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    Carter's Cantina

    4.3 (124 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican
    Open 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

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    CARTER'S CANTINA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Cheesecake Nachos
    Amy C.

    First time eating anything from Carters. Everything looked and smelled great. I was underwhelmed by the cheesecake nachos. All the flavors were there, I just wanted way more cinnamon sugar and I thought the chips were a little over done. The enchiladas were good. The ground beef had a nice even flavor. I wouldn't order them the same way next time, simply because I prefer cheese enchiladas. The CYO burrito was HUGE and delicious! Steak fajitas had good flavor also. I LOVED the chips and salsa. Chips were thin and crispy, the salsa was bright and tomatoey. The side of rice also had nice flavor. I'd definitely return.

    Nicole E.

    Serena is waiting on us. Ordered guacamole, chicken street tacos with fajita chicken (usually comes with pulled chicken), chicken flauta with corn tortillas, no sour cream sauce and all beans, no cheese and a pineapple Jarrito, that's the only flavor they have. $37.63. The spicy salsa and mild salsa are decent. The chips are greasy, but nice and crunchy. The guacamole isn't bad here. All of the salsas and guacamole is made in house. The flautas were okay, the pulled chicken is seasoned. The corn tortilla is definitely the best for the flautas. I am glad they were able to make the flautas with corn for me, since I am not greatly fond of them with flour much. The chicken tacos were better than expected. Pay at the counter. Service was all good. Food was better than average. They wouldn't give me a paper copy of my credit card receipt, that was a bit odd. I was only given the original tab was all, not what I was wanting. Oh well.

    Shrimp Taco Rice & Beans
    Pla C.

    Heard a lot about this place on ELM and from locals. Had to come try it out. Watermelon Margarita was great. Salsa was VERY bland and very watery. Also, pass on the street corn appetizer dip. My shrimp tacos were flavorful & hearty. My friend got the combo plate and enjoyed it. Not too shabby. Wish they had different sauces you could try & put on your tacos. That would be great!

    This is a Cantina Combo. It has an Enchilada, a soft taco and a tostada with a side of refried beans and green salsa.
    Kelley C.

    The restaurant was spotless, the service was wonderful. The food was absolutely delicious and worth everything hyped up I had previously heard, would absolutely go back again in a heartbeat.

    BYOB - Big Burrito. They call it big burrito because it ain't a small burrito.
    Kent M.

    "Stick a fork in it!" That's what my inner self said when I saw this meal. I ordered a BYOB - Big Burrito. Rather than checking for doneness, I wanted to see if the fork would reach through to the plate. I buried the fork tines and still hadn't bottomed out. Yes, it was that big! Let's back up a bit, shall we? I entered from the ample parking lot and chose to sit at a booth. My waitress came over and asked what I wanted to drink. Since the name of the restaurant included the word 'cantina', of course I requested a well-known beer. Sadly I must report, she told me that they didn't serve the beverage delivered by Clydesdale horses. I wanted to give her a dirty look, but she was very pleasant both in her demeanor and her good looks, so I 'turned my frown upside down' and simply smiled back at her. I changed my request to an Arnold Palmer and all was well. At this writing, I suggest that you refrain from ordering any beverages of the adult nature, as the tequila wagon hasn't arrived. So, with many items on the Mexican menu that met with my approval, I decided on the big burrito. I was hungry and it was calling my name (to be honest, I had to hold the menu close to my ear to hear my name called out). My waitress accommodated a last minute change-up and made it a wet burrito. My meal arrived in good measure and it didn't have time to get cold on my plate. As I mentioned previously, I was hungry and after giving thanks in a prayer, I dug right in. With just a few bites left, I remembered something about portion control. So I paused and pondered that thought. Then I reasoned that portion control probably starts in the kitchen. After coming to that conclusion, I simply transferred any guilty feelings to them and finished my meal. Since I am a proud member of the Clean Plate Club®, I did my best to finish my meal to the requirements of club rules. Plus, I learned a long time ago that if you come up a little short on cash at the end of a meal, the cleaner the plate, the easier it is to wash (grin!). From time to time, I forget to ask about military discounts that may be available to veterans. I didn't forget this time, and was awarded a discount when I went to pay with cash. Thank you. This is not a fancy restaurant with valet parking. It is located on the mile road side of a small strip mall in the northwest corner of 27 and Gratiot Avenue. In my humble opinion, it is the best Mexican restaurant in New Haven. I recommend!

    Chimichanga and tacos
    Justin H.

    Too bad wasn't with my wife for this meal, because she would've loved this place even more than I did. Nice friendly service. Clean and I even heard some country music playing over the speakers. Heck ya baby. Let's be honest, most of us would rather listen to country music instead of mariachi anyway. The Chimichanga was the best I've ever had.

