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Carlitos Diner

4.4 (722 reviews)
Closed • 8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Updated over 3 months ago

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CARLITOS DINER ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for groups
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Carlitos Diner

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Reviews With Photos

Interior
Howie C.

Taco Tuesdays are truly Taco Tuesdays here! I came for Taco Tuesday and their Junior Crispy Tacos are only $1.49 each. The taco shells are fresh fried and packed with meat, lettuce and cheese. So good and such a great deal! My order came with complimentary chips and salsa and the food arrived at my table within a few minutes. I will need to come back and try some of the other stuff, but I really love the tacos!

Framed paintings by OVHS art students..
Cor V.

Cinco de Mayo day and it falls on a Taco Tuesday as well.. it's a Carlitos Diner for the three of us. Grand daughter and the lovely missus are inside already and getting menus and a booth. The young server was very nice and the lady manager made sure our feast would be a super experience. Did I say feast...yes! For the grand daughter it is #8 which looks like taquitos with rice and beans, but she is also fond of a crunchy potato taco and hortacha drink.. the lovely missus loves chili Relleno with rice and beans and gets a crunchy beef taco as well. She opted for lemonade. My eyes are on the tacos for this special day and I get 2 beef crunchy tacos and ofcourse I opt for the pozole with hominy and lots of chunky morsels of protein....sprinkle the cabbage, onions and cilantro and seasonings with 4 hot corn tortillas and I have my feast.... Horchata is my drink of choice and Carlitos Diner has a good tasting one. We also ordered a breakfast burrito and a bean and cheese burrito which will prolong our feast at home. We loved the paintings of Mexican food fare by OVHS art students. The paintings line the wall in a decorative fashion making for a bright and comfortable dining room. This Carlitos Diner was on the winning side of the battle.

Crunchy taco
Kim W.

Food was good, service was great I went for a quick bite ~ great crunchy taco. Service was wick, food tasty!

This used to be a wet burrito.  My hub ate the whole thing!!
Julie N.

I've been coming here regularly for a few months ever since I heard this place was struggling possibly due to an illness in the family. Not sure how true that story is, but my point here is... the lady at the counter is not as "friendly" as one would expect, especially if they are trying to keep their business alive. I thought she might be having a bad day, so I just wrote it off, but now that I've been here numerous times, I guess that's just how she is. Not a customer oriented friendly "front office" type. I referred this place to a friend who has also been a regular customer recently but, today, coincidentally, he mentioned he had a bad experience with the younger cashier. The food here is good and I don't mind continuing to support them, especially because it's convenient for me, but ... there are plenty of other small businesses to support, if I don't feel appreciated... After reading a few other reviews... it seems we're not the only ones who've noticed this "not exceptionally friendly" service... SMH

Fish Taco
Amanda C.

Cute, mom-and-pop spot that instantly feels welcoming. The bright yellow walls give the place a cheerful vibe, making it a fun stop for a casual lunch. My husband and I are big fans of hardshell tacos, so naturally, we had to give theirs a try. Both the chicken and beef were very good. The chips and salsa they brought out were also solid, with just the right amount of kick. This place is perfect for a spur-of-the-moment lunch. The menu has plenty of options, but honestly, I think I'll definitely come back for the tacos.

Cristine O.

This restaurant has good food but they need to be more transparent with their customers. We've had two subpar experiences back to back. We went a few weeks back on May 29th because they put out a flyer saying that the FV location was going to have a buffet but the HB location would have their taco Tuesday specials all day. We went and tried getting the Taco Tuesday special and the lady who took our order said they weren't doing that. I was a bit surprised since the flyer stated they did and the last time they had the buffet at the other location, we had no issue ordering the special. If they didn't want to honor their special, it should not have been included on the flyer. The second time was tonight. We went in for a smash burger and made it a combo. Usually when you order a combo, it comes with fries and a drink. We were surprised when we saw the price and when we questioned why we were charged an additional $3.50 each, they said it was for the sodas. If the sodas are not included in the combo, this should be relayed to the customer so they aren't surprised when they pay. We like coming here for food but I unfortunately don't see us coming back here for all the surprise charges on the food.

Taco Tuesday combo plate and two street tacos all for $11
Beau A.

This was some of the best Mexican food I have had in Orange County. I haven't found anything that reminds me of home in a hot minute. The staff were kind and it was cute to eat there. Their weekly deals are incredible. You will see me there every taco Tuesday

Menudo con pata
Anacleto E.

Wifey and I ordered desserts next door and went to one of our favorite places to eat for a light snack but was greeted by a scowling, indifferent and attitude-filled server. We asked for specific menu items and were answered with an eye roll! So, we just ordered and left... I guess you should only come in for breakfast and lunch because the service goes out the window when the closing shift shows up.

Chicken Fried Steak

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2 months ago

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6 months ago

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11 months ago

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2 months ago

Really good pozole. Hole-in-the-wall vibe, in a good way. Always have the pozole, but burritos look good.

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1 year ago

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2 months ago

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11 months ago

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1 year ago

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3 months ago

Delicious food and attentive customer service. Also, the best pozole I've had compared to other restaurants!

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

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3 months ago

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7 months ago

Love the food here and if you pass by, turn around and go back! Three meals a day, so there is no excuse!

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9 months ago

Really felt like we were interrupting the cashier from more important tasks and the food was only fair. Will not be back.

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4 months ago

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9 months ago

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2 years ago

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6 months ago

Always great affordable meals. Good quality generous portions and wonderful service. Our go to for lunch hands down!

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4 years ago

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Ask the Community - Carlitos Diner

Carlito s has very good food & the people are very nice.?

