived before we finished, but I think it must get busier later in the afternoon because the waitstaff was busy wiping down all the patio tables while we were there. Overall, an excellent lunch at a comfortable establishment. read more

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We had a late lunch at Plaza Linda today. We have ate here before, but it has been years since we last stopped in. It was pretty quiet with 5-6 tables of diners. We were greeted as we walked in and chose to eat inside, but they do have a nice outdoor patio also. I went to their restroom and was super impressed with how clean it was. I don't normally comment on bathrooms, but I had to take a picture to show you. If Yelp offered smell technology, you would also be able to smell how clean it was as well...maybe a feature for Yelp in years to come . We started with the calamari appetizer (4/5) and chips & salsa (4/5). Chips and salsa are not complimentary here ($5) which is a bummer, but frankly I kind of understand. The calamari was a thin tender fresh calamari steak breaded and fried. There was nothing very Mexican about this preparation, but it was still pretty tasty. Our entrees came out of the kitchen pretty quickly. My wife ordered a combo plate with a cheese enchilada and a chili relleno (3/5). The flavors for both items weren't her favorite. However she loved the accompanying black beans (5/5) and the rice (4/5). I ordered the carnitas plate (5/5) and loved it. The pork was super tasty with that great carnitas porky flavor. It was crisped up on the griddle. Wrapped up with corn tortillas, I will definitely get this again. I also agree with my wife that my black beans served in a mini crispy corn tortilla shell were the 2nd best thing I ate today. Service? The service was solid. This gentleman (could have been the Owner) running the front of the restaurant and waiting on all tables was hustling the entire time we were there. Drinks were refilled right away. Our orders were taken promptly. He was on it! Value? Hmmm? $90 before tip for 2 people without alcohol is pretty steep for a non taqueria Mexican restaurant. I will be back for the carnitas for sure and will just have to convince my wife to give it another try. read more

Plaza Linda - Plaza Linda's cleanest restroom in Carmel Valley Village! - Mexican Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

Ambiance is nice and clean with spacious seating in or out. It was slow for Easter dinner but glad they were open. Service was friendly albeit a tad slow. Food and drinks: FYI...No free chips and salsa. Cadillac Margarita- 2/5. Didn't taste any tequila. Reg Margarita- 2/5. Also didn't taste any tequila. Would order a tequila shot next time. Verde Enchiladas- 5/5. Hubby loved it all. Chile Relleno-4/5. Stuffed with almost to much cheese for me (thought I'd never say) so it overwhelmed the dish a bit. Would prob try a different place if ever in that part of the woods again. read more

The food was just okay, nothing was terrible, but nothing was great at higher than expected prices. The guacamole was nice, but for $15, you expect more volume than the paltry amount we received (approximately a cup of dip). We ordered a pitcher of margaritas that tasted like it was mostly orange juice. The service was friendly, but somewhat slow. It was lunchtime and there were 3-4 other seated parties besides ours. Because it was a beautiful day, we sat on the back patio along with all of the other customers. The patio was well-positioned on the east side of the building, keeping the direct sun off of diners. Overall, it was fine, but not a place I'm clamoring to revisit. read more

Hubby and I came here while wine tasting! Staff greeted us upon entry and were friendly. The server came and explained the options that came with the wine tasting. I do wish the menu was more extensive for this but it's okay. We ordered chips with salad and guacamole which were homemade. Ordered the burrito with rice and beans which was great and tasty. The ambiance was cool as we ate outside on a beautiful day. It was a nice experience read more

Plaza Linda - Mexican Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

Me and my wife had lunch here while we were wine tasting. We were greeted by staff when we entered the restaurant. The staff were friendly and very helpful. We were seated very quickly and the server was there to take our orders. We ordered chips with salsa and guacamole. The salsa and guacamole were made in house and very tasty. My favorite was the guacamole because of the robust flavor in the guacamole. I ordered the burrito with rice and beans. The burrito was delicious and the beans and rice were the perfect combination with the burrito. The ambiance is customer service friendly. The menu had nice choices and great service. read more

