I have nothing bad to say about Carlos's Waterville location...well there is one little thing...see my tip. But in general, like his Perrysburg location, and his place downtown (Toledo), this is an excellent restaurant. Is the food authentic? Probably not, but personally, I couldn't care less. Tex-Mex and Toledo-Mex are good enough for me. (Besides, authenticity is overrated. After all, would you want to go to a Brazilian restaurant and find atta laevigata on your plate? Hell no, I'd say). My man Deadpool would LOVE this place, because Carlos makes one of the best chimichangas in the city. Also, what he can do with pineapple and cactus, you need to taste in order to believe. The salsa is made with the same recipe that he uses at his two other establishments, and, it's the best salsa in the city. It's made from scratch two times per day, and you can really taste the freshness. The service, at least at the bar, was perfect; it was fast, friendly, and accurate. The building that houses the restaurant was built in 1840. Suffice it to say, this restaurant is not located in a strip mall. The atmosphere is dynamite. Do yourself a favor and check it out, along with Peddler's Alley. I/we will definitely be returning. 5 stars. read more

Cocina De Carlos - Chimi grande...this one was filled with shredded beef. Iced tea and (free) chips/salsa brought my total to $11.90. - Mexican Near Me - Waterville, Ohio

Everything was beautifully presented , even with delivery. The Cancun enchiladas were excellent, the shrimp was cooked perfectly. Also ordered the guac and queso for chip dipping and everything was incredibly fresh tasting. read more

We were in Waterville to watch the eclipse and had time to grab lunch. After checking Yelp, we decided to come here. The chips and salsa were very good and they offered refills. I had the huevos rancheros which came with rice and beans and they were good. The eggs were a little overcooked, but it the meal was good. Our food arrived quickly which was impressive given the much larger crowd than they were used to on a Monday. The entrance is in a little mall area and takes a bit of effort to find. read more

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Extremely slow service. Food is passible. Very noisy. Inattentive staff. Long wait for a table.

The menu is far better and more extensive than what you get at other Mexican restaurants. They offer non-meat options like vegan chorizo in 3 street tacos which were delicious. One other time we had grilled pineapple. Wait staff is always friendly and never a wait for a table. Quite a gem in Waterville. read more

These guys were great. Not only was the food good, but I ordered online at the wrong Cocina De Carlos. When I went to pick it up, not only did the work with the other restaurant to make sure everything was write, but they wouldn't even take my tip to thank them for the great work they did. Thanks so much guys! read more

Margaritas: 9.2m 8.8b perfecta Chips & Salsa: 9.2m 10b perfecto Authenticity: 9.2m 10b Food: 9.2m 9.5b heavy weight champion read more

So they stopped serving lunch at 2:45pm which I was walking in at 2:40pm. I rarely have complaints about this place but when I don't get the same server something always goes wrong. We had a older gentleman thank when pouring my marg from the pitcher poured a cup full of ice then said I couldn't get chizo and eggs because I was 15 mins late and was scared to even eat it. read more

The best restaurant in Waterville by a long shot. Very good quality mexican food. The staff is amazing here. If you want good mexican food go here. read more

Great food, great service, good prices, and really good margaritas! It's one of the best Mexican restaurants around! Love this place.

Been here at least a dozen times and NEVER disappoints. GREAT FOOD and service. They go out of there way for you. Ya, they might have a wait or Servpro's slow on a busy night, but they make Up for it. read more

My party of four had dinner at Cocina de Carlos, and we loved it. The tacos, chimichangas and enchiladas tasted great. The service was fantastic and attentive. We look forward to coming back again. read more

Food, SERVICE, Price Excellent The best shredded beef taco supreme you'll ever eat. It's the best I've ever eaten. The best taco chips ever and salsa is delicious. It's never too hot. It's mild. And the chips are not salted, and not salty at all and they are delicious. They are so good that you don't even need the salt you won't even remember that that they're not salty. You'll just eat the whole thing. The best taco chip grande. It's got the shredded beef the tomatoes, delicious cheese you'll love it I know I'm not calling at the right name but that's my best X explanation of what it is. So many things on that menu you will want to try them All I swear no one cooks and Waterville. Those parking lots are all full every night Shawn's , chowders, and cocina de Carlos awful parking lots always full‍ read more

Fabulous street tacos and margarita pitchers! Service was fast and friendly, and the atmosphere was fun and colorful. Even though they were quite busy when we were there, the service did not suffer at all. We will be regulars and highly recommend! read more

