I'm honestly not sure why this place doesn't have a higher rating. It's such a great spot! There's indoor and outdoor seating, plus a rooftop area with a fireplace that makes for a really cozy vibe. We were visiting Eugene for four days and ended up eating here twice because we loved it so much. The chips were super fresh, and they have a nice variety of salsas with different spice levels. Their late-night happy hour after 9 p.m. is awesome. Our drinks were spot on, and the food was delicious. The only small drawback was that our pork belly tacos could've used just a little more meat, but it was the end of the night, so I'm guessing they were running low. Overall, we had a great experience and will definitely be back next time we're in town! read more

Carlita's - Eugene - Rooftop patio area - Mexican Near Me - Eugene, Oregon

I loveeeeee Carlitas but I fear everytime I go the tacos taste a ~littleeeee~ different. Went Thursday night and the Pork Belly taco was sooooo spicy I literally got Esophogitis and had to get treatment. It was not like that last time LOL. Probably that & a mixture of the acidic passion fruit marg I got as well but still dang. Carne asada is sooo good though and I still love this place. Just will be sticking with carne asada next time. Very salty chips too, which I like but some people may be against that. Eliza (i think that was her name) was great read more

Carlita's - Eugene - Passion fruit margarita - Mexican Near Me - Eugene, Oregon

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Loved my cocktail, loved the view, loved the friendly and efficient service. We only had drinks and the ahi ceviche, and I thought the ceviche was fine, but not great. They gave us a mountain of tortilla chips with it, as well as throwing in salsa for no additional charge. I'd go back, order the same drink and different food. read more

Who doesn't love patio seating on a beautiful day!? I've eaten at Carlita's 3 times and have never had a meal that wasn't great! It's a little loud when it's busy, so maybe not the best place for an intimate/important conversation. It's comfortable though. There's a dining room indoors, a patio room (great for a small company event), couches around a fire pit out on the patio, and patio tables with umbrellas (desperately needed on warmer days. I'll definitely go back and will recommend to anyone looking for good food and a unique experience! I ordered the Bourbon renewal this last visit. I wish I had just ordered a bourbon. :/ There was way too much syrup for my taste. The flavor was nice - just too much syrup. read more

This is my second time visiting. They usually always have a place for us to sit. I tried the tacos this time and they were so good. The drinks are strong as well. read more

Bland guac. Horrific chicken mole (no actual mole; just lime and tomato sauce). Nice rooftop location at the top of a hotel, but this place has no business calling itself Mexican food. read more

Being from San Diego, we know good Mexican food and margaritas -- so I'll admit, I was a little hesitant. But wow, Carlita's delivered! We sat on the rooftop soaking up the sunshine and city views while sipping margaritas (which were on point). We started with the queso -- different than what I'm used to, but absolutely delicious. The chips? Next level. They're dusted with this salty magic that had me saying, gimme more! I ordered the short rib taco and the short rib tostada -- both were flavorful, tender, and just downright yummy. I literally told my husband, "Let's come back tomorrow." In a city where we haven't found many great food spots, Carlita's was such a win. Highly recommend and definitely returning. read more

Carlita's - Eugene - Mexican Near Me - Eugene, Oregon

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Ambiance yes. Yes. Yes. Deck over looking city. Yes. Foods ok. It's not like amazing. Tacos are great quality, but the tortilla is well, store bought thin and lacking for 7$ Great chips, good virgin margaritas. But foods just a weee bit lacking. But I'll go back just for the deck. read more

Carlita's - Eugene - Carlita's Deck - Mexican Near Me - Eugene, Oregon

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Given that Carlita's is one of perhaps only 3 rooftop options in the super picturesque Willamette Valley, I felt like we had to try it even though the reviews are all over the place. On a Sunday night (of Labor Day weekend) it was pretty busy. We came after dinner to have drinks and dessert as a group of 6. We were surprised to be sat quite quickly, at a table between windows to no view to really speak of. It would have been nice to be able to check out the view. We were not served quickly and fully understand the strains of being under staffed and busy. Our server made a point multiple times of explaining this but it didn't really save any face. We ordered drinks and one serving of each dessert - a brownie, flan and churros. The flan was the best and that was still not amazing. The servings were generous so I will give them credit for that, but the flan was falling apart, the churros were over cooked and the brownie was the most dense thing I've ever had. Overall, pretty disappointed. I can't give the place 1 star, it really has location over all and they're trying, being short staffed isn't the remaining staff's fault. But I don't think I will return. read more

