Went here shortly after we moved up here from Texas. Atmosphere was typical for what you'd expect for a low-end Mexican place. Service was okay, not standout in a good or bad way. Food was bland, like someone from Ohio or somewhere thought of opening a Mexican restaurant....I'm talking Taco Bell is more Mexican food than this place (and no self-respecting Texan would consider Taco Bell Mexican at all). To be honest, this place was so bland I almost completely forgot about it until the owner tried to pawn it off as the best Mexican restaurant place in Asheville (it's not, not even close). Odds of us returning are about the same as lightning striking the same area twice. read more

Nice casual Mexican spot on Merriman Ave. Service was excellent - the Highland's Cerveza was a perfect match to the HUGE burritos and enchiladas on the menu. Too much food, for great price. Happy to have a solid Mexican option on the Northside now - we will be back soon! read more

I have done a lot of traveling and I think Mexican restaurants all over a lot of places the bean dip that they bring out. I would literally hurt myself just eating that as a meal, but the enchiladas and the tostadas everything tasted just different than I've ever tasted in my life and I cannot explain it you just gotta go try it read more

This is a great Mexican restaurant if you are in the Asheville area! Would definitely recommend. I have met the owner and he is one of the coolest people you will meet. The food tastes great, with a wide variety of options to choose from (I had the Birria taco). The vibe is cozy and makes me feel at home when I visit. Would highly recommend coming to this establishment if you love Mexican food! I will be visiting again! read more

Ay Caramba - Mexican food - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

The food is ALWAYS fresh and delicious! The portions are bountiful, the staff is courteous and friendly. This is a FAVORITE for lunch and dinner! read more

We are locals and live a 5 minute walk from this restaurant. We really enjoy Mexican food and when this place opened in this location we tried it then. We decided to give them some time to really "seed in" before returning to give it another shot. After a Movie at Fine Arts we decided to go again. I so wanted to like this place so I will begin with the positive. The staff is really nice. Our server was really kind and a nice young woman. All of us ordered the chimichangas. This is to be a fried selection done in a flour tortilla. We have ordered this same dish many, many times before in every place we have lived. If this was fried-it was not apparent. One was chicken and two were steak. Both were served with copious amounts of what appeared to be queso on top. Neither one of us would ever order this again. Neither the steak nor the chicken were palatable. read more

Nice casual dining area. Food is very reasonably priced, especially considering the inflation the past 2 years. Ordered a fajita meal, a Mexican taco meal and an a la carte grilled chicken quesadilla. All were quite delicious. The fajita portion was quite generous with plenty of vegetables and large, satisfying chunks of meat. The steak taco had meat that was nicely seared and served with onion and cilantro on a corn tortilla. Just needed some hot sauce and found that missing at the table. I asked the waitress who told me they have a salsa bar near the entrance--I was in heaven! Even the unsweet iced tea was good. Highly recommended! read more

Ay Caramba - Mexican steak tacos - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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This is my love letter to a dish here: * *Aguachiles (Verdes)*** Shrimp cured in lime. Served with tomato, onion, cucumbers, avocado and covered with a special spicy salsa. Oh limey shrimp cured in delicious green chili sauce, how does this combo taste so good! The perfect balance of bright flavor, spice and complimented so nicely with tomatoes and cukes. The red onions are mellowed with the sauce they lay in. Better than ceviches I've had. This green sauce elevates this dish like nothing else. Pure, simple, fresh. Eating shrimp and veggies leaves me feeling great afterwards as well since it's all good good for you as well. I'd skip a bowl of pasta or a sandwich anyday to eat this large portion of lime cooked shrimp. This Ay Caramba is related to the other two in town since the owners are related. I love how each location has its own twist with their own menus. Recently we have been driving further to go to this one vs the one next to us to eat this dish. I'm so happy our community has embraced these locations so they can continue to flourish, yet who wouldn't with food this damn good. Finally more things in Asheville with actual real flavors. Thank you chefs for this meal option I crave! read more

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Went there the second month they were open and the worst food I have had in a long time. Hopefully they have changed .

Went for lunch. We had the pollo asado and pollo con crema. The grilled vegetables in the asado were very good. It was like a fajita only with more and better grilled vegetables. The poblano pepper was great in the crema sauce. The chicken in the con crema was good, whereas the chicken in the asado was a little too flattened and maybe a little overcooked. Portions were large, prices were reasonable and service was friendly and efficient. Large selection of salsas but you have to look for the salsa bar because it is kind of tucked away behind the reception area at the entrance, on the way to a hallway that leads to the restrooms. Overall good, not great. But for local Mexican food at a reasonable price, we'd go back. read more

Honestly really good food! I came and I was hoping this Mexican place would have some flavor, I've had trouble finding authentic good tasting Mexican food here and this place wasn't too shabby! Not a 10/10 but definitely not far off! Good prices and it didn't take long to receive it either. read more

Great food great service great jalapeño margarita! The most attentive service we have had in a long time. Loved the salsa bar. read more

Ay Caramba - Jalapeño margarita - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Food was excellent!! Wonderful service and what a great vibe!! Highly recommend Ay Caramel if you are looking for good Mexican food. read more

