Went on a drive up the coast and along the main drag to the beach in Carpinteria we found Oaxaca Fresh. Authentic Oaxacan food... Yes please :) So how could we not order from the House Specialty Plates menu! We ordered Enmoladas de Pollo (chicken enchiladas in homemade mole sauce) and Pork Chile Verde. I had the mole and OMG was it good, so rich and flavorful :) :) :) The chile verde was also 5-Stars good. Both plates came with some very good beans & rice and for beverages I had a Pacifico and the driver an excellent Horchata. And the pre meal chips & salsa were hot, fresh & super tasty. The restaurant was very clean and the staff was friendly. Our meal came out quickly and the waitress checked on us frequently. The dining room is in two large sections and there are also streetside tables out front. The area has plenty of street parking as well as a large free city parking lot just a block away. read more

See all

NOT CLOSED! Food was Amazing. Super fresh and authentic Mexican food. My son said 10/10 mom! Not sure why Yelp has this closed but it is for sure open everyday 8am-9pm. Don't miss this stop when you come to Carp read more

Oaxaca Fresh - Business location and hours - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

My family and I have been coming to Oaxaca Fresh for many years. We've been very happy with the quality of the food, which has kept us coming back. Four of us came for our latest visit. We sat outside to catch the fine weather. I ordered the chicken mole which was quite good. I particularly like the fresh tortillas that come with the dish. My mom ordered the chili relleno and a vegetarian taco, which was smothered with avocados. My dad used two chicken enchiladas, which were doused in a green sauce. And our friend ordered the chicken mole tamales, which were cooked in banana leaves. They had Modelo Especial on tap, which were all ordered. They have quite the vegetarian menu, with copious selections beyond just a cheese enchilada or a bean burrito, so common at other Mexican establishments. I know for a fact that the owner buys produce at the farmer's market; I even helped him on one occasion a few years back to carry produce from the market into the restaurant. I'm frankly a bit startled by the weak reviews. The food is good, but service can sometimes be slow. Maybe it's a reaction to that. Frankly, Carpinteria is a beach town with a slower pace to life. It's worth settling in and enjoying one's meal. read more

See all

Wow, our friends recommended this restaurant on Linden for the fish tacos, and they were right about this place: great value and service. In addition, the mocajete and nopales were terrific. They are 4 months in as new owners. Give 'em a try! read more

We stopped in Carpinteria on our way to Aptos, CA. Carpinteria is a very quiet beach town in May. Located south of Santa Barbara beach crowds should be filling this place up when summer starts. Maggie found Oaxaca Fresh next door to the ice cream shop I was looking for. Place looked like a nice family run restaurant. Chips were warm and crunchy with a light salt flavor. Pretty good. I ordered a taco plate with rice and beans. I don't normally get beans but these beans had a mild flavor that I liked. Rice was soft and moist with a light tomato flavor. Carne asada taco came with a flour tortilla with a mild flavor. Carne asada was tender with a delicious sweet and savory flavor. Carnitas taco had great tasting fried pork that wasn't dry. 2nd visit. Halibut fish taco was tender, juicy, and had a nice flavor. Al pastor taco was well spiced and had a bit of heat. The two taco plate made for a good lunch but wasn't filling enough for dinner. My favorite was the carne asada with the carnitas a close second. Oaxaca Fresh Mexican Grill was a nice relaxing restaurant to visit in the off season. read more

See all

May 2019 Super genuinely friendly people greet you as you walk in and make the whole dining experience very relaxing. The interior decorating reminded me of Akumal Mexico. Years ago I tasted authentic Mexican food in Akumal, Coba and Chichen Itza I was hooked. Quickly I found out just how hard it is to find in the states. Particularly certain dishes, like mole. Well look no further authentic Mexican food fans, this is the place! The mole is just as I remembered all those years ago. Everything is super fresh and full of flavor. Definitely will not go thirsty here as the cups are huge. I ordered a soda and did not need a refill. We managed to stop twice here on our trip to San Francisco and back. So I tried out their breakfast burrito. Great flavors and super filling. Took a peek of the back patio area, nicely arranged and decorated with pretty plants. For you lucky people who live close by they do cater for events. I'm really looking forward to visiting again soon! read more

