Well, we finally tried Carretas in Twin Oaks, We've been eying it for months because of its close proximity to our house, and we finally decided to bite the bullet. First glances: The atmosphere is very modern and clean. The music is very loud and distracting, though. We couldn't help but hear a very loud bass-y/subwoofer noise that shook the whole restaurant. I'm not sure what vibe they're going for - laidback family restaurant or club? The service was very lackluster. Our waiter was polite but very inattentive, to the point where it seemed like he was intentionally avoiding us. They only had two other tables, and he never came back after dropping the food off. We had to flag him down for the bill as well... Finally, the food. The horchata was good: The Chips and Salsa were okay -- the salsa was flavorful but the chips needed a touch more salt. I got a Combo with a Chile Relleno and a Tamale, and it was decent but the sauce was overly salty. My Mom thought her Pollo Ranchero was similar - tasty but the sauce was a tad salty/one-note. Would we come back? Actually, probably in a year or two to see if they improved. Having a Mexican place 0.9 miles from your house and not loving it sucks, and I hope this place steps it up for next time!! read more

Loved the decor! Some really near artwork and just overall a fun vibe inside. Decent happy hour and food was really good! Enchilada suizas were delicious and some of the specialty items were really well done. BUT our server was terrible. I'm hopeful this server is new and just learning but overall gave off a rude vibe. We asked for a frozen margarita but she brought a Regular. When server was politely corrected she went and got the correct drink but slammed it on the table and walked away. I had one question about the menu and she seemed offended. Now, once our food arrived a different server took over. She was very kind and sweet. So I would give this restaurant another try but hopefully server training is ongoing. read more

This is a new place we decided to try! It was a good pick! I had the pick 2 (had a beef quesadilla and a chicken enchilada) my friend had the beef steak tacos that looked very good. The guacamole (chunky) was exceptional. I had a house margarita which was tasty. Price was okay. $10 for a large. The place is new. Opened 6 months ago so the decor was fresh and contemporary. Nicely done and comfortable. Our server was very helpful, handy and nice. All in all a pleasant experience! read more

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My six-year-old granddaughter, and my daughter and I went to Carreta's after going to gymnastics. We enjoyed the ambience and the food was good! Especially the guacamole. My granddaughter enjoyed her cheeseburger and french fries and all the ketchup packets she wanted. the service was great. read more

Carretas Mexican restaurant - Greta tried the salsa and chips, but it was too hot for her. She needed some ice water. - Mexican Near Me - Ballwin, Missouri

Carretas was good! There was no wait and the food came out pretty quick. I liked that this was a classic mexican place that felt very clean on the inside and had cute decor. The food was solid too. My shrimp fajitas were small for the price but that seems to be most places these days. They had a huge menu with lots of options including vegetarian options. read more

Carretas Mexican restaurant - Shrimp Fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Ballwin, Missouri

Great food at great prices! We ate lunch there on Friday. I had pollo azteca - chicken, mushrooms and zucchini in cheese sauce with rice and beans on the side. It was wonderful and only $8. They also have all day happy hour at the Twin Oaks location. read more

Carretas Mexican restaurant - New lunch specials - Mexican Near Me - Ballwin, Missouri

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I've been hesitant with trying this resturant because they don't offer shredded beef which I prefer over ground beef. However I decided to come because a friend wanted to try their drinks. Parking is shared with other businesses but it's a huge lot. We came around 12:40 on a Saturday and they went busy at all. We ordered off the lunch menu which is reasonably priced. The drinks were really good, about $14 for the tropical margarita and $12 for the mojito. I tried a sangria shooter for $2. Taste exactly like what it is. The food was pretty good. I love the guacamole. I didn't get the dip but instead the Carretas style $11 because it has chunks of guacamole with the tomatoes and onions, etc. Their salsa is really good but spicy. I ordered churro's to go and they charge 25 cents for to go order. Not a big deal but, hmmm. Churro's were good. They should've came with chocolate sauce to dip them in. The environment is really nice and casual. The decor is great. Our server was ok. He was friendly but forgetful. I would dine again but only during lunch. They also have happy hour specials on Saturdays for drinks so next time, I'll try their house margarita. read more

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My wife and I had dinner at Carrertas Mexican Restaurant-Ballwin location on 8/26/2026. The service was great, but our order of queso for the chips was short the mark. The $6 queso was watered down to liquid and runney. The cheese topping for the Enchilada Suezes was watered down and runney as well. Not consistent with the Olive Street location meals we have had in the past. We will move on to the other better Mexican Restaurant options! read more

