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Carlota's Authentic Mexican Cuisine

3.7 (238 reviews)
ModerateMexican
Closed 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

Carlota's Authentic Mexican Cuisine Photos

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CARLOTA'S AUTHENTIC MEXICAN CUISINE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Happy hour specials
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Carlota's Authentic Mexican Cuisine

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Restaurant and bar.
Wes K.

Great food! Try the Mole! Loved the Margaritas! Great and friendly service! We'll be back!

Handcrafted fresh fruit juices make for delicious Margaritas by Ricardo.
Nick W.

Great restaurant and Ricardo make the best Margaritas! Super friendly service. AAA+ Hospitality! Always a pleasure to dine here! Authentic Mexican music and ambiance.

Margarita
Amanda H.

Both the food and the service is always amazing at Carlota's. They are great at remembering their customers and what they like to order. They've even added things to the menu based on customers' requests. The food is very tasty. I love the Carlota's salad for lunch; the chicken is so well seasoned, juicy, and tasty. The cinnamon tea and the margaritas are both great and I don't usually order margaritas. The ambiance is also very clean, nice and well put together. Overall this place is a gem in Catalina!

Restaurant menu

Carlotta's food is wonderful and we're glad to be back! Can't wait to take your wonderful Chile Rellanos to my father-in-law!

Steam coming off Shrimp Fajitas. Look at the size of those peppers. And shrimp too.
Craig W.

Okay, this place is not in Tucson, unless the city jumped over Oro Valley and landed in Catalina, which is where this is located. Another place where it isn't easy to find. You head up on Oracle, then eventually you get to the paradise of Catalina. A magical place of, well..let's move on. Carlotta's is sort of behind a bank, so you need to turn left into McDonald's then drive around. Parking is limited, but they have some on the side. Key items to remember 1. If you are over 70, or understand what Sun City crowd means - they love to eat early, thus anyone younger, you want to eat later - dinner wise. The place is big enough, far more than the parking lot. 2. Be amazed how many of the old timers drink water as their beverage of choice. I was told of this and sure enough it's like a game you can have. Seems to be either margaritas (when they are cheap) or water. Hey its a savings of $3 to $4 bucks. 3. If you can't have corn, your options are very limited..either a burrito or Fajitas. I went with the Shrimp Fajitas. The shrimp are a good size, seasoned well. The peppers are fresh and really big. I love that they don't overdo the onions like so many other places. You will want a side of guacamole because what they give you will last one tortilla. There is enough food here for two people. I always ditch the sour cream and cheese. The Pico de gallio is good, but ask for salsa. For those who like mild and mild is being nice, go with that one, it's the one that comes out with the corn chips. OR go full tilt with the hot one, you have to ask for it. Oh, and when you leave with extras if you ask, they will add some salsa to a cup.

Fancy back drop
Kimberly T.

This place is my new favorite Mexican place! I came here from a recommendation from a coworker. This place is so cute! The design of the restaurant is so pretty inside, they even have a picture of the day of dead near the bar. Ricardo was our waiter and he is just a joy. If you pay cash, you get a free dessert (fried ice cream) yum yum yum. I ordered the Carlota salad, the chicken was amazing (I think I tasted some lemon grass). Albondigas is to die for. My kids and husband ordered tacos and they were delicious. Our aunt had some smoking hot fajitas. All delicious and amazing portions. They were so kind to bring mild salsa for the kids and spicy for the adults! We are definitely making the drive back here for food next time! My aunt is Mexican and she is quite picky and she gave it a thumbs up!

Chicken tacos wirice and beans (minus one taco)
Jim A.

This was my first time at their new location In Catalina. I had been to their old location across the road on several different occasions. When they were at their old location, the food was amazing. Full of flavor and fresh. The staff was excellent and attentive. Something happened between the old locationand the new location. Something bad. Decided to break my diet one time and was really craving Carlotta's tacos. I also wanted to see the new location since it looked fancy, and I believed that the food was going to be excellent as it had been on my past visits in the old location. Boy, was I wrong. To be polite, the food quality was similar to a bad fast food experience. I ordered the chicken tacos (which I have had on all of my previous visits) with the rice and beans. When the food arrived, they brought a small bowl of chips and hot and mild salsa. The chicken tacos were in a premade shell, similar to those you get in the grocery store, stale and tasted like the package they came in. Then thicken was like warm and had no flavor. The salsa tasted like it came from a jar (it probably did) and had no spice to it. The rice and beans were okay, but nothing that anyone would crave. They didn't taste like they did at their old location. The staff was inattentive. They never came by and offered me a refill on my soda. If the food was good, I wouldn't care so much about the service, but since everything tasted and looked like it came from a box, service kinda matters to me. So, to sum it up, if you liked the old location, don't expect the same quality of food. This place is pretty much fast food, and there are other plac s around with better quality of food. In the bright side though, the new location is fancy and well decorated. Maybe the table and chairs had more flavor than the food.

Fried ice cream

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3 months ago

Food very mediocre and overpriced. Very few customers at 1:00 in the afternoon. Will not be returning again.

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1 year ago

Really great authentic food, and impeccable service. This is a favorite of ours when we visit my parents!

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1 year ago

All I can say is best Mexican cuisine I've had ever. Drinks exceptional. Food best ever. Service above average

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1 year ago

Food was okay, margaritas were too sweet. Not terrible but not sure I would go again.

