La Carnita - Leslieville/Riverside (Queen St E) in Toronto

PROS: We went for lunch on a Sunday, the place was almost empty but QUIET!! We appreciated the no-loud-music, no-loud-conversations ambiance. Service was corteous and non-invasive. Good selection of drinks. Excellent dessert. CONS: We ordered the shared nachos. Big dish to share, but served when the melted cheddar cheese was already cold. Another disappointment was the absence of Mexican cheese sauce, which made the dish dry and mmmm... just not right. Cmon guys, Mexican cheese sauce is NOT that expensive... 2 spoonfuls WILL make that difference.

Ordered a carne asada bowl and received a container with rice, lettuce, jalapenos, and exactly three 1 cm x 1 cm cubes of steak drowning in sauce. That is not hyperbole, I counted. They cheaped out on the main ingredient for the dish, steak. The container was mostly air too, as they only filled it about 1/3 of the way. what a joke. dont support these crooks.

Ordered a carne asada burrito bowl. maybe there s one bite of steak lmao.

Came to pick up an order and the Asian lady was rude and authoritative yelling i shouldn t walk through the restaurant and point her finger at me to walk back to the door Only reason I went to front was because I wasn t given when the food will be ready

Ordered lunch for company department event, food was great and portions generous, highly recommend !

Exactly what we were looking for. Good drinks and tacos, great service and a fun atmosphere

I ordered chorizo tortilla couldnt even eat it out was extremely overly salty so sad i was looking forward to this meal

Delicious tacos at good value

Especially they have terrible employees who shout at their customers from a distance. I had such an experience. Im determined not to go in again.

The tacos are not very good, the meat tasted a little old. The ambience of the place is not very exciting.

Delicious Tacos, margaritas on tap! Tacos were full spectrum flavour. Nice vibe, friendly tenders.

Do not recommend. Not accommodating whatsoever. Dismissive.

Dined in, taco Tuesday on the patio, very impressed with the flavours and quality service. Across the street is a gorgeous historical building- apparently it was a post office opened in 1917.

Food was. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! WIL DEFINITELY ORDER AGAIN!

My friend and I sat on the patio, and when the server came to clean the table, she asked me to wipe down the other side because she couldn t reach it. The server was polite about it, but it seemed like she just didn t want to lean over a bit more to clean it. Later, I ordered nachos, and when they were delivered, the server just placed them randomly on the table without any care, so I had to rearrange them myself. The nachos were not great, and the service was terrible. We weren t given forks, plates, or even napkins, and I had to ask for them. When we were ready to pay, no one came to our table, so we had to get up to pay the bill ourselves. The nachos were $34, and while I might have accepted the price if the service had been good, it was far from that. It definitely wasn t worth it. Lastly, the margarita was served without salt around the rim, which was disappointing.

Ordered a burrito to go. Food was good, quite spicy and a bit unmanageable for me, but that was just me.

We had ordered the taco bar for our corporate team event. The food was excellent and had good quantity, the service was also great, would recommend for you team event!

First time in this place on September 18 . I would go again. A bit pricey .

The corn and the tacos are boom! Great tequila selection too. Seriously tho, nothing is more legit than their make your own tacos when you get them to go. I feel spoilt with that kit. Worth every $ And you get free Churros on your Birthday :)

La Carnita is always a good time! The servers are friendly and the service is consistently great. I love the variety of tacos they offer theres something for everyone. Highly recommend trying it out! Vegetarian options: Corns, mushrooms tacos, nachos. Dietary restrictions: They accommodated my friends nuts allergy. Parking: It depends on time. Street parking is free after 9 pm.

Cold food long waits No good customer services Food

I love the tacos but I ordered a burrito this time and it had so little meat in it

The good is absolutely fantastic great atmosphere and amazing drinks. If you like Latino food you will not be disappointed.

Excellent food and service

Oh god so hot tasty food what I like I like to visit again the x u to all staff nice service

Pork Belly Al Pastor

Nice place for tacos. Will go there again. Food

I really enjoyed my meal here. The tacos were delicious and the service was great.

