If you're looking for authentic Mexican food with incredible service, this place is an absolute must-visit. From the moment you walk in, you're greeted with a smile and treated like family. The service is consistently amazing: attentive, friendly, and genuinely welcoming. You can tell they truly care about their customers. The food? Out of this world. Everything is fresh, flavorful, and clearly made with love. The cheese enchiladas, rice, and beans are hands down some of the best I've had...perfectly seasoned and so satisfying. And don't even get me started on the margaritas (try watermelon!) - delicious, refreshing, and the perfect complement to the meal. A special shoutout to the owner, Chelsea, who is absolutely wonderful. Her passion for what she does shines through in every detail, from the food to the overall experience. Tucked away in the shopping center off Tavern Road, this spot is a hidden gem that you don't want to miss. Once you try it, you'll definitely be back! read more

Absolutely amazing service! Great food and atmosphere. The owners treat everyone like family and friends. You will not be disappointed.

We always have a great experience here. The service and food are both excellent! We love sitting on the spacious patio and their fresh chips are the best I've ever had. read more

Such a great experience! Food was excellent, service was excellent. Thank you Chelsea for taking such good care of us!

Awesome food. Been coming here since the 80's. Servers are amazing and very friendly. Great prices. Try the watermelon margarita. You will love it. Chelsea and Leo are The best read more

The LC fries and California wet burrito are never a miss. The service is always fast and always amazing! We absolutely love the vibe here!! read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - California burrito wet - Mexican Near Me - Alpine, California

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Great food, cold drinks, and warm vibes--but service? Not so much. La Carreta has a cozy, inviting atmosphere, and the staff is nice enough. The food? Solid. Chips and salsa are a win, the beer is icy cold, and the margaritas are a hit with my friends. But here's the thing: the service is... complicated. They always say they're busier than expected, but it's clear they're just perpetually understaffed. Getting any server's attention is like playing a game of hide-and-seek. And for some reason, only the owner seems to be allowed to take orders--why, I have no idea. We'll be back because the food and drinks keep us coming, but honestly, the service needs a major glow-up. ‍ read more

We love this place! Great spot to watch a game in the bar area. Get the chorizo quesadilla!!!! Chelsea & Leo do a great job with this spot. read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - Watching the Pad game - Mexican Near Me - Alpine, California

If you're looking for delicious, hot, authentic Mexican food served quickly by an incredible staff, this is your place! By far the best restaurant in Alpine! read more

This is as good as Old Town Tamale Factory if there is anyone out there old enough to remember that. Service is great and the owners/servers are friendly and remember us each time we come in. I think the prices are better than what you find at most restaurants these days. But it's really the food that keeps us driving a for 20 minutes to get there and enjoying every minute of it. Highly recommended! read more

Chelsea was wonderful. Place was beautiful and so accommodating for my fairly active children. Every time we go past here my 4 year old now wants to go in! read more

Best spot in town! Carne asada wet burritos amazing along with everything else. Favorite Mexican restaurant here in town! read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Alpine, California

My wife and I came here for the second time for dinner and I must say the food, drinks and service here was amazing. Our servers were actually the owners of the establishment Chelsea and Leo. Very awesome and welcoming couple, made my wife and I feel like we were family. I highly recommend coming to this restaurant read more

Went in to watch the Padre game and tried the new summer margaritas. So good! The Celery margarita was my fav! Chelsea hit a home run! read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Alpine, California

First time here, and it was amazing. The waitress was super nice and helpful, and the carnitas are a definite top 3 of that I've had. My daughter and daughter in law had carne asada and beef enchiladas, delicious too read more

New owners are killing it! Best Mexican food in town. Amazing drinks and great service. They even have Mcilhenney Beer on tap. Haven't had something I don't like and I've tried almost everything on the menu. Try the pork belly tacos and aguachile when they have them. read more

Have been coming here for over 40 years. The food is always very, very good and I never leave hungry or disappointed. A great Family owned and operated restaurant with that personal touch. A very full and excellent assorted food selection and a Bar if you like that extra touch with your friends and family. Highly recommend. read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - Family get together . - Mexican Near Me - Alpine, California

At long last we have found the place to find an authentic, fried chimichanga. For years they were our favorite item to order. Alas, places seem to pre fry, then reheat and thats not good at all. LC makes them to perfection.Hot, crisp and filled with your choice of meat, and cheese. Every other food item our group ordered was excellent too. A keeper! read more

The service is extremely slow - so don't be in a hurry to eat and run & they don't seem to care if you are there or not. There is no vm for after hours or when the restaurant is closed. Unsure how they stay open, all things considered. read more

Horrible service by Armando Valencia, served me acidic tasting chile rellenos and brought me the bill without asking if I would eat anything else. This restaurant is losing money having him around. Took the main dish out of the price and told me to get out. read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Alpine, California

Good service. Food quality good. Not great. Clean place. Very good chips and salsa read more

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Great local mexican cuisine. Always happy they are in Alpine. Apparent change in ownership beign watched but so far and after several visits with the new owners in charge, still great. read more

Luis!!! Thank you for an incredible dining experience. The food, ambience, service and drinks were all 10/10. We are so thankful you guys moved from Temecula to Alpine! We have a new favorite spot close to home. Cheers to many more meals together. read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - Cheese enchilada, shredded beef taco combo plate - Mexican Near Me - Alpine, California

Love the food. Love the ranchero sauce friendly service the best chips and salsa. It is hard tho to order to go they don't answer the phone a lot of time I just want to order and pick up. read more