    Back of menu
    Cinthia R.

    I really wish I could give this place at least 3 stars but if I am rating fairly I would have to say that 2 stars is the best I can do. First let me start by saying that when I first visited this place a little over 2 years ago, I was not impressed. It was run down, dirty and the food was terrible, the service was even worse. Now, two years later, the place is updated, better decor, nicer staff, and slightly better food. I know that this place is highly rated but we are in a small town and I can only speculate that the only thing they have to compare this place too is Trini's down the road. Which in comparison it is WAY better. However, this place by no means makes me reminisce about taco trucks in Florida or makes me all nostalgic-craving cantina tacos. Now, although this place missed the mark for me, I do wish them great success and because of that, I hope that the owner Carter (which I happened to run into with his children when I recently went) takes my pointers into consideration. 1. Make sure that your staff is regularly washing their hands. I watched your cooks (there were 2 when I visited) lay corn tortillas down with bare hands and turn them with bare hands, then run to the back touch containers with meat came back and flip the tortillas barehanded without once washing their hands. 2. The wait staff was also touching money, debit cards, pens, taking orders, phones, and making drinks. I waited for quite some time, not once did wait staff wash their hands. 3. Cantina tacos come with onions yes small diced onions. The onions are diced far too large for a cantina taco. 4. The type of tortilla being used is too thick to double up like a traditional cantina taco, this makes for a very DRY taco and not enjoyable at all. There are places you can source them from, even have them homemade. 5. Consider offering carne asada just saying....this Latina prefers Asada and al pastor over ground beef and chicken and I believe that those visiting go for that authentic cantina taste you get when eating a taco al pastor!! 6. Sabor!! Where is the flavor? The beans, the rice, the chicken. Nothing I ordered had any flavor, not even the salsa. 7. Cover your chips and salsa. I am not sure why there was no netting or cover over your chips or salsa. Even if they are kept in the fridge they should be properly covered at all times. Anyone, staff, customer, or flies could contaminate by sneezing, coughing, etc. Extreme? Possibly, however, it is still a possibility. Overall, I am not running to this place on a regular basis. Especially, during taco truck season. However, since I have seen some improvements within the last two years, although it was a slow progress. I am hopeful that this place will make some strides and some much-needed hygiene changes. I am certain some would say this was a harsh review but when you grow up with a taco truck in every corner and you're Hispanic, the standard is a bit different. On my food order was 5 a la carte cantina tacos and a street tacos dinner which comes with 3 tacos and rice and beans. I ordered one of each of all of the meats to try and ended up with 2 doubles. There were 3 of us eating and for all of us, the most edible out of the 5, was the chicken and slow-roasted beef. As you can see even with 3 people we barely cleared a taco a piece. No shade to the cook but hit me up if you need some help in the kitchen I got you!!! I want to see this place succeed!!

    Side salad
    Danielle T.

    So I've been a few times and have always had good experiences with fast and friendly service! You get free chips and salsa (super mild) and refills as needed. Menu has lots of options for whatever you are craving! I usually build my own burrito and you can build it however you want! Side salad was tasty with an amazing Mexican sour creamy ranch dressing! Family feel forsure a d I love supporting smaller businesses!

    Very very fresh and Yummy!!! Great big portions too!!

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    7 years ago

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    Dan C.

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    8 years ago

    Yum, food is so good and always hard to pick what to order . The owner is great & now ce. Family place!

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    5 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    Dan C.

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    8 years ago

    Really good food small place good food try the cheesecake nachos the are great and the avocado sauce is really good

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    8 years ago

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    6 years ago

    By far my favorite mexican restaurant. Nice to see a small "Ma and Pa" restaurant that serves consistently excellent food

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    6 years ago

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    Dan C.

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    9 years ago

    Had the spicy chicken enchiladas and they were great, small place, friendly staff, clean, a great value, give this one a try

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    7 years ago

    The food here is always great and comes out very quick. The waitress' are always polite and check in very often.

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    9 years ago

    Crazy expensive!!! $55.00 four fajitas. NEVER AGAIN!!!! And needless to say it was sooo not worth it!!!

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    7 years ago

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    Dan C.

    Thanks for the great review! We appreciate it!

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    10 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    Dan C.

    Thanks for the great review Amber! Next time your in say hello:)

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    10 years ago

    Great local Mexican place. Very fresh food, great beans and rice. Attentive wait staff and pleasant atmosphere:-)

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    9 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Always delicious and very friendly! New updated to the restaurant are awesome!! Highly recommended!

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    10 years ago

    Hands Down the Food Is Amazing, full of flavor and very FRESH tasting. I hope they open up full time here in New Haven!

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    Page 3 of 4

    Ask the Community - Carter's Cantina

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    Carter's Cantina - mexican - Updated May 2026

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