Obsessed with their tacos

Taste was ok. Meat portion is so small for a $28 Carne asada bowl. Not gonna buy again.

Its a cute little spot to stop. I went with a new friend and had a couple tacos on a Saturday afternoon. Was quiet and chill! Nothing crazy going on and a great vibe.

This review is after visiting twice a number of months apart. The first time was fine. The food was fine and the service was fine. Which is why we came back a second time. The second time this past weekend. I have to say not so fine. The smell when you come in is a bit strong. Whatever cleaner the bar cleans with was pretty strong and noticeable. No one seats you, you seat yourself. The service is okay and not great. The girl was nice enough but it really felt like the too cool to serve you vibe . Don t know how to describe it. It feels like they don t care and there is air of attitude in every interaction. The food was okay as well. Nothing spectacular and just kind of mid the whole way though. Having this been my second time here I wouldn t go back. It feels like a Leslieville spot forgetting it isn t King West. If another great Mexican place rolled up on Queen East this place wouldn t have a chance. The food and service need an improvement. Maybe a menu refresh would help. It s an expensive place for food and service that is meh. Kid-friendliness: Not really, the space is a bar and that could be fine but this just isn t the spot for kids. Wheelchair accessibility: Absolutely not accessible. There are many stairs to the bathroom and to get into the dining. The path through is narrow and would be a very tight squeeze for anyone with mobility aids.

Really like the tacos, especially the pork belly tacos. We came late, but the staff took excellent care of us. I also loved the music. We had so many different things to try , but not enough time to eat them. I enjoyed the meal, the music, and the whole vibe. highly recommended.

Such an amazing experience I got from here. They gave me the comfortable atmosphere and delicious foods. I love the carne short ribs the most. Food

This place was really great such an amazing weekend here. The service was really good and the foods taste really good as well . Definitely we all go back there.

Loved the food here! I loved the nachos and tacos! Great customer service made me feel very welcome. For the main course, the options are endless and each dish is a masterpiece. The food was served hot and fresh and was absolutely delicious. The atmosphere is lovely for a nice night out.

The food was amazing and the atmosphere is so positive, great for a night out with friends must visit!!!!!

The food is amazing and great quality! But the restaurant was VERY warm so dress accordingly.

I eat from here pretty regularly. Mostly order online. When I visit in person a couple of weeks ago, I tried the short ribs and I found them super delicious. Decided to get them for takeout/delivery. I am showing a photo of how they are advertised via what I received. I also remember the portion when I dined there. I m extremely annoyed as it was $28 and I got four tiny pieces. I feel ripped off. Might not order from here ever again. If you re trying to cut corners to save on costs, you re just losing loyal customers. I hope the owner sees this and tries to rectify the situation.

Came here with a couple of friends to grab some tacos and we loved everything. The Cod and Carne tacos were our favourite. Also the Anchiote nachos, great portion and really filling. Would also like to mention our server Zach who was extremely polite and took great care of me and my friends. Cheers! Food

The tacos were cold. The service was bad. Will not go back. All of our tables tacos were cold or lukewarm. Server did not offer anything to compensate, never refilled our water, never checked to see if food was okay. Had to flag him down. Way overpriced for the quality.

It was nearly empty on a Tuesday around 6pm. Service was efficient and friendly and the food was great.

Food was overpriced, which isn t out of the ordinary these days, but the portion sizes were tiny! I don t mind spending $40 on 2 tacos and an appetizer but I should be full at the end!

Gimmicky tacos and pretentious wait staff. Not worth the time.

Customer service suck!!! Waiting times are crazy!!! Food is really expensive!!! Very disappointed with this place!!!! If you going to have the nerve to announce your business as a Mexican place you maybe need to try to offer at least 90% of the real Mexican costumer service... this place is a joke!!

Great food

If you are Mexican you are going to be very disappointed.

Two diet cokes that tasted like the cheapest off-brand possible, one app, 5 tacos between two people came to $72 before tip. The corn app tasted like it was under the heat lamp for a couple hours as did a couple of the tacos. Very slow service and it wasnt busy. We wont be back. Edit: forgot to include my wifes harrowing washroom experience. How does this pass inspection?

