It's been a minute since my last visit to Carmen's, and I'm happy to report that this cozy little spot is still just as clean and the staff just as welcoming as I remembered. Since it was Taco Tuesday, I decided to mix and match a few items: The Puffy Tacos: Carmen's is famous for these, and they were incredibly tasty. If I'm being entirely honest, I remember them being just a little bit puffier on my last visit--but hey, that could easily be a figment of my imagination! Either way, the crispy beef flavor hit the spot. The Pork Tamale: This was the absolute star of the show. It was flat-out delectable. My only regret is that I didn't order two or three more to take home. The Sides: The refried beans were standard but solid. I ended up pairing the whole plate with some fresh avocado and a generous douse of Sriracha, which brought everything together perfectly. It's great to see a local favorite keeping up the hospitality and great food. I definitely won't wait so long to come back next time--especially when those tamales are calling my name! read more

Carmen's Cocina II - A banner from inside the restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Olathe, Kansas

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I've been wanting to try this place out often as I pass it often. My BIL also told it was good. I ordered the Carne Asada Gordita Platter. It came with two Gorditas, rice and beans. I also ordered the chips and queso. The steak was seasoned well. I give the Gordita a 9/10. The rice and beans could've had more flavor. I give both a 6/10. The chips and queso 8/10. Chips tasted homemade. The queso was really good too! Customer service was good. read more

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after charging us .25 per slice of lime i realized this is the last place i will ever eat at again.

Great small family operation. Fresh homemade tamales several days a week. Food is good, atmosphere is okay for the size. I would eat there tamales whenever I get an opportunity. Mmmm read more

Have been looking for a good breakfast taco place. Found it!. Great breakfast options. Great prices and good service. Bacon taco definitely the belle of the ball. Will be back read more

Fresh authentic tacos. Golden crisp quesadillas were a favorite. So flavorful! Super friendly and fast. Can't wait to go back! read more

Carmen's Cocina II - Mexican Near Me - Olathe, Kansas

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Food is always delicious, never disappointed. I wish the hours were more suitable I always want breakfast burritos on Sunday

Well, I don't really have any feedback on the food, because I couldn't place an order. This evening, I was hoping to give this place a try and order dinner because they are open until 7pm. At 6:05 I went online to place an order and it said online ordering unavailable. I then tried to call, but it went directly to voicemail and it stated "the mailbox is full". I tried a few more times without success. read more

Have eaten here several times. Always pleased with food quality and quantity. Have a great lunch menu.

Great tacos, service exceeded expectations, convenient location. We will come back often.

This place makes great tamales but doesn't serve them every day. They also have really good crunchy tacos. Nachos were not great. Seemed like a lot of meat and a small amount of melted (American?) cheese over chips. This is a small venue best for carryout. I'm working my way through their menu. They also serve breakfast. Be aware of their hours as they're not what you expect compared to other restaurants. read more

Tamale was dry and small and they didnt fill the menudo cup to the top will not be going back. Menudo was good i had to add jalapenos and lime from home read more

I go to Carmen's quite regularly and love the owner & the food. Today, I got a taco platter (3 tacos, rice & beans), a chicken quesadilla, a large guacamole, & chips. I asked how many salsa's would come with my order because the last time I ordered, there simply wasn't enough provided to cover our meals. I was told 2 (to go ramekins, 1.75 oz). TWO for three tacos, a quesadilla and large guacamole. I asked for two more and was charged $.50 for them. I understand it's only .50 cents, but it seems like a poor place to up charge your customers. Just my opinion. Additionally, their "large" guacamole is not large. Carmen's, did you change the size of the large guacamole? I've only ordered it while eating in & the portion when ordering to go seems significantly smaller, but I could be wrong. Side note- Their chips are unbelievably good. Homemade. You can order large or regular size. The large will feed 20+ people. This review would be 5 star all the way if this had not happened. Salsa should be provided in my opinion 4 total for the meals (2 per meal) and maybe, 1 for the guacamole. This review is primarily to let people know so that they can order extra salsa. Bring your change! read more

Carmen's Cocina II - Taco Platter Quesadilla Guacamole - Mexican Near Me - Olathe, Kansas

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We hadn't been here in a long time and good news, it's still amazing. We shared chips and salsa which were delicious. My son had beef tacos on the hard shell and he loved them. I had the special which was a chimichanga (chicken with queso) and it too was delicious. The best part is that the owners and their family provide us with such friendly service. read more

We have tried most of the items on the menu and often have a hard time deciding what to order because everything is delicious. The staff is very friendly. It is run by a local family who treats every customer like they are part of the family. While the store appears small there are plenty of tables so don't be afraid to go grab one. It's hard to reflect how much we love Carmen's and we hope you decide to give them a try! read more

