Carmen’s Authentic Mexican Food

Wow. Horrible service.
I guess you can’t get a free soda refill «because they’re not McDonald’s» yes this is what the guy at the counter said to my friend.
Dude, just a simple «sorry that’s an extra charge» will do…
Also, avoid having to ask for the ingredients of a certain item if the person in front of you has asked (sorry you’re screwed if you just didn’t hear them). Because when this happens, rolling of the eyes and a sarcastic sigh happens.
And btw there is waaaay better Mexican food in SD.

The bean, rice, cheese, and guacamole burrito is on point!!! So fresh and the salsa is amazing. I’d only hope the burrito was a little hotter, I always have to heat it up before I eat it. But, all in all I love this place.

To be honest, this restaurant is the least authentic restaurant around SD area I’ve ever tried. I ordered a carne asada tordas. It’s not even as tasty as the ones from Rigoberto’s. There was barely any meat, meat was super dry, bread was way too chewy. But the salsa tasted good, at least I had that going for me. And the service was sloppy. The guy who served my togo order seemed like he doesn’t want to deal with me. He charged me an extra dollar on my card without telling me about the extra charge for cards. So bring cash… wait…actually just avoiding coming here.
At the end the most ridiculous thing happened. After I got out of the restaurant a crazy white woman who was dining here earlier tried to run me over while backing out her car. She saw me walking across. Instead of slowing down to let me pass she actually sped up. Total nuts man… I know the last part was unrelated but it kinda traumatized me somewhat. I probably wont come here again.
TL;DR: don’t stick your tongue in crazy.

Great place if you don’t have taste buds! I don’t understand why this place is always busy! I rather walk the extra 5 minutes to Cotixan than eat this place again.

I was in the mood for some tortilla soup so I searched on Unilocal for the best in San Diego. The pictures looked great on Unilocal but when I got home and opened up the container, it looked nothing like it nor did it taste that great. I didn’t receive any cheese, cilantro, or lemon with the soup. And even if I got those items, it still wouldn’t taste good. Everything was so bland. On top of that, the service was terrible. Right when I walked in, I felt like I wasn’t welcomed. I had to wait at least 20 minutes (the place was empty) for soup and a veggie burrito and when I asked for extra hot sauce (only received 2 small containers), the guys behind the counter response was «no» — who does that?! Anyone that knows me, I have to have a ton of salsa with my Mexican food and trust me, nothing goes to waste. All I have to say is that I’m glad I tried Carmen’s but I’m never going there again.

Definitely a best-​kept local secret! This little restaurant deserves your business for all the right reasons: Family-​owned; fresh, hand-​made dishes; home-​made quality; and the food is delicious! Look, we have dozens of average Mexican food outlets all over San Diego, and they all pretty much serve and do the same thing with complete mediocrity. Bleh! But Carmen’s is the real deal. It’s not a fancy place or a great location, but it is worth finding and enjoying. My family has been coming here for years, and trust me we’ve got some foodies who know what’s up! Simple things mean a lot, for example: The rice and beans and chips are great, actually handmade — which tells you that the more elaborate dishes, like enchiladas and so forth, are the best! Please give this little family some love and business!

Best chorizo I have ever had. Takes a little bit to get your food, but totally worth it. Only issue I have is they seem to be Closed a lot — sometimes when they are supposed to be open. Otherwise, best mexican food around — and that’s saying a lot in San Diego…

My son switched schools and we do not live very close so we hadn’t been to Carmen’s in awhile. We stopped in about a week ago and I was so disappointed.
1. The service has gone down. It was never stellar to begin with but now it’s thinly veiled contempt when you order and they call your order. No smile, no how are you, no please, no thank you. Oh and no itemized receipt.
2. The charge $ 5 for chips and salsa. Seriously $ 5.
3. Overall I think it’s overpriced. We paid almost $ 50 for 2 adults and 3 kids. Our order: bean & cheese burrito, quesadilla, potato rolled tacos, vegetarian chimichanga, and shrimp taco plate.
4. My husband ordered the shrimp taco plate which says $ 8.95 on the menu. However, the gentleman taking my order asked another man preparing orders how much to charge and they charged me over $ 11. I overheard him asking and I have to wonder if I overpaid for other items too.
5. It was dirty, the tables were all dirty and there were flies everywhere.
The food was not bad, but I remember the guacamole tasting better.

I’m disappointed about the attitude and the way they treat people. My friend asked for a side of chips while we waited and the owner said that they weren’t free and that I have enough customers to not give them for free. The way he answered was rude and distasteful. This is my first and last time here.