Worst Winterlicious experience ever. My friends and I went to La Carnita for Winterlicious: $35+tax for dinner which included 2 appetizers, 2 tacos and 1 dessert. The good: Ambience was nice, the server let us have the tail end of the happy hour experience and let us order margaritas. All the tacos we ordered were good: the pork belly al pastor, carne asada, chorizo and pollo fritto. The mexican corn also tasted great. The bad: - We waited 40 minutes for our food to arrive. The appetizers and tacos came together, we would have appreciated the appetizers earlier as the table was quite small to accomodate all the items. - The guac was not good, all you could taste was lime. - Poor communication from the restaurant regarding Winterlicious. The tres leches cake was not available and we were only informed after we had eaten our appetizers and tacos. The options were either the churros or ice cream. The churros were dry, hard and tasted stale. The ice cream felt like it had not thawed over and was frozen. We were also informed by the server that the ice cream came with the same compote that the tres leches cake had. What we received was hard frozen ice cream with 2 slices of pineapple in it with no explanation. Had the server let us know that the cake was not available, we would have just ordered from the regular menu. We would have appreciated our time there if this was communicated to us from the start or if we would be compensated for the missing dessert / long wait time. The whole point of Winterlicious is that it is a prix fixe menu, and what is on the menu should be readily available to the customers. It is so disappointing to be told that an item is not available in the middle of your meal when that item was the most requested by our table more than hour ago when it was ordered. Please, please avoid this place for Winterlicious. Instead come here for Happy Hour and avoid all the desserts and the guac.

this place used to be so good but this time it was mid :/ not sure what happened but the service wasn t great and the food was just ok

This place was so unorganized, they have the worst service. I d give them a negative rating if I could.

Vegetarian options: Didnt feel fresh unfortunately Food

Food was okay but the service was awful! Waited over 20 minutes to be served a drink, no water on the table either. We did the Winterlicious option. We waited 50 minutes for them to serve us our chips and guac? Another 25 minutes for our next course to come out. We spent almost 3 hours at this restaurant because we were mostly just waiting for things! Not sure what was going on, but the service has definitely put me off ever returning to this location.

Went here for winterlicious with a group of friends and the food was pretty good. For the $35 price tag per person, you got a good amount of food that was very tasty! The problem with La Carnita is the service. The night was busy, but nothing justifies waiting almost an hour for tacos to arrive after the appetizers. The service was pleasant and helpful, but theres no reason for tacos (especially on a prix fixe menu) to take an hour. What sours it more was the 18% automatic gratuity because our party was 7 people, but only 5 ordered food directly. I understand the 18% is standard for larger parties, but in this case such a hefty tip was not justified. I think its definitely worth trying and 100% worth the price of the food, just go with a small party so you arent automatically gouged if the service is bad.

Tasty food, the chorizo and pork belly tacos were really good ,well seasoned and perfectly portion. Would recommend Food

The food was good and i personally liked the nachos a lot and churros with the sauce were the best ones I had till now. The food presentation and the portions were also good.

The vegan bowl from La Carnita was a delicious and satisfying meal. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and filling. The delivery was fast and the portion was generous. I loved it and would order it again.

Thank you so much Zack for the excellent customer service yesterday on a busy night! Me and my partner wanted to do something more relaxed for our anniversary and you and your establishment helped to make it a great evening, with great food! Thanks for everything (including the cute candle!).

Absolutely fantastic food and beyond five star service. Jay was amazing and so kind they really made our night so special! We will definitely be back!

La Carnita is a hidden gem with an intimate atmosphere perfect for a pre-night-out meal. Despite its narrow layout, the cozy interior, and warm lighting create a welcoming vibe. The attentive staff added to the positive experience. We had a variety of tacos, pretty much ordering almost the entire menu, ranging from the Pollos Frito to the flavourful Carne Asada, and finishing with the delightful In Cod We Trust. Each taco was a burst of deliciousness, though the Mexican chorizo fell a bit short. The strong and satisfying Carnita Margarita and LCP Margarita complemented the meal. La Carnita promises a memorable Mexican dining experience, making it an excellent choice for a night out. Parking: Street parking will be the best option if you want to park close. Otherwise, there s a parking lot by Queen and Broadview you could try parking at.