See all

[Pronounced Wah-hah-kah] Oaxaca is a State in southern Mexico. As of January 2024 Oaxaca Fresh Mexican Grill in Carpinteria has NEW ownership - so ignore older reviews. If you enjoy Mexican food you are missing out - so far. Three weeks ago, after a long trip, we visited Carpinteria at about 10 AM and enjoyed black coffee and Cheesecake Pistachio MADE in Oaxaca Fresh. Unbelievable mid-morning surprise. Delightful way to pick up our momentum. We were the only customers. I couldn't understand. Today I went back for lunch. Chiles Rellenos "Chile Pasilla" is, you guessed it - an authentic Oaxaca dish. Not spicy hot. This was a carefully made treat by someone who knows what he is doing, cares about what he is preparing, and simply PROVIDES an exceptional experience. I asked about the Chef. He worked for the Four Season's for 15 years. The food is so astonishing I had to ask about who is making such irresistible art. Now we know. Guess what. A foursome finished up and left as I entered, after that I was the only customer at about noon. It appears most "regular" lunch-goers in the town don't know about the NEW Owner. The prices are reasonable for the food quality you receive. Please don't miss out - and it would be tragic if they can't continue this wonderful experience. Carpinteria is a gem and you already know it. Oaxaca Fresh is now a gleaming facet based on new ownership. read more

We rediscovered this restaurant when we decided to go out for dinner on a Friday night and didn't want to wait for a late reservation. The restaurant has a new menu and ownership as of January 2024. This is our 4th time back this summer. My favorite is the Carpinteria Tostada with choice of protein. My other fave is the Chile Verde with rice, beans, etc. There is something on the menu to please everyone in your party including pasta and burgers. The service is great and the staff is friendly. read more

Oaxaca Fresh - Chili Verde Wet Burrido - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

See all

Clean and friendly environment, but, both my husband, and I, got diarrhea within an hour, after eating. My husband felt worse and later threw up. He had the carne asada nachos, and I had the carne asada burrito. read more

I ordered the Chile Verde burrito today. I said no rice. My burrito was a huge disappointment. It was 90% bland whole pinto beans, 5 % chile verde, 5 % cilantro & pico do gallo. I didnt care for the chips and salsa either. I opened the burrito and ate the 7 small pieces of meat and threw my burrito in the trash. My friend ordered the breakfast burrito without rice or beans. Her burrito was ok. Esau's, a different restaurant, was my initial choice. Esau's is closed on Wednesdays. The gentleman that took our order was nice. That's all I can say. read more

The service was... questionable. The man who took our order was very quiet and seemed not used to talking to people despite being family owned. The vibes were super interesting and I didn't know how to feel but not in a good way. The food was super bland. We ordered the veggie nachos and it was less than satisfactory. Maybe because there wasn't meat on it there was a lack of flavor... ? Either way wouldn't want to come back if nothing was fixed. read more

Oaxaca Fresh - Veggie Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

Being familiar with southern Mexico cuisine this food is very good! On the milder side as it should be. I would say the dishes served here are not only generous in size, but also delicious! We weren't super hungry but stopped in out of curiosity. The hubs and I shared a combo plate that had a tamale, carnitas hard shell taco and a chili verde enchilada accompanied by rice, beans and fresh guacamole. Not the best we ever had but better than most spots we've tried. They offer a full bar as well so if you're ever strolling through the village stop by and enjoy a Paloma or a cold cerveza! read more

Oaxaca Fresh - A chili verde enchilada, carnitas taco and banana leaf wrapped pork tamale with fresh guacamole- A Ok! - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

First warning should have been that the place was empty while there was so much foot traffic. I say that because 3 out of the 4 entrees we decided on were not available. We almost left, but decided to give what was available a try. We weren't told why until after the order. After no drink order was taken post entree order, we asked for our drinks and chips and salsa. We were then told that the deep fryer was being cleaned and chips were unavailable. On such a busy street with smart and final across the street, buy some chips for the guests to enjoy. The food was okay, other than the crispy taco shell was stale meaning it wasn't "Oaxaca Fresh". The others enjoyed the food as it wasn't crispy or fried. Next, the cook handed me the restroom key while prepping food barehanded. The restroom had no seat covers or towels and flies were all over the restaurant. I'm an optimistic person, but this was not a pleasant meal with family like we expected as we were craving local Mexican food. Probably won't be back. read more

Oaxaca Fresh - Crispy beef tacos! - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

The environment is hot and dated. The service was super slow, took 10 minutes for chips and salsa, another 10 for water. The salsa was the first give away, it's super bland with no kick. The food was cold and also super bland. We may be spoiled so Cali residents because I can walk out my front door and get a 100x better taco on the street corner. read more

The gentleman who waited on us was kind and considerate - however, the food wasn't great. I had the nachos and they were cold and soggy. The rest of my family said their food was notably bland and underwhelming for the price. Ingredients were also missing; for example, no cheese in any of the burritos even though it was clearly listed on the menu. It took a long time to get water,chips and salsa to the table and when the chips arrived they were cool and stale. I would pass on this one! read more

The chicken burrito was one of the best burritos I've ever had. Super fresh and some of the best chips I've ever had. Can't wait to come back! read more

Recomiendo mucho este lugar, es muy deliciosa la comida y la atención es muy amena y confortable. Te hacen sentir muy bien.

I came in here with my aunts and mom as we were walking the avocado festival this weekend. My aunt mentioned she ate here before and said the food was really good. It's pretty small, and there no AC inside so we were dying a little. The fans didn't do much and it was a hot day outside so we didn't want to sit on the patio. Service was really slow, and there is no hostess, so you have to make contact with a waitress to get your name down on the list. We finally got in after a fifteen minute wait, and they seated us at this tiny little booth. One waiter came by to grab us our drinks and a different one took our order. I didn't see the vegetarian items on the menu they had but saw it on the menu via yelp. They will still make items for you if you ask, otherwise you don't have much to choose from looking at the menu itself. I ended up getting the veggie tacos, a la carte on corn tortillas. On the yelp menu it said it came with fresh avocado but when it came out it had spoonfuls of guac on it. Also they were loaded with onions, not my favorite. Skimped on the bell peppers and zucchini and a ton of broccoli. Why is there broccoli in my veggie Mexican tacos ???? Like why ?? I can definitely tell you don't get these tacos, it's not worth it. It was the weirdest combo yet, and the guac did not compliment the broccoli. Needles to say I ate them cause I was starving but I would never order them again. read more

Nice place to come sit and eat some mexican food. Ordered crunch tacos a la carte (4 bucks each) the shells were freaking delicious. The carne asade was diced so small and it tasted and looked like ground beef, flavorless too, only thing I didnt like. Their al pastor is fabulously succulent in the taco. House sauces are great, both hold and mild. Wish I got the amigos name serving us he was a do-it-all dude, good guy. Gracias amigo. Nachos were good as well, but highly recommend pastor and not the asada. Ladies said their shrimp dishes were excellent as well. Reasonably priced, sit by the street, nice. read more

The wife and I have frequented this restaurant a few times before, so we're familiar with the food, or so we thought. We ate at this restaurant on Friday, September 10th. My wife will only eat chicken breast. Boneless and skinless. She doesn't eat thighs, drumsticks, or wings. Nope. Ain't happening. She ordered the hard shell tacos with chicken breast. I ordered the mole negro, one of my favorite dishes. It was a dish my mom used to make for me. As we started to eat I could see my wife's face. She didn't seem to be enjoying her meal. I asked her what was wrong. The tacos were made with thigh meat. Ruined her meal, which ended up being rice & beans, chips and salsa. As I continued to eat my mole I noticed that the chicken didn't taste right. Mole has a strong flavor but I noticed that the chicken squares tasted a little "tangy". I ate about half of it but ended doing the same as the wife and only ate the rice and beans with chips and salsa. We walked to the restaurant and not even halfway to our place my body started to let me know it wasn't happy. I ended up being sick until this afternoon (buuuuurrrpp!!). Excuse me. *cue sour, gross aftertaste* Thanks for ruining my vacation. read more

The food was good, but the service was OK. I probably would have sat outside, had we realized we could. The seating inside was empty, so we figured we'd get a little more attention, but overall, I'd go back. read more

Oaxaca Fresh - Hubby eating the chicken breast burrito - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

See all

Best fresh homemade salsa on Linden in Carp. Lunch and dinners always are good. Authentic, long time local Mexican food, sixteen years. Funky old school, nice local family. Small and cozy. There are always lunch and dinner specials on the sign in front. Check it out. Local home made flavors, no worries here. Yumster. read more

Oh, where do I start? Slow and unfriendly server, locked bathrooms , cold bland food , no chips and salsa offered ...always check reviews before visiting a new restaurant. read more

