My first encounter with the name Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant (https://www.lascarretasmexicanrest.com/) was a rollercoaster of emotions – initial excitement, followed by a swift dip into disappointment, and then, ultimately, delightful surprise. Spotting a sign announcing its imminent arrival in the Publix plaza at the corner of University Boulevard and Goldenrod Road in East Winter Park, my mind leaped with joy. For a fleeting moment, I envisioned it as an Orlando branch of La Carreta, the beloved Cuban restaurant chain that holds a special place in my Miami family’s heart.
However, a closer look at the sign revealed “Las Carretas,” plural, not “La Carreta,” and the promise of Mexican, not Cuban, cuisine. While Orlando boasts a vibrant Mexican food scene, arguably richer than Miami’s, this initial misreading left me momentarily crestfallen. I tucked the thought away until positive murmurs began circulating on the Orlando Foodie Forum Presented by Tasty Chomps! shortly after its opening earlier this year. Intrigued, I decided to pay attention once more.
Now, four visits later, I’m thrilled to declare Las Carretas an exceptional Mexican restaurant, a welcome addition to Orlando’s culinary landscape. My initial disappointment, born from a simple misinterpretation, has transformed into genuine appreciation. It may not be the Cuban eatery of my nostalgic cravings, but Las Carretas has firmly established itself as my go-to Mexican restaurant in the present and, undoubtedly, the future.
The sheer size of the Las Carretas menu can be delightfully overwhelming, so I highly recommend browsing it online beforehand. On our inaugural visit, my wife and I commenced our meal with aguas frescas ($4.99 each), those wonderfully sweet, non-alcoholic, and non-carbonated beverages that eclipse sodas in both flavor and refreshment, especially when facing the pleasant heat of spicy Mexican dishes. I opted for horchata (pictured left), a sweet, creamy rice milk infused with cinnamon and vanilla. My wife chose coco nuez, a richer, creamier agua fresca brimming with coconut milk, shredded coconut, and crushed pecans. While nuts aren’t my favorite, my love for coconut made me covet her drink even more than my own. Served in substantial, German biergarten-style mugs, these drinks are generous – though be warned, refills aren’t complimentary (yes, I inquired!).
Horchata and Coco Nuez Aguas Frescas at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant in Orlando
One of Las Carretas’ standout features is their self-service salsa bar! After a quick squirt of hand sanitizer (provided, of course), you can freely fill small plastic cups with an array of chilled, fresh salsas and pickled vegetables – jalapeños, carrots, onions, and nopal cactus strips – to your heart’s content. These vibrant additions are the perfect companions to the warm, crispy, and wonderfully thin tortilla chips that promptly grace your table.
Self-Serve Salsa Bar Selection at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
Behold, the chips and a sampling of the salsa bar’s treasures! The white offering turned out to be a surprisingly tangy and creamy salad dressing, a pleasant dip for the chips and effective in tempering the fierier salsas. The dark salsa nestled beside it is a smoky chipotle creation, smoothly blended and chunk-free, quickly becoming my wife’s absolute favorite. Each salsa presents a unique flavor profile, and if you share my “salsaholic” tendencies, you’ll undoubtedly want to sample a dab of each. A couple pack a significant spicy punch – though in the moment, I confess I can’t pinpoint which ones were the fire-starters. I believe the orange salsa on the left side was particularly potent, so approach with delightful caution!
Assortment of Salsas and Chips from Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant Salsa Bar
For a starter, my wife opted for the table-side guacamole ($8.99), requesting it sans jalapeños and light on the tomatoes and onions. Prepared with both skill and a touch of theatrical flair by a friendly server – likely a seasoned guacamole artisan, skillfully maneuvering her cart through the restaurant like those teachers of yesteryear wheeling in a video projector. The result was some of the freshest, most delectable guacamole I’ve ever encountered.
Table-Side Guacamole Preparation at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
For her main course, my wife chose the alambre Mediterraneo ($17.99), a truly dazzling platter showcasing grilled shrimp, scallops, octopus, squid, and – wonderfully – bacon, alongside grilled peppers and onions, all crowned with melting Oaxaca cheese and artfully arranged slices of avocado, tomato, and radish. She thoroughly enjoyed it, although she felt the cheese slightly overshadowed the delicate seafood flavors. Alambres were a new menu discovery for me, and Las Carretas’ versions all come generously served with five tortillas. My wife selected corn tortillas to accompany hers.
