29 Best Mexican Restaurants near Carmel Valley

“Amazing place to eat. We came as a family for breakfast and I had the Huevos Rancheros, a few ordered the breakfast burritos, and one had the pancakes and eggs and bacon. Make sure you ask for what spice level dishes are served, I like things a little spicier and the Huevos Rancheros was amazing, you can ask for the green sauce if you want it not so spicy. The breakfast burritos were packed with fresh bacon, potatoes and eggs. We sat outside and even though the main road is right there it was pleasant to sit outside in the morning. The staff was so kind and food came out promptly, prices were fair, we will be returning soon.“

“I love the Bonilla family!! They are so amazing and it was a pleasure working for them. The food and dunks are amazing too!!“

“Wow the mark of a killer taqueria imo is the preparation of the meats. Asada, pastor y carnitas triple taco plate. Fantastic. Generous portions for solo tacos. Great salsa bar. Green u red spicy to mild options. Yummy guacamole. Husband had the lengua. Perfect location to follow up after some wine tasting in white oak plaza. Loved it. 10/10“

“I have been coming here for years. The best Mexican Food for the best price!!!“

“The best kept secret in Monterey! First of all the FRESH hand-made corn tortillas! OMG! Best in town without question. Huevos rancheros and Chilaquiles were amazing! Authentic. You want spicy? They have the spicy. You prefer mild? Their tomatillo is super mild and DELICIOUS! Fast service with a smile. Plenty of parking. AND THE PRICES ARE SO LOW“

“Easy parking. Inside & outside dining. Comfortable seating. Nice array on menu from ala carte Mexican Cuisine to Exotic Mexican Specialties with shrimp, steak, pork or chicken. Custom vegetable dishes and sides. Complementary fresh tortilla chips with salsa. Friendly staff and service. My love for Jose's Mexican Food combined with love for western heritage is a welcome home.“

“I travel the country and when on the road I seek out taco trucks because they are all so reliable for a good cheap meal. This one stands out among all the rest. By far the best gordita I've ever had. A lovely sweet lady was there to take my order. It's in a very simple parking lot surrounded by grass and trees. I'm glad I stopped here.“

“La Tortuga is honestly a hidden gem 💎 — one of those places you don’t expect but end up loving every time. The food is always fresh, flavorful, and made with care, and the service makes you feel welcome like a regular even if it’s your first visit. Their La Tortuga Cubana is amazing — packed with flavor, perfectly cooked, and easily one of the best Cuban-style sandwiches with a twist I’ve had. Every time I’m heading up the coast, I make sure I never miss this place. It’s become a must-stop for me because the quality is consistent and the vibe is just right. If you’re passing through and want an incredible meal at a spot that feels special and underrated, La Tortuga is the place to go.“

“The food is okay to good. I always just find the layout makes no sense. You have to order in a hallway in the middle of the restaurant with no way of knowing which way a line should go and people tend to huddle up in this hallway. The service is good but they just come out and toss you your food and say salsa and chips are over there. It meant to be a sit down place but they run it as a takeout place. Its weird.“

“Muy buen servicio y la cómida deliciosa 👌“

“Authentic mexican and south-american food restaurant. The service was friendly and quick. The atmosphere could be a little bit more comfortable. The food was on point (although the fish in the ceviche was cooked and shredded) and the michelada is a great choice!

Parking: More than five spots directly in front of the restaurant but there is space to park on the street, also.“

“The very good service are very friendly and the food is ás ú per ly everything very clean [Original] El servicio muy bueno son muy amables y la comida está súper ly todo muy limpio“

“The adobada burrito is the first thing I tried here, and I can’t make myself try anything else, it is so delicious!! I must have it every time I’m in town!“

“5/31/26: Order thru Door Dash @ Taqueria Zarape {Seaside} for the first time from this restaurant. After looking thru my choices of dishes, I decided to order the menudo, available Saturday and Sunday only{$15.25} along with Large Spanish Rice {$6.38} and two cans of Pepsi {$4.00}.Lately I’ve tried Sarita’s Mexican Grill{Monterey}, and Las Cazuelas {Seaside} thru Door Dash,although both were okay wasn’t completely satisfied with the taste of their dishes. Both places I tried the Campechana Cocktail and the Spanish rice giving them two tries. Hopefully the Menudo and Spanish Rice will be delicious from this restaurant 🤔. Subtotal {$25.63}, Delivery Fee {$0.00}, Service Fee {$1.99}, Estimated Tax {$2.37}, Total {$29.99}, Dasher Tip {$3.50} = $33.49 Grand total. Placed order @ 10:18 a.m, ETA: 10:39-10:54 a.m. {Marina} ,Arrived: 11:05a.m. Dasher🚚: Kuldeep. Food arrives and hopefully it will be Hot and taste delicious 😋.See attached photo of Menudo
The Menudo came in a large plastic container that Full all the way, it was Hot. The menudo came with cilantro and onions,which I added to the dish.The tripe and everything was sooo good! Definitely I will repeat ordering this dish on weekends .The rice was in a small container and was regular taste and I added the sauce from the menudo which gave it some flavor. Overall I was satisfied with this meal and would order again