Very nice staff. Carlito's met me at their front counter. He's a really nice guy and spoke to me for awhile. Their tinga was great! A little bit of onion and cilantro topped it off nicely.

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I took my bride here for our anniversary last night and it was wonderful. Located next to the…read moreBungalow in Pacific City, it was our first visit here. Easy to park in their lot and it was free with validation. Six or so tables along the glass on the patio, and another 4-6 in the dining room, make this a wonderful pace for dinner, apps or drinks while watching a sunset. Mia at the front desk made sure we had a great seat. Phil was our waiter and he took great care of us all evening. A delicious paloma martini got us started and we loved the spicy tuna tartare tacos. The short ribs with pineapple cheesy risotto was yummy and my wife loved the salmon and mashed potatoes. Huge portions and the price was not crazy. Pretty quiet on the patio aside from a few loud motorcycles along PCH. The dining room was a bit louder with the piped in music but too loud in there. We will definitely be back. Solid dinner house with great ocean views.

The Brant restaurant offers ocean views, variety of dishes, and good vibes. It is located in…read morePacific City outdoor shopping retail and restaurant center. Parking is available underground. Take the escalator up and the restaurant is located on the second floor near H&M and on the same end near Pasea Hotel. The restaurant will validate up to two hours. Don't forget to bring the ticket with you. After that, I stayed maybe around 45 minutes over and paid $8 in parking fees. There's a self-pay kiosk next to the escalator. We came on a Saturday around 11 AM for brunch. My friend made reservations for our group through OpenTable. There were five of us and we were seated at a small table away from the window. We knew we would be ordering several dishes to share and needed extra space. We requested to be seated at the larger table next to the window, which was available. Our server contacted the manager and he was able to accommodate our request. That was wonderful. While we were there, the other side of the restaurant was barely in use. Two dining areas are divided by floor to ceiling glass doors or walls. Our group had different preferences for drinks, which included bloody Mary, strawberry basil mule, and guava margarita. I had the mule cocktail and I was not a big fan. It was rather plain and watered down and I didn't really taste any strawberry, but I did like the basil essence in the drink. We ordered all types of dishes to share, including the pretzel bread board bites, which came with three different dipping sauces. This was pretty good, but I probably wouldn't get it again. I read another review which raved about the chicken wings and the seasoning, but my friends and I did not like it that much. It was overly salted. The artichoke hearts were pretty good and creamy and came with a good lemon garlic aioli sauce. The Manhattan style clam chowder was enjoyed by a couple of my friends. It had chunks of tomatoes and a strong seafood based broth. We also got the steamed clams in a white wine broth which came with one piece of toasted buttered bread to soak up the broth. The brussels sprouts with pancetta bits and sliced almonds was cooked perfectly and had the right amount of crunch. We also ordered the Brant breakfast sandwich, which was hearty and yummy. The seared ahi salad was a was a healthy choice with Napa cabbage slaw and a honey sesame vinaigrette. This was just ok. Perhaps the vinaigrette needed a bit more seasoning. The server was not that friendly but she was efficient enough and took away the dishes when needed. Overall, we were pleased with the food and the beautiful views, even though it was a cloudy overcast day. Looking forward to returning with other family and friends.

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3.8(212 reviews)
4.3 mi•Pacific City
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I've been here a couple times. Especially for their signature cocktail (the Laurel, cocktail)…read more My good friend Michelle and her pup Took me here for a birthday brunch and to take photos at the hotel for the fall fest they were having (dog friendly) I made a reservation in advance and got there a couple minutes early (They take reservations and highly recommend them during peak hours) I checked in with the hostess, sandy. She was extremely friendly and asked how my day was. I told her there would be a dog coming as well and if we could get sat in an area with some shade on the patio. She also asked if we would want a dog menu (I said yes) and she sat me down Amanda, was our waitress. She was really friendly as well The place has a nice view of the water and nice breeze It was brunch menu time and we ordered a few things to share -side of their crispy potatoes -Smash Burger 4oz Wagyu Beef Patty, Caramelized Onions, Lettuce, Tomato, Cheddar, Garlic Aioli, Fries and asked for sides of ranch -Brioche French Toast Whipped Pumpkin Cream-Cheese, Pecans, Spiced Maple Syrup -Breakfast Burrito Scrambled Eggs, Slow-Braised Adobo Beef Birria, Tater Tots, Pepper Jack, Avocado, Lime Crema, Salsa Quemada -for the pup off the dog menu Beef Brisket "Sandwich" DF Roasted Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables And Amanda even brought out a little birthday dessert. The place is clean It's easy to get to from the entrance of the hotel. Just follow the signs The bathroom is right outside the restaurant by the hostess check in stand The food was great and id gladly come back. This is usually a place I come to with friends from out of town for the view and the other things this hotel has to offer (the spa and the treehouse) 5 stars for food 5 stars for Amanda and sandy 5 stars for the nice view

We stayed at Pasea and the nigh we arrived, the Treehouse and Lorea were closed!! Such a bummer so…read morewe went to eat dinner elsewhere, but the next early afternoon we came back to Lorea and tried brunch and some lunch. We started with coffee, which was nice and strong. They brought me a side of oat milk, which is so appreciated. We then got the mimosa flight with pomegranate, cranberry and pineapple juices, this was delish! We ordered an omelet plate and the breakfast plate and the food was excellent. The potatoes are crispy with lots of seasoning. The portion was big, I took about half of the breakfast plate home. After hanging out in the patio for an hour or so, we got more drinks, the cocktails are really tasty but pricey and not very strong. Ordered the salmon salad for the last meal and it was cooked perfectly, and the vinaigrette was so yummy and light. Steep price for such a small light salad! Our two servers very very helpful and always came to check on us throughout the meal. Gorgeous patio with an ocean view.

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