Joy McIlvaine

Greeted by smiling, friendly staff. It's a great location, just across the street from Laguna Beach. We made reservations, and we were promptly seated on time. We were then given warm chips, salsa and a side of refried black beans, so yummy. I got the fish tacos; Hawaiian Mahi Mahi blackened, avo, lemon aioli, cabbage, rice and beans, they were so good. My husband got the Crispy Chicken Chimichanga; flour tortilla, golden crisp, veracruzano rice, salsa, guac, sour cream and queso fresco 😋😋. My son/dil shared the Seafood Trio; crab enchilada, grilled shrimp 🌮 taco, shrimp and crab chile relleno, veracruzano rice, refried beans, queso. It was refreshing to sit outside and enjoy the beauty of Laguna Beach.

Brian Shive

We spent our first anniversary having dinner at Camelita's in Laguna Beach. Our server was Rodi (ROH-dee). So friendly and the sweetest personality! She was THE BEST💙!! (👈Attn Management!) We started off with the Roasted Queso Dip with fresh tortilla chips! Wow! Absolutely amazing! Highly recommended 👍👍 Our entrees were the Crispy Chimichanga with Short Rib and the Green Chicken Enchiladas. The chimi had a good crispy shell just as advertised. The beef had a nice rich flavor. Easily, among the best chimis I've ever had! 😋 Upon finding out that it was our anniversary, we were treated to the Churro dessert that was so so good!! Even though we weren't hungry and we're taking food home with us, we devoured it. It was so tasty!! It was a great experience for our first anniversary night out! 5 stars across the board! Highly recommended! Thanks, Rodi, and Carmelita's! We'll be back! 💙💜

Food was amazing. Service was great. Could see the beach from my table. A must visit. Best salsa I’ve had in a long time. Quesadillas were the best I’ve ever had

Greeted by smiling, friendly staff. It's a great location, just across the street from Laguna Beach. We made reservations, and we were promptly seated on time. We were then given warm chips, salsa and a side of refried black beans, so yummy. I got the fish tacos; Hawaiian Mahi Mahi blackened, avo, lemon aioli, cabbage, rice and beans, they were so good. My husband got the Crispy Chicken Chimichanga; flour tortilla, golden crisp, veracruzano rice, salsa, guac, sour cream and queso fresco 😋😋. My son/dil shared the Seafood Trio; crab enchilada, grilled shrimp 🌮 taco, shrimp and crab chile relleno, veracruzano rice, refried beans, queso. It was refreshing to sit outside and enjoy the beauty of Laguna Beach.

+6

Best Mexican food in town! Seriously! Had their steak fajitas, steak quesadilla, and also the shrimp taquitos. Not all at once, of course! You can sit at the bar and watch the chefs expertly prepare your meal and have a libation while you wait. 😉 The service is on point and the atmosphere is great for lunch or dinner!

+1

Wouldn’t change a thing, especially the friendly staff like the bartender- he made the experience memorable from the second we walked in the door. You feel like you are in someone’s home and eating the freshest handmade food in town. Even when you are full yiu can’t stop eating! Amazing kitchen crew too!

We got the short rib tacos and green chili chicken enchiladas. They were phenomenal! The margaritas were delicious!

I always love my experience here! The wait staff is amazing, thank you Rodi for wonderful service! We will definitely be coming back, for the delicious food and kind wait staff. Also, get the guacamole, sooo good.

Great spot This was really good: Short rib enchilada Shrimp & crab enchilada Next time Seafood trio

The Paddillada was said to be for two, but it was more for 3. The chips and salsa have a small container of refried beans as well and it was oh so good. Very good food and service.

Carmelita’s is a vibe! The food was super tasty (the short rib enchilada was 🔥) and the atmosphere is perfect for Laguna Beach. Huge shoutout to Rodi – best server ever, made the night so much fun. Definitely coming back!

My friend and I had a delicious flan, the steak wet burrito, and chicken enchiladas. It was so so good. I loved the burrito and my friend loved the chicken enchiladas. Rodi was so sweet and attentive to our needs, making sure we had what we needed too. Loved it thank you! Glory to God!! ❤️

The food is excellent, the vibe by the beach is perfect but the SERVICE is SO GOOD. I wish I knew our waitress’ name - she was serving the patio at 630pm on 8/29 - because she was so kind. I told her it was my wife’s birthday, and while they don’t do anything huge for that, she made sure we got a dessert and she stayed back to sing happy birthday with me so I didn’t have to solo it. Very thankful!

This Mexican-style restaurant is very close to Laguna Beach and has such a great atmosphere. The staff were super friendly and the food was absolutely delicious. Even the Sprite was imported from Mexico, so we could taste the original flavor, which was a nice surprise! We ordered the fish tacos, enchiladas, and the Chipotle smoked BBQ ribs. The dishes had a little American twist, which made everything even more enjoyable. Everything about this place was amazing, and I’d definitely love to come back again if I get the chance.

