I have driven by this location and the Santa Paula one many times but this was my first visit. I was surprised that when there is Carnitas in the name, expect pork as the only meat! They offered Cabeza (meat from the head of a pig). So they have that if you are into that. If you are going to this place with someone that doesn't eat pork, they are pretty much going to be limited to eating rice and beans. I ordered a carnitas burrito. They put rice, beans, cilantro, onion and your choice of salsa mild or hot. I chose the mild salsa. I also got a side of chips. The price is hard to beat. We paid $31 for 2 carnitas burritos and 2 sides of chips. They have a salsa bar but they do not provide to-go salsa containers. They provide paper cup dipping cups for dine-in. You can buy their salsas to go but those will cost $4-6. However; they were nice to give us a to-go food box and we piled our paper cup salsas in it to prevent it from spilling. The staff was friendly, quick and they made us huge burritos! It's all I ate for the day because I was so full. The carnitas was top notch! Juicy and flavorful. It was seasoned perfectly; not too salty. read more

See all

This place is awesome! Such great carnitas and salsas and everything! The negative reviews are bunk, this is some of the best food in California. I'd put the Torta and salsas up against any in the world! No joke. We are spoiled when it comes to Mexican food because of places like this. Also, the staff is legit! read more

Passing through and this place got my attention. Ordered a torta, burrito and taco. Needless to say it was way too much food and a ridiculous amount of delicious, flavorful, cooked perfectly carnitas. Definitely coming back to the spot. read more

Very nice, clean and not too busy location. Ordered the one taco combo and it was perfect! Tortillas are so good and the salsa bar. Very basic menu and I appreciate that. Carnitas is key! read more

i love the one in old oxnard they only make one thing so it should be exceptional but i had two tacos today and they were so dry I could hardly eat them even though i doused them in salsa carnitas should be juicy read more

Yay!! Carnitas El Rey finally opened in Ventura! My family and I have been going to their location in Oxnard for the last 7 years and we are so happy that they have a location closer to our house now. Carnitas estilo Michoacán! Doesn't get better than that! This delicious style of pork is slowed cooked to perfection! My mom is from Michoacán and I can tell you this place is legit! We usually order their 2 pound family pack which comes with freshly made tortillas salsa, pico de gallo, bean and rice. The portions are very generous, we always have leftovers! We also ordered Mexican Cokes in glass bottles, so definitely taste different than can cokes! If you decide to eat inside the restaurant they have a lot of tables. I saw some smaller tables and some bigger tables, we sat in a 4 chair table. The inside is decorated with beautiful authentic Mexican decor! They did a lovely job with their wall art. I love the little touch of glitter in some of the paintings. Shout out to Juan he is always so welcoming and friendly! read more

See all

FYI for peeps .. they don't just offer pork. They also have beef ( tongue, cabeza) Rice , beans and handmade tortillas. Aguas frescas!!! Love jamaica! They are looking to expand their menu! Another great visit! Nice service ! Beautiful and clean restaurant. Grabbed a quick lunch on a busy work day for me !!!I grabbed two tacos surtidos (buche, cueros, carnitas) and a jamaica! Loaded my tacos with all the toppings at their salsa bar. Sooo good! Affordable too :) Dangerous , they're so close from my office ! read more

See all

For casual, order-at-the-counter style dining, this place knocks it out of the park! They specialize in one thing - carnitas - hence the name. Their tacos are stuffed with tender, flavorful pork and come on a bed of double homemade tortillas, so you actually can make two tacos out of one! I love that you can dress your tacos exactly to your liking at their salsa bar, which offers fresh lime, onion, cilantro, pickled carrots, pico de gallo, and more salsas. There are plenty of tables inside if you want to stay or you can take your order to go. Either way, the food is delicious and satisfying! Shout out to Jose, a super friendly member of their team who helps make really funny Instagram reels about what it's like behind the scenes at Carnitas El Rey! See you again soon, Jose read more

Hands down the best carnitas on the planet! I eat here at least once a eeek. I love this place!

So I order guacamole and got tomatoes instead very little avocado it was ridiculous paid $13.99 for it I wish they said they were out or something instead of selling it this way!Bummer read more

Carnitas El Rey - I order guacamole and most of it was tomatoes and onion $13.99 for this sucks ! - Mexican Near Me - Ventura, California