I have eaten here twice and the service was fast and friendly. The food was good and reasonably priced. The atmosphere is cozy. They have all the typical Tex Mex dishes. There is parking in back and on the street. Worth a try. read more

It's a solid option for Mexican food. Nothing amazing really stuck out but I wouldn't say no to going back here. With having so many great options here in town it was hard to rate it higher then average. Very friendly staff though. read more

Great food and service Margaritas were yummy. Definitely will return next time we are in area

Best servers and bartenders, great for single, couple and family meals, quick and attentive waitstaff and vegan options available. One of our favorite places to dine! read more

Cocina De Carlos - Weekend lunch for one- lunch menu chicken salad sub vegan chorizo, side of guacamole and extra-hot salsa- delicious! - Mexican Near Me - Waterville, Ohio

Unsure if I wanted to rate a 2 or 3 but decided to go with the higher number as my dislike off my food may have been a poor ordering decision. We arrived at this restaurant, which is in a cute little shopping building. You have to enter this shopping building, which had cute little shops and a nice atmosphere. The restaurant was not too busy when we arrived at 5:30pm on a Saturday. We were seated upstairs in an area that reminded me a barn loft. Cute lights and wooden furnature. Not a draw for me but there is a metal curved slide that kids can use to get back to the main level. There is a sign that each kid should not slide more than 3 times and that seems to have been what happened. Thank goodness as it would get annoying if kids ran past all the time to go down the slide. The chips and salsa were good. I ordered a small side of guacamole but did not care for it - it had either jalapeño or green pepper in it (I do not like either). No worries cuz hubby enjoyed it. I wanted something not cheesy or fried so I got the shrimp ceviche...not sure why it was called that as there was no raw shrimp or fish in it. The description even says it's cooked shrimp finished with lime or lemon juice. It was "ok" at best. Too much lime/lemon juice and while I knew there would be some jalapeños, it was just too much for me. Hubby orderd nachos and a chili relleno (can't spell it). Nachos were decent but the relleno was basically a grilled chili with cheese. Overall, good service by waiter and quick delivery of food. Might be back to explore menu further. read more

My friend and I stopped in for dinner. I couldn't believe that as soon as we paid the check we were asked to leave because they needed the table. We hadn't finished our margaritas. And my friend was still working on her dinner. I asked to see the manager and the hostess just giggled at us. The manager finally showed up at the hostess station. I explained the situation. He did not seem to care. read more

We decided to try cocina de Carlos for dinner. We made a reservation but table wasn't ready upon arrival, we only waited 10 minutes. Margaritas were ok, Mexican beer always good. Food was good but the other location of this restaurant food tasted better. read more

Me and my son sat on the patio and they let us bring our dog. That was such a relief because we were traveling and my son was starving and was craving Mexican food. He ordered the Burrito Sancho (big papa burrito) a virgin strawberry daiquiri. read more

Good fresh food & margs are decent. Reasonable prices with good portions. Pleasant staff in what I think was an old black smith shop.

What can I write about Cocina de Carlos that has not been said more eloquently by others? If you would like a real review of the restaurant, I highly recommend the excellent review written by Mike P. Otherwise, I will suffice to say that my wife and I went to Cocina de Carlos on our date night, and were completely blown away: the service was friendly and attentive, the ambiance was fantastic (my wife loved the tree of stars), and the food was absolutely divine! Our curiosity having been piqued by Mike P's comment about the pineapple, we ordered the Tarasco Pineapple Don Charly, and both agreed it was the most amazing thing we have eaten all year. If you have not been to Cocina de Carlos yet, make plans to go tonight. You will not be disappointed! read more

Cocina De Carlos - Pineapple Don Charly: half a pineapple filled with mushrooms, onions, peppers, pineapple, and cheese, plus steak, chicken, chorizo & shrimp. - Mexican Near Me - Waterville, Ohio

I consider myself a Mexican restaurant aficionado and Cocina De Carlos wins the prize for top Mexican restaurant in northwest Ohio. Quality, service, always bringing leftovers home; all of the things I look for in recommending a restaurant and so I recommend Cocina De Carlos to you! Top notch! read more