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La Frida Mexican Grill & Seafood

4.6(773 reviews)
20.5 miDietz
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Fantastic food, staff and service. Love the decor and crafty décor in all aspects of the…read morerestaurant. We have eaten there many times and all the meals have been fantastic.

Spontaneous return to La Frida weekday 11am just opened , no wait , & plenty of parking …read more Didn't see brunch offered but large menu on line ( weekends?) but happy to check out some other menu choices . First four small unique salsas are brought w chips & avocado sauce . We started with the Costilla de Elote appetizer small cobs strips of corn smothered a cheese & serrano sauce tasty . ( had tried the Chicarrone steak app before very good too! ) Two refreshing mocktails Vida Libre fruit drink & Traicionera boba lavender prickly pear & both so much more . Even the water had big fresh mint leaf in it . We tried the Las Rebeldes fresh tuna on wonton chips with avocado & special sauce & Las Sufridas 3 hearty Birria tacos with dipping " juice " both beyond expectations . Also added black beans buttery" goodness . Shared a huge desert with big presentation a vanilla caramel ice cream cake topped with chicharrones placed standing on top almost architecturally, so good ! The service , decor , fresh unique food & presentation worth any and all inconveniences if any . Thank you Katerina our server , you're great . Interesting a big group of teens maybe 15-20 came in maybe school class / group w adult teacher? They sat in two big booths excited to try lunch at highly acclaimed La Frida Mexican Grille & Seafood . Fun to see them ! La Frida Mexican Grill & Seafood lives up to its hype 5 star reputation ! " I'll be back ! "

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La Frida Mexican Grill & Seafood - Cute bar

Cute bar

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Ribs marinated in their special sauce

La Frida Mexican Grill & Seafood - Las Rebeldes

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La Indita - Indian Taco & burrito

La Indita

4.4(217 reviews)
18.3 miWest University
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It had literally been decades since the last time I went to Indita, and that was at their old…read morelocation on 4th. I absolutely love their new digs! Spacious patio area, with cool lights, umbrellas, and many tables. If you have a choice and it isn't too hot, sit outside. The food is stellar! I got their ranch style flat enchilada, which is more or less a thick masa topped with enchilada flavors and spices. So yummy. (And it's vegetarian too!) The rest of the table (3 more) ordered the green chicken enchiladas. They didn't need to rave about it: their plates were completely clean at the end of the meal! We ordered Tamarindo and Horchata drinks between us, and frankly, the Tamarindo is some of the best I've ever had anywhere. Service can be a little slow, especially if they're busy. But we didn't really mind. It was a nice experience.

Excellent food in an unassuming restaurant. Being unfamiliar with the area, we passed this place…read moretwice and almost didn't go in. But I'm glad we did! Their back patio looks super cute for warmer nights and the food was great. Little bit of a wait but the friendly servers got us sat as soon as possible at 7pm Saturday. Salsa and chips were tasty, the carne asada was excellent. The corn tortillas are thick and perfectly charred. The green enchiladas were good too. The sauce was thicker than usual, but that's probably the Native fusion instead of being just Mexican enchiladas. So glad we stopped in, we ate every bite. Forgot to take a picture until I was half through!

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La Indita - Finally got to eat here!

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La Yaquesita Mexican Cuisine - Mozzarella sticks

La Yaquesita Mexican Cuisine

4.6(106 reviews)
18.5 miWest University
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Delicious food with a very relaxed and inviting atmosphere. The service was excellent. Highly…read morerecommend the Jarritos Paloma, it's delicious! I stopped in for lunch and the food and drinks really hit the spot. I also love all the plants on the patio. It feels like eating at Abuelita's house.

Overall, the service was good and the food tasted good, but the pricing didn't quite match the…read moreculinary experience for me. Honestly, I wish I could give Yaquesita a little more, maybe half a star more, because this place definitely has potential. Their flavors are good, but compared to similar restaurants the menu feels a bit overpriced. For a party of three we ended up paying around $100, which felt like a bit much for what we got. The restaurant itself is pretty small with only about 3-4 tables inside, but the patio is a decent size and has a cute vibe. It's actually a nice option on cooler days if you don't mind sitting outside. Some items were better than others. The wet-style burrito was delicious and definitely a highlight. The quesabirrias were good, however the birria felt more like fancier shredded beef. It was missing that rich, spicy, slightly acidic, earthy flavor that usually sets birria apart from barbacoa or traditional shredded beef dishes. The bowl was just okay and had lots of lettuce. It felt more like a salad with a bit of meat, rice, and beans. Honestly, Chipotle does bowls better, and that says a lot considering the price. The nachos were good, but I've had better. Seis Kitchen has amazing nachos to share. That said, it's definitely a place I'd come back to mainly out of convenience, not because one particular item on the menu won my heart. I really do hope they continue refining the menu because the flavors are there and this place could easily become a standout spot. Personally I just think at the total price of my ticket other restaurants should not even have room in my mind during my meal. If you're in the area and looking for a safe bet where everyone will probably find something they like, it's worth giving them a try.

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La Yaquesita Mexican Cuisine - A glimpse of the decor

A glimpse of the decor

La Yaquesita Mexican Cuisine - Sonora Hot Dogs and fries

Sonora Hot Dogs and fries

La Yaquesita Mexican Cuisine - 2 Piece Quesabirrias IG: ea_yelpelite

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2 Piece Quesabirrias IG: ea_yelpelite

Carlota's Authentic Mexican Cuisine - mexican - Updated May 2026

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