This restaurant is permanently closed. There is a new mexican restaurant there now, Villa Cantina which is almost indistinguishable from La Carrera. read more

I chose to dine at La Carreta because I was having some work done to my suv and this restaurant was conveniently located nearby. Otherwise , this restaurant is easily overlooked due to the busy strip center it's located in on Trolley Road. This interior is vibrant with vivid pops of color throughout with large sombreros decorating the bar, a hand painted ceramic fountain and beautiful murals on the wall. The mural near the bathrooms appears to be three dimensional and gives the appearance you are entering a door located down a cobblestone road in a welcoming village. I asked my server how long the restaurant had been there and was told twenty years so I imagine the interior design is recent because everything looked new. As for the menu, it was huge. It was approximately seven pages including the kid's menu on the back. Each page has about twenty items or more on it so it's a lot of choices. I imagine it's very difficult to provide excellent quality of food for that many options which always makes me weary. I did appreciate that they featured items that many Mexican restaurants don't offer like Tacos Al Pastor, Sopes and even Barbacoa-all Americanized versions of course. I ordered the steak and chicken fajitas and shrimp and grouper ceviche. I found the food to be average at best. Nothing spectacular but it did the job of extinguishing my hunger. The service was excellent. My waitress kept my drink filled and had no problem accommodating my dietary requests (no carbs- so she swapped the beans and rice for veggies and extra salad and made the ceviche without tostadas ). She was very friendly and attentive without hovering. Overall, I had a good dining experience here and I would probably return to try the Tacos Al Pastor and Barbacoa when I am eating carbs again. read more

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Always been a fan of La ca ever since they opened in the early 2000s but unfortunately they have dramatically gone down hill. Went for lunch with a friend yesterday and service was ok but food was definitely lacking. The chips tasted a bit stale and weren't hot. I ordered the lunch ACP which was good and a decent portion for lunch but could have had more flavor. I'm not sure why but they haven't sold alcohol at the restaurant in quite some time which was fine for lunch but not ideal for dinner time. There was definitely also a smell in the building like they had attempted to clean to make it smell better but only masked the problem. read more

This was our first visit. Upon arrival, we were told to sit wherever we wanted. The first booth we tried seemed to be broken, so we moved to another one. We were given menus, but no server came to the table to bring chips or get drink orders. We waited for quite a while before the guy from the front door finally came over and asked if we had been helped yet. We responded no and he said that there was confusion about who had what section. He brought us some chips and drinks and took our order. He made sure that we had refills and was prompt with service for the remainder of our dinner. My husband ordered their Mexican version off the "Tour of Italy" & got basically a sampler platter with everything. I got quesadilla borrachas. About the food: the salsa was pretty good, but the chips were kinda stale. My hubby had several items (taco, etc) that were supposed to be crunchy, but we're soggy/not fresh tasting. My quesadillas were so runny!! I guess it was "juices" from the chicken, but it soaked my whole plate & made everything squishy - eww. And there was stuff in the quesadillas that wasn't listed on the menu, which I had to sit & pick out (various peppers & the like). Basically, I didn't like my food & my husband wasn't impressed with his either. But our server ended up being nice. read more

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Not wanting to cook and in the mood for Mexican we decided to try La Carreta. Our first encounter was awkward with the seat yourself dining. We eventually found an open seat and waited for our server. Unfortunately, the servers didn't know who to serve and took a while before even taking our orders. When they did bring us our chips and salsa, the chips were old and stale but the salsa was delicious. The salsa was full of flavor and not just flavored tomato sauce. It had chunks of tomatoes, onions, and peppers in it. I decided to order something different than just a burrito and got the "Especial". It is not for the light of heart or those wanting something small to put over their hunger. It arrived on two separate plates both piping hot and covered with just about every thing on the menu. At which point I realized that I had ordered something large enough to feed a small family. All together there was an enchilada, burrito, taco, tostada, chili riano, rice, and beans. Each was great in it's own way except for the taco which shared the same fate as the chips. The tortilla/shell was also old and stale. Other than the chips and taco being a major disappointment the food over all was okay with the service being it's most redeeming factor. At no point did our drinks empty. read more

