Cafe Carlos

This restaurant should receive an award for outstanding food and service. There were four of us and we ordered different dishes with various sauces and entrees. All of the entrees snd side dishes were outstanding – swordfish was cooked beautifully. The service was impeccable. We’re from out of town and this was a great find. Beer, margaritas and wine are served. We were there on a Saturday evening and there was no wait.

Café Carlos is a true gem. We ventured off the highway, on our way to SF, and were so lucky to have meet the owner Pepe. The food is spectacular and Pepe’s smile is everything. HIGHLY recommend this place. ¹⁰⁄₁₀

For years literally 20 years I have driven by Café Carlos finally went for dinner. The owner asked «Where are you from?» I said «Here». He asked me «Why is this your first visit?», I was blown away! How did he know that? He really gets to know his clients. Our food was delicious and served quickly. The food was great and have now found a local favorite! Just wonder what took me so long. (We even ordered 2 dozen Tamales for Christmas Eve and they were amazing). Have been back several times in the past 9 months and have NEVER been disappointed.

Some of the best non-​pretentious Mexican food in the San Lorenzo Valley/​Santa Cruz area. Flavors are authentic and constant. A great little hide away for those in the know.

Everything about this place is just OK. The ambiance is just OK. There was soccer on, but only half the table could see it. The owner/​waiter run around like crazy, which like the TV didn’t exactly add to the experience. The margaritas are OK, a little too syrupy to drink more than one. Not a lot of bright fresh flavors, just your basic old-​school Mexican food. The salad was a standard iceberg lettuce salad, but a needed relief of fresh crunch. Turned out, we all left lots of food on our plates and the leftover salad was the only thing we took home. I felt sort of bad/​wasteful, and you could tell this bothered the owner, but not one of the 5 of us wanted to see our soupy plates of food again.

Best authentic Mexican restaurant. The owner is awsome, the food is to die for, especially after a hang over. I have been coming here for almost 10 years. Must try everything on the menu. The free chips and salsa are a must. Every greedy mexican place charges for thier chips but Carlos café doesn’t. Pepe and his wife know how to treat thier customers like family.

Service is good, food is good, and for the price you pay you are left satisfied. Burritos are huge, you can easily share it for 2 people.

The owner is very nice and welcoming.
The margaritas were OK and out of a pre mix. The service was fast and the food was hot.

Thanks for the super fast take out. Carlos is tucked away behind the gas station. So good, this place is not to be missed. Reasonable prices, nice ambiance and being served by the owner puts the experience here at the to. Thanks Carlos!!!

this place is a hidden gem… it is off the beaten path, but more than well worth the search. The food is wonderful, the host is a genuinely friendly man… prices are great… we will return!!!

I’m a Mexican so my standards for Mexican food are high… this is without a doubt one of the most authentic Mexican restaurants I’ve encountered. The service was excellent, the prices are a lot better than Los Gallos, and they have a kids’ menu. We will be coming back often!

Ate here again today, January 16^th, 2016.
As always, the owner is so very gracious and welcoming.
I had the verde enchiladas and they were terrific, as always.
My family had a variety of things and each of them proclaimed it delicious.
My wife and sister ordered the flan… and that was quickly dispensed with.
One of our little secrets is how good this place is day in, day out.
Right off the freeway in Scotts Valley… tucked in behind the Chevron station and behind the Jack In The Box.
Worth the time to stop in for a wonderful meal.

When i go to a mexican restaurant and the tortillas chips and salsa are that good, I know this is a good pick. They turned my burrito, «pepe special», into the best burrito ever. My friend ordered the prawn and was very satisfied. Fresh ingredients cooked with Love make all the difference! Muchas gracias

Excellent! This is honestly some of THE best Mexican food I have ever had. We literally crave this place all the time. The owner is so sweet, always smiling and working hard. We have had great, quick service… always consistent/​delicious authentic and affordable! I recently tried the ground need crunchy tacos, something I never get… and it was SO good!

I have been wanting to try this restaurant for years. After checking out some of the reviews and pictures of this place I decided to go there today for lunch. I should have read ALL of the reviews. The owner was really sweet and attentive, but ran around the restaurant like a little kid on a sugar high. I ordered the two enchiladas lunch special. Companion ordered the carnitas soft tacos lunch special. $ 7.50 each. We had ice water to drink. I asked for one cheese and one shredded beef enchilada. He brought out two ground beef enchiladas instead. They tasted just like it sounds… ground beef. Very greasy and bland. With green verde sauce instead of red. Not what I ordered at all! The beans were watery and tasted like they came out of a can. The rice was OK. Hardly any cheese on anything. Companion thought his carnitas tacos were OK. The chips were good. Two salsa’s came to the table, but one was warm, almost hot, like it was under a heat lamp. That was weird, which made it taste weird. I was disappointed with my lunch today. Tasted like a T.V. dinner. Oh, while they were preparing our meal I heard a microwave being used over and over and over. The little bell on the microwave was going off about every minute while we were waiting for our food. It was then that I knew this wasn’t going to be good. And it wasn’t…Wont go back.

If you want awesome Mexican food come here! It is seriously the best, I felt like I was back in Mexico. I had the carne asada tacos which where phenomenal. Pepe is seriously so hospitable, it’s as if you are having dinner at his home instead of a restaurant. If your in Scott’s valley or Santa Cruz this is the place to go if you want delicious food.

Great food, Pepe is a wonderful host and they have a great dog friendly patio!
My wife had the chicken chimichanga which was perfectly cooked, and I had a combination plate that I could not finish. It was all quite good.

I love chips and salsa, unfortunately I was almost going to leave because the chips and salsa were disappointing. I stayed because Pepe (the owner) was super sweet. Turned out the beef tacos were great! Enchiladas were pretty good too. I got my items a la cart and they filled the plate. Have no idea how you could also add rice and beans to that plate and not be overflowing with food. Skip the chips and salsa and go straight to the meal!

We took our two small children into this restaurant and the service was very accommodating. The chips and salsa were great! My kids ate their chicken taquitos and all their rice. My enchiladas meal was delicious and my husband cleaned his plate. On another note, the bathrooms were clean and smelled nice!

Here with my gf. Just had combo fajitas for $ 20. More than enough for two people and delicious!!!
Warm environment, excellent and friendly service, quality food. This place is a gem.