Terrible. Basically never got served after an hour and a half. Being understaffed is understandable but no one communicated with us at all. Meanwhile the bat was being served. read more

I will never come back to this place again. My husband and I took my best friend out for dinner, who was in town visiting. We were going to have dinner at La Carreta until the owner or manager denied us indoor seating because she had her service dog with her. He was beyond rude and acted very unprofessional towards us. My friend is legally blind and his actions violated ADA regulations. We were not going to eat outside in 40 degree temperatures. I have lived in Alpine for over 30 years and have never been treated this horribly by any of the local businesses. We ended up dining at Marieta's off of Alpine Blvd where they graciously welcomed us and the food and service was amazing! read more

I lived in Lakeside and and started going to La Carreta ten years ago. Moved to San Diego and brought my new husband to La Carreta. He loved it and we now drive that extra 30 miles to get there because it is the best Mexican food around. The Margaritas are fantastic and of course the chips, salsa, carrots are authentic. The ambiance is good. Staff and Service rate a 5 star. Highly Recommended. read more

Food and drinks are great. Service is friendly. Price is reasonable. It's a great place to relax and enjoy the vibe. Love this Mexican food restaurant, it's a gem in East County. read more

I was introduced to La Carreta a few years ago when I was temporarily living in East County and really enjoyed the food and atmosphere. When I moved back to the UTC area with my new wife, we decided since we both liked La Carreta so much that we would make them our Mexican Food restaurant of choice and we usually drive the 30+ miles to enjoy their food about once a month. Their menu is priced below the sit-down Mexican restaurants in our area and the food is much better than what we have experienced anywhere else. Great Margaritas, chips & salsa, and hot carrots, plus everyone always so pleasant. Go La Carreta! read more

LC is a pretty basic Mexican Restaurant, not too many frills, but it has indoor and outdoor seating plus seating at the bar if you prefer. The food we have had there is always consistently good with good proportions. I've read tons of reviews about LC and I can't get over the complaints about slow service, it's a Mexican Restaurant for crying out loud, I can't remember when I've experienced 'fast service' in a Mexican Restaurant. We go there a few times a month, the food is always hot, the chips fresh, the salsa tasty, the drinks are cold. As long as you are not in a big hurry to get in and get out, LC is a great place to eat great Mexican food. The menu has so many choices that it's difficult to pick what to order. We are well into our 'senior years' and the food here has never been a problem with our stomachs. I'm sorry that other people have had a problem here, we haven't and we have been coming here for years. If you find the food here a bit bland, add some of their salsa, it's awesome. This review was submitted 11/22/25 read more

La Carreta, hands down has the Best Mexican Food in Alpine! We have enjoyed every item from the menu that we've ordered so far! The service is always 5 Stars~ everyone is so pleasant and the drinks and food arrive before we have time to finish the complimentary delicious chips & Salsa! The Ambiance makes you feel like you're at their home in Mexico including the outside patio! After 44 years of being in business they certainly know how to run a Beautiful Restaurant! Make it your next stop~ you definitely be glad you did!! read more

Hands-down, the best tortilla soup I've ever had. I will drive the 20+ minutes just for that soup!

Food, service, and location are great. The green salsa is delicious. Hubby wouldn't stop talking about how good the how good the chili reano was. read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - Crab enchiladas. - Mexican Near Me - Alpine, California

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The food was good and while the service wasn't super fast, it wasn't super slow either. The cucumber margarita was delicious, we had a good time. read more

This review is based on service only since we never had the opportunity to try the food after an hour and half. It seemed as if you're a regular you get all the attention. We experienced others getting their drinks ahead of us even after waiting over 30 minutes just for drinks. Waited for food over 40 minutes so we decided to leave. Asked for the check for our drinks to just leave. Even then no apology. read more

We have been going to La Carreta for over 20 years. It is hands-down the best Mexican Restaurant around. Luis makes killer Cadillac margaritas and always serves them up with a genuine smile. My favorite dish is the chicken enchiladas rancheros with their homemade ranchero sauce - OMG so delicious! (although the beef tacos are a close 2nd). La Carreta is family-owned and operated, and we always feel like family when we go there. Great atmosphere, great service, and seriously delicious food. Wherever you live in San Diego County, La Carreta is worth the drive! read more

Passing through town on our way back to AZ when we were hungry & found this place. We were the first ones here just after 10am when they opened. Very good! Everything was fresh! Chelsea our server was awesome! Everything was clean! Full bar! Everything was great! The chips n salsa & even the rice n beans were great! read more

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant - Taquitos! - Mexican Near Me - Alpine, California

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Growing up in San Diego I have found only a few gems as far as Mexican cuisine is prepared. I go as far back as Don Jose's. I worked next to this establishment almost 20 years ago. I got to know the owner and sons at that time while being a bartender at the Med next door. Lordes, Luis and Leo not only make you feel like your family but make sure that you are taking care of. Honestly I cannot say that I've had a better taco or enchilada sauce in my life! Born and raised in San Diego I can recommend this place more than anywhere that I've dined! Hats off to y'all! Can't wait to come back! Beef guacamole taco and cheese enchilada, beef taco, enchilada and sope combo with two pacificos was 52$. Great price excellent service and the best food in San Diego! Highly recommended!!! read more

Our go to place on a Friday after work, love the Carreta-Rita's! The staff is always so friendly! read more

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Best taco ever!!! Come and try! Really nice people and amazing food! Fast service! Love this place!