La Carreta - Mexican Near Me - Summerville, South Carolina

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So we've been fans of this place for years. There seems to have been an ebb and flow to the quality of the food at La Carreta over the years. We've noticed the last few times that Claudia (manager) was not there. The service has declined egregiously and the food has followed suit. The last three times we've eaten here, the food tasted old, dry and microwaved. The tables and chairs are showing a lot of ware and tear. The floor is divided in two sections with really poor tile work. The last time we ate here we sat ourselves. A young woman brought us chips and salsa, then walked away. She didn't take a drink order, didn't bring menus, didn't bring silverware...nothing. In fact she seemed confused as to what she was supposed to be doing. I watched as she wandered around the dining area with chips and salsa, looking for a table in need. It was confusing as there were only five tables sat in the joint and all had chips and salsa. A second server came by and asked if we were ready to order. We told her we hadn't received menus or drinks. We asked for them and gave our drink order. 10 minutes went by and no menus, no drinks. We got our own menus. It took another ten minutes for a server to bring our drinks. Took another 5 minutes to have someone take our order. I was dumbfounded as there were only five tables seated at this time and three servers. The food finally arrived and just wasn't good at all. Wasn't fresh. It was really dry, microwaved and not what we would expect from this place. But it seems after the last few visits to be the new norm. Sorry La Carreta....time for us to find a different spot. read more

La Carreta - Chipped plates - Mexican Near Me - Summerville, South Carolina

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La Carreta Mexican Restaurant on Old Trolley Road in Summerville is a great place to go for delicious food and drinks in a cool atmosphere. I have enjoyed every meal that I have had here. The staff here is very accommodating and makes sure that you have everything that you need. read more

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They said their rice and black beans are vegan which is hard to find at a more authentic style restaurant! My mom wanted Mexican for Mother's Day so we ordered over the phone and picked it up. My parents got regular combos, all beef and said it was extremely salty. We got a bag of chips with no salsa. I got 3 black bean tacos. The beans looked like they had never even been cooked just rinsed out of the can. I had about 5 strands of lettuce on each taco with a few pieces of tomato. For $12 I got 3 tacos with rinsed beans from a Can on flour tortillas with barely anything else. It was ridiculous. The warmest piece of all our meals were the chips that tasted about 3 days old and stale. We will not be going back and recommend you skip this place. read more

Good food, good service and decidedly Mexican themed decor. Whats not to like. I had the Burrito California and it was excellent, nice slices of steak inside made it hearty as well. Also had the white cheese and bean dip with our corn chips... delicious. I had a beer and my wife had a peach margarita., said it was the best she ever had. Definitely going back. read more

La Carreta - Restaurant dining room. - Mexican Near Me - Summerville, South Carolina

Standard Mexican food, nothing spectacular here. The best things here are happy hour, chips and salsa. I go there just to pick up salsa to go because it's so flavorful and fresh. Plus, they offer military/veteran discounts for those of us. To be honest, there isn't a whole of great Mexican in the South. Better off with those Mexican food trucks or El Nortena. read more

My daughter's favorite place to eat. She gets the ACP every time. Plenty of portions and pretty good taste. Staff is friendly and accommodating. Very good at personalizing orders. Neverending chips. If there was a negative I would say that the music is sometimes up too loud. read more

Stopped in for dinner, it's a regular place we go at least once a week. The food is great here and so is the atmosphere. Tonight they had a mariachi band playing, so that was an added plus. It's a traditional Mexican restaurant with great salsa. I always get a little of everything, which is maybe called the tour of Mexico. The beef in the tacos and burritos is seasoned so it has great taste. The service is always great each and every time I'm here. Tonight the food was just a little off in the cooking department. Seemed to not have quite as much taste as normal, but that's the first time it's ever been that way. And I've visited this restaurant at least 15 times. Highly recommend stopping in if your ever in the Mexican food mood, you won't be disappointed. read more

La Carreta - Mexican Near Me - Summerville, South Carolina

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Visited this past Saturday evening. I have passed this place hundreds of times and wondered, but was skeptical. My guest and I were both very content with the service, beverages, and the food. I would recommend this restaurant. read more

This place is like an "old reliable" kind of place for me. The food isn't extraordinary, but dang it's good and it hits the spot. I've been here a couple times with my fiancé and the wait staff is great. The food is pretty good too! My fiancé loved his shrimp fajitas and my tacos al pastor were good. I asked for chipotle mayo to elevate the flavor a bit and I HIGHLY recommend that. The tacos al pastor don't have the typical pineapple pieces which is disappointing but they are still tasty nonetheless. Overall, I think this is a good restaurant and I'll always come back here if I want quick service and good food! read more

