I came here for a last min dinner on a Thursday and it exceeded my expectations. 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. read more

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I've been checking out Mexican restaurants lately and I feel like La Carnita is the best that I've had in downtown Toronto! First, La Carnita isn't perfect. You enter the restaurant from a set of stairs outside and the restaurant doesn't look too appealing from outside. Also, the restaurant always seems busy and/or small, so it's always loud and service is slow. With the negatives out of the way, let me explain why I love La Carnita! The food is amazing! Their tacos are on point, and with so many to choose from I can go back multiple times can never get bored. Each of their tacos has something different to offer and each has relatively good balance to them. The balance of freshness and savory (and sometimes sweet) toppings is well done, making me come back for more. The one item that pushes La Carnita over the top is their nachos! Homemade nacho chips with gooey cheese and a generous amount of toppings makes them my favorite nachos in Toronto! One last observation is that the service is always friendly. They may be (very) slow at times but they seem like they always try their best and are always quite pleasant. Overall, I love La Carnita and when I get a craving for tacos and nachos, I'm heading straight here! read more

La Carnita - Veggie nachos. So many toppings and that cheese is golden gooey goodness! - Mexican Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Food 4/5 Service 3.5/5 Ambiance 3.5/5 We came here with some co-workers for a team lunch. Since we were a large group there is gratuity & a minimum spend amount. The prices on the menu were for 1 taco, average price is about $8-$9 per taco. The tacos look surprisingly small but they are very filling. The ingredients of the tacos vary. There are options for vegetarians & meat eaters alike.The table also ordered some appetizers to start: Scorpion wings, tortilla chips with dip. For myself I had 2 carne asada (beef) & the sweet potato taco. I'm not great with spicy even mild spicy. I found these tacos spicy. So when I ordered the sweet potato taco I asked for non-spicy & I was okay. For dessert I tried the churros the table ordered. It was delicious! Others had their own individual desserts. Service was good. The waitstaff are full of tattoos & piercings but they were very nice & friendly. The vibe here is casual & cool. We got our food promptly. Decor wise the tables were wood with a dark & rough hewn top. Chairs were either metal or wood bench seating. There are only 3 single bathrooms & one was out of order. So there were short lineups to use the bathrooms. The bathrooms were clean at least. The food seemed a little pricey to me. But then almost everything downtown is more pricey than North York where I usually dine. I thought the food was good, but it didn't blow my mind. The service was also good, but nothing above & beyond. La Carnita is a decent place to eat with good service. read more

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I pretty much only come here for one thing, the mushroom tostada, love it! Vegetarian options are ok overall, small selection of veggie tacos (3). Margs are good, churros are ok, nachos are ok, Mexican street corn is good. Always busy, atmosphere is bustling, after work crowd is typical. read more

La Carnita - Mushroom tostada - Mexican Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Great spot. Cool vibes. Quaint. Delicious food. Perfect place to hit for a bite before Jays game. Will be back for sure.

We sat at the bar, which had comfy seats. Bartender was friendly and efficient. We had the street corn and nachos. Both were delicious. House margaritas were also tasty, maybe a little weak. Overall vibe was great. read more

La Carnita - Mexican Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Dropped by for a quick bite and they were fairly busy. Tried different tacos and they were tasty. Average price per taco was $7.00-8.50 each Chicken was my favourite. The patio outdoor was great, umbrellas for shade and great music. Service was quick. read more

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I had a pretty underwhelming experience here, from the unremarkable dishes to the slow service. The tacos here were quite plain in taste and had very little fillings, and the nachos were alright (also taking an hour to get to our table). read more

La Carnita - Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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The food was surprisingly good for how quickly it came out! The nachos were very good too, and super loaded up. The only thing I would have changed would be to come early so we could sit outside because the music was SOOO loud inside. My partner and I could not talk/hear one another. Because of the atmosphere, I will rate it a 3 but will update my review the next time I go and use the patio. read more

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It's our first time coming here, and I doubt it will be our last time as the service was excellent despite being on a weekend! My friends and I were quickly seated, and our server was super patient with us trying to figure out the drinks and food order. We ended up ordering some cocktails - mojito and LCP MARG, tortilla chips with 3 dips, and some tacos to share. The appetizer was really good, especially the combination of putting some guacamole and corn salsa together on a chip... the little sweetness from the kernels really made the flavours pop! For tacos, we chose chorizo crunch wraps (Sunday special), pork belly, cod, and steak. The crunch wrap was highly recommended by the 3 of us... it's spicy, juicy, sweet, and tangy from the salsa on top, which helped with the saltiness of the chorizo, all in a crunchy and soft taco TOGETHER! The pork belly taco has a nice grilled taste, and the diced pineapple added a fun summer flavour in your mouth. The steak was really tender and juicy... but the cod wasn't our favorite as the batter seemed to not be cooked through as it tasted a little mushy, a little flavourless so that was a little disappointing. read more