My friend and I had a great dinner at Carretas! It was my first time visiting and I was blown away by the beautiful space! It is definitely picture perfect and roomie, with tons of space and nice decor. We started with jumbo house margaritas and chorizo queso. Both were delicious! The margs were strong, tasty, and hit the spot. The chorizo queso was hot, flavorful, and coupled nicely with the house salsa. For my main dish, I ordered the house-made taquitos which came with two chicken and two ground beef taquitos. They were so good and tasted so fresh! The service was great from start to finish and I would definitely go back! read more

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I was really disappointed in this dining experience. The restaurant is beautiful, upon walking in it felt upscale. No complaints about the service, they were friendly, accommodating, timely. The food was average at best. I love homemade guacamole, they're guacamole had no taste. It tasted like mashed up avocados with no added spices. I ordered from the combo menu, I asked for a chicken quesadilla and got what I suppose was a cheese quesadilla, but all it was was a tortilla with cheese on it folded in half. Basically the equivalent of the $0.99 cheesy roll up at Taco Bell. And then the enchilada on my plate was a rolled up tortilla with cheese, another cheesy roll-up at Taco Bell lol. Covered in sauce, of course, add the traditional and inexpensive for them rice and refried bean filler, and you have an inexpensive for them, unimpressive for me, dining experience. read more

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Clean, well appointed and organized Great drinks, the liter of house margarita is a favorite Excellent service The quality of the food is excellent, some may think the portions are smaller but I think the quality more than makes up for any diminishment read more

Carretas is not only beautifully decorated the food is delicious! The guacamole is perfection ! They have a very good lunch menu that won't break the bank . Give them a try at either location. read more

Beautiful restaurant! This would be a great date place. :) The menu is full of good options. I chose the Narayit, which was steak, chicken, and shrimp with rice and beans on the side. (Tortillas, too.) So good! Service was exceptional. Our server answered questions and was very attentive during our visit. Can't wait to return! read more

Carretas Mexican restaurant - Narayit - Mexican Near Me - Ballwin, Missouri

I have been to this place two times and both times didn't disappoint! I was VERY satisfied! The ambiance is PERFECT! I love the vibe when you walk in- modern and fresh. Their decor is fabulous! Their food is even more! My favorite is their tropical margarita! It is the tastiest marg I have had in while! Decorated and presented perfectly! I had the veggie fajitas and they are delish! And! I always judge a great Mexican restaurant by whether they have flavorful and delicious rice- the rice is ON POINT! Chips and salsa are great too- although my husband thought it was too spicy- it was so good to me! I love spice! I will come here time and time again! Great Mexican food, margs, and vibes! read more

Met some friends again here for dinner. Service was very sporadic tonight and the waiter messed up our bills but didn't fix them but we did split checks and he just didn't have them correct. Also, dip app was very overcooked and stuck to the plate and I definitely got a smaller portion of carnitas meat than the last time I was here. But food still tasted good and had a lot of chips and salsa. read more

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I'm torn about this review being 3 stars or 4 stars. The atmosphere was great, very clean. The food was smaller portions than other W.C competitive restaurants but the drinks were really good despite having to wait and wait. Our bill could easily have been 40% higher if they had two bartenders working instead of one.; plus while waiting for a table. Service is the weak point here but the food is good. Recommend ordering double on the drinks because of the wait. read more

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Arrived at 6 on a Saturday with no issues getting a table for 4. Friendly host and server brought complementary chips and salsa. For a few extra $$ ask for some habanero salsa - it packs heat and mixes well with the table salsa. What we ordered: - Pollo fundido with chorizo added (4.25/5): very tasty! Not a huge amount of food, but decent sized meal. This is essentially the same as the Chori Pollo, but has peppers and onions added. - Enchiladas verdes (4/5): We have had this dish at many places and this ranks up there! - tortilla soup (4/5): a friend ordered this and he really liked it. Some of the best in the city. Service at our table was noticeably slow due to a small staff. read more

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What an excellent way to end the year. The freshness of the guacamole and the burrito made my night. The style of the establishment was also wonderful and fancy. Overall glad we found this place to celebrate new years. This will be a new staple for me since it's quite good on my stomach and well proportioned for me. It's a newer place as well so I hope to see it grow! read more

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Another great experience at Carretas. FYI, I give them a 5 stars because I don't have anything negative to say. We met up with friends (4 couples) to enjoy dinner on a Thursday. We have been here before and enjoyed it enough to come back for our third time. The margaritas are really good and they have a happy hour special that goes until 7. Nice! I tried the chicken fajitas this time and they were great. My husband had the grilled chicken salad. It wasn't great, but don't order a grilled chicken salad at a Mexican restaurant. Duh. No sympathy. Everyone else had great food and the service was great. It was Jerry's birthday and they brought him a scoop of ice cream and sang Happy Birthday! Consistently good! read more

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My family went on a Friday night and expect a wait unless you arrive early. However, the staff does a great job at getting the orders and getting your food to you quickly. I will say the salsa was a bit spicy but in a good way! I ordered the Carretas. The chicken and shrimp were cooked perfectly. We also order the fish tacos which are tilapia and side toppings. Overall food was good and a clean restaurant! read more

Carretas Mexican restaurant - Fish tacos - Mexican Near Me - Ballwin, Missouri

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We went here for dinner tonight after trying to go to our usual Mexican restaurant but finding they were closed. We were impressed when we first walked in. The place looks very nice, somewhat fancy even, and very modern. We were both wearing T-shirts and looking at the other customers, we felt a bit underdressed. We ordered our food, and were honestly a bit disappointed. The chips they gave us were somewhat bland, with no salt and only a small bowl of salsa for each of us (I used all of mine). We both got margaritas, which were pretty good. To eat, I ordered La Maria, which is supposed to be chicken mole enchiladas. However, Ive had chicken mole before and there was no mole in this dish as far as I could tell. My entree was rather simple and very average. My wife ordered fish tacos and honestly, I found them to look rather sad. She had a tortilla with a filet of fish in it. Nothing else in the taco. There may have been some lettuce or tomato on the side (I know she got a sliced up avocado) that she could have put on there, but compared to tacos you get at other Mexican restaurants, I was not impressed. For me, the margarita was the highlight. It was good and the only bad thing I can say about it was they put it in the wrong glass, but whatever. The atmosphere and decor were great, but the food was mediocre. I probably would not go here again. read more

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My Mother and I were looking to have a quick dinner on a Friday evening and we ended up at this newer Carretas at Big Bend and 141. We have both previously been to the one in Creve Coeur. They did a number on the remodel here. It looks nice. The food was absolutely horrible. Worst meal in recent memory. We ordered a small guacamole and queso. Neither had any flavor. The queso was watery. The salsa on the table tasted like tomato sauce. My mother ordered one enchilada and side of beans. She took a couple of bites and left the rest. I ordered the Burrito Bowl (served with beans, lettuce, sour cream, tomato, and shredded cheese, and your choice of protein) with chorizo and no sour cream after the server couldn't tell me what cut of meat the "steak" is. When this was served there was maybe 1 cup of food here. It was a 1/2 cup of chorizo with a few shreds of lettuce, 2 tablespoons of refried beans, and maybe 2 tablespoons of the shredded cheese. It was sad and not good. While we were eating we had a barrage of people coming at us checking on us sometimes more than once every 60 seconds. I can't imagine coming back here for any reason. read more

Carretas Mexican restaurant - Chorizo Bowl - Mexican Near Me - Ballwin, Missouri

The decor is really nice and upscale. The food is delicious and the service is very nice.

Lightning fast service! Good portions with good pricing. Food was good as well. Not sure what the space used to be, but it's not your typical space for Mexican. read more

We have patronized Carreta's in Creve Coeur a number of times. Now we accidentally stumbled onto another one in Ballwin, on Big Bend near 141. We were out and about recently and decided to stop in for a quick lunch. The menu appears to be the same as the one in CC as is the décor. Ms T had he usual ground beef lunch, in this case on a tostada. I ordered, contrary to my normal eggs, and enjoyed a quesadilla with chicken. All were fine. This is closer than the establishment in Creve Coeur so I can see this being on our Sunday lunch list. I have always enjoyed the egg dishes, the fish tacos and the shrimp tacos in CC. I assume I will like them here. We were glad to find this place. All was fine but based on a limited test. We will reserve accolades until we try more things. read more

Nicely built out restaurant and brand new settings. Overall it's nice looking The food was just so so. Not as good as the original location and certainly not large portions. Don't expect to take home left overs. The chips were house made and the salsa was above average. The tacos were nothing memorable. Glad I tried it but there's many other better Mexican restaurants in the area. read more

Place is absolute trash when it comes to food. Ambiance is brand new, that's the only plus. I got a beef tip burrito, there was maybe 3 finger nail pieces of beef in the burrito. But wait there's more...they don't have any free hot sauce. Yes you read that right, hot sauce at a Mexican restaurant was not readily available, it costs two hard earned American dollars. Absolute rip or of a place. read more

Carretas Mexican restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Ballwin, Missouri