5/31/26: Second time ordering thru Door Dash at Taqueria Zarape {Seaside} today. Earlier I ordered the Menudo, Spanish Rice, and two Pepsi. I enjoyed the Menudo, so I wanted to try their Campechana. Previous orders of Campechana I tried at Sarita’s Mexican Grill {Monterey} and Las Cazuelas {Seaside} and both of them I tried twice and wasn’t satisfied with their Campechana. Hopefully Taqueria Zarape will be tasty and enjoyable just like the Menudo was. I also ordered a small Spanish Rice and two cans of Pepsi. Placed order @ 6:07p.m, ETA: 6:30-6:36p.m.,{Marina}, Dasher🚚: Jennifer, Arrived:6:45pm. Received my order, and hopefully it will be good as the first order from here earlier today{Menudo}. Subtotal {$29.67}, Delivery Fee: {$0.00}, Service Fee {$1.99}, Estimated Tax {$2.74}, Dasher Tip {$4.00} Total { $38.40} The Campechana was full of Shrimp, big cuts of Octopus 🐙, avocado 🥑, spiced perfectly. Definitely enjoy and best tasting over the others I’ve tried at Sarita’s Mexican Grill and Cazuelas.

6/3/26:Third time ordering thru Door Dash for Taqueria Zarape. 5/31 ordering Menudo, and Campechana , along with Spanish Rice. Enjoyed the Menudo, Campechana 👍😄, Definitely a repeat order. 6/1 ordered Jumbo Lengua Burrito and Lengua Enchilada. Not worth it very bland no repeating this order. TODAY I’m reordering the Campechana Cocktail 🍹 which comes with many shrimp 🍤 , Octopus 🐙, sliced avocado 🥑 and taste the 💣 bomb! Ordering this dish you won’t be disappointed {Tried Sarita’s Mexican Grill, Monterey & Las Cazuelas, Seaside and their Campechana can’t compare😖} BEST IN THE BAY! I also ordered Small Spanish Rice and two cans of PEPSI. The Shrimp and Octopus pieces are big and very delicious 😋 Spiced so well, but might add sliced lemon or lime 🍋‍🟩“

“Let me tell you, I come from Texas which arguably has some of the best Mexican food in the country. Concerning my actual order, I only got a simple breakfast burrito with beans, and while to most people it is a basic meal, to me, it tasted like home. The burrito was a great size, reasonably priced, and was delicious! I can’t speak on the rest of the menu, but what I experienced today was a great start! I highly recommend!“

“Good food, must come and try. Worth the wait. In seaside. We enjoyed coming here to eat.“

“Great Customer Service. And the food was Great“

“This place has some really really really yummy food the bomb.com“

“We've been coming for so many years never had a bad experience always love the food the people the ambience it's absolutely fun and excellent food drinks, etc. This time for lunch we had an exceptional server she's new to us. Her name was beautiful. It was a flower like maybe jasmine we hadn't seen her before but boy was she on top and thorough always seeing if we needed any more of anything we loved her she was phenomenal.❤️ just wanted you to know“

“Delicious food.... We had some red aguachiles and some green aguachiles. We’ve been here tons of times, but today when we went in, the service wasn’t the same, waitress seemed upset for some reason because I asked for extra avocado & I had to ask another waitress for some chips 20 minutes later because the original waitress never asked us if we needed anything else after they brought us our food. Besides that, food was delicious 👍🏿“

“Lo mejor de lo mejor en: Panadería y comida mexicana“

“one of the best selections of tequila, wine, whiskey, and bourbon. in addition very friendly and knowledgeable staff. oh, and the breakfast burritos are great for a morning hangover“

“Lupita's strikes again! Once again, completely delicious food! The quality of their food is so good that you won't feel that yucky takeout feeling after eating there! You will feel like your Mexican mom made you a batch of rice and beans! The key is their oaxacan roots! I love how they make their quesadillas with like a thick masa. The tamales are bomb, masa is seasoned correctly and then the fillings are so good. we love the chicken mole ones but also like the rajas and the salsa verde. Today we branched out to try their tortas and new burrito bowls. outstanding! Ask for some Oaxacan cheese on your burrito bowl! Okay, now the bakery... There is always a debate on who has the best donuts on the Monterey Peninsula, I always hear about the donut places, but for me Lupita's is the best. their donut is substantial and then the chocolate on top is decadent! I really keep saying, who would go to any sole donut shop when you can get so much variety here? Donuts, donut holes, cakes, cookies, pan dulce! and my ultimate favorite... a loaf of morning glory bread!!! Like a carrot cake bread with oats! trust me! super delicious! Lastly, they are super friendly! I love their staff! I am currently working with them to do custom donuts for my son's upcoming birthday! They are always willing to work with their customers to make them happy!“

“OMG. ! These are the most delicious tamales I've had. So fresh. I ordered the Jalapeño & Cheese, Green Chile chicken, and Corn. They were all just perfect. I steamed them 2 days after I bought them and they still tasted moist, delicious and fresh. They also have Elote; very good. I'm happy to support small and local business people. I'll be a regular from now on.“

“The staff over at the new Marriott highly recommended we try this restaurant, and we're so glad we did. Authentic Mexican and El Salvadorian food in a small family-run restaurant. The carnitas and the pupusa's were amazing! You got to try this place. We'll be back, for sure.“

“excelente muy bueno para el caffecito por las mañanas y las tortas uuuuyy deliciosas yel servicio muy amable y el lugar está super limpio se los recomiendo“

“Las memelas están deliciosas y el champurrado igual el servicio todo muy bien regresaremos es seguro �“

“This is a solid place to get a burrito for the road. The staff is friendly. The Super Burrito is always good. But the quesadilla is soggy and the cheese on the Carne Asada fries is weird. I do love that it has a drive thru, though; so it's my go-to in Seaside.“