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    La Carnita

    3.7 (581 reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Closed • 5:00 pm - 1:00 am (Next day)

    La Carnita Photos

    LA CARNITA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Hipster
    Loud
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - La Carnita

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    Navya J.

    Tried out this place when I was in Toronto earlier this year, and it did not disappoint! I got the lunch prix fixe which was a great deal. The chips themselves were not the best, but the guac was delicious, although I wish the portion was a bit bigger. The shrimp taco was AMAZING - super juicy and flavorful, as well the carnitas taco which was a close second. -Navya J @nyconthetable Note: I don't know how this place has been affected since COVID.

    Best place for tacos and tequila! Matt is an awesome bartender! Food comes out so fast!

    Mushroom Tacos
    Lynn Z.

    Their mushroom tacos are amazing mushrooms are in the hard shelled tacos. The taco shells themselves are served with a fresh corn aroma. The sauce is authentic Latin American spicy, given a great punch of excitement to the sautéed mushrooms. The protein tacos are served in soft shells, great too.

    a plate of meat with sauce
    Greg V.

    Food was fantastic! Cocktails were great too. We were there on a Saturday night, the music was terrible but clearly for the bulk of patrons who were all under thirty. Order the short ribs!

    Pollo frito
    Gokul M.

    Been to this location in the past. John street location as well, and since I've moved to new neighborhood the location near eglinton as well. We drove out to college st location specifically since we knew it would be better, and sure enough it was. Fish and chicken are our go to. But the shrimp is excellent as well. Margaritas consistently great. More importantly staff is super polite and provide great service. They missed one taco in the order and was kind enough to provide a little package to go as an apology. Quality of food and thoughtfulness of staff did not go unnoticed and we'll be back even if it's further. Also since los colibris has closed near king and John a whole back, there's been a Mexican cuisine void in Toronto and carnita fills this gap well.

    the interior of a bar

    Food was very good we ordered tuna ceviche, pork belly taco, pollo frito , baja shrimp , carne asado and honey mushroom quasadilla thyre all very good. Pork belly , pollo frito and mushroom quasilla was exceptional but it took 1 hour before we got to order. Price in menu for tacos are per taco, but thyre filling. Music was loud theres speaker right above our table and our table was so dark unlike other tables and we were placed in front of kitchen door when light keeps interupting our talk everytime someone open and close because we are beside our table that that have uneven legs. We asked to be moved to a better lighting quieter table and the staff helped us move places. Our new waitress was really nice and attentive . Veryyyy nice. Overall its a cute place food are good and good service Just the first tablenwhere we sat kinda threw us off and the waiting time for orders. But i recommend ths place!

    Neon sign and seating
    Samuel A.

    The service was speedy and food came out very quickly. It was all very good, we did visit late at night so it felt like the food may have been prepped for a while. There also were a lot of fruit flies around the bar (a sign of the freshness of their juices and fruit) other wise extremely clean. Aside from that the eight spice tiger shrimp is awesome! Great cocktails and atmosphere.

    Mexican meatballs
    Shakira H.

    If you want to add some hip to your taco then this is the place to go! You've got a pretty edgy menu that's packed with fantastic flavour. I've had their Mexican Street Corn and Mexican Meatballs. The street corn is not worth $8 and off-putting with the cream. However, the Mexican meatballs are a winner! Definitely loved scooping up the beef with the chip they provided. Their tacos are also generally delicious. They do a mean Chicken Taco aka Pollo Frito. If you're feeling something fishy go for the Squid the Kid Taco (Tuesday) which has calamari in it. Hands down my favorite was the special Arctic Char Tostada - holy heavens! However, I wasn't a fan of the Cripsy Oxtail Taco (Friday), which seemed very bland. My most favourite part was desert. Pick up one of their many available flavors of Paletas (Popsicles). For $4 you can have a frozen version of a Nanaimo bar in your mouth - you just can't beat that! My only complaint is the setup of the place. It's cramped due to the communal seating. However, very necessary for when you need shout to your neighbour over the blaring hip hop. At least the music is good.

    Tacos
    Tim R.

    This place is dope. Tasty Mexican food, cool vibe, and real hip hop blasting. We started with the Mexican Street Corn before we hit the tacos. For the tacos we got the Voltron Cod, Pollo Frito, Beef Cheek, and Moke Rojo. All of the food was great, creative, and lived up to the hype from the locals. They had a decent bar selection with of course a focus on tequila and Mexican beer. They even have 40oz, keep it OG. I tried the margarita on tap and it was whatever but a few Pacificos later, I was a happy camper.

    Strawberry Margarita and So Fresh, So Clean (clean)
    Cherrie T.

    I was first attracted to La Carnita when I was researching about unique frozen treats in Toronto and came across Frozen Bogins. The creator serves her signature paletas (frozen popsicles made from real fruits and other creamy variations) at this particular restaurant, and I was highly anticipating to try :D I came here on a late Sunday night. It was a full house, had to wait a bit and got seated at the bar. Ordered 2 margaritas and they were delicious. The Mexican street corn was very flavourful (a bit messy but you must order lol). Rice & corn frituras were spicy but I loveeeee rice balls lol. And I thought the pork confit tacos really stood out compared to the popular cod tacos. As for dessert, I had to order paletas... and then I saw churros, and I had to order that too :D! The cookies & cream paleta was very creamy and it had a whole oreo in there! The key lime pie paleta was quite tart for me, but I know a lot people would love that. The flavours change all the time... I do want to come back to try more hehe :3 Churros, on the other side, was quite chewy. I enjoyed the ones I had in Mexico early this year (they were much softer). I would definitely come back for drinks and the tapas :) Service is A+... very efficient and attentive. La Carnita also had a warm, moody and welcoming environment... makes you just want to kick back your heels and wind down for a great night out!

    Chorizo sausage taco ($4.75)- spicy maple syrup, crema, confit tomato, and cotija cheese
    Precilla C.

    Last Sunday, I went out with a girlfriend to try out La Carnita's brunch. Luckily for us, it wasn't busy at all (unlike their popular dinner service) so we were seated right away. My friend had an iced Mexican mocha ($3.50) with Mexican chocolate, coffee, and cinnamon. For me, it was way too sweet and the chocolate definitely overpowered coffee. It was definitely more like an iced hot chocolate than a mocha. My agua fresca ($3.50) - mango, coconut and lime for the day's selection - fared much better. It was creamy and refreshing at the same time, and not overly sweet. Chorizo sausage taco ($4.75)- spicy maple syrup, crema, confit tomato, and cotija cheese- I loved the bold flavours of the chorizo, even though I couldn't detect much of that spicy maple syrup. This was one of my favourites at brunch. Cochinita pibil tostada ($5) - guacamole, achiote braised pork, fried egg- I love anything with a fried egg on top so this was another winner in my books. The flavours were not as bold as the chorizo taco, but still tasty. Crispy chicken torta ($6.25)- guacamole, crema, habanero honey glaze, salsa fresca, anejo cheese- The torta was more like a crispy chicken burger with a Mexican twist. I loved the habanera honey glaze, which added a fabulous sweetness to the sandwich. The overall combination of taste and texture was great. If I had to levy criticism, it would be the bun, which was a touch too dense. Roasted pork belly sope ($6.25)- roasted pork belly, poached egg, arbol lime hollandaise- This was the most brunch-like dish out of everything we ordered, but I wasn't a huge fan of the hollandaise, a sauce I normally love. It was too sour (presumably from the lime) for my liking. Churros with housemade cajeto ($5) - Can't have a satisfying brunch without some desserts! My last few churros experiences have been disappointing, so I was glad that these ones were excellent! Overall, brunch was enjoyable, but I thought that the their tacos were more successful than the more brunch-like offerings. Nevertheless, brunch here was definitely worth a visit, but I'll be returning for their tacos for dinner.

    Mango avocado salad
    Bebe B.

