The food is very delicious and hot so be careful please. The service was delightful it was quiet and relaxing lunch for me! Lastly the workers were a pleasure felt like home. read more

Stopped into this very unassuming looking Mexican joint in a town full of unassuming looking Mexican joints. The place was full. The tortilla chips were definitely house made, but sadly were not hot. The camarones a la Diabla had a great flavor. The sauce tasted of sweet roasted chilis up front and had some serious heat on the back. The beans tasted like my suegra's which was nice. The rice was kind of boring. The portion size on the shrimp was a little small. The corn tortillas with the meal were definitely house made and way above average. Service was fast and friendly especially considering how full it was. It's a good choice if your traveling I-5 and willing to go a little off the freeway to avoid fast food. read more

Restaurante la Carreta - Mexican Near Me - Avenal, California

The enchiladas and chile rellenos are good, however make sure they have your order correct. Sometimes they can confuse orders including the sauces. read more

Great family restaurant, has authentic Mexican food with great service The food has always been good read more

I picked this restaurant from the Yelp reviews. And I am glad I did. This is definitely not a fancy or romantic date. This is where you go when you are looking for a more authentic Mexican dining experience. They have a good selection of traditional items and the Coastal Mexican offerings. I wish I had more opportunities to sample some of the fish! My quesadilla was excellent, the chips were good and fresh, and the salad was surprisingly fresh and tasty. It is not fancy and the decor could use some updating, but it is still comfortable and pleasant. Check out the pictures; it is pretty plain. The service is good and pleasant. Finally, don't bring your checkbook. Cash or credit card only. read more

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This place needs some work. "Salsa" tastes like they poured a V8 into a bowl and called it salsa. I'm a firm believer that the salsa is a pretty good indication of the food to come and sure enough my logic is once again correct. My girlfriend ordered the chilaquiles and I was brave and ordered the menudo. I kid you not, both entrees tasted just like the salsa. I get it, the red chile is universal and can be mixed and matched to cook other dishes but that only makes other things not so good. The chilaquiles were bland and the menudo was even worse. Perhaps the food wasn't suitable to my palate but I know I won't be going back. read more

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Stopped at Restaurante la Carreta for lunch while driving down I-5. On a hot bright summer day, the inside was nice and cool and dark, exactly what we needed. Even though there was only one person working front of house, we sat down, ordered, and got our food within 15 minutes of pulling up. While we waited for lunch to come out, we were brought a bowl of chips (thick and crispy) and one little bowl of salsa each (which was excellent, since I ate all of mine and started on my bf's before we'd finished the chips). The salsa was smooth and thin, with a nice kick to it. I got the sopes plate with asada, and my bf got a wet burrito with asada inside and salsa verde. My lunch had two sopes, plus rice and beans, and my bf's burrito, I swear I've seen smaller newborns than that thing. The asada was chopped nice and small, about the size of the tomatoes also on top, and was flavorful and chewy. The sopes themselves were hot and crunchy. While both the rice and beans were good, next time I'd just get the sopes by themselves, since the whole plate was a LOT of food. My bf said his burrito was delicious, and the salsa verde was tangy and amazing, and somehow did not make the burrito soggy at all as they sometimes can be elsewhere. He was able to eat all of it except for the last fifth, before finally admitting defeat. The mountain of food we had came to about $16 and change, and there were clearly a lot of locals eating there on their lunch break (in fact the three women at the table next to us must have called ahead, since their food was out and waiting for them before they actually got there!). A good midway point to stop between SF and LA, as it's not too far off the highway, and basically a straight shot. read more

Restaurante la Carreta - Sopes plate with asada - Mexican Near Me - Avenal, California

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This place is so delicious. Definitely worth the detour off of the 5 freeway. You won't be disappointed!

Avenal. If you're looking at this review you're probably in one of the two categories: A.) Where the heck is Avenal or B.) Help! I'm stuck in Avenal and got a bad case of the hangries. Well, have no fear weary (and lost) travelers, Avenal does have food and it's not from a drive-thru. Tacos are just one of those things that are great anywhere you go. I've honestly never had a bad taco (discounting some of my poor late night choices with Taco Bell). And if you're in Avenal, my guess is you're starving and anything short of a salsa covered boot would be tasty. Restaurante la Carreta is right on the main road into the town. Easy access. We arrived around 4pm and considered this our late lunch. There was only one other guy in there chowing down on several tacos. We seated ourselves and were promptly given menus by a fairly young looking kid - maybe 15? I order a trio of tacos - two carnes asada and one chicken. They were fine. Good, but not great. There wasn't a ton of flavor. I didn't get my usual side of onions, cilantro, radishes, and variety of salsas. Call me spoiled, but sometimes it's the extra's that make a great taco. If you're in Avenal and starving, this is the place to come. It's better than Subway by the 5 read more

