Best Mexican Mom & POP in SoCal
Best Mexican Hole in the wall. Don’t be intimidated by the outside. Clean inside with tables. A grade from state. Excellent authentic Mexican. Try the mom’s tamales. The dad’s guacamole. The homemade chips and salsa. Wow. Great locals hang out but highly recommend it for tourists. Super nice owners who take pride in their food. They speak perfect English. Prices right. Large portions. We came from recommendation from Hampton Inn two miles away.
Really awesome Mexican food. Ignore the appearance of the outside of the building, it's what's inside that counts. When we visited, had an A for health rating. Food was great!
I recommend there chicken tortilla soup very fresh yummy.Nice people great food what more can you ask for.
This place is the Bomb!
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A family run business serving mex food. Their rolled tacos are tasty but oil laden. Enchiladas are nice, taco is good.
Do try their surf and turf burrito - I dont really remember the name exactly, but once you are in the shop, look for this burrito and you will get it.
Very bad that they do not have taco tuesdays
Great folks who are proud of what they make - the tamales are great when on special - I think they have them on Fridays
Amazing red hot sauce, spicy and flavorful! My tostada was perfect! The corn tortilla was nice and crunchy and and the veggies on top were fresh. My beans had good flavor but weren't heavy and fatty and they won me over sprinkling cheeses on top and serving them with a couple big right out of the fryer chips! Everyone was super friendly here and they knew a lot of the customers, it looked like they had a lot of regulars. Love this place, I'll be back
Best carne asada burrito... Tasty and delicious asada burritos... enough said
Looking for food in Clairemont. We met the family there, I had called ahead to see if it was taco-shopish, or if it had "dining". They said they had dining. I remembered Carmen's when they were on Linda
Vista Rd, so I knew what to expect in the food! They have the best chips, and the carne asada nacho supreme- right up there with the best. My son refers to Carmen's as good "Clairemont" mexican. Not to be compared with the real stuff in the southern most part of the county. But good. The dining was....um... slightly above the taco shop. one of the doors open to the dining area, and we were constantly blown with cold air through dinner. If I went again, I'd pick-up and take home. Great food!
Delicious. Taste like a back yard BBQ. I love that they cook everything fresh. Try the pollo asada and the chicken tortilla soup, and the carnitas are delicious.
I used to frequent Carmen's at their original location. The food was always wonderful and fresh. The family that owns it is the best and still are
Ive been to their current location in the past but it has been a few years.
Today I came in to eat here again, after I'd guess close to 10 years since the last time.
The food was exactly as I remember it. Delicious and fresh and hot.
The best chicken burrito I've ever had is from Carmen's!!
Still the same folks here that I remember from all those years ago.
Very happy I came back today. It's nice to see a place that still cares about quality and making people happy.
We were looking for an inexpensive casual place to eat near our hotel. We saw this place online and thought it was worth a try. We couldn't have chosen better! We had our daughter and her 2 little kids with us. The place isn't fancy at all, but it was clean. We ordered chicken fajitas with no cheese or sour cream for my daughter, due to her dairy allergy, chicken nachos for her kids to share, my husband ordered a Pollo asada chimichanga and I ordered a carne asada tostada. We were all very happy with our food. There were quite a few return customers coming and going with take out, as well as some eating there like we did. It is a hole-in-the-wall kind of place, no frills, but the food is great for a good price, from $10-$12 each, and that's all we cared about!
This place is great. Victor is the main cook. If you order something, then be patient because it will taste great when it is served. Flavorful and not greasy. The salsa is excellent!
Victor also supported making enough to build 60 tacos that we used for a work event. Food was packaged well and everyone enjoyed it.
Finally, the place is genuinely friendly. I've been there three times and the amount of customers that come in and carry on detailed conversations with Victor is charming.
Have been out-of-state for months and needed good ol' SoCal style eats now that I'm back home. My meal here was exactly what I was missing. Charming, comfortable atmosphere thanks to the staff. Red salsa was a recipe I never had before -- included fresh chopped jalapeños. Will be back.
For the price, this is the best food you can get. Yes, the guy taking the order is a little awkward. He's nice when you get to know him. This is a hole in the wall shop with good food and nice guys who run it.
Note: alot of the stuff has animal lard or fried in with meats. Ask them and they'll tell you.
First time here. Carne asada fries were perfect overall. Good amount of everything. Good taste on the Guacamole. I'm satisfied!👌 will recommend and will come again. Thank you!
Food was absolutely delicious we were visiting from Arizona and they were very helpful in helping me pick something good the chimichanga and taco salad was incredible
I ordered rolled beef tacos with guacamole. They were very tasty. I would definitely come and order those again. My fiancé got a fish burrito and it was just ok. They didn't have limes or lemons. My son got a grilled chicken quesadilla. It was good but very greasy. He needed lots of napkins. The service could have a little better welcoming skills and the atmosphere would be nicer with some music. It was very quiet.
Go in at least once a week for my lunch break. Best Mexican food and prices in the area. Enchilada sauce is homemade and not oily. Everything always taste good, and everyone is nice. Only downside is they are closed on Sundays
Great little Mexican restaurant. Carmen's has been around for ever, not always at this location. Love the polo burrito so good.
Make a reservation
Order online
Find the best restaurant in San Diego
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes