Carlos Mexican Restaurant & Cantina

by Dina Scaglione

With south OC located so close to the border, Mexican restaurants aren’t exactly in short supply in these parts. Already have your favorite go-to Mexican place? Well, it’s time to break out of your routine, because few come close to the homemade taste, quality food, and affordable prices found at Carlos Mexican Restaurant & Cantina.

Well-situated on Pacific Coast Highway in Dana Point’s Lantern District, Carlos’s is a comfortable, casual eatery that will cure your hankering for authentic Mexican fare. As soon as you enter through the expansive outdoor patio, you’re immediately greeted by a welcoming fire pit and a salivating blend of sweet onions, roasted peppers and chili spices.

The restaurant’s vast menu overflows with both contemporary combo plates as well as more traditional dishes like Menudo and Pozole. Be forewarned; once you start in on the chips with addictive house-made salsa and creamy guacamole, you won’t be able to stop! Seafood fans will definitely want to dive into the Camarones al Mojo de Ajo featuring delicate shrimp sautéed in a flavorful garlic butter sauce — served with rice and beans. The savory chunks of chili-spiced lean pork in Carlos’s Chile Verde Enchiladas will literally melt-in-your-mouth. The Nopailitos con Carne de Puerco combines slow-roasted bites of pork with tender seasoned cactus, a taste sensation that must be experienced to be truly appreciated. The shredded beef flautas are also a popular favorite — tender, flaky and seasoned to perfection.

Carlos first opened this spot as a small coffee shop back in the early 70’s when Dana Point was a burgeoning area, as a way to offer respite for busy contractors and harbor residents. A hearty Mexican style breakfast was soon added, including a deliciously filling Huevos Rancheros. It wasn’t long before Carlos expanded operations with a complete breakfast, lunch and dinner menu, as it remains to this very day.

Enjoy Carlos’s 7 days a week from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and for Happy Hour from 3 to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Mid-week specials include Taco Tuesdays, offering tacos from a mere $1.25 each; and Lobster Wednesdays from 4 to 9 p.m., for grilled and garlic butter-basted lobsters. On Sundays, a local guitarist creates mood-lifting background music to help ease you into the looming work week ahead.

Carlos Mexican Restaurant & Cantina
34224 Pacific Coast Hwy  |  Dana Point  |  (949) 496-4470
CarlosCantinaDP.com