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I came here many years ago and decided to try it again when meeting up with some family. The worst part of this was our server, who was distant, sassy, and inattentive. She never cleared our plates, took forever to bring the bill and - When asked for 2 beers on tap - she didn't bring them for 30 minutes to come tell us to say she will "check on them", 15 minutes later she brings out 2 flat beers to tell us "they were changing the keg".... Food was not good and overly spicy but not seasoned. The drinks were alright but this experience was overall bad. Nice and fun atmosphere, not family friendly but would be "fine" for a cocktail with a bunch of drunk friends. Overall I won't be returning and I don't recommend. read more

La Carnita - Corn - Mexican Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This place was highly recommended, so had to check it out and was a bit disappointed. The service was spotty and unreliable, and it was WAY too loud for my dad and I to hear each other. The oxtail quesadilla was really good, and the tacos were solid but definitely not my favorite in the city. Some solid food, but the service and ambiance were not ideal. read more

La Carnita - tacos and oxtail quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

my friends and i came for the happy hour on sunday and it was sooo good !! when we went the service was really great, they took our orders and gave us our food super quickly. we all got the happy hour margarita deal for $10 and the fish taco deal for $5. i really liked the pickled cabbage on the fish tacos (could eat 1983822 if i really wanted to) read more

La Carnita - happy hour fish tacos + margaritas - Mexican Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

La Carnita is a decent option if you're looking but nothing too amazing. I got the pollo asada bowl and it was tasty and fresh. Some of the chicken was crispy enough that it was borderline burnt. The chips were my favorite and definitely unique. The atmosphere would be nicer if the volume of their music wasn't as loud. You have to yell to talk to the people are your own table. read more

La Carnita - Pollo Asada Bowl - Mexican Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Must go here on a Tuesday! They have a Tuesday special for 2 people. We're a group of 8 and ordered 4 of those. It was a huge hit, almost like family style dinner. If you're feeling tacos, this is the place to go with a group ! read more

La Carnita is a chain of Mexican restaurants all over the city. I decided to visit the John Street location while Downtown. Ambiance: We made reservations to be inside but he weather was so nice we decided to wait in the long line for a patio seating. It was super cute with the hanging lights that came on when it got dark. All the patio seats were like wooded picnic tables. The interior is pretty dark but nice decor with lots of red. Washrooms are single washrooms and are unisex. Service: The line was long but we got a table pretty quick. There was a lot of people working there yet the service was lacking. We asking for a knife 3 times and the ended up getting us a knife to share since they ran out of knives at a restaurant?? We asking for more water twice before we got it. Also half price wine night on their menu but they ran out of wine at 7pm?? They were really quick to take out empty plates away. Food: Slightly disappointed. We ordered a pitcher of margarita original for $50. The server said it was huge for $50 and that it could be 6-8 glasses. It came and it was only a small pitcher which we got maybe 4 glasses from it and only because it was watered down with pure ice in the pitcher. I would not get the pitcher not worth it. The pita chips that came wig the guacamole was stale. The guacamole was ok a bit plain. The honey chipotle ribs was really tasty and not dry! That's the only dish I liked. I ordered 3 different tacos to share. Carna asada which is your beef, pork belly and fries cod tacos. The carna asada the beef was dry with no flavours. The pork belly was also dry not sure if that's possible. Both the need and beef didn't look fresh. The cod was not bad but also plain and tasteless. I slathered my tacos in hot sauce for taste. All in all not impressed with the food here, give it a 2 star for the beef ribs. read more

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Parking: probably more convenient to walk or public transport Line: had a reservation Service: good Came here with some coworkers for dinner. The price is for a single taco, size of a small plate - recommended 2-3 per person. The pollo taco was delicious and so were the nachos. Would be interested in trying the other ones. The music was loud, so it was hard to hear each other talking at times but it's part of the ambiance. read more

Their Street Corn is a must-have, the cream and chilli powder made the corn more flavourful. Their tacos were good too. We ordered fish and chicken, both were yum. Place was quite hippie, but way too loud. They put music at high volume, me and my friend had to yell to each other to make us heard.. Food (quality, presentation) - 4/5 Drinks (quality, variety) - 4/5 Ambience (interior, cleanness) - 2.5/5 Service - 4/5 Value - 3/5 read more

La Carnita - Chicken (bottom) and Fish (top-left) Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Came here with some friends after a musical. We happened to stumble upon their happy hour so we took advantage of that and got a margarita and fish taco. I also ordered the Mexican chorizo and the baja shrimp tacos. The tacos were good with lots of toppings. I found the shells to be a bit soggy and too small for the amount of filling. The restaurant had a nice ambiance, great for socials after work. The waiter wasn't very attentive and seemed like she was in a hurry trying to get us to leave. Overall the tacos were good but for the price there are other options in Toronto. read more

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On August 26, 2024, at approximately 3:30, I arrived at the restaurant with a friend. We have been buying drinks, food and hanging out. At approximately 7:40hrs, a staff member informed us that we would have to leave due to a time exceeded which was not mentioned at all nor published in the restaurant or website of the establishment. Why were we not told about the 2-hour limit, when we arrived and after we exceeded the time limit that the staff claimed? We continually bought drinks and were not a disturbance to other patrons or staff members. We continued to treat the establishment as a safe place and purchased drinks. We had a server JEFF and he could've informed us about the time limit but no one has told us about it. An Asian male server arrived and informed us that we would have to leave and we had asked why?, but he claimed that we had passed a two-hour limit that the restaurant does not post about nor it's on the website. As an establishment, it should be notified to customers that there is a time restriction on how long you can be there. I requested to speak to a manager, a Caucasian female, with brunette hair, 5'7, and tattoos; stated that we had exceeded our time limit and she continued to state that due to AGCO there was a disturbance there was no disturbance nor a nuisance to the establishment nor the staff. The manager claimed that other people were waiting for the table but there were three tables available and told us that we had to leave without a reason besides that we passed a two-hour limit. We sat at the restaurant at 3:30 and were there for 7:40 pm. Why were not told about it at 5:30 pm? Why is it not mentioned by staff, posted in the establishment or website? My friend and I were the only brown people that were in the establishment and we both felt discriminated against and harassed. We felt that the establishment had failed to present a friendly and safe place for a restaurant to hang out or even have drinks. I advised the manager that we were purchasing the drinks but stated that we would have to leave without a valid reason besides a two-hour limit that was not informed or posted about the restaurant. We would've stayed and still have a good time, but felt rushed to leave immediately. Great food but poor customer service and representation of a bar that relies on customer happiness. If you want to hang out and enjoy your time with your friends/families. This is not the place to be. Save your money, and time and go somewhere else. The food is great, but if you can't enjoy being at a restaurant while purchasing drinks then why be there? How can you enjoy a night out with friends and family without being told to leave while you're purchasing drinks? The manager failed to represent a professional manner and was quickly angry about questioning her actions. Immature, liar and should not be a manager nor an employee at the establishment. Do better. read more

If you are looking for authentic mexican food this is NOT the place to go. Tortillas are store bought don't taste very good. Server was nice but most of the workers were just standing around. The vibe is chill but not the spot to go if you are looking for real mexican food. read more

Came here with some coworkers for a late lunch. They do have a happy hour from 4-6. Included in the happy hour: $5 fish tacos, $5 margarita Food (4 stars) WEST COAST ROCKFISH: 5 stars (usually 6.50) - one of the best fish tacos I had in a while, highly suggest it. IN COD WE TRUST: 4.5 stars (usually $6.50) - really good, but a step below the ROCKFISH. LC NACHOS: 3.5 stars ($21.96), a bit greasy, decently spicy, they do have a good amount of toppings on them. Service: (5 stars) Very friendly, kept brining waters, were not pushing to order more food or drinks. Ambiance: (4.5 stars) They have a nice patio with some coverage from rain. read more

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I have lost count of how many times I have been to this place because you can never have enough tacos. What I love : Tacos lol ( Baha shrimp, in cod we trust, chicken achiote) are my TOP Fav Their cocktails Appetizers : Chicken wings and shrimps What I wish they could improve : The service can be better, sometimes they're understaffed and once i had to wait for my bill for 45 mins just because there was only one server on the floor. This is perfect for an office meetup, date night, or catchup with friends. read more