+2

We had a great dinner here on a Friday night. We definitely recommended making a reservation before hand. It’s a really good if small restaurant. Our server, Rodi, was wonderful. She was attentive, kind, and very helpful. Food was delicious! We shared the Street corn appetizer, and the short rib enchiladas were a hit. We also shared the churro dessert, so good! Every bite was perfect. If we could give one critique, the restaurant didn’t have the best smell when we walked in. But we all quickly forgot when our food arrived.

Chicken Taco salad was fantastic. I had it with their amazing black beans and it was a good size. I couldn’t finish it but I really wanted to. Also the sampler plate is a 5 out of 5. The potato and shrimp taquitos were my favorite and the plate is huge. Can feed 2-3.

Visiting from Boston. We were on our way to another restaurant and our uber driver recommended Carmelita’s and it did not disappoint. Warm chips w/ salsa, bean dip and guacamole to start hit the spot after a long day of traveling. For entrees we had the steak tacos and short rib enchiladas and they were equally delicious. Would highly recommend this place. Very clean, beautiful restaurant. Our server (Rodi) was excellent! 5 STARS!

We love frequenting our local Carmelita’s in Laguna Beach. We always have excellent service and incredible food. There are so many options in Laguna but we always choose Carmelita’s. Rodi gave us prompt service and we never were left waiting. She served us with a smile the whole time.

We love this place! It is casual, easy, and drinks are always great! Food is very good and everything even chips are made here! We just wish that menu would have more choices:) All Staff members are super friendly and very nice, great service. Just a great neighborhood place we love to go to. Their margaritas are the best!

What fun! What food! What service by our server Rodi. 6 adults and 2 children is usually a nightmare for a restaurant and Carmelitas couldn’t have been more gracious and delicious. 3 bowls of chips with 2 sauces as soon as we sat down to soothe the savage beasts -us. And it got better from there. So highly recommended for a family dinner even in trendy Laguna. And great margaritas!!

Would have been 5 for food but the 2 dinner tacos were the size you'd expect for appetizers. The flavors were excellent for all the food for our party of 3. Chips & Bean Dip were to die for.

Susan Kelhi-Lerma

Chicken Taco salad was fantastic. I had it with their amazing black beans and it was a good size. I couldn’t finish it but I really wanted to. Also the sampler plate is a 5 out of 5. The potato and shrimp taquitos were my favorite and the plate is huge. Can feed 2-3.

Steven Trost

What fun! What food! What service by our server Rodi. 6 adults and 2 children is usually a nightmare for a restaurant and Carmelitas couldn’t have been more gracious and delicious. 3 bowls of chips with 2 sauces as soon as we sat down to soothe the savage beasts -us. And it got better from there. So highly recommended for a family dinner even in trendy Laguna. And great margaritas!!

Rachel McCormick

We had a great dinner here on a Friday night. We definitely recommended making a reservation before hand. It’s a really good if small restaurant. Our server, Rodi, was wonderful. She was attentive, kind, and very helpful. Food was delicious! We shared the Street corn appetizer, and the short rib enchiladas were a hit. We also shared the churro dessert, so good! Every bite was perfect. If we could give one critique, the restaurant didn’t have the best smell when we walked in. But we all quickly forgot when our food arrived.

Joe B.

Visiting from Boston. We were on our way to another restaurant and our uber driver recommended Carmelita’s and it did not disappoint. Warm chips w/ salsa, bean dip and guacamole to start hit the spot after a long day of traveling. For entrees we had the steak tacos and short rib enchiladas and they were equally delicious. Would highly recommend this place. Very clean, beautiful restaurant. Our server (Rodi) was excellent! 5 STARS!

Veronika Karubian

We love this place! It is casual, easy, and drinks are always great! Food is very good and everything even chips are made here! We just wish that menu would have more choices:) All Staff members are super friendly and very nice, great service. Just a great neighborhood place we love to go to. Their margaritas are the best!

Heather Kawai

Haven’t had a bad meal here yet, and the drinks are really good! I love their fresh hot chips, salsa, bean dip and fresh guacamole. Also highly recommend the pineapple jalapeño margarita. All the tacos are amazing.

Brooke Stanley

We had a delicious meal with our two kids. At first it seemed a little expensive, but the portions were huge so we ordered 2 entrees and it was more than enough. We got the carnitas tacos and the chicken fajitas and they were both amazing and came out sizzling hot on cast iron. The warm chips, salsa, and beans were so good too. Great atmosphere and service.

Solid pick for some Mexican food in Laguna Beach area. The inside is well lit with these fun star-shaped lights. The service is friendly and pretty attentive. We came here for a quick bite and drink. We got the Chef's combo platter and a margarita. A good amount of food for 2-3 people with a little bit of everything. The margaritas here are also very good too. Great place and would come back!

Samit Banerjee

We found this place because of the Resy credit with Amex. We went there on Saturday afternoon for early dinner. The place was not crowded but parking was a little tight. Staff was great, very hospitable and the ambiance was great. We loved the food. Excellent flavors and definitely not the garden variety kind. What I don't understand is their approach to charge customers 3% for using a credit card. Nickel and dining a customer is a lousy way to attract and retain customers. Lots of great restaurants in OC and we will probably not be back.