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AMAZING FOOD Family run restaurant. Has outdoor seating with nice ambiance. Full bar offerings. Papá greeted us and served our table, you can tell is heart and soul is in this place. Mexican with Cuban, El Salvadorian fusion flare food. Fantastic hearty flavors with chunks of tomatoes and onions in my Rellaño sauce. The Guacamole was top notch served in a crispy edible bowl was creamy chunky packed with flavor. The flan was served with some strawberries and both creamy With a lovely toasty caramel sauce. My son told us about the place and I will definitely come here again. They've been here for 60 years. Wowza read more

My wife and I had lunch here on Easter . I have not had bad service like this. The waitress greeted us with " do you want to order drinks!" No big deal . I ordered a Chavela with modelo ... I ended up with a modelo .... no big deal . We ordered salsa with our meals. And had to ask someone other than our waitress to bring it out after our lunches.... no big deal ..... the waitress wasn't around former would guess ten to fifteen minutes so I go in to pay .... the hostess says I'll get your waitress ..... I find out they don't take Apple Pay so I was told I can leave someone behind and go to an ATM. No big deal .... I will not be going back . read more

My wife and I are long time Baja Cantina customers, but lately BC has gotten very expensive and the food isn't as good as it used to be, so we went looking for an alternate Mexican restaurant and found Plaza Linda. Plaza Linda is a bit off the beaten path, seeing as though it is deep in Carmel Valley, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. We went early (5:30) and the place was fairly empty but it got busier quickly. The service was very good and the food delicious. I'd say it is what BC used to be. The one knock I'd say is a relatively limited Margarita menu, but the Cadillacs we had were tasty. We sat inside but they're is a cool outside area that looks over a gorgeous wooded part of the Valley that I'm sure is amazing in the Summer. We look forward to returning and sitting outside next time. read more

This place was SO good! I eat a lot of Mexican food and I look forward to returning here. It was all clean, fresh, and delicious. I got the Castroville enchiladas and the flavors were incredible. My husband loved his meal as well, chile relleno and chicken enchilada. We shared a shrimp cocktail, and we were pleasantly surprised. We expected the typical cocktail with shrimp around the edges of a glass, but this was a mixture of cold shrimp, avocado, tomato, onion, and some liquid which you could eat on crackers-really good! The service was great, very quiet, but kind and efficient server who made sure we had what we needed and allowed us plenty of time to talk uninterrupted. The outside patio was so nice and comfortable. Highly recommend! read more

Loved the selection of food here. We came for breakfast but just missed it. But we were not disappointed by the lunch items. Chips and salsa were good. We couldn't stop eating them. I got the crab and shrimp enchiladas. A bit heavy but good. Everyone seemed to enjoy their orders. It was a nice change from the typical fancy restaurants we've been having in Carmel for something a bit more casual but still satisfying. read more

Plaza Linda - Burrito and enchiladas with green sauce - Mexican Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

4 people for dinner. $200 +, everything was disappointing. How can you blow it on black beans? $59 for mediocre Margaritas. 4 heaters outside and none working. Done with them. read more

Best service excellent food Carnita tostadas amazing. My usual is the chicken verde enchiladas or shrimp diablo...but all good read more

Plaza Linda - Carnitas tostada - Mexican Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

Wow! Plaza Linda was amazing. We had a great view of the lush green forest and the atmosphere in the restaurant was cozy with its vaulted wood ceilings. I have been searching for the best cheese enchilada in the Monterey County, Plaza Linda could possibly be the best!!! Thank you for an amazing experience. read more

We wanted sun and we end up at Carmel valley and decided to try this place for lunch. I had a prawn plate and my husband had a cheese enchilada plate. Both were so delicious. I would come here again. read more

Best service Great cook Taste amazing Family run business Awesome people Coming back soon read more

Erratic opening times where they are late opening up by anywhere from 15 minutes to a half hour or more. Unprofessional and lacks consideration for customers time. We are locals and have had to go elsewhere several times because they weren't open, which was disappoiting. Other than that food and service are good. Prices are reasonable. read more

So delicious! The enchiladas and the shrimp Caesar salad were great. The Cesar comes with a quesadilla too. They make a really good skinny margarita. So peaceful on the back patio! read more

Plaza Linda - Cesar salad which comes with a quesadilla! - Mexican Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

Expensive. Service failed. Nobody there and slow. Family owned business but must have had the idiot cousins working that day.