La Carreta - Tacos al pastor - Mexican Near Me - Summerville, South Carolina

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Ahhhh... where to begin.... First off, service was friendly and attentive. Overall, this restaurant needs serious renovations. The decor is old and yellowed. The benches in the booths are falling out. The interior looks terribly old and tired. The menu is HUGE. I didn't even make it past page two. Wayyyy too many choices. That's a big red flag for me. IMO, fewer selections make for better selections. The food was very mediocre and nothing stood out flavor-wise. The cheese looked like the stuff that comes shredded in bulk packages. Seating inside or out. Very inexpensive. read more

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It was ok. Good food. Same old Mexican you get anywhere! Slow service tho. Will try it again. Salsa has too big chunks of onion

Wonderful place to eat Mexican Food and being treat as a family member I'll recommend the Steak ranchero and the Texas deep ! read more

Been here twice it's not bad. Decent Mexican food. Reasonable portions and prices. It is located in a strip mall and easy to miss.

So far my favorite Mexican restaurant in Summerville. No issues with parking. Seat yourself style with fast and friendly service. Great for kids, peanut allergy friendly. The chips and salsa is delicious. The food is great, portions large, and very affordable pricing. The Micheladas are giant. The decor is themed and charming. We've become regulars already. Definitely recommend. read more

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Food Poisoning 12/1. Became violently ill after eating lunch here on 12/1. Thought it was a stomach virus until I discovered a neighborhood post where over 100+ people reported similar symptoms after eating there the same weekend/week. I filed a complaint with the board of health read more

We go once or twice a month and it always seems to be pretty decent. Although this last time really burned, literally. I got tacos Tika. Which is 4 tacos with beef and cabbage, according to menu. When it came I took a bite. Turned bright red and started coughing. It was so spicy it brought tears to my eyes. I asked the waitress why she said oh it's the sauce on the tacos. NOWHERE did the menu say sauce or spicy. She did get me something else, but my mouth was numb for awhile. The waitress was great and offered me something else. I'll ask more questions next time. read more

Prompt service and good food. We had al pastor tacos, ceviche tostada, cheese quesadillas and a fried fish plate I forgot the name of. We also ordered a deep fried ice cream to share as dessert. Ceviche tostada was a bit underwhelming but everything else was good. We would come back! read more

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After eating here for the first time on a Sunday evening, my wife became violently ill early Tuesday morning to the point I had to call EMS as she had passed out. Only after talking to others who ate there and became ill did we connect the dots and realize her stomach pains and diarrhea were caused by the food she ate here. It's a shame this happened as we enjoyed the food but we will never step foot in there again. read more

Best fajitas around! Get the Texas 1s add pork and you will not be disappointed!! Their business was hit by a virus a couple months ago and it threatened to close them down but they are back operating better than ever! read more

La Carreta Summerville location sent me and wife, along with dozens of other people, to the ER for Food Poisoning. The DHEC shut them down to investigate. I am sure they will eventually re-open, but I will NEVER eat there again! I can't put words to the extent of suffering they caused me!!! read more

Friendly, fast service, very reasonably priced menu...love their pico de gallo My fav dependable Mexican dish is the Speedy Gonzales (one taco, one enchilada, choice of rice or refried beans)....sometimes I get the rice, sometimes the refried beans... The shrimp dishes are good, too read more

My favorite! Their black beans are delicious. And I love the steak Mexicano. Plus they have $1 tacos on Tuesdays

I haven't had La Carreta in such a long time. This time around was really interesting. So I come here with my family whom I haven't seen in 2 1/2 months and expected just a normal experience. The manager came to greet our table which was appreciated and had a mariachi band play a song for our table which was super nice. Talented individuals as well. Then we had this waiter come to our table and started flirting with my sister in front of my family. I asked for our waiter then he went away. A couple minutes later this guy returns but this time pulls up a chair to the table. I had enough at this time and I stood up and I pulled him aside and told him that I wanted him to leave since I haven't seen my family in 2 1/2 months. I told him if he wanted to speak to my sister to do it another time. He finally leaves us alone. Anyways I ordered the chicken mole from here. It was literally the best chicken mole I've had in Summerville! The flavor was on point and I highly recommend it. However the portion and the price sucks. I forgot exactly how much the dish was but the portion was small for the price which I was highly disappointed about. So we're about to leave and the manager gives my niece a teddy bear which was really nice of him and I greatly appreciate it. As I stand up, the waiter that was hitting on my sister was staring our table down! Not cool. Pros: the chicken mole, the new outside seating area, mariachi band, super friendly staff Cons: the portion, that waiter inviting himself to the table. read more