Takeout menu makes no sense. Prices vary more than $10 on the same item between the Queen and John location for the exact same order Nachos are more expensive at the Queen location and so is the protein add-on. Unless the ingredients are different between the two restaurants I don t understand how there could possibly be so much variance for the exact same item, in the same city, from the same restaurant chain, within 4km of each other What s the deal? I m seriously asking.

fun ambiance, but service can be pretty crummy at times and the food is hit and miss.

My husband and I got the taco Tuesday platter and happy hour margaritas. Both were delicious! Service was friendly and prompt. Good atmosphere for a date night or night out with friends. We would definitely return.

Incredible food, and amazing service. The bartender Chris in particular was really nice and seemed like a cool dude. They have plenty of veggie options too, I d recommend it to anybody!

We went to La Carnita for New Years Eve and had the BEST experience thanks to the bar manager :) We just went for a drink and churros. When we got there, they let us know the churros were on the house & the bar manager gave us a free shot of the best tequila we ve ever had. Drinks were impeccable, churros were delicious and service was 10/10. Can t wait to come back. Thanks for making our New Years so special :)

Service quality & fast yet flavourful in every bite. Inexpensive dish variety to found favourites. Will return. New favourite.

Not great is the overall feeling coming out of here this evening, with somewhere between 2 and 3 stars. Extra chewy short ribs, served without cutlery or napkins; followed by tacos that fell apart while attempting to eat; and bathroom was clean but barely stocked with paper. Went elsewhere to finish dinner. Weve enjoyed other La Carnita locations before so this was a surprise.

The food is good. This just applies to the tres leches cake. Warning to all. It was one inch by inch and cost $11. What a rip off. We called to discuss this and the gentleman said it is usually 2x2, so still crazy small. They should be ashamed about that.

Love this place

Very bad experience I had in Toronto holy life with bad service

No integrity Placed an Uber eats order and when we review our order it was completely wrong. I called the restaurant and spoke to the manager. She apologized for the mistake and said that they would replace the meal for us and i thanked her. It has been about a month because we were away for the holidays and wanted to get that replacement meal. I called and spoke to the same manager and she now said that will no longer honour the replacement meal because of the time. Integrity means alot and as a business owner myself I understand taking care of the customer. Apparently at La Carnita they don t. Last time i support this place

The prices have increased while the portion sizes/quality have not remained the same. Tuna tostada used to be amazing and is nothing compared to how it used to taste. The cod and pollo fritto tacos don t disappoint. However, the food is generally overpriced, ambience is overwhelming and service is sub par.

Gone downhill. Small portion and long wait. Avoid

Had a great first time here. The food was amazing! Dont forget to read your reciept, give $5 and the kitchen staff gets a round of beers

Shrimp taco is good, however, there are so less waiter and waitresses, we have to wait for 20mins to order, and wait another 10mins to get a fork after food was served.

Went on a Friday for a birthday celebration. Poor excuse of a latino restaurant. Food was not what latino food should be. Too salty and it upsets your stomach. Not worth the price at all. You need some real Latinos making your food for real taste. Dont waste your time or money here

The only reason I am giving it 3 stars is because the portions are way too small for the price they are listed in the menu...the taste is good.

Food was awesome. The scorpion wings stays on the top among all. We also ordered LC tacos for 2 of us but it was surprisingly huge and couldn t finish it. Ambience was nice and cozy. Enjoyed!

Authentic maxican food n very co operative staff n nice ambiance n excellent food

Wanted to give a shout out to this restaurants customer service. I ordered on Uber Eats and my order was missing items. At the time, Uber wasn t responding. I called the restaurant and spoke to the manager. I was planning on heading out shortly so I said I could come and pick up the missing items. The manager apologized and said they would throw in a few free items which was unexpected. I really appreciated their willingness to remediate this issue and to ensure I had a good experience. The taco set and desserts were pretty good too! Thanks La Carnita!