My boyfriend and I frequent this restaurant a lot. It's so good, the food is consistent and the staff is always friendly. My two favorite things to order are the verde enchiladas, I get it with chicken but you have your choice of beef, cheese, and chicken, as well as the chicken fajitas. My boyfriend likes to get the carne asada plate and the steak fajitas. Also note, their chips and salsa is addicting. read more

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We came here on a whim for dinner and were seated at a nice patio table. Pitcher of margs was on point and had plenty of booze! I got the chile relleno/enchilada combo. It was perfect and not greasy except the amount of pepper was small compared to the batter. Came back for breakfast and we really enjoyed the breakfast sandwich, hash browns, homemade salsa, AND the breakfast burrito was freaking delicious. I'll be back when I'm in town again! Service was stellar and super friendly both times, thanks you guys! read more

Plaza Linda - Mexican Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

Fantastic dinner at Plaza Linda. My friend had the quesadilla with spinach tortillas and I had enchiladas. Absolutely delicious! The next time I'm in the area I'm returning. Dining outside is like eating in a treehouse. And Chef Bonilla made a point of coming out to greet us. read more

What a great surprise Plaza Linda was! We were renting an airbnb in Carmel Valley since our house was not quite large enough to house all our guests. We arrived a couple of days early to stock up on groceries and prep the house and decided to stop somewhere for a late lunch. Many of the restaurants seem to close between lunch and dinner in the valley, but Plaza Linda was open. We took a seat at the bar and started with a top shelf margarita. Perfect amount of tequila and no store bought sour mix. Our margarita was made with love by our very friendly bartender. The complimentary chips and salsa were tasty. The chips were crispy and not greasy at all while the salsa had a nice flavor. We decided to split an order of nachos and beef fajitas. Normally this would probably be way too much food for us, but the portion sizes were just right and so were the prices. Plaza Linda's dishes are very reasonably priced. The food and drinks were delicious and the service was friendly. I would definitely return! read more

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We had a really fun, delicious lunch at Plaza Linda! The atmosphere was very warm and welcoming. The chips & salsa were nice and fresh, and I was impressed with my margarita (plenty of tequila and not overly sugary). My husband liked his chicken burrito and I especially loved my cheese enchilada, rice and beans. Everything was super flavorful. We look forward to returning here! read more

Plaza Linda - Super flavorful cheese enchilada - Mexican Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

Breakfast burrito with potatoes substituted for hash browns! (The best way to get it) This is my favorite breakfast burrito!! The eggs are so fluffy and everything is so delicious. The homemade salsa is perfect! I only wish they had pico di gio in this breakfast burritos then it would be perfect! read more

Plaza Linda - Breakfast burrito - Mexican Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

Service is good, restaurant setup and space has the potential too, however, the food is meh. Not what I would describe as authentic Mexican food. We have tried it at least five times and have ordered varying dishes. $26+ for their special burrito that was lacking (and no chips or salsa for the table. We have tried to support and give multiple opportunities but unfortunately, we have to find elsewhere (which is hard in the area) read more

Down in the valley to celebrate Dad's 92nd birthday. We order dinner for pickup. The food was ready when we arrived. Dad had Carne Asada. He enjoyed it. We also had a chicken Caesar salad, vegetarian quesadilla and the pupusas. I expected more from the Pupusa. There was no pork and there was no cabbage as described in the menu. They were accompanied by rice and beans. For a quick meal Plaza Linda delivered. read more