My husband and I go to Carpenteria State Beach at least twice a month and normally eat at Rincon Brewery (yum) if we dine in Carpenteria after a day at the beach. Today we wanted to try a different restaurant and Mexican food sounded appealing. Besides, we felt stopping in at Oaxaca Fresh would be a great opportunity to support a local eatery. The waotress was polite but the food was VERY average at best and the margaritas were sour. Don't bother eating at Oaxca Fresh unless you like over-priced, bland food and bad drinks. read more

Well, the service is incredibly slow, they never refilled our water glasses ( and they served unfiltered tap water) and the food came out cold. Despite all that, the food tasted halfway decent. They just need more employees and faster service and for the love of God, get a water filter. read more

Two stars for the food, the rest is all location. We were dying to get out of the late afternoon sun on what turned out to be one of the hottest weekends ever. Since we couldn't find any restaurants with AC, we decided to look for a restaurant with a patio in the shade. Enter Oaxaca. The service took a while, but the waitresses were congenial. Ordered chicken nachos and two rounds of Tecates with lime. The beer came in plastic cups and we never did get the limes we requested a few times. The nachos were unremarkable. Oh well. We were, however, able to cool off and regain our senses. The location was also great for some prime people-watching and numerous attempts at parallel parking. Always a good time! read more

Oaxaca Fresh - Chips and menu. Great place to sit on the patio during the afternoon. The sun hits the opposite side of the street. - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

See all

Very disappointed. First, upon entering we were totally ignored by the staff of three people. Couldn't tell if they offered table service or counter ordering, and with no one to ask, we sat down at a very cramped (for three) booth. Waited quite a while to be waited on, but finally a young fellow came over with menus. We had to ask for chips and salsa (regular fare at virtually every Mexican restaurant I've ever been to). The chips looked overcooked, did not have much flavor, and the salsa was more like store-bought salsa stretched out with ketchup. An older fellow waited on us. My wife ordered "Street Tacos", which were prominently listed on page two of the menu. The man said they don't serve street tacos. When I asked why they were on the menu, he mumbled something very inaudible but it was clear enough to understand that we would not be getting street tacos. She ordered a chili relleno a la carte, my daughter ordered a chicken enchilada with rice and beans, and I ordered two cheese enchiladas with rice and beans. I didn't sample the other dinners, but mine was marginal at best. Not a lot of flavor in any of it. We were all still somewhat hungry after finishing our meal as the portions were rather small (but the prices weren't small). Upon leaving, we asked for a to-go cup for what was left of my wife's $4.00 iced tea, and we were told they didn't have any to-go cups, even though they offer take out. The waiter said he would try to find something, and returned with a small plastic cup, but no lid. We were just passing through Carpenteria and stopped to have a meal. Needless to say, there was nothing about Oaxaca Fresh that would ever cause us to return there. It's a shame, because it appears to be a family-owned business and I really would like to support these businesses. REPORT CARD: Flavor: D Portion size: D Ambiance: D Friendliness: F Service: F Overall, it is difficult for me to understand how this place received so many positive reviews since they failed on so many levels. read more

Start by finding someone to seat you, or give you a menu because they do not come to you. Service is very mediocre at best. Don't expect a smile or any friendly banter, or any conversation beyond your order. Food is an extreme MEH at best. I would have preferred Taco Bell down the road or the taco's don roge right next door that looked much better and has Roris organic ice cream in the same building. Don't expect a refill of water or anyone to ask how your meal is or if you need anything. When you are finished with your meal, the exciting conclusion to your experience is the bill dropped onto your table as the server walks away without saying a word. Our waiter did finally speak when he told us that we could not use American Express though. All in all, it was a very mediocre experience in all areas. read more

Lunch was about 11 with out tax drink or tip We had halibut tacos with a small salad The fish was moist good flavor The salsa was tomato with lots of juice no heat or real flavor We did ask for a hotter salsa and did have nice habanero heat Chip were ok We ate outside so little to no service Reasonable lunch price read more

Oaxaca Fresh - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

See all

Food was delicious and Service was excellent. Really fresh chips. Great place. Outside seating available.

