San Carlos Authentic Mexican Restaurant

Good food Good service Lonely place
Bravo it’s great worth it to try out. If you rate near by

Yes, we judge a Mexican place by its salsa, and Carlos has a fine, hot salsa that makes the cut. A bit out of the way with a smaller dining room, but good food. We did not have drinks, so we can’t speak to that. The food is a bit different style than your normal Tex-​Mex place, but it’s not the Santa Fe style you find in Ithaca. Not knowing the region the cooks are from, I cannot say what style the food is, but it is good. The tamales were different than what we are used to, but good. There is just the right amount of sauce so that your food isn’t swimming in a pool like you get at some places. The food is prepared well, but can be a bit slow to come out. The night we were there, the manager was training a new server and was pretty stressed out.

We have always liked San Carlos, but today we noticed a huge price increase and less on the plate.

BEWARE!
We were directed to sit in the bar area because the dinning room was full and the temperature of the room was about 60 degrees.
We ordered margarita’s that had no tequila and all sour mix. The margaritas were bright green. We ordered the nacho appetizer with beef. The meat looked like it was steamed or boiled and was a grey color and the top of the chips were burned.
The entrees ordered were Chipotle Chicken Burrito, Tour de Mexico, Steak fajitas, Chicken & Rice. Every entrée was disappointing and executed poorly. The chicken dish was severed cold and over salted. They did not have black beans to accompany the fajita dish and the refried beans tasted like metal.
We went to use the restroom prior to leaving and it was dirtier than a porter potty at a marathon or and out door music festival. There was clumps of dirt on the floor and the walls were dirty.
The staff was almost pleasant, but not really. They actually said, «we are closing early tonight and the cook did not feel like cooking anymore today». This was a Saturday night at 8:30pm.
We have collectively decided as a group to never visit San Carlos Restaurant again and we recommend that to anyone that reads this review or considers visiting this restaurant.

We go here a couple times a month to get our «authentic» Mexican food fix. Chimichonga’s (have only ordered chicken) are superb to say the least. My boyfriend has a different entrée each time and loves them all. 3 days a wk. great Margaritas specials.

Extremely disappointed. After spending all day out in the sub zero weather, they sat me next to a window, primarily because I was alone and because it was the smallest table in the place. I could’ve lived with that, but it was so cold next to the window that I had to put my jacket back on. The food arrived quickly, but as quickly as it arrived, it was cold due to my location. The waitress was fairly attentive to start but not so much after the food arrived. She visited the table of 4 next me THREE times asking them about dessert before she asked if I was done. I had been sitting there over 10 minutes waiting to ask if I could get a box and my check because I was so flipping cold. Once I asked her for a box, I waited another 5 minutes, but the box was given to me by another waitress who had seen me sitting. She asked and delivered the box immediately and said she’d let my waitress know I needed my check… another 5+ minutes passed. I understand that I wasn’t a «larger» party, but that was ridiculous. Poor service… plain and simple. Will never return.

I’m sorry, the staff was super sweet, and I really wanted to like San Carlos, but the food just wasn’t good.
I’m not going to go into a high brow analysis of each dish, or make obnoxious comments like «I’m from Southern California, so I know good Mexican food.» Simply put, the good didn’t taste good. It tasted like frozen food that was reheated in a microwave. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t, but whatever is going on in that kitchen isn’t worry. Sorry :-(

I wasn’t expecting much, but the food was decent. I have had good Mexican at other places and I found this to be not as good as those, but for an area like Bath, I think it is serviceable. My only real gripe is that I have been trying to get them on the phone for three hours now and they refuse to pick up.

Seriously? I cannot believe this place gets even 1 good review. It is the most tasteless, bland, low quality crap Mexican food I have ever had. Time to get out of NY people (and Steuben Co) and see what real Mexican food is supposed to taste like.

Stellar Mexican food and a great price and if you have the opportunity to get the Flam for desert do it. Owner Shelly makes it herself and it’s incredible.

Amazing food authentic very friendly service. Must stop! Price is right when in town this has to be where you eat!!!

We had a great time here the food was good and we were lucky enough to meet the father of Carlos and enjoyed his singing. Highly recommended.

after all the possitive reviews i was very excited to try this place. i lived in texas at a time and fell in love with the mexican food down there. this deffinetly didnt live up to the reviews or my hopes. it wasnt bad by any means in my opinion but nothing to go nuts about either. the chicken filling had flavor and wasnt super dry but wasnt super flavorful. the «cheese dip» is exactly that do not expect queso style you will be dissapointed. it tasted alright but it really seemed like it was a powdered mix or something. the salsa some complain its to watery but thats exactly how i like it but it did have a little to much of something in it that kinda set the flavor off a bit. the steak in the dish my girlfriend had was seasoned ok and i think would be good in a taco. so ya id say its average and the people that say its like real mexican food hasnt been far enough south lately.

I have been here several times and all I can say is that it’s GREAT! I’ve been in the restaurant business my whole life (never mind how long that is), and I can tell you that these guys do it right. Wonderful hospitality and awesome food. Go. Try it. Love it!

Absolutely fantastic. Unlike a lot of Mexican food, it wasn’t greasy and it didn’t leave me feeling disgustingly full. They had plenty of vegetarian options, and I was delighted to see a veggie taco salad; I had the sour cream and cheese taken out to make it vegan. Although it would have better with some rice and «real» lettuce, not iceberg, it was absolutely delicious. The prices are in the $ 10 – 15 range, but worth it as the portions are huge and excellently made with local ingredients. I can’t say enough good about this restaurant.

Hmm, not sure why I am reviewing this as I have been over a year ago and am unlikely to be in this area any time soon. I am from Brooklyn, NY and almost all our Mexican food is tex-​mex takeout. The mexican food that this place serves was delicious, inexpensive, and the service was quick. Now only if it were in NYC =D