The tacos were ok. Service was great.

- food 3.75/5 loved the shrimp taco. Cod taco was pretty tasteless inside but the slaw was good. The Mexico chorizo was pretty bad and very salty - atmosphere 5/5 - service 5/5

Good overall.

We went there for a birthday party. The service was way too long. There was a mistake for the billing. However, the tacos were good and the staff was nice. I think it wasn t usually, maybe it wasn t a good night back then. It could happen

Came here on Saturday night and had practically no service. Food came out cold, and was mediocre at best. Took multiple requests from multiple servers to get any service. Would not come back

The service is horrible and slow. No one answers the phone and has an automated texting system that doesn t actually reply to anything. I ve ordered through Uber eats as well and the drivers always leave because they re never ready for pick ups. The steak in the carne asada bowl always have a chewy cheap meat that you feel like I m gnawing on a tire. Overall I ve tried to like this location. Unfortunately it s the worst of them all! Don t bother. There are way better Mexican restaurants near by.

Upon entering, the restuarant looks very clean. The servers were phenomenal. Their positive attitudes really made the night enjoyable. However, the only thing that fell flat were unfortunately the tacos. The meat was dry, and the tortilla was slightly cold. However, the flavour was still good. The only taco that I tried that was good was the Baja shrimps (1/3 I ordered). Overall the mood was comforting all thanks to the waitresses.

Service was excellent but I noticed that the food came out a little cold. Other than that the flavours were very good

Fantastic vegetarian tacos!

Visited for a casual dinner with my 6 friends. The place is really cozy and has a good vibe. The music is played at perfect volume unlike other places where you have to literally shout. We had LC shareable nacho which is good for 5 ppl, do not forget to order gauc on side as dish has very less quac in middle. I ordered Pollo chicken Frito and Achiote Chicken ( fried). Both were good size and had variety of flavors. Their veggie tacos were also nice and tasty. Portion sizes are value for money. 2 tacos are good for each person with shareable appetizer and drinks. Food quality - 9/10 Service speed - 7/10 Ambience and vibe. -8/10 Crowded - very less compared to Sunday rush Overall a great experience. The staff was super friendly and nice to talk with. Emily was serving us for the night.! She was very professional and lovely. All Staff have details knowledge about menu items and very thorough with everything. Will surely visit again. They do have a free Dessert per person if you scan you code.!! Vegetarian options: Mushroom tostada Vegan churrizo Sweet potato Cali salad

Cool lil place. Food was ok, but it was the vibe that made it a place Id come back too. Would definitely come again when visiting Toronto

The place was nice cozy, but nothing that would make me go again .

Decided to order online directly from their website, since my friend lives 2 minutes down the street. Understandably the hostess was really busy, and she didn t pay much attention to me and my friend standing there as we had to approach her. The food was AMAZING I highly recommend the nachos although it took just over an hour from when I ordered for the food to be ready. Was a little bothersome as there was no update as to when our food would be ready, the website said it would be ready within 20-30 mins and it took just about an hour. There is no takeout waiting area. I will definitely will give La carnita another shot, just be mindful of the waiting time.

La Carnita is a great restaurant chain that I ve actually enjoyed many meals at - mainly at the College street location. The quality of service and food at their Leslieville location was one of the worst experiences we ve had going out in Toronto. We arrived on time for our friends birthday dinner, and they made us wait 15 minutes at the front of the restaurant even though some of our party had already been seated. We began our visit very confused because they said they were getting our table ready but when we got back there, our friends were already there waiting for us. It was the only large table in the restaurant. Service was slow, drinks were mixed up, tacos were served on large platters (by type) so everyone had to sort out their own food and all of the food arrived cold. They served a margarita pitcher without glasses, served tuna ceviche without tuna on it - only tomato, and didn t comp what they said they would. Bills arrived incorrectly and mismatched even though everyone opted for individual bills to make the process smoother. They seemed to have many people working, 3-4 different servers bringing things to our table and maybe this is why the quality of food and service took a hit. We left in shock and could not leave the restaurant fast enough. Really disappointed by the experience and will not be returning to any of their locations.