So, it hurts to write this review because I was a big fan of Carnitas El Rey, at least the Oxnard location until recently. This was a tiny place with a single location when I started to visit them and the taste was truly authentic to those carnitas served in Mexico. My last experience with Carnitas El Rey completely changed my view of them though. I decided to visit their new location in Ventura and this was because they offered Tacos the Cabeza there which is another favorite of mine. So me and a coworker decided to visit them on our lunch time and from the looks of the place, it was busy and very clean which was a very welcomed bonus. So what happened? First, their tortillas changed, they started making them thinner which makes the taco fall apart half way through eating it and the thinner consistency also takes away from the flavor of the tortilla. Their portion of carnitas has also shrunk while the price of the taco increased. And the last thing that ruined them for me was their cabeza tacos.. I get it that times are tough and that your have to limit some things but sheesh, if you are going to charge more for an item at least make it worth it to the people. It was honestly lackluster, small and not great. I ordered 3 Cabeza tacos and 1 Carnitas taco and I was left disappointed with all of the changes. Luckily, the one good thing is that the flavor of the carnitas is still there and I feel some of these things can be corrected, who knows, maybe it is just a training issue and the person I got making my food at the time, felt that the meat personally belonged to them so they were going to make the portions smaller. For now, I will just stick to the Oxnard location and I will also stick to buying the Carnitas by the weight instead of trusting their ever changing taco ratios which sucks because sometimes I just want to have a taco instead of having to buy a whole pound of it to take home. And if someone from the restaurant ever reads this, please go back to the old way of making your delicious tortillas, it's just maseca, how much are you really saving by making them thinner anyways?? read more

Flavorless and expensive, they almost forgot my beans and rice and when I told them they didn't believe me

Based on a few other reviews, I would caution people to avoid going before closing time. I arrived about 5:20 pm and the salsa bar was put away and cleared, and chairs were stacked on the table. I ordered my food to go and asked for salsa to go. They tried to charge me for it and I was not paying for salsa that should accompany my food. I was expecting some salsa with my large to go order. The food was okay. Next time I will drive to Santa Paula or Oxnard El Rey as I see they are higher rated. Overall, the food was okay. read more

Stick with the Oxnard location. I have been going to the Oxnard location for years and it's always been great. I decided to try out the Ventura store and it's definitely not the same. The carnitas are alot more dry and tougher here for some reason. They are always very moist and tender when you get them from Oxnard but not here. read more

I don't review food at all. But my lord Carnitas El Rey has me driving from Bakersfield twice a month. Always order the tacos mixtos. Then yesterday tried the torta de carnitas. Completely blow me away. Thank you for that amazing food and experience. Definitely worth driving 2 hours. See you and a few weeks. read more

Carnitas El Rey - Torta de Carnitas - Mexican Near Me - Ventura, California

this place was a big disappointment no flavor in the meat at all you can tell the meat was not marinated.

What a find! This place is soooo good! It's very clean when you walk in as are the restrooms. There is a salsa and topping bar. They have Mexican sodas and agua frescas. They only have carnitas and res.(beef) they make everything in house torta rolls to tortillas. What a great addition to Venturas food scene. I can't wait to come back! read more

Carnitas El Rey - The GIANT 2 pound carnitas burrito! - Mexican Near Me - Ventura, California

I decided to come here after seeing their TikTok and realizing they were open! I love that this place is in Ventura and it is not far from where I live! They have plenty of seating which I enjoyed. Truly the best carnitas I have ever had. It was perfectly cooked and not greasy at all. I got their family plates that came with large sides of rice and beans which were also very good! Their tortillas are very delicious with the carnitas! Service was very quickly and friendly! read more

Hands down the best carnitas burrito I have had in a minute!!! Simple but delicious, beans, rice, onion, cilantro and salsa in a heated fresh tortilla with cheese melted inside. I'll definitely be back for more! read more

Carnitas El Rey - Carnitas Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Ventura, California

Very friendly and helpful service in explaining choices. The pork carnitas with pork skin chopped in is something that I would never have tried without the guy helping and explaining. It was really tasty, I got the family meal so was able to use it to make tacos and then burritos with the beans and rice plus their pico de gallo and salsa. We will be visiting this place regularly! read more

Simple offerings, but executed well. Very good, and great value! For gatherings it's one of our go-to place to get food from.

Just had 2 of the best buche and cueritos (pork skin) tacos ever. Flavor is not the only thing great, the ambiance here is nice and very friendly workers. read more

Carnitas El Rey - Pork skin and buche tacos - Mexican Near Me - Ventura, California

Had dinner there tonight with friends. After watching this place come y to o life we expected a nice sit down get waited on restaurant. Not the case at all. Order at counter after deciding which of the 4 types of meat you want. Good served on black foam boxes. Bigger variety of sauces would have been good. I brought half of mine home . Hubby can have it for lunch. The odd thing is their hours are 10:00-6:30, why close I. Middle of dinner hour??? read more

Get the torta! Jalapeño on the side. My husband liked the tacos but I felt like the meat was like roast pork but not like carnitas. Can't go wrong with the torta. Good stuff! read more

Pretty disappointed says closes at 6pm. Its 5pm and doors are locked. Drove 15 minutes for nothing.