La Carnita - Mexican Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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The food was good, we got the fajitas and nachos and the beef & chorizo tacos. I also got a spicy margarita which was so good & didn't cheap out on the alcohol. The nachos were a little disappointing while they were good they barely had any cheese or actual toppings on it. It was basically tortilla chips with a variety of different sauces. The atmosphere was very cute, good for large groups or a date. However, the service needs to improve. My family and I were waiting at the front for the host for 10 min and he was just standing there having a personal conversation with someone and made us wait till he was done with his chat to seat us. He didn't even give us any menus when he sat us so we had to wait another 15 minutes for the menus. The only person who was providing good service was Naomi behind the bar. She was doing the job of a waitress, host and bar tender. She was covering for these other individuals who weren't doing their job. She is the only reason I would ever return to this location. Great job Naomi, but La Carnita should not be allowing this to happen. read more

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We decided we were in downtown at the time and why not try this place honestly one of the best Mexican food I've tried in Toronto we had carne asada taco, appetizer carne asada short ribs, pollo frito taco, baja shrimp taco, honestly the food took long but I'm not mad about that cuz it was so Damn good, there was so many people we waited almost 45 mins to go in, but worth it 100 percent, menu is simple which I like, but good quality of food, even my friend enjoyed it immensely the best food in Toronto, the tacos were amazing with the sauce I have no complaints, the ambiance is nice fully packed restaurant so you know this place is good, and there was a massive line, the short ribs were oh my god, so tender fall of the bone, had some sweet sauce amazing flavour, definitely will come back here but a different location just to compare read more

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Always walk by this place, so when I had to find a Mexican restaurant for some friends coming to town - I was excited to finally try the tacos here! We got sat indoors because the patio was full - totally understandable - it was a really nice patio! Our server was very sweet even after I bugged her twice to move to another table. Two out of the four of us weren't interested in alcohol so I was hoping for some non alcoholic beverages, but settled for an aqueous martini instead (that's pretentious for water) My friends got a Paloma cocktail and a blue crush cocktail. Apparently they were very strong - thankfully so because they were $15 a pop. We each got 3 tacos each and then ordered another round because they were delicious! Be warned - every taco was on the mildly spicy side. I will say - the taco delivery was confusing. They bring four tacos on a metal tray and set it on the table and the expeditor rushed through explaining what each one was but they looked all the same so we spent a few minutes playing guess the taco and shuffled them around. Achiote Chicken Taco - 4/10 Cod Taco - 9/10 Shrimp taco - 9/10 Pollo Frito taco - 8/10 Carne Asada Taco - 8/10 - spicy! Ceviche Tostada - 7/10 Soft corn tortillas btw Cocktails were 10/10 - they tasted like straight tequila Churros - 4 pieces in an order - they were not fresh - very hard and crunchy. Served in a small cup with the dulce de leche at the bottom Overall 8/10 dining experience. read more

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This place is no longer what it used to be before unfortunately, from both food quality and ambiance perspective. It is fairly empty on a Saturday night. sad to see this have happened. read more

Wow! So delicious. Everything was very spicy which made me happy but might be hard for people who prefer mild flavors. The chorizo is great!

Haven't been to la carnita in yearssss but baby was craving Mexican today. Came on a Thursday afternoon and the hostess/waitress (they all seat guests and serves them) quickly told us we can sit at the table near the door and she will be with us "as soon as possible". Slightly worried me because what does that mean lol I know it was a bit busy and I think they only had two servers including her but not sure if I've heard that one before. Since we sat at the table near the door, it was sooo cold! We asked twice if we could switch tables In which initially we were told by her that all tables were occupied. Okay, we waited and saw a table become available. We again requested to switch tables only for her to say um that one is for reservation so you gotta wait a min or some bs like that. Not long after a couple walks in and the other waiter seats them at the table that we wanted to switch to. THEY DIDNT HAVE A RESERVATION. We heard the whole conversation as we sat so close to the door! So instead of asking our waitress to switch, we asked the other guy who was a lot nicer and ended up sitting at the bar away from the door. The entire time this waitress was just grumpy and made us feel like she was too busy for us. Not once did she check on us or thank us. More like us thanking her by default when we left. Wtf?? The food was good except for the shrimp taco. I had no idea it was even shrimp because I thought I was eating battered chicken! There was sooo much batter, I didn't notice any traces of shrimp at all? The steak taco was probably my favourite. Based on other reviews, it's evident their service is inconsistent here. read more