Ay Caramba - Great Chmichangas!! - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Stumbled upon this place while in town to tour UNCA. I think this location must be new but there are two other locations. We loved the cheesy bean dip they brought to the table with chips instead of the typical salsa. However there was a serve yourself salsa bar with multiple salsas which made this salsaholic very happy. My only recommendation would be that they label the many salsas because we had no idea which were mild and which were super spicy. House margarita was basic -- a little too sweet and not enough tequila for me. Food was AMAZING. I ordered the taco combo platter with two chicken and one carnita taco, rice and beans. It was a huge platter of food and very flavorful. Daughter enjoyed her jumbo bean burrito with ranchero sauce. read more

Ay Caramba - House margarita - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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Easy to find. And so many foods for you to choose. Will order some other meals if I had another visit there. read more

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Great service and great people! I had the Molcajete, it was exactly what I needed!!!! read more

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EXCELLENT tacos, friendly staff, and a chill atmosphere. I'm excited to try more of the menu. I'll definitely order the Birria and Chorizo tacos again as well. I'm new to the area and am overjoyed to have a go-to Mexican spot. read more

How is this place even in business? Horrible service! They served my wife warm white wine. The food blows. How does this place have 4 stars? I'm shocked! The food was disgusting. read more

A lot of people told me this place was good, but it left me and my partner stomach sick. We both ended up feeling unwell minutes after leaving and it lasted all night. The food was okay but was very bland compared to what I'd expect from a Mexican restaurant. Also, the restaurant is very small and has a calm vibe. read more

The food here is okay, I've had the vegetarian plate, which was probably the best thing I'd had there so far. The taco salad was okay, it just lacked flavor for me and not a fan of the huge fried taco shells for the salad. The beans are good dip for the chips. read more

I stopped in to get take out and had a beer at the bar. Great ambience and delicious food. I will absolutely go back for more.

This has become that restaurant that we quickly default to when we are too tired to cook! The staff are alway friendly, the chips and warm bean dip are tasty, the salsa bar is excellent and the beer and margaritas are great! But the food is even better!! From sautéed shrimp and chicken dishes to chimichangas--we have enjoyed everything we've tried. A great addition to North Asheville--and walkable from a couple of neighborhoods ! read more

The food was okay. The service was not good. They bring out the main course be for the appiziter. I would not recommend this place to anyone. read more

Really enjoyed the ground beef taco salad! My husband liked the ground beef enchiladas. Really good enchilada sauce! read more

Ay Caramba - a bar with a television and food - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Food is good and service is very friendly. Very little wait in line. Love number 9 burrito with ground beef. Also, the steak casadea has wonderful flavor. read more

This was one of the worst experiences I've had in my life. Metal was found in my friends quesadilla. They served a margarita glass that was dirty with queso inside of it to another friend. Stay away from this disgusting place. read more

Friendly service, love the salsa bar, and food is consistently very good. Our go-to for takeout.

Used to be our go to place for Mexican but something has changed. Inconsistent with quality and taste. Very hit or miss now, unfortunately.

I didn't think Asheville had room for another Mexican restaurant but Ay Caramba really shines. We started with bean dip and queso. Drinks and chips arrived with a smile from our server, who was very friendly, welcoming and was helpful explaining the ample menu. We chose a taco sampler, chili verde, and Popeye's chicken. All arrived hot and fast, spicy, and nicely presented. The portions were huge which was great, as we were all starving. I've heard things can get noisy, it was busy, but not loud on a Thursday night when we were there. We planned on trying the tres leches cake but saved that for next time! We will be back soon. read more

Food was was good. It does have a Tex-Mex taste to it though. Would not consider it "authentic Mexican food".

Recently Moved to NC from NV. Back home there were great Mexican restaurants. But it's been so hard to find such a great place like Ay Caramba! The service was on point, minimal wait time and our server/hostess was so kind and welcoming. Our food was delicious! We each ordered 4 different lunch specials for a very reasonable price! I ordered a margarita and it was so good and could tell made with love The bathrooms were super clean and very accommodating. 10/10 would recommend you can count we will be back! Thank you to the Ay Caramba team! read more

Stopped by this place on a whim - we live in the neighborhood. We. Will. Be. Back. Awesome food and very reasonably priced. Highly recommended read more

Fabulous, no complains whatsoever! Service, food and ambiance.. what more could you ask for!?

10/10 Food, amazing Horchata, and the people there are super nice they also host Car meets where any car, truck or bike can show up and the place is amazing read more

I'm from north Texas, my wife is from south Texas, and we love Ay Caramba. Closest thing we have found to Tex-Mex since we moved to WNC. Good service, robust menu, and attentive service. Different food/drink specials pretty much every day. read more

personally i was expecting authentic mexican so i was a little disappointed with the flavorless beans, unsalted, chips, and overcooked rice but the horchata was good. Service was great as well! read more

This will always be my go to Mexican restaurant in Asheville because of the quality of the food, chips and salsa bar, affordable prices, and not to mention their 32oz margaritas for only $10 to start the night out! I've always been 100% satisfied and full every time I come here. Look no further for some good Mexican eats! read more

Ay Caramba - Vegetarian fajitas for two - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Great food. Horrible service. Can't believe how rude and inattentive the employees and mgmt are. Wont be back.

Absolutely incredible! highly recommend going there! Both my fiance and I got fajitas. The entire time we just talked about how good the food is! We loved it so much we asked about their catering options for our upcoming wedding. read more

Was good! Good spot for a cheap date. You get what you pay for it feels like here. I do really like all the TVs they have to watch a game. Plus a full bar is cool! read more