Carlita's - Eugene - Top left - churros, front center - flan, top right - brownie - Mexican Near Me - Eugene, Oregon

I love The Gordon and appreciate the convenience of Carlito's on the rooftop. I REALLY wanted to love their food, too. I ordered the ceviche and chips as my meal and appreciated the high ratio of tuna to vegetables in the dish. I didn't even mind that the dish was a little small because it the helping of tuna was generous. What I didn't like was that the chunks--I'm using that word intentionally--of tuna were so poorly cut, of various sizes, and tissue often remained between pieces. This made putting a mouthful on a chip pretty difficult, which resulted in my dropping a lot and eventually using a fork. I realize this sounds like a "champagne problem" --oh my, a fork?!--but details matter. In fairness, I must note that I did enjoy the flavor, which is why it earned three stars. Overall, the dish was amateurish but it could be turned around with minimal effort. read more

Carlita's - Eugene - Tuna ceviche - Mexican Near Me - Eugene, Oregon

We went to Carlita's at The Gordon rooftop to celebrate my birthday. The view and the space were beautiful, but the service from our server, Connor, was some of the worst I've experienced in decades of dining out. We stood at the host stand in plain sight for several long minutes while he ignored us, preferring to chat with tables that had already finished and even make a drink for them before finally greeting us with a dismissive "3? Inside or out?" Throughout the night, Connor disappeared for long stretches, forgot water multiple times, and only brought salsa after repeated reminders. When he finally delivered the water, he carried the glasses by sticking his fingers inside them -- my glass even had his fingerprint inside. For anyone who's ever worked in hospitality or simply expects basic cleanliness, this was a shocking breach of service standards. The kitchen did their part -- the food was timely and fine -- but Connor's inattentiveness and attitude ruined the experience. I almost never leave a restaurant without tipping, but in this case I felt I had no choice. That said, I recognize that bartenders and chefs get tipped out by servers, and they did nothing wrong. In fact, the bartender and chef went out of their way to warmly acknowledge us on the way out. I plan to return specifically to tip them directly, because they showed the professionalism and hospitality that was missing from our server. read more

Ok let me set the scene. A bday party with 20 people in attendance. Private party with an amount that had to be spent. The food was amazing. We had a taco bar with 3 meats and all the fixings you can imagine. Our server? She is the reason for the 3 stars. I don't know why there was 1 bartender and we only had 1 server, but that was the setup. She was not very personable and snapped a couple of times about her bartender was just so busy. Dampened the experience considerably. Will I go back. Yes. But I don't think I'd do a group event there again. read more

Great food and margaritas! The Carlita's skillet is a must have. Super great to have a rooftop place in Eugene too. Pretty sunset views in the summer! read more

Carlita's - Eugene - Mexican Near Me - Eugene, Oregon

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sat at the bar. had amazing service and wonderful food. the atmosphere is great-- smart yet casual and the ambiance is brilliant. it's stunning views of eugene in a trendy area without the trendy prices read more

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This place is great for some outdoor Summertime rooftop dining in Eugene. We stopped by for a light dinner on our last night in Eugene. The weather was perfect and the shade umbrellas on the rooftop deck were perfect for the heat. My daughter and I shared a bottle of the blackberry margarita and my wife had a passionfruit mocktail margarita. The blackberry margarita was very refreshing. We shared the chips and guac which came with a large amount of guac (bonus!), and shared some tacos and the elote. My daughter had the Walla Walla Pappas Tostada and I had the Chicken Mole Tostada. My only suggestion is that the tostadas were on the dry side and needed some more mole or mole on the side. Overall we had a great server named Laurie and a fun time. I recommend Carlita's for a Summer's afternoon aperitif or dinner with a view! read more

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Pork belly and blackened salmon tacos with the green sauce were tasty. Pork belly for the win. Service was friendly, quick and efficient. Drinks were on point and the view made everything better. Go, you will love it. read more