La Carnita - Cali salad - Mexican Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Food was a let down and a disappointment. $20 for a small portion of guac and chips is criminal, especially because the guac isn't a even fresh. Waiter didn't come to the table much and wasn't very personable. Drink was ok. Vibes are cute but the $100 bill for lunch wasn't. It was ok but you can do better. read more

La Carnita - Mexican Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

My wife and I had dinner here and everything was great. I had the crunchy tacos and street corn, they did not disappoint. read more

La Carnita - Street Corn, Crunch tacos and mix meat soft tacos - Mexican Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I went to the 106 John St location in Toronto. The food came out cold . I sent the 3 tacos back. the plate came with warm tacos plus a piece of hair on the plate/ paper liner and a piece of plastic in one of the tacos. They don't have to worry I got the hint. Take your risk for expensive lack luster food and crappy service. They won't be there long with that type of foolishness. 1 star is too much! read more

The vibe of this place is insane. The food is great, we got the baja shrimp, Mexican chorizo and pork belly al pastor tacos. The pork belly was hands down our favourite. Service was quick and waiters were attentive. read more

La Carnita - Mexican Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Came here for the first time by luck, on a Tuesday- had to take advantage of their Taco Tuesday special ($28 for 8 hardshell tacos). The service here was friendly but a little slower than normal standards. It is also pretty stuffy inside on a hot day, especially on the top floor, but the restaurant itself is a cute, grungy setup. I shared the special with my friend, and it came with the perfect amount of toppings to fill the tacos... it's always so satisfying when you're giving the perfect food ratios. The tacos are presented on a tray along with the ("sides" is what they call it but I think a better word for it is just the taco stuffings). It came with all your taco essentials, including guac. The ground beef also had a bit of a spicy kick to it, and the taco shells had a different crunch to them. Overall, nothing was mind blowing about the tacos. I think it's fun for when you're coming in a pair with someone else, but you'd need to order more with it to fully fill up an empty stomach (good thing my friend and I had a snack before coming). The tacos were presented nicely but if I were to get this for say, takeout, not sure the deal is worth hyping about. I'd be open to coming back to try more of their extravagant tacos though :) judging from their menu the prices seemed reasonable for a downtown restaurant. read more

La Carnita - Taco Tuesday special - Mexican Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Pretty classic spot to get something tasty without spending a fortune. It is one of the Toronto staples that has multiple locations that ensure affordability and quality. The pitchers of sangria or cocktails were mediocre and were pleasant but not special. Could easily have been made at home and is served in a plastic pub like pitcher. For $50 more effort could be made to make a drink more special. You can expect a high quality taco with excellent ingredients. Every menu item is delicious. I really enjoy that there are daily specials that encourage you to try something new at a slightly lower price point. This was also a multi story location that provided a great ambience and perfect spot for a first date or an intimate meal. Not special enough for an anniversary dinner but worth it for a mid day treat yourself moment read more

La Carnita - Mexican Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This place is HOT as fire! Oh i mean it is soooo good. The interiors are where i should begin at. Stunning yet very simple. Seating at every corner is differently setup yet classy. The bar area is also very good.. since we had to wait for the table the server offered us to seat at the bar as the wait time was 45mins. The seats were so comfortable and also you can order any food on the menu to the bar area which is even better.. the tacos were fresh and tasty! Ordered fish and chicken Not to forget, they also have a 3-4 table patio read more

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Loved the look of this place when I first waked past it. We had not booked but a table for six was found for us without too much of a delay. Food Service Drinks Ambience all ten out of ten. Each of my party ordered something different - but it all arrived together - perfectly cooked and prepared. Will definitely return on my next Toronto Visit. Thank you for a wonderful evening. read more

La Carnita - Happy Family Mexican Night - Mexican Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

(Late post) this is where I bought my first taco kit in May when the lockdown began this year. Impressed with getting 10 hard shell tacos for less than $40! Also bought a margarita kit from them ony way out. Food and drink mix were pretty good, packaging was also on point ready for photos! Will return to try other items in the menu. read more

La Carnita - Mexican Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This past week was my first time visiting Toronto and I visited La Carnita twice during my stay. The music on the patio is an absolute vibe! Kelly was our waitress and she was so nice. We liked her so much that we came back the next day to look for her but she was in. The Baja shrimp tacos are really tasty. I do think the prices are a bit steep but I'm from Texas where Mexican/Tex Mex is everywhere but other than that, a total vibe! read more

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Great tacos!! Though too dark to take a picture. Highly recommend making a reservation as it's packed in the evenings 6-8pm. Also, a heads up that it's extremely loud and you might loose your voice yelling across the table! read more