If you want authentic Mexican food, with real refried beans and tasty red sauce, go here. If you like Chevy's, stay away. I walked in at 9 to an empty place, nobody there for a few seconds until some lady walked from some back room to ask if I needed help. I asked if they were serving, ordered huevos rancheros for $6.50! and loved every bite. They were nice, the food reminded me of my Mexican grandma's cooking. Cool little find. read more

Awful food. We ordered three tacos and a sope and left 50% of the food uneaten. It was totally flavourless and didn't have the usual taco garnishes. The tortillas were also a bit stale tasting and stiff. We left La Carreta hungry and went across the street to eat lunch. Also, the agua de jamaica tasted like it was from a bottle. read more

Stopped off at this little place on my way home last month for a quick bite to eat. I was very pleased to see that they had an option for vegetarian burrito and that even without the cheese it was still very flavorful. Not to mention that it was quite a decent size proportion for a pretty low price. The staff was super friendly and I would definitely stop there again if I was in the area. read more

Went again... this time had the Huevos Rancheros. Perfect! Eggs were cooked "just runny", and covered with their house red sauce - just spicy enough. Delicious. read more

Restaurante la Carreta - Mexican Near Me - Avenal, California

This place is a gem. The best soup and fresh tortillas you can imagine. The service is great and all the choices are authentic and made from scratch. read more

Superb Mexican food. Fresh tortillas and chips excellent salsa and great food all and all. It is an excellent stop for those long drives down the 5 and a great place to stretch out. Would highly recommend to anyone passing by. read more

Restaurante la Carreta - Mexican Near Me - Avenal, California

Excellent food and service right off the 5. Glad I made the detour to satisfy my hunger.

Found this great restaurant on YELP. Needed a place to stop in Avenal. Tacos and soaps were delicious. We will come back. Only reason I did not give it a 5 is because the salsa served with the chips was very flat and bland. If they fixed the salsa this would definitely get a 5. Service was also excellent! So glad we found this place!! read more

It was okay food. Not amazing or mind blowing, but pretty okay. The chicken was tasteless, but the red sauce and the rice actually really delicious. It's not worth the 6 miles off the 5 to get something to eat. I read reviews here saying it was great and I feel tricked. :[ read more

This place is a delightful surprise. It has no ambience, no sophistication or amenities but what do you need with these when your food is so darn good? It was like being at the table in Mom's kitchen. The carne asada was flavorful and had just the right amount of spices. Enormous plates you can even share...not that you will want to. The prices are unbeatable and more than fair. This is the place to stop when going between Southern and Northern California. read more

Restaurante la Carreta - Mexican Near Me - Avenal, California

This place was delicious, we had tacos that were worth the detour off of the 5. The staff was very friendly and the food was delicious. Would definitely come back on my next coastal trip! read more

After a week long sojourn travelling hither and yon in the San Joaquin Valley, I was pretty much ready to give up on greasy and predictable Mexican food. We came into Avenal a bit after lunch time, and I decided to go against my instincts and give this place a go. Glad I did. The chips and salsa were fresh and tasty, and somehow watching an episode of Cops from the 90's felt like the perfect distraction. I ordered coffee thinking that at best I'd get bitter, watery and weak valley town fare, but what i can I say, they got that right too. The chicken tortas were tasty and fresh. If you are rolling through this stark and stoic pocket of the Golden State, give La Carreta a try. read more

This is a great place to come and have a good and most important cheap meal. The Interior has nothing special in it but it's not bad. The food is bomb, good and fresh. Now one of the beats things about this restaurant is that the food, apart from beating fresh and good, it's also cheap. It's worth to stop at this place. Also after you eat and pay there's a place next to the restaurant where you an buy any antojito mexicano. read more

We took the 5 mile detour off I5 on the way back to the bay area from Disneyland and were very happy we did. It's off a random road in a tiny town but had the most amazing Mexican food ever! The steak meat was marinated and tasted absolutely delicious. I had a carne asada burrito and two tacos and they were the best I've ever had! My family and I also had two baskets of chips and not a single chip was stale like another reviewer said but maybe they got a bad batch. My wife has a wheat/gluten allergy and was ably to get a gluten free quesadilla on a corn tortilla and an enchilada on a corn tortilla and loved it. Their Mexican rice is awesome and the kids totally devoured that. Overall this restaurant is a hidden gem and a super huge treat if you want authentic Mexican food. read more

We went here in June. I was just recalling it to a friend, and realized that we never wrote a review. Super plain small town place. Brandon is right...if you are looking for fake pinatas on the wall don't bother, But if you like real homemade Mexican, take the turn off the 5, you will be glad you did. read more

It only takes 5 extra minutes from the main road to find a real restaurant with homemade food. We like Baja Fresh, but we were craving something more authentic. If you are the type that likes everything prepackaged with pretty menus with matching napkins, don't bother getting off the freeway. If you want good hearty Mexican food, try La Carreta. read more

Take the extra 5 min to get here. Well worth it. Very traditional and fresh. Server was very nice and accommaded all our requests. Better than any the horrible fast food traps on 5. Give your money to a local not a chain. read more

Excellent food and great service! I definitely recommend this place. Plenty of room to sit, relaxed atmosphere.