Alambre Mediterraneo Seafood Platter at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
This photo barely captures the sheer scale of this platter and the abundance of food it holds!
I, too, succumbed to the allure of the alambre, choosing the alambre mata hambre ($16.99), aptly named a true “hunger killer.” An equally colossal platter arrived, laden with pork loin, al pastor pork, carne asada (grilled steak infused with lime), chorizo, bacon, ham, grilled bell peppers, onions, pineapple, melting Oaxaca cheese, and topped with the now-familiar avocado, tomato, and radish slices. Five tortillas were also provided – flour for me this time.
Alambre Mata Hambre Meat Lover's Platter at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
The a la carte menu offers a tempting array of options for those who enjoy sampling. We tried a single cheese tamale ($3.50), which we both found to be just satisfactory, neither exceptional nor disappointing.
Cheese Tamale a la Carte at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
This is an a la carte beef burrito ($3.99), served “wet” – smothered in sauce and melted cheese. A classic wet burrito, it sparked a nostalgic craving for Taco Viva, a South Florida fast-food chain that predated Taco Bell in the 1980s. Though they vanished decades ago, Taco Viva ignited my childhood passion for Mexican food, a lifelong love affair that continues to this day. I’m unsure if Taco Viva was truly “good” Mexican food by authentic standards (probably not), but Las Carretas undoubtedly is, and this burrito right here is a testament to that quality.
Wet Beef Burrito a la Carte at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
Behold, a generously sized a la carte chile relleno stuffed with cheese ($4.99). After my dismay at Tex-Mex chain Chuy’s removing chiles rellenos from their menu sometime in the last year or so, discovering such a well-executed version at Las Carretas was a delight. The chile relleno featured a light, crispy batter that resisted sogginess under the sauce and stayed perfectly adhered to the pepper.
Cheese-Stuffed Chile Relleno a la Carte at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
Dessert decisions presented a delightful dilemma, but on this first visit, my wife chose the fried ice cream ($5.99). The scoop of vanilla ice cream boasted a pleasingly thin, crackly coating, reminiscent of crushed corn flakes, which she declared her favorite element. I, however, was partial to the fried flour shell/”bowl,” a perfect dessert synergy for us both. But our dessert curiosity was far from satiated, promising a return for further sweet explorations.
Fried Ice Cream Dessert at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
A couple of weeks later (now several months in retrospect), my wife and I returned for a second lunch, this time accompanied by a good friend. I opted for the chimichanga ($9.99 on the lunch menu), essentially a burrito encased in a flour tortilla and lightly fried. Smothered in a rich, thick cheese sauce and filled with beef tips that resembled tender pot roast, it was a hearty choice. The accompanying Mexican rice, guacamole, pico de gallo, and sour cream provided fresh, welcome counterpoints, preventing the beef, cheese sauce, and crispy shell from feeling overly heavy.
Beef Chimichanga Lunch Special at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
Our friend chose the enchiladas rancheras ($9.99) from the lunch menu – cheese-stuffed enchiladas generously topped with pulled pork, grilled onions, green and red bell peppers, and enchilada sauce. I swear there are enchiladas hiding beneath that flavorful mountain of toppings!
Enchiladas Rancheras Lunch Special at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
My wife, a creature of delightful habit, revisited the alambre Mediterraneo ($17.99), this time requesting it without cheese. She declared it even more enjoyable, finding the absence of melted cheese allowed the seafood’s delicate flavors to shine even brighter.
Cheese-less Alambre Mediterraneo Seafood Platter at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
This dish brought a smile to my face. A devoted torta enthusiast (Mexican sandwiches on bolillo rolls), I ordered the sole torta offering on Las Carretas’ menu, the torta toloqueña ($11.99 on the lunch menu), intending to share it with our friend. The sandwich arrived piled high with chicken milanesa (a thinly pounded, breaded, and fried chicken cutlet), ham, Oaxaca cheese, pineapple, “vinegar mixed manzano pepper,” tomato, avocado, ketchup, mayonnaise… and salchicha, which I know translates to sausage. However, I anticipated a chorizo-style sausage, not… hot dogs perched atop the sandwich! My mistake entirely – I should have known better. We all shared a good laugh at the unexpected hot dog topping, and proceeded to share the generously stuffed, savory torta. An unexpected surprise, but a decadent and satisfying sandwich nonetheless. This torta toloqueña marked the only instance in my life where I found myself accepting, even enjoying, ketchup’s presence anywhere near hot dogs.