Had a taste for a torta today and went to a place I had been past a number of times. Always busy so we decided to stop and were not at all disappointed. Walk up counter with the menu above and owner asked what we were looking at. Told him was our first time there and I was looking for a torta and what did he recommend. Mentioned his favorite was Barbacoa - easy decision! I had the barbacoa and wife had the shredded beef. Authentic torta, amazing bread and the slow cooked meat was very good. I asked if he had a spicier salsa - brought on out that was a wonderful slow burn but not overwhelming. Owner took time to sit and talk with us, he is a good christian man that works in the restaurant with parents, wife and children. We will definitely be back, wife will use for catering for work. Also open for breakfast at 7:00a - which is where I saw them first - construction trucks lined up and bring out bags of food - go to where the workers go! Worth a try for authentic Tex-Mex food with a Northern Mexico flair! read more

After reading all the wonderful reviews we gave it a shot this morning for breakfast! A Saturday morning at 10 am - maybe had to wait in line for 3 minutes which was just enough time to look over the menu! Great breakfast selection - fast service - came out hot - customer service was very friendly! I ordered the chorizo quesadilla (very tasty) Hubs ordered the chorizo breakfast burrito, a soft sausage taco and a soft bacon taco for us to try. I think out of all 4 items the quesadilla was the best, we both weren't fans of the bacon taco, sausage taco was good but probably wouldn't order that one on its own - and hubs said the burrito was good but he liked the quesadilla better since it was grilled and had more cheese taste to it. Over all, a very cute friendly place! Glad we came in to try it today! Will definitely be back to try out lunch soon! read more

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The food is delicious, the family is wonderful, if I had to have a negative? Limited hours, but I'll arrange my schedule to be there.

Pretty good. I got a chorizo breakfast taco, a bacon breakfast taco, and a bacon breakfast gordita. The chorizo taco was really good. The bacon on both of the other items was really dry and didn't have much flavor .I wouldn't get the bacon items again. If I go back I'd probably try the chorizo breakfast burrito instead. I'm also interested to try their tamales so I'll definitely go back again. read more

Carmen's Cocina II - Bacon breakfast taco, bacon breakfast gordita, and chorizo breakfast taco - Mexican Near Me - Olathe, Kansas

Food and service is superior. I started going for the chorizo breakfast burritos, and still do, but the gorditas are dynamite and the Torta sandwich is a monster. Very fresh down home Mexican fare. Stay and eat in a friendly atmosphere or take it to go. A neighborhood go to spot. read more

If you are looking to escape the clutches of tex-mex cuisine and want to sample family orientated Mexican food, i highly suggest Carmen's Cocina II. I've been to Carmen's maybe 4-5 times now. I am from the west coast where mexican food reigns supreme and ive struggled to find decent mexican food in Olathe. I want something fresh, not oily, and filled with flavor. I think Carmen's achieves that while also creating a friendly family environment that makes you feel like you are a quick bite from your neighbors. Ive had taco, tortas, nachos, and burritos here. I would say the torta is my favorite with the barbacoa meat. the sandwich is filled with fresh cilantro, avocado and cheese. the barbacoa meat is suite but the stew flavor blends well with the fresh avocado and light torta roll. I would no recommend nachos if you are looking for something special. The tacos, especially crunchy tacos are good if you looking for something lighter than a torta. Overall, Carmen's Cocina II is good mexican food with a family feel in the cooking and deserves that 4 out of 5 stars. I will keep coming here all the time and I wish that one weekend day they would open for dinner. Until then, they will see me during random weekday lunch hours. read more

We ordered a variety of items to share and loved them all. The Al pastor quesadilla was perfectly cooked and had a great balance of meat and cheese. The cheese enchilada was good but the red sauce had a little too much chipotle flavor for our preference. The carnitas Gordita was AMAZING. Tacos were good but the star of the show was the tortillas. read more

Great family owned restaurant! The food is authentic made daily by the owners mother and grandmother who are both native latino. The food is on another level and is priced nicely! Inside the restaurant is a quick and easy pick up or sit down! You can also see them making the food in front of you ! The salsa is very good a little spicy not too much! I recommend the Gordita's add potatoes to them ! The breakfast items are also very filling! read more

Great food and most importantly, great service and all around great people working there.

Everything has been excellent so far. I have been there a couple of times and it has been great service and food read more

Yum! We love Carmen's! It's a very small location and there hours are a bit odd but that's just a side note. Call ahead to place an order and check online to see if they're open and you're good to go. The tacos are simple but tasty. The staff are genuinely sweet and helpful with the menu. We love the chips and triple dip. Tuesday's are $1.00 taco and $2.00 tamale!!!! Great value but know that the tamales do run out. read more

Great family owned biz! I've always enjoyed my food. Haven't been in awhile, but it's a fan favorite

Always great casual Mexican. Love the tortas and gorditas! Friendly folks and fresh made makes for a hit!

