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Carlitos Diner

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

Order Carlitos Diner Takeout or Delivery

Carlitos Diner Photos

Business Info

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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Reviews are largely positive. Diners praise the authentic Mexican food, generous portions, and friendly, attentive service. The welcoming atmosphere and good value daily specials also stand out.

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2 months ago

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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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9 months ago

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5 months ago

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2 years ago

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2 years 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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2 years ago

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1 year ago

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11 months 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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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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10 months ago

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2 years 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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6 months ago

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4 years ago

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Carlitos Diner Reviews in Other Languages

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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Mel's Diner - New York Steak and Eggs

Mel's Diner

4.2(317 reviews)
2.0 mi
•$$

Stopped by one day to give this place a try. It's a very small spot, but the staff was friendly and…read morewelcoming. I ordered the country chicken fried steak. It was okay overall, but I felt like it could've used a little more seasoning. The bacon was also a bit too crispy for my taste. One thing to keep in mind is that they don't accept cards--they only take cash, Zelle, or Venmo. Overall, the experience was okay, but the friendly service was definitely appreciated.

Wow! Holy cow! That was possibly the best breakfast I've ever had in my life. I came in for regular…read morepancakes, sausage, eggs, etc. But they had chile Verde special, which the girl said they only do once a month. So I tried it out. Omg. It was like being at my aunts house. My mom was a good cook, but when it comes to straight Mexican, my aunt was always better: tamales, chilaquiles, enchilada, etc. So I was surprised because this part of town is Vietnam town, so I hadn't been to much Mexican stuff around here. SO GLAD I found this place. My other favorite diner in the world is Bite of Wyoming in San Jose, another hole in the wall style place, much more hole in the wall than Mel's, but I think Mel's blows them out of the water, at least on the Chile verde. Now I've got to come back and try the American stuff like pancakes and normal diner stuff. But holy cow, I will definitely be coming back every first Saturday of the month or whatever for this chile verde. The feel of Mel's is old school diner. Cozy, quiet, couple of nice quotes on the wall. The people are really nice and friendly. The coffee was REALLY good. I just had a regular decaf. ​Nothing fancy. I like the benches too. They're the nice cushy ones with the old, green faux leather. Not too deep or tall so you don't feel like your legs are hanging off the end, but you still have good back support. It's pricier than like denny's or whatever, but it's not a chain and the food was worth many multiples of what you can get at a cheaper place. I would say the price is on par with any mom and pop diner, like Bite, which I mentioned before. ​ The chile verde was like $19 + coffee, one extra egg, etc, so overall I had an amazing breakfast for like $28+ tip, so overall, well worth it and I'll definitely come back.

Photos
Mel's Diner
Mel's Diner - Breakfast Mix

Breakfast Mix

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Woody's Diner - BLT Sammie

Woody's Diner

3.8(383 reviews)
0.4 mi
•$$

Was treated to dinner here by a friend so unfortunately I can't comment on price as they hid the…read morebill from me but the food was awesome. Cute, comfortable interior. Booth seating is available both inside and outside - that's awesome, never seen booth seating outdoors! Ordered a Texas BBQ Burger with some fries and ranch. Ranch passes the not-too-runny test. Fries are good - crisp, seasoned like curly fries typically are but they are straight, natural cut. I may have ordered them extra crispy, I usually do. Burger was delicious, bacon onion ring, BBQ and cheese, what's not to love? Hard to mess up a western bacon cheeseburger and thankfully Woody's has a great one. Wish I would've tried a shake or malt - they looked super yummy. I had a bite of each, tasted similar so I'm unsure what the difference is. If they have a banana shake with like.. oreo or chocolate, I think that'd be divine. Service was quick, server was friendly, napkins were conveniently stocked at the table. Each booth had the fun, old-school jukebox selection, although ours was not working so I am not sure if this feature is currently active but I hope it is - always a fun thing to make people suffer with an awful song of my choice. Jokes.. jokes... they don't usually have bad songs anyway! Plentiful parking, and the restaurant is located on it's own private lot so no big strip mall traffic to deal with. Convenient. Looking forward to my next visit and bringing my burger-loving buddies along with me. Thanks for having us!

Today we ordered To Go. I changed it up from my usual with a half order of French Toast and a cup…read moreof fruit. When I got home, there was syrup yes, but no butter. It was annoying because while I was waiting for my order, I heard one of the servers ask for some whipped butter and I was looking forward to it. I didn't see powdered sugar on it either but that may have gotten absorbed in the drive home. The fruit cup was okay, heavy on the melon. All in all, not one of my favorite meals from here.

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Woody's Diner - Chilli bowl

Chilli bowl

Woody's Diner - Kids menu. Kids eat free Wednesday with an adult entree purchase.

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Kids menu. Kids eat free Wednesday with an adult entree purchase.

Dick Church's - Technically a cheeseburger, but no cheese with fresh cut fries

Dick Church's

4.1(700 reviews)
6.9 mi
•$$

Dear Yelp Community,…read more Finally, after passing this long-standing local establishment many times, I stopped to try the breakfast (as recommended by a local), and well worth it! I tried a classic breakfast with eggs, toast, and hash browns. Sandra, the server, has been working here more than 40 years! All good, and friendly staff. The interior décor is great! Although renovated, they tried to replace the original feel with wood panels, bright colors, and old-school countertop. Please keep this legacy in business. Thank you for feeding me this Labor Day. Best wishes. Sincerely, Anna

We mostly go for breakfast and the food has always been great. However, we were just there for…read moreFather's Day and as expected, it was packed. But come to find out after an hour later, the girl who seats you forgot about us. After being seated, it took another hour for the food to come out. Keep in mind, we ordered everything right when we sat down because we were watching the tables as we were waiting for ours. One thing we observed was how the front door worker was seating people. Party of 4 was seated with three tables. There was room to move the tables apart and seat others who had been waiting but that didn't happen. We came here for Mother's Day and it was packed but service was quick. Not sure what went wrong on staff for Father's Day but it was not pleasant.

Photos
Dick Church's - You just don't seem many counters you can sit at these days

You just don't seem many counters you can sit at these days

Dick Church's - Monte Cristo sandwich

Monte Cristo sandwich

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Carlitos Diner - diners - Updated October 2026

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