This is rated the #1 spot in Avenal, California for a reason. Me and my pal Danny were looking for a place to satisfy our hunger, after a half day of fasting. So we chose this spot because it was first on the Yelp list. Pulling up the hanging sign was hand painted, which was a good 'sign'. The free chips were a perfect crispy-crunch, ( careful cuz' they can break your grandmas tooth). These thick crunchy chips were tostada grade thickness, and golden brown. The nice young lady took our order, and as soon as the order hit the window we heard the handmade tortillas being made in the Kitchen for our meal, smack, slap, pop, slap. We were anticipating greatness. Danny got the Chile Verde plate. It came with 3 fresh hot handmade corn tortillas. His first first bite was of the rice and beans. After his first bite, he was compelled to put down his fork, and took a moment of silence for how good it was. He said "They don't cut corners with they're rice and beans, those are real beans, and real rices." I went with the 'Wet Asada burrito'. All I could say after taking my first bite was, 'YEEELP Jesus!' The flour tortilla was hand made and so good. The Asada was flavorful, and no pieces of fat. We both ate the entire servings of food and were kinda sad when we finished our meal. Besides my Coca-Cola being a little flat, which is the dang machines fault, this meal was perfect for the both of us. We gave them a well deserved generous tip, and thanked the amazing cook. This place is for hardcore Mexican food fans, (and if your not this place just might win you over the first time.) So it's 'don't ask, don't tell' when it comes to calorie's or MSG. If you care about that you're at the wrong place, Chipotle is about 50 miles that way. read more

The Waze app put us here. Construction on the i5 is definitely good for the local economy -- and our taste buds. La Caretta is a find for those who find themselves on the Avenal detour. The staff was friendly. The burritos we ordered to go were delicious, and vegetarians: if you want a veggie burrito, say "salad Burrito" ;). read more

Awesome place.Best Chile Verde I've tried period.The waitresses are very kind.Will recommend.

This is the best Mexican restaurant in Avenal. Nothing mind blowing, but quality food, good horchata, and nice servers.

Read the reviews and stopped by on our way to SF. Good food, good prices, what more can I say? Tasted like a home cooked meal.

Fresh And deliciocisimo! Great salsa, awesome tacos, and even the limes are perfectly riped. Their Jamaica Water is superb.

A good Mexican restaurant... But nothing to write home about. I was in the town very shortly and needed lunch. I had the chili Verde. I probably would not go back to this place, but if you're in need of lunch, it's not that bad. read more

This restaurant is a diamond in the rough. Worth a 10 minute drive off the 5 fwy. The chile verde was amazing and the beans were like my grandmothers. Looking for a good authentic Mexican restaurant this is the place! Good food and good prices! read more

Fabulous find, good job Yelp. Stark, simple building. You want inexpensive eats and good solid food? Here you go. Asada street tacos, delicious beans. HOT, homemade salsa but one gets used to it. read more

Great authentic Mexican!!! My boyfriend and I were driving back from Vegas and were craving Mexican!! It's been 8 months and we still talk about this little restaurant!!! Great! read more

Hidden Jewel in a small town ... We stopped by this place going back home from the Bay Area and man this place did not disappoint ... Once you exit you will drive through the hills for about 7 minutes or so into a small town and you will see it ... Great food big portions friendly staff ... Go crazy and enjoy ... We had the fried tilapia and enchiladas .. The food was awesome and the rice was fantastic ... read more

Very nice waitress. But mediocre dishes at best. I had a tostada that was passable. The refried beans looked like they had been transferred from a can, not the usual delight. The spanish rice was unusual, very sticky, pungent but in an unfamiliar way, though some might like it. The enchilada was the saddest little enchilada I have ever seen, a tortilla rolled with some cheese in it, that clearly had never seen an oven. My wife had the Chile relleno. Just ok. Sad. Uninspired. Perhaps it was the off day for the cook! There was one table of three ladies when we entered. Avenal is a prison town. As we left we saw a man being handcuffed. On the way in one police car with lights flashing. A sad feeling poor place on a sunday night. I hope the restaurant is normally good - but I was shocked after reading the reviews I kept wondering if it was the same place that was being reviewed. And it is. read more

I usually don't leave yelp review but this place was legit. Kinda just ended up here with some friends on the way to SF and was not disappointed. $5 for a great asada burrito. read more