I tried Carmen's on a Saturday at an awkward time. They were In the throws of breakfast orders and I was ready for lunch. It was busy and the only menu is above the counter. I felt a little rushed and ordered a taco plate by default. Ground beef, shredded beef, carnitas, crunchy. Ground beef was my favorite but maybe that's because the others are always better in a tortilla. Anyway, all the meats were very dry. The salsa (extra mild) helped but I didn't have enough. Beans and rice were excellent. To raise the rating: 1. Spicier salsa (maybe they have this - I didn't ask) 2. More salsa 3. Menus that I can sit down to read 4. Moister meats I'll try it again! The other ratings are so high it tells me I ordered the wrong stuff at the wrong time. read more

Carmen's Cocina II - Taco Plate - rice and beans? - Mexican Near Me - Olathe, Kansas

The breakfast burritos are a MUST try. I make a special stop to get one of these, so tasty and filling. Grab some salsa and go!

Everything was ok, want to try Taco Tuesday and see how that rates. Service was great.

About 6 months ago, I had the BEST taco salad I've ever had at Carmen's Cochina II. Tonight I had the WORST taco salad I've ever had in my life from the same restaurant. What happened? Tonight's taco salad had a completely different shell, tons of refried beans and meat, a few scraggly slivers of lettuce, no tomatoes, no onion, and no cheese. it was mostly refried beans, meat, and a dollop of sour cream in a shell. Even the person who answered the phone and took my order had a bad attitude. We ordered takeout, so I can't comment on the ambiance. read more

Who expects to find a great restaurant in a grocery store strip center?! As transplanted Texans living in the Kansas City Metro, we found ourselves early on craving the kind of Mexican food we knew back home. We tried MANY restaurants the first several years we lived here, but none ever really fit the bill for us until this spot opened up just across the street from our neighborhood. Our first impression was favorable, but not overwhelming. The space itself isn't really anything special... just a nondescript seating area and a counter where you place your order, but everything else makes up for it. The chips are made in house, the salsa is fresh... the food is all prepared to order, and the service is consistently cordial. Repeated visits over time solidified the fact that we had found REAL Tex-Mex prepared and served by kind people who cared about their customers... My favorite selections include the gordita with al pastor, the chorizo quesadilla, the crispy beef tacos, and the AMAZING flan! My family and I have been regulars here for several years now, and while we enjoy all kinds of restaurants around town, it seems we find ourselves recommending Carmen's Cocina II more than any other. read more

It's a place where you walk in, order off the overhead board but they have seating to enjoy your food. I had the sausage breakfast burritos which were very good with fresh homemade ingredients (eggs, sausage and potatoes). The only reason it didn't get a 5 was they are a little bit dry, they need to be served with sauce inside the burrito or on the side or with pico inside, something to add some acid to break up the rich ingredients and a add a little flavor. Service was a tad slow as well. Definitely be back to try the nachos, tacos and fries. read more

I really do not know how this place get such high ratings. Meats we tried were barely seasoned including Carne asada Pollo AL pastor and carnitas. Our order was not correct even though they charged us for it. The flautas was basically gas station ones. The only thing decent was the shell of their taco salad and their salsa was OK. They even unplugged their phone. Anyways will not be coming back again. read more

Great tacos and even better breakfast burritos! This little shop makes everything fresh. Love it!

I came here for the breakfast burrito I'm on a hunt for the ideal breakfast burrito. Unfortunately I still haven't found it. I came to Carmen's hoping that it would fulfill my expectations, but it was just ok. The tortilla was lukewarm and still a little hard from not being heated throughly. The meat was sparse and the burrito was overall small in size. I did have to wait longer than I would have expected. HOWEVER, the staff was friendly and accommodating. The restaurant has a good feel and definitely a "hole-in-the-wall" feel. Which is where I have found some of the best Mexican. I would be willing to go back and try some other menu items, but I haven't found my breakfast burrito spot just yet. read more

Great value and great food. Breakfast burritos are to die for. Lunch had a good selection. Not open for dinner.

Great customer service . The spicy dishes are fine for normal folks but us chili aficionados need to add more. The chicken dishes are sensational! Typical Americanized Mexican ambiance. read more

Family owned and worked. They make everything from scratch. They cut their own chicken and meat for their food. Not prepackaged and already cut. I love the breakfast tacos,burritos and lunch food food, platters etc. Great coffee . read more