La Carreta - Best Chicken Mole in Summerville! - Mexican Near Me - Summerville, South Carolina

Eh, this place wasn't exactly bad, but it definitely wasn't that great. Service was fine but the food left a little to be desired. Chips and salsa felt store bought. Added some cheese dip which was decent. Entrees were ok, but I don't enjoy paying that much for ok, when there are better places nearby. Margarita was WAY too sweet. Syrupy almost. Want a quick Mexican bite to eat if you're in the area? fine. Have 5 minutes to drive down the road...do it. read more

My family comes here at least twice a month. By far the best Mexican food in Summerville! Always friendly and quick service, which is perfect for school nights! We have tried a variety of things on the menu and the Fajitas for Two are definitely the way to go. My husband grew up with a mother who cooked homemade tortillas and fresh Mexican cuisine on a daily basis... but even he says the food is delicious! For an authentic Mexican cocktail, try a Michelada! It's basically if Mexican beer and a bloody Mary had a baby. :) read more

La Carreta - Mexican Near Me - Summerville, South Carolina

Its close to the house, so we go here quite a bit with the kiddos. It is ok. Ambiance is alright. They just added a side deck and some tables outside. Inside is the typical mexi restaurant. The food is the normal mexi you find in every other mexi place - order by number combo pretty much. The food is ok. Nothing outstanding or fantastic, personally I dont think there is much of a flavor to anything they serve, but like i said, close to the house and the kids like it, so we go pretty often. The margaritas are really good, the service is very good. great kids menu. read more

-waiter was really nice. -margarita was too sweet (as like all the rest of the Mexican places around here) but only $5 for a huge one. -queso app was really big and good -complementary salsa was too spicy -veggie taco salad tasted good but was very watery (soupy like) I would go back and order a beer and try a quesadilla. read more

Amazing service and the wait staff is very quick and courtesy! The chips and salsa are always brought out immediately and the margaritas and beer are always frosty cold. Fresh tortillas and if you want an extra bite try the tomatillo salsa. We always go, have a great experience and walk away full for less than other comparable restaurants. Frequent specials and the ability to order from the lunch menu anytime makes this plus their military discount one of my favorite places! read more

Decent Mexican food. If it's your birthday they'll sing and give you free fried ice cream. Good service and drinks the size of your average fishbowl. read more

This was our third visit... all three very positive. As my wife says, they do magic with meat. Service was a bit spotty with a bigger crowd, but the food is worth it (the first two times, smaller crowd). Also, all the times we have been there, there were Hispanic family groups... I would think this to also be a good sign. By all means give them a try! read more

I'm going 5 Star here because I've been to eat here plenty of times and have never ever had to send anything back, never had bad service and never got shocked by the check. Seriously, the food is reasonable. The staff are all really good at their jobs and it's really fairly priced. My wife and I were trying to think of a naughty dinner option (fast food) when she said why not just go to the Mexican. After all you can have two combo meals for roughly the same as a meal for two at Burger King. I know which I'd rather eat and am happy to pay the tip, always. Great food, great restaurant, great staff and great prices. Ps: The seats in the booths are getting a little worn out. read more

Cool little Mexican joint right Off Trolley Road the food's always been good..... And the prices are always reasonable kind of your typical average Mexican restaurant..... But on that note you know it's going to be the same quality of good food that you would expected any of them.... clean restaurant and friendly staff read more

Do not eat here!!! Food poisoning after eating there 12/1. My sister was sick fit 3 days and couldn't stop throwing up! Lots of people got sick. I'll never go there. read more

NOROVIRUS ALERT.......I also ate there during the health scare. My friend and i got very ill and had to goto the ems. We spent $40 there and found out we got the norovirus. It was horrible. To think so many people got sick and they are still open. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY THERE. RUN AWAY read more

The person I brought here hated the enchiladas and the beans were awful. Staff was nice, but took for ever to bring out the drinks and brought my food to the wrong table. I don't plan to go back. There are better Mexican restaurants in Summerville. read more