How to start... Both the waiter and the waitress were creepy and strange. They stood around for way too long and stared at us while coming back to check on us/to take our order. Aside from those creeps, the tortilla chips were drier than Death Valley. The complementary salsa was watery and bland. It was awful. Also, the men's bathroom would never open because they were making a potion in there. My brother had to use to the women's restroom. The food was not good at all. Very very disappointing. It was also insanely overpriced. For a few people, I spent over $150 for mid food. I should have just dined and dashed. I'd also like the mention about the service. I spilled my drink on me and the waiter was right there, just staring. He didn't even offer a towel, like normal waiters do. Whenever the waiter or waitress came by, the atmosphere turned awkward. I am warning you all. Please don't come here. If you want to cry and lose money, come to this restaurant. read more

Tuesday was my second time here and it was as good as the first time, when I had the chili verde. I recall it being very tasty but for some reason I never wrote a review. Anyway, this time I ordered the Tamales Oaxaquenos - masa, shredded chicken and mole negro wrapped and steamed in banana leaves. These were fantastic! I'm not a mole expert but I really enjoyed these tamales. The had a ton of flavor and were super moist. The beans that accompanied the meal were a little bland for me; I would have liked more salt and more cheese on top. My mom got the Mole Negro plate (chicken topped with mole sauce) and her friend got the Carne Asada plate. Both of them were very pleased with their meals. The service was great, our server was friendly and attentive to our needs. I'll definitely be going back again. read more

Oaxaca Fresh - Unwrapped tamal - Tamales Oaxaquenos, chicken and mole wrapped in banana leaves, served with rice & beans. Delicious! - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

See all

Halibut fish taco, but just the fish was great! We also tried a carne asada burrito and another meat taco and those did not come out as good. Everything was bland, I wasn't sure if I was chewing on meat or maybe gluten/soy. Salsa tasted like water. Taco skin was soggy by the time we walked a few blocks home. It's unfortunate. But the halibut tasted good, had generous portions and was the best part of our meal! My toddler (probably one of the pickiest eaters) ate a lot of the fish! read more

We are not from Carpenteria, but so happy that we found this gem!! The service was amazing!! Our waitress (possibly the owner) was super friendly and had a great positive attitude which made our whole experience even more enjoyable! We shared a grilled chicken Oaxaca burrito, shrimp tacos, and fish tacos!! The Oaxaca grilled chicken burrito was my favorite, it was huge and tasted so delicious!! They also gave us free salsa as an appetizer and it was really good salsa! We sat out on the patio and enjoyed our surroundings while eating. If you want authentic Mexican food and a good time, definitely come here!! read more

Oaxaca Fresh - Tasty Tacos! Fish and shrimp tacos!! - Mexican Near Me - Carpinteria, California

See all

The place was empty at 2 PM and we found our server resting at at a table. After we were seated, our server took our order and explained that corn tamales were substituted for chicken. While waiting, we discussed his wide open fly. Our meals were served promptly and we ate some of it. Corn tamales resembled sweetened corn masa formed into a lump. Chile relleno was filled with what seemed like boiled spinach and the beans were tepid and watery. Chicken tacos with little bit of chicken bits. We left and had a great dinner elsewhere that evening Pros: Fast service, free parking and small portions Cons: Food quality read more

The mole tamales were fabulous! Some of the best Oaxacan food I've had. We came in a big group and the food came out relatively fast. A great place to check out. read more

Every time that we visit Carpinteria, we make a point to eat at Oaxaca Fresh on one of the evenings of our visit. We enjoyed a lovely outdoor dinner on Monday evening. The Monte Alban special with chicken is delicious. It is made with a variety of fresh vegetables, rice, tender chicken, and a delicious garlic cream sauce. My mother had the a chicken enchilada and Chile relleno combo- I can't believe how quickly she devoured her food! She said that both were so tasty. This is a family-run establishment, and we appreciate their tasty food and hospitable service. read more

We stopped here for a drink at the avocado festival and the margs were good. We ordered some food, not that great. The food came quick but it was not hot and the tamale was dry and cold. chips were not super great. salsa was ok and the guac was bland. overall will come back for drinks not for food. a little pricy for the drinks too. read more

The food was nasty and they are racist they saw we were Mexicans and they asked us to pay cash unlike the white people were able to pay with card how rude.do not recommend! I asked for water and the cup had leftover horchata in there! read more

Food is great! Owner is also the server and is very hard working and accommodating. I will always come back and get those taquitos and margaritas... or anything else on the menu! It's ALL FRESH! Love the love they put into it. Thank you read more