    I like the size of this place, it's pretty big, so probably the line ups are not as long. I came on a Sunday night and there was plenty of seats inside. The service, it was OK... when the waitress asks us something... before we even finish talking... she is already walking away. When we were ordering, kept trying to up-sell us to order more. We order 2-3 tacos each person and 2 appetizers already. atmosphere, the place is way too dark, having hard time reading the menu! not really a fan for the decor. The music is WAY too loud, the people at the very back was way tooo noisy also! probably cause the music is so loud, they had to scream to each other) The outside is so dark and no sign, I wouldn't know if it was the place if I didn't see 501A on the door right beside it. parking, we were lucky to get a spot right in front of the restaurant, but if not, I wouldn't know where to park. appetizers, we had the corn and mango avocado salad, which was BOTH delicious! but a bit over priced, 2 pcs of corn for 8 bucks, yes it tastes pretty good, but I can put some dressing and chilli powder on my corn at home too! the mango avocado salad was creamy and delicious! but on the smaller side. Tacos, the chicken taco was the best of the ones we tried, there was nothing special about the cod (it was too small) and the beef cheek was horrible (little pieces of shredded beef) and the Sunday special Carmita (something like that) was like pulled pork on a bun, it was nice and big and filled, but I thought it would be a taco not a burger. Overall, the food is OK, but way overpriced (around 5 bucks for a tiny taco) Don't think I would return with so many great Mexican food in the DT area, especially since kensington market is just down the street.

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    The restaurant cancelled my reservation without any explanation. Not sure why? Trying to find a place last minute now for a large party.

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    Portions are small service was a bit off here sorry was not impressed. Seven out 10 food was tasty.

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    Playa Cabana - Baja fis tacos, Gauc & chips and Pollo tinga

    Playa Cabana

    3.9(504 reviews)
    2.3 km•The Annex
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    The food was awful. I ordered the vegetarian enchiladas, and I've never had enchiladas served with…read moreraw zucchini and carrots. On top of that, the entire meal arrived cold. It got worse. When I went to the basement washroom, I swear I saw what looked like the end of a mouse's tail sticking out from under the door. Needless to say, I completely lost my appetite. When the waiter asked how everything was, I told him honestly that it was terrible. I had only taken two bites, and there was really no response. I wouldn't have wanted a replacement anyway after that experience. I also had some fruit bites, and about 10 minutes later my stomach started gurgling. By the time I got home, I felt awful. I was shivering, felt like I was going to throw up, and had to rush to the bathroom. It honestly felt like food poisoning. And I still paid for my meal Unfortunately, I can't recommend this place.

    Visited this spot as its close to the museum and Casa Loma. The strong reviews looked promising so…read moreI decided to book a reservation here. The place is a bit small so it can be a bit tight so I would highly recommend having reservations if you have a large group. Tacos: The soft and the crispy tacos were both delicious. The tinga chicken and the beef barbacoa were juicy and full of flavour. The portions was fair, the quality was a standout and tasted quite authentic. Overall, I really had a great experience at Playa Cabana, totally would come here again to try out their other dishes.

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    Inside of restaurant

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    Quetzal - Empanada oaxaqueña

    Quetzal

    4.3(158 reviews)
    0.2 km•Kensington Market
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    Came here for my boyfriend's birthday and had to book the reservation exactly 30 days in advance at…read more12am on the dot. I would recommend doing so just in case if you want a specific date and don't want to sit at the bar counter. Our waiter was very knowledgeable about the food and everything was very delicious, just VERY rich. At points the flavours all together felt very heavy but everything was still amazing. Would definitely recommend to try if you've never been before although I don't think I would come a second time. Pork secreto al pastor and the tres leches cake were standouts for sure.