Stopped in on a Friday night, close your 6:30 and were seated immediately, which was great. The decor is authentically Mexican but understated and classy, unlike the aggressive color riot that you sometimes encounter. The only downside to the ambiance is that there isn't much sound buffering and conversation was difficult. This surprised me since the booths are cushioned and high-backed, but they just didn't absorb the noise well. Perhaps some baffles hung from the ceiling and on blank sections of the walls would help? The staff was attentive and friendly. The salsa was very good and the chips arrived warm. I ordered the Enchiladas Verdes while my husband ordered the choripollo (he gets every Mexican restaurant's version of this...quite the connoisseur!). The hubs thought his chicken and chorizo was very tasty and had good things to say about the refried beans. His only complaint was that the chicken portion of his dish was extremely thin and pretty spare. No chance of leftovers there. I loved the green sauce on my enchiladas but was disappointed when I got a plain bite of the chicken. It was completely unseasoned and almost tasted like canned chicken breast. It was important to get a bit of every aspect on each forkful to truly enjoy it. I will say the chicken was plentiful and in nice sized chunks, just not a wow in the mouth. We'll likely give them another shot, but maybe try for a weeknight when perhaps it will be a little more quiet. read more

Carretas Mexican restaurant - Enchiladas Verdes (three to an order) - Mexican Near Me - Ballwin, Missouri

We wanted Mexican for lunch and don't have a go to place yet. My sister said the polo ranchero was delicious. Fiancé said the chicken tacos were okay. I did not like the sauce on the chicken enchiladas but the meat inside was well seasoned. We enjoyed 3 quesos while we were there and the kids French fries were really good. We almost ordered margaritas but the prices were outrageous. $10 for a small and $17 for a large margarita?! The local el maguey is $5 and $9 respectively and their food quality is pretty similar. The decor is really cool and was fun to look at. Service was fine, not super friendly but he was attentive and got the orders correct so I have no complaints. Would go back for lunch if we were in the area but won't make it our go to. Would like to note that the lunch prices were decent but I would not come for dinner. The prices are way too high for what it is. read more

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A pleasant surprise! Very trendy, more upscale vibe than expected when I walked in. A small wait on a Thursday night, nothing crazy. Unlike any other Mexican restaurant in the area! Staff is super friendly, food was great, service was prompt and attentive. Price is fair for the atmosphere, but a little pricier than a traditional Mexican restaurant. There was also a really nice bar in the back with ample seating. Drinks were well made! Seating is comfortable and comfortably spaced. read more

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My 6 yr old daughter and I whipped up a fierce hunger bowling down the street and I let her pick from the restaurants in the area. She wanted Mexican so to Carretas we went for the first time. Upon entering we were impressed by the upscale decor--very bright and unique with a massive wagon-wheel chandelier that my daughter quite enjoyed. We were seated in a nice comfy booth, the restaurant was not crowded (a rainy Monday in December so no judgements for that). The hostess/wait staff was very nice and pleasant, professional throughout the meal. Our waitress took our drink orders and brought chips/salsa (the first measure of any Mexican restaurant meal), and it was a bit of a let down that the chips were cold/old and nothing special. They may has well have been bagged tortilla chips and it wouldn't shock me if they were. Tostitos restaurant style chips are honestly better than these chips. The salsa was pretty standard. The kiddo ordered a basic rice/chicken/cheese dish off the kid's menu and there were some strong options there, no issues with the kid's menu at all. She absolutely loved everything and shared that with our waitress several times. I ordered the Traditional Carne Asada tacos. Here is where things went off the rails a tad. The food came out pretty quickly and looked fine. I like to spice things up a little bit and there was no hot sauce on the table or provided on the side (it did come with a mild tomatillo sauce and pico/lime). I asked if any hot sauce was available and the waitress said "habanero?", I replied "yes, perfect". Sometimes they bring a bottle of Yucateca, sometimes it's house made. What they brought me was a little dish of what tasted like black pepper sauce with very little heat and no habanero color/flavor to be detected. It wasn't very good but I ladled a bit on out of principle. The carne was almost inedible based purely on the sodium levels. I've never had steak so salty in my life and most steak starts with a salt rub. If this had other flavor it was masked instead of enhanced by the salt. Since my kid was practically done by the time the "hot sauce" came out, I just ate the tacos and carried on. $16 for these 3 small tacos and the most paltry portion of beans and rice I've ever experienced at any Mexican restaurant in my life. The seasoning could just be a bad batch, not condemning the whole restaurant based solely on that, but when the check came, they had also billed me $2 for the hot sauce. I'm sorry--this is a Mexican restaurant. I don't care how "upscale" or modern you are attempting to be--the menu is identical to every other similar establishment in town, don't withhold hot sauce options because you don't care for the aesthetics on the table and then bill your customers without telling them up front. $40 with a 20% tip for 3 tacos, a half a scoop of rice/beans. 2 sodas, and a kids portion of rice/chicken/queso. I may bring my wife here for a date sometime because she cares more about ambience than the actual food, but that would be the primary reason for a 2nd visit. read more