Great Chile Rellenos! This is the food item. I judge all Mexican eateries by. You've got to have that puffy, egg, white batter and plaza. Linda does. Also had a good chicken enchilada and a Modelo especial. The black beans were especially good and went well with the vegetable rice.a great place to go to get your Mexican on. read more

was in town for thanksgiving and looking for a dinner place on friday after. it was pretty empty with a few people at the bar and then us two. The service is friendly. The options was plentiful ... we ordered the pupusa and enchalida combo plate. The enchalida was delicious but the pupusa was a little light on the filling. The chips could use a little salt but the salsa was fresh and spicy. I can imagine this place is more lively on the patio. read more

Great ambiance, really nice Mother's Day Brunch. Also have enjoyed their Chile Relleno on a previous visit! read more

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We went to Plaza Linda because all the reviews talked up the chips and salsa so we became very nervous when we sat at our table, minutes passing, with no chips and salsa. It seems you have to request them (which we quickly did after seeing others do so) so be sure to do that when you arrive because the fresh salsa is delish and food comes out fast. The margaritas were so-so, nothing special about them and we barely tasted alcohol. What really made this place special was that the chef came out and not only brought our 1 1/2 year old a cookie but told us he runs the restaurant with his son (who was the bartender/server) and let us know the black beans (which were sooo good) and salsa were all made fresh in house. It was fun to meet him and he spoiled our daughter. I got the chicken verde enchiladas and loved them, my partner had shrimp fajitas which were also great. The portions were just right, nothing leftover which was fine since we were on vacation. I'd go back in the summer when I am sure the view from the patio is gorgeous. read more

EDIT: Removed a detail from my review per the request of the staff, as seen in this photo! Not exactly very polite or courteous, similar to what I experienced there! Food here is incredibly nasty. I think people come here to get drunk because there is no shortage of people shouting and being rowdy, and because there is NO way this food could taste decent sober. The parking lot is an absolute nightmare, and to make matters worse one of the staff members is always parking their [REDACTED] close to the exit of the parking lot blocking traffic. I can only imagine how the neighboring businesses feel. Drive a few miles out and have Taco Bell it's gourmet compared to this read more

Plaza Linda - Is this how you speak to someone? - Mexican Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

My husband and I recently enjoyed dinner out on the patio. The food was good but the 5 star rating is for the customer service. The young woman waiting on us was fantastic. She was extremely friendly and never let our drinks run low. She also has a little secret window trick we were fond of. We will be back on future trips. read more

Everything was great! The best Mexican food we've had. We split chicken enchilada verdes and asked to add shredded beef to nacho appetizers. So accommodating! read more

Plaza Linda - Nachos with shredded beef - chicken enchiladas verdes in backgrounds - Mexican Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

After a nice hike nearby we decided to have lunch at Plaza Linda. Walking in there was only 3 men sitting at the bar watching the Raiders game. Red flag - no one eating lunch at the tables. Red flag #2 no chips and salsa. I ordered a chicken enchilada and a carne asada taco. When the food came I asked for salsa and all they had was Tapatio. That turned out to be the only thing eatable. The meat was old and gross. I only took one bite because it was awful. I can't believe a restaurant could serve such horrible food. read more

We love coming to plaza Linda for dinner! One of our fav local restaurants in the valley! They have amazing seafood enchiladas and we always love the chili relleno. read more

Full bar and great breakfast and lunch menus!! We went for brunch on a Sunday. Very Cool place in the valley. Staff fun and friendly. Food is super fresh. Fast service. We ordered enchiladas, guacamole, and steak nachos. Waiter Adonis is a great kid. We will definitely be back. read more

Plaza Linda - Mexican Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

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This is a great place, Eddie is always working hard bartending or cooking, and they have great Mexican food & a great atmosphere.

This place is a hidden GEM. Two dinners and one brunch have made our family huge fans of this place. The service is prompt and friendly and the food hot, fresh and delicious. Great choicesThe atmosphere is country council with pleasant outdoor seating. Prices very reasonable especially by Carmel standards. I cannot believe this deserving spot has not been discovered. Try it! read more