    Had an amazing experience at Quetzal. We got the curated menu so we got to try a lot of different…read morethings. For the two of us, in total we got between 8-10 different dishes to try plus 2 desserts. This is what we got: 1. 1 oyster each (phenomenal) 2. bluefin tuna tiradito - amazing, goes so well with the strawberries. My husband doesn't like strawberries but he loved this dish 3. scallop ceviche - a little disappointing, I specifically requested this because of others recommendations but it was just okay, the scallop was overwhelmed by the sauce 4. empanada oaxaquena - so good! love it with the sauce it comes with 5. tomato and cucumer salad- tasty and refreshing 6. scallop in green garlic butter (1 each) and bone marrow / shrimp. This comes with 4 tortillas so you can make tacos. This was my favourite dish! 7. fish (i think this is off menu) - but it was very juicy and this was my husband's favourite dish 8. pork secreto al pastor - came with 6 tortillas so you can make tacos. delicious 9. coal roasted sweet potato - this was just okay, probably our least favourite dish Dessert (both good): 1. Tres leches cake 2. Spiced mexican chocolate

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    Quetzal - Inside

    Inside

    Quetzal - Bone marrow & wild Argentinian shrimp

    Bone marrow & wild Argentinian shrimp

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    La Carnita - Mexican street corn. Was lukewarm

    La Carnita

    3.3(500 reviews)
    1.8 km•Entertainment District, Downtown Core, Waterfront Communities-The Island
    •$$

    Speaking from a food and service perspective, I can say my experience at La Carnita was uniformly…read moreexcellent. I'm from Arizona so my expectations for Mexican food are always very high and they surpassed them with EASE. The Gordita with habanero sauce I had was one of the tastiest things I've eaten at a Mexican restaurant in a while. Kudos Toronto, you've got a great downtown option for Mexican cuisine!

    I came here for a last min dinner on a Thursday and it exceeded my expectations…read more There were a few empty seats when we got there at around 6:30 but it started to fill up shortly after. The inside was nice, it was dark with ambient lighting and decorated with a modern and Mexican theme. The waitress was super nice, and the staff were fairly attentive. We got the chips and guac to start. I do wish they gave a little bit more walk because it came in this really small cup so we had to go light on the guac to chip ratio. But overall the guac was yummy and the chips were very crunchy with a nice seasoning. They have a special every day of the week and Thursdays are there crunch tacos, which are hard shell tacos, wrapped in a soft shell taco with some sauce in between, and you can choose between their chorizo or chicken. We got one of each. I liked the chicken more but my partner liked the Chorizo. And all the toppings the perfect Fixin's. They only had three washroom stalls, which were gender neutral, and I thought they were relatively clean.

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    La Carnita
    La Carnita - Nachos with guacamole, corn, and tomatillo salsa

    Nachos with guacamole, corn, and tomatillo salsa

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    Hacienda las Américas - Mexican cuisine

    Hacienda las Américas

    4.0(74 reviews)
    0.2 km
    •$$

    Some might this this is crazy, but these tacos are better than Seven Lives. Calm down, I wasn't…read moresure if it would live up to the hype either, but this place exceeded every expectation that I could have. Hacienda is located on College Street, very close to Sneaky Dees, in a bit of a tucked away, inconspicuous location. The interior is fantastic and the atmosphere is authentic. There are a lot of reviews that knock this place for service, but that's not really the point of this restaurant. It's a family run place where the focus is food and soccer (when it's on) if you need something, you may need to call the serve over yourself, but that's no big deal cocerning the food. The tacos are the best I've had in the City. At three tacos for $12, it's hard to go wrong. After reading some of the previous reviews, the beef tongue was an obvious choice. I'm not too big in beef personallty, but the meat was so tender and almost melted. Next was the chorizo taco. It was fantastic. The chorizo wasn't overly salty like in a lot of other Mexican restaurants, which made a huge difference. The flavor was deep and rich, and paired perfectly with the salsa. Lastly was the carnitas. It's hard to make carnitas as good as Seven Lives, but wow, these were something else. The carnitas were tender, juicy, and perfectly crispy. The corn tortillas were also made in-house and were fresh and delocious. The servers also bring two sauces to the table - one salsa verde (green salsa) and one hot sauce. Both were great but be careful with the hot sauce, it's a heavy hitter! Pro tip: get a Mexican Coke, it's amazing! Hacienda is the best taco place is the City. Seven Lives is a close second, but Hacienda has them beat in terms of authenticity and flavor. Put this place on your go-to list, it will it dissapoint. 5/5