The rooftop bar was a delight in the early evening in Spring with the sun shining. There are about 15 tables or so total, not many and not too loud. We were there a couple minutes before the end of Happy Hour (6pm) but she took our orders and charged Happy Hour price. The margaritas were humhum- not great, not awful, just not very flavorful and a bit sweet. Not much alcohol in them, pretty weak and lots of rock ice so very little "drink". It came with chips and salsa when ordering drinks at Happy Hour. I liked the chips, good combo of salt and peppery, and a touch of sweet. The salsa was bland and uninspiring. I had a carnita taco and a mole chicken taco. Those are the Small sized street taco size. Unfortunately it only is served on one instead of two tortillas so it falls apart easily. Carnitas were well flavored, chicken was bland. Supposed to have pickled onions and apple... well, not on my taco. Disappointed. We also had the skillet with chips, kind of a bean-yellow cheese- spread dip like dish which was horrible: smell and taste of smoke overwhelming and cumin tasting. Just plain awful! So, yes I will come by for some weak drinks during a nice day on the patio, but I will not return just for the food. read more

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A friend wanted to meet me at Carlita's for tacos to thank me for a favor I did. I love tacos! So when I got done with work, I went over to meet them. Parking? Yeah. There's that. Good luck. I can't offer anything other than if you're local, ride your bike and lock it up good. I finally found a place to park that wasn't too far. Do you like to take the stairs instead of ride the elevator? Yeah. Me too. I got to the second floor and couldn't find any stairs going up higher. I had to take the elevator to the seventh floor. That's not Carlita's fault, but still. I mean... I'm going to eat and drink, so burning off a few calories climbing stairs seems pretty basic. I digress. Because of the time it took to park, I got to just miss happy hour. That's OK. I tried my friend's margarita, a house margarita, and it was truly uninspired. Truly. I am glad they arrived during happy hour because even at happy hour prices, it was not a good cocktail. I had a long drive, so I wasn't going to have one anyway. But I do enjoy a good 'rita. This one - not so good. On to the tacos because that's what it's all about. I got a Cochinita Pibil and a short rib taco. Both were quite good. Even the tortillas were acceptable. Ding! That's a good thing. My friend got a kale & spinach taco and a blackened salmon taco. The kale taco was good, but the fish taco was bad enough my friend sent it back and ordered something else. Bummer! But Carlita's made it right; they comped both of the original tacos and only charged her for the carne asada taco. So that's a good end to that part of the story. The tacos weren't terribly expensive, but were a bit on the pricey side for what they were. This shouldn't be a surprise since they're a rooftop restaurant with a view. Prices are a bit better during happy hour. Four bucks for chips and salsa though seems steep. Cocktails are often expensive, so I can hardly ding 'em for that except their house margarita... sucked. The ambiance was variable. It seemed like a place for 30-somethings to go be seen and have cocktails. There was one table of working class folks enjoying an after work taco and drink, but it was mostly younger folks in clothes designed more for being looked at than being comfortable in. Will I go again? Maybe. Am I in a rush? Not really, but where else can a fellow go for a good taco in Eugene? Yeah, Tacovor, and their tacos are good but it's a travesty what they call a tortilla. Friends don't let friends eat uncooked tortillas. This is something that Carlita's got right, at least for the tortillas I had. They looked like they weren't made in-house, and that's a ding, but better a decent commercially made tortilla than a crappy house-made one. Seriously. Where's the good tacos in Eugene? read more

Server was awesome, gave us time to have conversation about the drink menu and food menu before showing back up. Helped guide our decisions on drinks. Food was amazing, drinks were great and the view was incredible. read more

Atop the Gordon Hotel at 5th street market place, this is such a pleasant place to enjoy lunch/dinner. We visited during happy hour and as you can see, the plates were full and tasty. This gem is kind of hidden which I think lends itself to a serene atmosphere. Full bar and drinks are strong. If you haven't tried, visit and enjoy yourself! read more

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After the restaurant downstairs failed big time, my party of five scrambled upstairs to see if we could get any food served to us in time to make our show 55 minutes later at the Hult Center. Carlita's came through BIG time!!! Quickly seated, extremely helpful and friendly waitress (Sami) and food (and drinks!) came out fast and delicious. We left 45 minutes after arriving - happy and full. Will definitely be back and spread the word! Recommend the Carlita's skillet & elote (street corn) off the cob. Tacos & Chips w/guacamole were delicious as well. Thank you for saving the evening Carlita's and staff!! read more