They get two stars because their service isn’t bad. The food is no good. This place is far from authentic Mexican food. I mean extremely far, it’s almost Taco Bell.
I got a carne asada torta and the telera was not that great, the meat was seasoned too much, the beans were from a can. It was no good.
I also decided to try the carne asada taco and potato taco and they were also way below any authentic Mexican eatery. The potato taco was seasoned with garlic and that threw me off. I grew up eating my mom’s and grandma’s potato tacos and it’s suppose to be a simple taco. It’s suppose to be simple because the people are humble and live in a simple manner. The carne asada taco was no good. The tortilla was far from authentic and the meat was no good as well.
As I mentioned earlier, the service is what deserves the 2 stars. The gentlemen cooking were happy and keeping everyone with a huge smile. I wouldn’t go back for the food but I would make it there again for the service.

I gotta say, this place is conflicting to me.
Their enchiladas are really good, their tacos are really good, and I like it a lot.
BUT:
–They charge $ 1 for credit card. That is completely ridiculous. BRING CASH.
–Sometimes the staff here, just one or two of them, are pretty rude. The rest of them are SUPER nice and friendly, but a couple of times I have been here some of the staff are cussing and complaining and saying sort of terrible things and it made me really unhappy to hear that in a place where anyone can walk in.
All things considered, I would come back if I had cash and if I was taking it to-​go because the food is really good. Also, to defend the staff a little after I am harsh, when I was there some kids came in and they were really nice and changed their attitudes, so at least there’s that.

Boo, Mel is here, boo… boo… boooo! That’s what the staff said to me on my recent visit! You don’t want guacamole, you won’t like it, they said. Boo, booo… this was said loudly in front of all the customers, and we felt very awkward. He went on and on about it, and this made it difficult to order. This is a family owned/​family run place, and they know me well. We were tempted to leave, but we thought, maybe he’s kidding? He clearly didn’t like a comment in my recent updated review where I mentioned they changed their guacamole, and I preferred the old version of their guacamole. It was an updated 4-​star review, with all positive comments about the food, except for the comment about the guacamole. I didn’t even remove a star, just mentioned I preferred the former version of their guacamole, the way they made it for years.
Well it looks like the duchess of Carmens is no longer welcome. They weren’t kidding, as we did stay and eat, but felt uncomfortable the whole time. When we asked for water, they responded gruffly.
This is a very difficult review for me to write. I have many check-​ins here, and had many photos, but I removed the photos, as I don’t feel right in recommending a place that doesn’t welcome me. I don’t want this to happen to other Unilocalers.
If you want to eat here and feel welcome, never mention Unilocal.Carmen’s isn’t a fan of Unilocal.Can you find good chicken tacos here with extra cheese? Yes. Will you feel welcome? Maybe, or maybe not. I won’t be back. I’ve never been treated this way before, especially not at a place where I’ve been a frequent customer, and I often have brought other relatives and friends to Carmen’s.
Ironically, I originally joined Unilocal to find a new taco place! It was Unilocal that brought me to Carmen’s. I shared many photos of Carmen’s food on Unilocal,and since this small staff reads Unilocal,they recognized me from my numerous photos of their food. I never rated Carmens lower than 4 stars, and I was a fan.
This review was difficult to write, and very difficult to choose a star rating. If you look at my reviews, you’ll see that I rarely give 1 or 2-​star ratings for businesses.
I have already deleted my previous reviews, photos, and tips for Carmens. I wasn’t going to write this review at all, but maybe Unilocalers need to know what happened to the former Duchess of Carmens. She was boo-​ed right outta there. Since I can’t live without my tacos, I’ll find them elsewhere.
Guacamole: regarding the guacamole, Carmen’s used to have the best guacamole in town, made from scratch, thick in texture, always fresh and tasty. But then they changed the guacamole. On our recent visits, the guacamole no longer has a thick texture. The texture became thinner and wetter, and it lost some of it’s former flavor, and became a bit too bland and a bit too liquidy for our taste.

How often do I get a chimichanga? Hardly ever. BUT for some reason– the urge to put down a whole deep fried burrito came over me and I was glad it happened at Carmen’s. Surprisingly not greasy and perfectly loaded with guacamole and cheese. Kinda wish there weren’t so much bean in it– but there was still plenty of chicken. Come here for a nicer, cleaner alternative to the local «something– bertos» taco shop… and you may (like I) leave very happy. I hear the tortilla soup is delicious. must try next!

This has got to be the TASTIEST lil’ Mexican joint in San Diego. Thanks to my fellow Unilocalers for pointing this family run joint out to me! It’s not visible from the street, so be on the lookout! It’s also very deceptive — behind an apartment building, next to a liquor store… just how good could the food be?!
Fresh, Fresh, Fresh. Yes — it’s fresh AND homemade!
I ordered the carnitas burrito (special) and a chili relleno. The salsa that came with the burrito was just amazing — slightly sweet, little chunks of fiery Serrano chilies — man, got my bald head just sweating with the remembrance of the experience. The pork just fell apart — so tender! I was extremely lucky to get the chili relleno fresh out of the frying pan — crunchy outside, lots of Jack cheese — everything was cooked perfectly! Big stupid me — NOW I know what great street Mexican food is supposed to taste! I’m sold — I’m definitely coming back!