Torta Toloqueña Mexican Sandwich with Hot Dogs at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
Unable to choose between two desserts, we indulged in both! First, the churros ($4.99), served with luscious caramel and chocolate sauces for dipping.
Churros with Caramel and Chocolate Sauces at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
And then, the sopapillas ($5.99), fried flour tortilla wedges dusted with sugar and cinnamon, drizzled with honey, and accompanied by a rapidly melting scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Sopapillas Dessert at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
I couldn’t definitively declare a favorite among these three desserts, as they all revolved around similarly comforting and delicious flavor profiles.
On both of these return visits, I kept thinking how much my coworkers would appreciate Las Carretas. So, when the topic of a work lunch arose a few weeks later, I eagerly suggested this new Mexican gem. For my third Las Carretas experience, I brought along three colleagues. None are as adventurous eaters as I am, so our work lunches often default to familiar chain restaurants like Chili’s, Miller’s Ale House, or Gator’s Dockside. However, I implored them to give this new Mexican restaurant a chance, promising they wouldn’t be disappointed.
And they weren’t.
My vegetarian supervisor and friend ordered the enchiladas vegetarianas ($10.99), three enchiladas filled with zucchini, yellow squash, spinach, and mushrooms, topped with ranchera sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Enchiladas Vegetarianas at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
Another coworker, my former supervisor who had since earned a promotion, opted for the beautiful campeche quesadilla ($13.99), featuring grilled shrimp, onions, bell peppers, and mozzarella cheese.
Campeche Quesadilla with Shrimp at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
I chose the party tacos ($14.99), because nothing quite says “party” like a lunch with your current and former supervisors and another colleague, where work-related discussions dominate before the drive back to the office and the subsequent battle against post-lunch drowsiness. Anyway, the party tacos consist of six tacos, allowing you to sample two different proteins. Frankly, I would have preferred an option to order six individual tacos, each with a different filling, but I selected wisely: cabeza (tender, moist, and flavorful beef head, arranged along the top) and al pastor (slow-cooked pork marinated in pineapple juice, along the bottom). Both were incredibly delicious and satisfying, not at all dry, unlike the meats sometimes found even at reputable taquerias. This dish is outstanding, and a great value.
Party Tacos with Cabeza and Al Pastor at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
And yet another colleague ordered a trio of tacos, though the specific type escapes my memory. Carne asada would be my educated guess.
Trio of Tacos, Possibly Carne Asada, at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
On my fourth visit, accompanied by one of the same coworkers from the previous lunch, she ordered queso dip ($3.99) and table-side guacamole ($8.99) to accompany the ever-present fresh tortilla chips.
Queso Dip and Table-Side Guacamole at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
And I ventured to try yet another new dish, the Texas burrito ($11.99), a “dry” burrito (not drenched in cheese and sauce, making it handheld and portable), generously filled with crumbled chorizo sausage (another of my cherished Mexican meats), rice, beans, shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, pico de gallo, and avocado sauce. It was phenomenal and enormous. Its size is truly emphasized on the large, elongated plate.
Texas Burrito at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
And you thought it smelled enticing from the outside!
Close-up of Texas Burrito Filling at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant
This extensive review is based on my four delightful meals at Las Carretas, all enjoyed within the restaurant’s welcoming ambiance. Given its convenient proximity to both my workplace and home, I anticipate becoming a regular patron, especially with their spacious, covered outdoor seating area, perfect for enjoying cooler weather (and providing a comfortable space in the current climate). Las Carretas may not be Miami’s La Carreta, but it has firmly established itself as one of Orlando’s finest Mexican restaurants, and now, undeniably, one of my personal favorites. I find it hard to imagine anyone dining here and leaving disappointed. It’s a true crowd-pleaser in every sense.