Carlita's - Eugene - HOTEL DEL Hotel Del. Tequila, aperol, passion fruit, coconut milk, lemon, agave, house-made firewater - Mexican Near Me - Eugene, Oregon

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If you want a great rooftop view, this is a great option. If you want good service, this will cancel the view. 24 mins, had to get up and ask for service, it still didn't done. 31 mins, no service! It was not that busy! Just wow! read more

I'm going to go back and try the outside rooftop when it's warm. While we appreciated the happy hour we stumbled into (even on weekends folks!) , and the views are great, we'd not go back for the food or the margarita we tried. The margarita was VERY sweet- housemate sour was the only thing I could taste & it was reminiscent of the stuff that comes in a bottle that I don't consider a margarita. No lime. No tequila. Good salsa, But chips had sugar & salt?? Chips don't need sugar!! Tacos were decent but not stand out enough to make me as this to regular rotation. I'll try it in the summer and report back. read more

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Great margaritas, great food, great ambiance, and the cutest, best server you've ever had.

I really want to like this restaurant because it has great ambiance, and Mexican food is my favorite. However, our experience last night was disappointing. Our party of 10 ate in shifts because meals didn't arrive at the same time. We all ordered tacos, some with soup, and the meals came out in three separate waves. It is awkward when some of your party is eating, while the rest wait for their food. Unfortunately, all our tacos were cold, even the last one served. The soup was barely warm, despite the bowl being hot. Our waitress was nice but didn't check in again, and everyone at the table said they would've ordered a second drink if she had. The experience at Carlitas was a letdown. They add a fixed 20% tip for parties of 6 or more, but with poor service and cold food, it didn't feel justified. Also, they charge for chips and salsa, which you'll likely need to order while waiting for your meal. read more

Would do zero, but bartender was kind while we were waiting. It was our anniversary, we sat at the bar to wait for an outside table which was fine. But weird communication when we got told our table was ready but not quiet so they could clean it but then they never came up to tell us it was ready ready or which table it was. We waited an hour to get sat, We finally sat outside and never even got addressed by a server. Not helped whatsoever, seriously ignored. Made eye contact with servers and they completely avoided us. They weren't busy whatsoever. We wasted 2 hours of our night sitting around wondering if we were ghosts... never even put in an order. Never even said goodbye or have a good night when we walked out. Not addressed whatsoever. Horrible. HORRIBLE. HORRIBLE. The energy of our anniversary shall not be ruined by this terrible and horrifically expensive place. Train your people and hire people who care! read more

Went with friends who had been before and said the food was just okay but the ambiance exceptional. They were right about the ambience, but underestimated the food. It was very good and a lot more original that just your basic Mexican. Not to say that the required chips and salsa and guacamole weren't great, because they were, but they had some rally interesting tacos and the chicken tortilla soup was delicious. Service was very friendly and spot on. A little pricey but I guess you are paying extra for the view. read more

We popped in for an early date night on Saturday and had a great time! Arrived at 5pm and there was already a good crowd inside and outside. It was a nice sunny day and the doors between the inside and outside were open creating a nice open-air atmosphere. There were a few open tables on the patio. We sat at a tall table at the edge. Overall it was a great rooftop view with a nice breeze. I was glad I had a hat to block the sun shining in my face. After being seated we immediately were presented a basket of chips and salsa. Gotta love that. The salsa was great, dark red and smokey, with a spicy kick. Chips were very good too. We started off with some cocktails -- a margarita and a paloma -- and they were both solid. My lady is picky about margaritas and she approved of this one. For food we got the pulled mole chicken salad and a few tacos. We both thought the salad was good and enjoyed all the stuff in it. The tacos aren't that big but I really enjoyed my chicken taco and carne asada. I'd probably skip the mushroom taco next time. The food came out quite fast despite the large crowd, which was a nice surprise. The tacos are a bit pricey, though the happy hour (4pm-6pm) prices saved us a few bucks. This is definitely a nice happy hour spot. All in all it was a great time with good food and service. By the time we left at 6 the place was pretty full and music was playing creating a fun and energetic atmosphere. I'll definitely be back to try out more tacos! read more