Not sure what happened here, but either the quality at this location has fallen off a cliff or the kitchen staff working today are incompetent. First off, $15 for guacamole and chips is a total rip off when the guac tastes pre-made and comes in an approximately 4oz serving. To add insult to injury the chips tasted old and twice fried. Continuing the journey of culinary disgust were tacos that average $9 each but taste like they came from a gas station heated display. Maybe they serve Saturday nights leftovers on Sundays... it sure seemed that way. Speaking of leftovers, the urinal in the mens room was full of vomit. Considering we were the first guests of the day, I have questions about the cleaning routine. All in all, my entire family came away feeling nauseous. What a charming outing.

I booked a reservation for my birthday and was seated 45 mins later. My husband and I ordered 2 Ceasars to start which tasted like water with a splash of tomato juice, and we received them after 30 mins. After an hour passed and no one was available to take our order we had to ask for the bill in fear of not being able to order or receive our food in the next 2 hours. I was looking forward to my birthday dinner and wasnt able to enjoy it at all and left hungry and disappointed in paying $35+ for tomato water. I wish I had more good things to say about this location because I love the food Ive ordered at other locations. I am too traumatized to return. Good luck everyone.

Delicious tacos and drinks, in a really cool atmosphere. Vegan/dairy free options were great.

Great service but the food is mediocre.

Food was excellent, great vibes and smooth service!

I had a pickup up order took more than 40 minutes Customer service was terrible will never order from them again & no suggestions for others . Let them know how to do the business.

Wish I read some reviews before booking my birthday dinner here. They held us at the front for 15 minutes saying they were getting our table ready, only to walk us back to a table where some of my friends were already seated? We ordered beers that were apparently out but were just served different beers without communication. We ordered pitchers and had to go to the bar multiple times to ask for glasses so we could even drink what was in the pitchers. We basically had to serve ourselves since they brought out trays of the same tacos and just dropped them at the tables for us to figure out vs bringing people the tacos they ordered. One of my friends got a tuna ceviche with no tuna in it disappointed as I was celebrating my birthday with a larger group and it was just extremely awkward and poor service.

Tun up!!! Food is seasoned so well!!!

Had a really bad experience. Despite having a reservation, we waited ages for someone to even acknowledge us walking in the door. They then said they couldnt find our reservation despite me showing the confirmation on my phone. When they finally found us a table, it was probably only half full here. We had to flag someone down to take our order and felt pretty ignored the whole time. The tacos werent bad, but we asked for no onions or cilantro on one. When it came out with both, the staff offered to bring a new one which ended up being literally just the beef with a blob of guac on top. I get it that sometimes things are pre-mixed, but at least let us know so we can pick something else. Wings were good but pretty pricey at $19 for 8. Our server seemed to disappear and end her shift before we even got our last dish or bill. We needed to look for someone else to get the bill and still waited another 20+ minutes for dessert to arrive. Just a really bad experience overall

Greatest nachos I ve ever had with sweet pulled ribs, avocado, onions, cheese and all the basic nacho essentials! I ve had alot of nachos and these are the greatest I ve ever had. The waitress Deana was incredibly nice. Comforting interior with music at a pleasant volume.

Ohhhh baby! Was strolling down the street when I saw their Monday special for margaritas and Rib Nachos, and me & a buddy decided to take a chance, and DAMN! A delicate sweetness to the meat, huge portion, split it with my buddy, filled me up to the brim & enjoyed every bite. The kitchen staff does an incredible job, & our server Deana was informative and charismatic! Would recommend, would come again.

The free churros are very sad. Tiny, barely warm, and soggy. Service was lacking. Tacos are small and mediocre. Bathroom smells awful and you can smell it from the front of the restaurant. It does look pretty nice in there and they had a dj in there when I went.

First time eating there and the tacos completely blew me away. Excellent service as well. Would highly recommend.