I have eaten at the one in Oxnard and I have to say this one is much better!! Brand new clean building plenty of parking. You can also grab it to go for the family they sell it by the pound. I just wish they had cheese or sour cream but the meat is so tasty and juicy you don't miss it. read more

Carnitas El Rey - Carnitas Taco so much food I can only eat one lol - Mexican Near Me - Ventura, California

So I've come to the ventura location 2 times. The carnitas were cold and dry. It's nothing like the one in oxnard. I would just go to oxnard. I highly don't recommend this place. Service was good read more

So yummy! Came in and was greeted (it was our first time) Staff was super friendly and let me try all the different types of pork! It is pork only just as a heads up for people who don't consume pork for religious reasons. I got two (HUGE) tacos and absolutely loved them. Can't wait to go back! Space was super clean and had the cutest decor. Made me feel like I was back in Mexico. Totally loved it. read more

This the second time this this went down. I work down the street from this place. I order 20 min early. And when I got there my order wasn't ready. It was just one torta and it wasn't even busy lol. And then yall had the audacity to still charge me full price. Leave the Oxnard vibe in Oxnard yall. read more

We ordered for pick up from this place and everything was delicious! Don't sleep on this place! The prices are reasonable, the burrito was huge and they don't skimp on the meat in contrast to other restaurants. The best carnitas I've ever had! I haven't had a chance to dine in so I can't speak on the service, but the food was incredible. I'll be back soon. read more

Every location is amazing but this spot is really on point. The staff was welcoming, the food was delicious and they really care about your experience. I'm so glad I finally got the burrito. Got the carnitas, rice, bean, cheese, avocado, cilantro onion. I have a big appetite. Half that burrito was a lot honestly. Love this place. read more

My husband and I both got mild food poisoning. Not sure from meat or salsa. Meat was not being held at the appropriate temperature and salsa was not refrigerated. They're employees don't park in the lot but in the adjoining neighborhood which has started to cause an issue. read more

Finally Carnitas El Rey in Ventura is open!! This is awesome!! This restaurant is one of my favorite places to eat in Ventura County. The best Carnitas in the world. I love how fresh and consistently delicious their carnitas are. For anyone that doesn't know what "carnitas" are here is what Wikipedia says: "Carnitas, literally meaning "little meats", is a dish of Mexican cuisine that originated in the state of Michoacán. Carnitas are made by braising or simmering pork in oil or preferably lard until tender. The process takes three to four hours, and the result is very tender and juicy meat, which is then typically served with chopped cilantro (coriander leaves), diced onion, salsa, guacamole, tortillas, and refried beans (frijoles refritos)." Thank you Wikipedia! Dame otro taco de carnitas por favor. If you haven't tried them yet, oh man, give them a chance, you'll turn into a regular at first bite! read more

See all

Beautiful new restaurant in the heart of Ventura! No need to go to Oxnard to get these delicious carnitas! Everything is super fresh and the restaurant is big, clean, and new! The tacos are GIGANTIC and they provide a huge helping of carnitas per taco. I also got the taco de cabeza that was delicious and was smaller on yellow corn tortillas compared to the carnitas tacos. The salsa bar has delicious salsas to choose from and we also had great rice, beans, and agua de Jamaica. This will be our new go-to spot for easy family meals everyone will enjoy! read more

I stopped by with some friends after a day of fishing...TMI. We were hesitant after discovering they only have carnitas...yes, that's right only carnitas as their restaurant name clearly indicates (haha). They had the juiciest carnitas burrito with great salsa. I would totally recommend them. read more

Mediocre quality food being very expensive is a joke. You can get better quality carnitas at Vallarta for less.

What a great unhealthy food option. People pork is the dirtiest animal on the planet. The eat their own and play in their own crap. Gross. Pork=CARNITAS. My friends ordered Carnitas El Rey I optted out and went for healthy. They tried to get me to try it. NO WAY. read more

The best carnitas I've ever had. Having been to the location in Oxnard, I'm elated that a location has opened in Ventura. The carnitas taco is second to none. The restaurant is very clean and the parking is hassle free. The service is fantastic. Everything is perfect. read more

Very disappointed.. first time I went at 6:00 pm on a Friday..they were out of Carnitas.. The next time I came there, I bought the Carnitas and took it home. The disappointment was that the Carnitas was stringy and tasted gamey... threw it away..won't go back.. read more

I know that this place is well loved, but I've been there twice and been disappointed both times. Ordered the Carnitas both times and was surprised how utterly DRY the meat was. Absolutely no jus at all. I also found the corn tortillas a bit strange. They tasted like a mix of corn and maybe some other kind of whole wheat type grain. Also extremely dry; like they'd been out in the desert foe a few days. I checked a few yelp reviews and noticed that recently someone else had a not so perfect tortilla experience too. I will say that the rice and beans were delicious but I'm certainly not going here for rice and beans. Might give it another try in a few weeks before I blow it off completely. read more