Carlita's - Eugene - 3 tacos. Good! - Mexican Near Me - Eugene, Oregon

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The place is super cute. The chips and salsa were REALLY good. Highly recommend. The bartender was very good. But the house margarita had zero alcohol. Kind of a buzzkill. Also, this place really needs some sort of gimmicky margarita (with actual tequila in it please). It'd help a lot I think. And maybe I'd come back to try it. read more

Wow, just wow!!! Went there before the Gipsy Kings show on Friday. Have been meaning to go there for awhile now. It took me a year to go there. Sorry I hadn't made it before. The queso dip was awesome. My only negative, which isn't reflected on the stars is the shrimp ceviche. Limp and flavorless. Not enough acidity, heat or overall flavor. All of the tacos we had were amazing but were way heavy handed with the "slaw". Service was on point, drinks were awesome. Can't wait to go back. read more

Carlita's - Eugene - Mexican Near Me - Eugene, Oregon

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Worst service I've had in 80 years. Food mediocre, when it arrives. Spoke to the manger about the service. He yelled at me , loud enough for dinners to hear. He said "fine, now leave, go". They seem to thrive on selling drinks to college students. Certainly not on food or service. Wish I had read Yelp reviews before going here. read more

My partner and I showed up three separate times to try to get a table just for their hours to be incorrect and for Carlita's to be closed. The one time we are able to get a table, we ended up waiting for 20 minutes with no service before just opting to leave read more

This certainly was a disappointment. The service was so poor it was almost comical. After we arrived, we waited nearly 15 minutes before someone spotted we didn't have water or drinks. The server arrived, took our order, and literally brought our chips and salsa at the same time as she brought our drinks and food order. The food was...edible, it was a late dinner for us, so we ate it without complaining, but we should have. Before we finished, the server threw our bill on the table. She didn't ask how things were, didn't ask if we needed anything else, etc. We don't live in Eugene, but we will NOT return to this establishment. read more

We had lazy service and an automatic tip added, which is perhaps why the lazy service. The food was fine not great. It was disappointing, and I wrote to the managers before publicly posting. I didn't get a response at all, which is doubly disappointing. Think twice about spending your money here. read more

I really wanted to like this place--tacos on the rooftop of a fancy hotel! We ate here on a Saturday night and they don't take reservations but we got a table in the main dining room right away. Had a pretty nice view. The wait staff was attentive. I got two tacos (blackened salmon and a mole chicken) and they were bland. I don't normally complain about serving sizes but for $11.50 the amount of taco filling was tiny. My house salad was mediocre and so was my partner's poblano chicken salad. The views are fun but I wouldn't return for the food. read more

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We had a party of 8 and our server was awesome! I had the bourbon renewal which he recommended. It was really good. read more

Carlita's - Eugene - Bourbon Renewal - Mexican Near Me - Eugene, Oregon

Great views. Friendly staff. Nice Happy Hour. Enjoy the walk through the beautiful hotel lobby before headed up to 7th floor for the rooftop bar/restaurant. Come for happy hour, 4-6pm & 9pm-close. read more

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The shortrib and cocktails are my favorite! The staff are friendly and make it an enjoyable experience every time. It's beautiful and has an amazing roof top dining area. read more

Like being on the Top of the World or at least the Top of Eugene. Sitting on the patio the view was great. So were the ahi ceviche, great selection of tacos and wonderful cocktails. This hidden gem on the roof of the new Gordon Hotel is popular but the terrific hostess makes sure to find a perfect table inside or on the roof patio quickly. For something special we plan to make this a regular on our list. read more

Carlita's - Eugene - Top of Eugene. Cheers! - Mexican Near Me - Eugene, Oregon

A great place to catch a happy hour drink on a sunny day. They have some decent happy hour drink prices that include a free chips and salsa basket. They are quite busy any time the sun is out and the outdoor area can get very hot if you are not lucky enough to get one of the shaded seats. Took about 15 minutes for a server to come take out drink order, though it was a pretty busy Friday afternoon. Food and drinks came fairly quickly after that though. The taco we had was decent and the salsa was quite tasty. Overall, I think a worthwhile stop for happy hour, but wouldn't pay full price read more

Carlita's - Eugene - Mexican Near Me - Eugene, Oregon