We love to try different Mexican restaurants. And while this was our first order and was only for dips and chips, I can already give it 5 stars. We ordered the Bean Dip ( as an hors d'oeuvres for our Meatless Monday) and the Jalapeno Dip for the next night. The Bean Dip was good, very flavorful. It's not hard to make a good bean dip! The red salsa (bar salsa) was some of the best we've ever had. The habanero salsa is delish but butt-kicking!! (that's good, in our opinion) But the Jalapeno Dip was freaking outstanding! I told my husband that it's one of the best Mexican dips I've ever tasted. Chips are fresh and salty. read more

Just not that good. Service is great. Prices are OK. The food is below average Tex-Mex. I'd never suggest ever going here ever again, but my niece loves this place so I'd go here again for her. Hopefully there's better Mexican food around here. read more

Worth visiting, really good food and ambiance in this small town on the Maumee river. Visit Gran Rápida, Ohio, down the road, for additional restaurants and shopping read more

We ate there last evening. Food was great. Fish tacos snd barbacoa tacos. Service was quick. Waiter stopped by several times to make sure all 1was good. They have a patio now which was full. I've never had a bad meal there. read more

Service was overall good and attentive. That being said I had to send back my Fajitas because they came out without the cheese melted, I sent it back. My wife ordered enchiladas ate very little and informed me at the end of the meal that they were cold on the inside. She said she was not very and would just heat and eat them for lunch. read more

Great food and great service. We loved it and will be back. The atmosphere was comfortable and relaxed

O.K. I made it here for the 4-5th time. Why, you ask? Because some friend or event has caused me to! I find ,(like all the other Mexican restaurants by this same owner-ie. Perrysburg and Adams street, Toledo,Ohio), have inconsistent preparation of their food items. This time the chips and salsa was even poor! This is not the mexican food I would recommend. The atmosphere here is mediocre. Screaming children, loud music, and depending where you sit, cold air blowing on you. Oh, Smedlap. Wish you were here. read more

This is our favorite Mexican restaurant. The food and drinks are amazing. The staff is friendly and helpful. The atmosphere is great. We always try to sit at the bar. read more

This is "pretty damn good" Mexican fare. They can offer you TexMex or more "reality based Mexican foods". It's all good. I would "opt" for Gold Margaritas for your drinking pleaser , and my guess, if you like the dish elsewhere, you'll love it here. Run ......don't walk ! read more

Festive atmosphere. Excellent Margaritas. Many choices of liquor and tequila combinations. Tacos el pastor = excellent. Fresh cilantro with pineapple. Chips are great. Salsa is fresh with a smoky taste. Tamales are homemade and tasty. Service is excellent and fast. We have visited at least four times in the past 4 years. Food and service are consistently excellent. read more

Went to the Roche de Boeuf Parade and Festival and stopped for lunch. Was pleasantly surprised! The service was excellent and there was even a strolling guitar player to add to the ambience. I ordered the ground beef taco salad, which was light on the ground beef and a bit soggy. Vegan friends had the vegan enchiladas and were very happy. If you are in Waterville and looking for a quaint stop for lunch or dinner, try this one. I think you will enjoy it! read more

Cocina De Carlos - Ground Beef Taco Salad - Mexican Near Me - Waterville, Ohio

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Fast, friendly, and great food! Moved to Waterville 11/2019 so I never had the experience of dining inside due to COVID. We supported local businesses as often as we could and Cocina De Carlos was one of our go-to spots. read more

We have visited this location for many years in its various incarnations. We were pleased when it converted to Mexican, or rather Tex-Mex style, as we are huge fans of Tex-Mex food. Quality has been inconsistent however. We've enjoyed several very good meals there but the last three visits my entrees were so heavily salted I could barely eat them. Please, allow the diner to add salt to taste instead of just blasting everything with way too much sodium! Quality of service is a function of who your server is. Better training and a lighter touch on the salt shaker is needed before we will become regulars again. Love the location and atmosphere but improvements needed. read more

we were on a road trip and decided to stop in Toledo for dinner. I happened to see this place on google and I'm so glad we chose to eat here. fabulous food, quick and friendly service, right off the interstate. couldn't have asked for anything better! I wish we had this restaurant at home! read more

Have gave this restaurant couple of tries and its okay. Service is 2/5 - one time we just ordered ala carte quesadilla, and it arrive at our table after 30 mins. And its always like that in this location. The one in perrysburg was better with their service. Food prices are pretty decent, but for the food they serve you, its okay. A lot of the dishes we've tried is either salty, or lacks flavor. Drinks are just okay too, the frozen margaritas were good. But nothing impressive. I guess im too used to having better mexican food and drinks. read more