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This review is for the Ballwin/Twin Oaks location! They do have another location in Creve Coeur. Both locations are amazing, so I'd just choose whichever one is closer to you. To start, the interior design is beautiful. The bartender said that all the artwork was brought from Mexico - and so was the ginormous light fixture in the center of the restaurant (pictured). The decorations are perfect photo backdrops if you want to show off your delicious meal and social outings. Now, the food itself... I could go on all day about it! It's been so hard to find a good Mexican restaurant in the STL area, but Carreta's is IT. Their menu has a wide variety of common and unique dishes. The drinks are also wonderful! I love their blended margs, offered in many different flavors. And the CHIPS actually deserve their own paragraph. We all love when the chips and salsa comes out to fill us up before the actual meal, right? Well these chips are impossible to resist. Like, even more impossible than the chips at every other Mexican restaurant. They're thicker and crunchier, and there's just something about them that makes them superior! The customer service is excellent. The wait time is usually a while, but that's because it is so busy and popular (at both locations). Water & chips/salsa come out quickly once you're seated. I would definitely recommend Carreta's! read more

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Came back with my daughter for dinner. The place was packed so we sat at the bar. We had a very friendly server/bartender. We shared the beef fajitas and the enchilada tapatias, 2 ground beef and 2 chicken enchiladas. The beef was sliced very thin and after you eat half the meat it was a struggle to find the rest of the meat in the pile of onions and peppers. Unfortunately half of the beef was chewy. The enchiladas were in a lot of sauce so it was a little soupy. I didn't realize the enchiladas weren't made with cheese and this stood out to me. The restaurant is bright inside and well decorated. read more

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Our server was very rude and kept walking by our table as we were trying to get her attention and just ignored us. After our server gave us our food she didn't come back to check on us. She also didn't give us refills on our drinks or refill our chip basket until we had to ask her to do so. The restaurant was not busy and it in fact had the whole other side or the restaurant empty. I'm not sure what the problem was but this service was horrible and I suggest this place finds some new staff and teach them respect. Other than this problem our food was fantastic! Our waitress name was Brenda. read more

Came in for a late dinner on Sunday night and sat at the bar. The ambience is amazing, as others have mentioned. Not at all like a kitschy, bright Mexican restaurant, it is modern and trendy. Everyone I interacted with was so friendly. The drinks are delicious, though i am not sure how "skinny" a skinny maragrita is. We each ordered fajitas - I did the chicken/steak mix and my husband did the shrimp. The flavors are good but a bit salty, and the strips of chicken and beef were very thin, which I actually didn't mind as it makes them ideal for tacos. Delicious rice and refried beans, and I'm pretty sure the tortillas were made in house - delish. All around good spot, though a bit pricey. read more

Restaurant is gorgeous inside. Drinks were sophisticated and delicious! I had the blueberry margarita, which was amazing!! Menu was expansive and everyone's food was great - we will be back! read more

My favorite weeknight dinner is at Carretas. My husband and I visit often and we're always surprised when friends haven't tried it. The service is amazing, we usually get our food in less than 5 minutes. The hosts are always friendly and welcoming. The atmosphere is very upscale and trendy, so you'll be surprised when you spend less than $15 per person. My favorites are the quesadillas, but friends often get steak tacos and chimichangas. They also have excellent mocktails! read more

Beautiful interior with quality service. Went to Carreras with another couple and were all pleased with our food. Reasonable prices. Our food was served promptly and we were able to set and visit without being interrupted. We live in Ballwin so the restaurant is close by. We will return soon for another great meal. R. Miller read more

I went here for the first time three weeks ago and have already been back. I had two different kinds of burritos. Both were excellent. The servers were very friendly and efficient. Place was very clean. You can tell they took cleanliness seriously. I will definitely be back. read more

Went with friends for dinner and had a wonderful evening. Saturday night at 6, no wait. Our server was Melissa, who took great care of us and offered spot on suggestions. We had margaritas which were good, perhaps not the best I've had but not disappointing. Plenty of chips with a good salsa (no extra charge). Our chicken enchiladas suizas were recommended and were about the best I've ever had. My wife had the chicken en salsa verde which was good also. Tex-mex and traditional menu items for all tastes. The restaurant is very well done, a very comfortable place with a modern decor. There is a lot of average Mexican fare in STL, this place is the best I've been to in quite a while. We'll be back often. read more