    The tacos were really good and the people who I assume were the owners were so nice to us. The…read moreplace itself was kind of small, but the waitress helped us move the tables together so that we could all sit together. I got two orders of the pork tacos and one order of the steak taco. Everyone in our party ordered different things from the soup, to nachos, to chimichangas. I also tried the tamarind drink and the mango drink which were interesting as I don't normally order sugary drinks.

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    Hacienda las Américas
    Hacienda las Américas - Guc n chips

    Guc n chips

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    Wilbur Mexicana - Delicious tacos

    Wilbur Mexicana

    4.1(649 reviews)
    1.5 km•Waterfront Communities-The Island
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    Fun taco spot on King Street! Fast and friendly but I wouldn't put them in the same category as…read morefast food. No, no, no! Wilbur Mexicana - they're much better than that. Casual yet FUN late night vibes. The only thing fast food-y about them is that their food comes out in little fun baskets. The tacos are delicious! I had the fish, chicken, pork and vegetarian (mushroom). Loved them all! The fish was topped with the perfect pickly condiments. The side sauces for the taking is a nice addition! They have a condiment station of a variety of sauces (spicy, mild) with add ons (pico de Gallo, peppers, salsas) to enhance your tacos! Love the high table set up. Nice for a semi large group (each table might seat about 6-8 people). Fun, loud music and views of King West through their large windows. A must try!!

    We had come here on a rainy Sunday afternoon, as we were itching to try some Mexican food, and…read morefound this place had good reviews. When we first walked-in, we were served by the cashier behind the front counter, whom answered all of the questions that we had about the meals listed on the board behind the front counter. After weighing my options, I decided on the grilled chicken bowl, which had a mix of shredded lettuce, tomato, guacamole, and other spices/sauces. The bowl was hearty, with many delicious flavours rolled into one. I liked how the food items were brought directly to our table, which was great service on the restaurant's behalf. The restaurant itself was decorated well, with many artifacts resembling the Mexican culture, even down to the music playing on the overhead speakers. Overall, this place provided us with an excellent opportunity to try authentic Mexican food, in an inviting setting with great service. The prices weren't too bad either considering the amount of food we had received.

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    Wilbur Mexicana
    Wilbur Mexicana - Fajitas

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    La Chilaca Taqueria - Two Chilaca tacos - one with shrimp the other with campechano

    La Chilaca Taqueria

    4.4(65 reviews)
    0.6 km•Kensington Market
    •$

    So I have tried them a few times and each time the quality and taste has been spot on…read more Located in the heart of Kensington market this is definitely a hidden gem tucked in a store with a few different eateries. So each time I have their shrimp and beef tacos. All tacos are served in corn tortilla freshly warmed and stuffed with your preference of meat topped with amazing sauces and vegetables. These tacos are super moist and flavorful. The best part is that they have maintained their quality so well over the time. Last time I got three tacos and they totaled to $12. Next time I definitely want to try their fish tacos. The staff is friendly and they make the order pretty quick. Lots of street paid parking in the area. Kudos to the team for creating such a following even though there are a few very popular taco joints close to them.

    I thought this place would be good but what a let down honestly the tortilla were so tough, I got…read morethe three tacos fish beef and chicken it didn't taste like anything special, I will never come to this place, gus tacos is one of the best tacos I ever had and this is one of the worst, the meat was bland, no flavour, it was a big letdown, the fish taco was okay, but I had better at Wilbur mexicana, now I know this is one of the worst tacos 99.9 percent sure I won't be back here, because there are still better tacos to try on my checklist

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    La Chilaca Taqueria - With live Latin music every Friday through Sunday

    With live Latin music every Friday through Sunday

    La Chilaca Taqueria - Menu

    Menu

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    La Carnita - mexican - Updated October 2026

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