Yum. Yum. Wow, all I had was a simple chicken taco, side of guac and a side of some of the best beans! Super-​duper nice people– and thank you for packing the taco right with plenty of lettuce and cheeses! The beans were extremely hot [temp] and tasty.
I can only imagine how their chili rellenos are! Thanks goes out to Unilocaler «Mel B» for the reviews and photos! you are right Carmen’s is the b-​o-​m-​b!

I work at the Starbucks right next to this carmens so I am a frequent customer and I am NEVER dissapointed. The food is fresh and reasonably priced and totally yummie! It’s also a family owner business so I am happy to support them.
Go try! You won’t be dissapointed

This is such a quaint little mom and pop shop. I used to live right behind the place and had the opportunity to stop by.
I only got my food to go so i can’t evaluate the sit-​in experience, but I just wanted to add that during the five minutes that I was there, the person who took my order was extremely attentive and made suggestions that I greatly appreciated. Also, it was extremely fast for the order to be done. The only reason I haven’t gone back is b/​c there isn’t a drive through and I’m a bit of a lazy panda…
In any case, the food was great and I would highly recommend for you to try it out!

I found this place on Unilocal when looking for something on the way back to my aunt’s from Seaworld.
I am so glad I did!
It is in a strip mall and is unassuming from the street. Get over it. It is awesome. GO IN.
The food was absolutely phenomenal, «real» Mexican food. All six of my family who ate here cleaned their plates and even had dessert, which was no easy feat.
Oh and the desserts… yum! Aside from the fresh churros, there were giant fried apple burritos (kind of like enormous empanadas), which were made to order and were amazing.
The employees were friendly and made it seem like we were family.
I loved Carmen’s and will definitely visit again when I am in the area.

Living in San Diego we are surrounded by Mexican food eatery, all for a good price. However, only a few serves legit chicken tacos and surf and turf burritos because of how much ingredients they put in that is not overwhelmed with cheap stuffings like rice and potatoes.
Carmens is one of those legit Mexican food places with ample parking and seating. Homemade tortilla chips and salsa boasting with flavors and authenticity.
The chicken taco is not oily and filled with shredded chicken topped with cotija and cheddar cheese with lettuce and tomatoes. It’s perfection and will keep you craving for it just a few hours later.
The surf and turf had legit succulent, whole shrimp with the perfect balance of carne asada, fresh cilantro, guacamole and fries. The tortilla was soft and ridiculously fresh not powdery and hard.
Go visit! You should be ashamed for living in San Diego and not having this type of Mexican food.

It’s not hard to find great Mexican food if you come here. Seriously, I tried a number of things here, I have to say I enjoyed one of the best chicken tortilla soups in town, in addition to the combo #9 that I devoured, which included a shredded chicken taco and chicken enchilada with a side of rice and beans (
).
The meal started with some of their house made tortilla chips and salsa. I don’t know if they come with every meal, but I asked for them and got some. Their texture was great, crunchy indeed, and their seasoning was aggressive (
).
The medium bowl of chicken tortilla soup was terrific and came with crispy flashed fried tortilla strips, fresh sliced avocado, and garnished with a sprinkling of chopped cilantro and Cotija cheese the way it should be (
). However, and more and importantly, it came loaded with tender shredded chicken that was not only filling, but flavorful and tender (
). The broth of the soup was on point with it well develop flavors chili, tomatoes, seasoning, and hint of lemon juice. This soup would be perfect any day, but I can see how it would be the perfect comfort soup or cure to a hang over.
The combo #9 shredded chicken taco was bliss. The shell of the taco had that perfect crunch and chewiness about it and inside of it was tender well seasoned shredded all white chicken meat (
). Also,. I loved the way they over stuff the tacos with grated cheese and fresh lettuce, always a big plus (
). I say, make me a half dozen of these please. The chicken enchilada was good. It came with the same chicken as the taco, so that was good, but I did think the enchilada sauce needed more developed flavor, because it tasted mostly of tomato sauce (
).
The Mexican rice was very good and reminded me of my mother’s. It had that great tomato and mild garlic flavor, and was fluffy but with just the right amount of moisture (
). The re-​fried beans were good with a quality robust flavor and were great for eating with the tortilla chips.
Service is as friendly as it comes. Being a family run eatery, you are treated as you are part of the family with great hospitality, and most importantly great food that comes from the heart.