Best restaurant ever

Went on a Tuesday evening. Not busy and the service was quick and attentive. Food was good and even got a free churro. Would go back for sure

Great customer service and delicious sweet potato tacos!!

Went on a Friday night for my birthday, they were very accommodating for last minute reservations even though they were packed, which is great to see! Servers were doing a great job and the food and drinks were delicious. Great music by the dj as well!

Great DJ but the music was a little loud and made it tough to chat with our group of 6 unless it was the person right beside you Parking: Lots of parking on the the side streets if you can parallel park

Made a reservation here to take my parents and siblings out on Mother s Day. We were 15 mins late so I late, so I gave them a heads ahead of time. I came in late and rushed, and was not greeted at all. I waited ten minutes so I walked in, there I noticed they prioritize Uber eats over anything. I forgot my glasses so that s why I walked up, to make sure I was in the right location, in this empty restaurant as I did a man ran past me with an Uber eats order where I asked him where to go and there he scolded me, I was told YOU GET SEATED WHEN YOU ARE SEATED AND WAITING AT THE RIGHT SPOT !! Again, not sure what was happening, I went back to the front and an out of breath women came up to assist the people who just walked in behind me ten minutes later, again I mentioned we had been waiting first and wasn t sure where to go to meet a host, and I was spoken down to again! Not an apology or anything. Never in my life had I been so rudely treated, not at a restaurant or even in my life! They made me want to cry for not being able to see far or for waiting 10 minutes in an empty restaurant. But there, they did it with zero remorse. It was Mother s Day and I had faith La Carintia would live up to its reputation. But again I have NEVER been bullied as a patron, but here. They made sure to seat us after the people that came after us first. Further than made us wait 20 minutes to order, then 20 more minutes for water, followed by 45 minutes for drinks. I asked for a knife to cut the street corn appetizer, note that came before our water, I asked twice and was rudely ignored. I attached a photo of my mother ripping the corn apart because she was very upset and tired of waiting/being ignored, again no knife ever came. There were six tables in the restaurant. That s correct six. We were IGNORED. After one hour and I as able to address my concerns to the server, she did nothing to make it right; after the bullying, 45 minute wait for drinks, 10 minute apart for mains, being ignored all night but they did finally checked up on us twice when we took our last bites in those five minutes. BRAVO for your horrible service. Absolute worse service in the city. Working as a server and a bartender for ten years in the downtown core of the city of Toronto I urge you to ONLY order food from here as that s all they care about. I want to edit that I am happy to change me review if anyone makes it right. This is a warning to patrons in Toronto. AVOID THIS PLACE.

Great place great atmosphere Mexican food

Fantastic food and amazing drinks!

One of the best atmospheres and staff Ive had in a restaurant in a long time. Everyone was so incredibly friendly and helpful. The vibe was uplifting and it made my nigbt

WOAH!!! I was having such a bad night then I came here and the vibe changed my whole weekend! Staff was so fun and engaging they made it an experience not just dining. 10/10 food and vibes were immaculate! Highly recommend. delicious! Vegetarian options: Great vegetarian Mexican street corn! Tasty!

A fantastic end to a girls night! The food was so tasty and service was incredible. What an amazing atmosphere with great music and vibes!

The service was great! Our server was very attentive with our large group. The tacos are stacked, however they were overpowered by the fillings. I wasnt really able to taste the flavours of the shrimps and fish in my tacos until I pulled them out at had them individually, which they tasted great.

Huge restaurant! Food is so good, and servers are very friendly. They have a weekday lunch special that includes an app, two tacos and a churro for around $23. Although the place is somewhat expensive, it is worth it. The chicken taco with pineapple is delicious.

Great food, much more flavourful tacos than many I ve had, delicious citrusy pork belly ones in particular

ordered food here and it was terrible and extraordinarily overpriced

The food, atmosphere and cocktails are good. Unfortunately, the food has gone down hill (as the prices rise). The guacamole contained no fresh ingredients...seemingly squeezed out of a bag from Costco. I wont be coming back or ordering take out from this location any more. Kid-friendliness: Music is great for adults, but not appropriate language for children and many of the seats are very high. Wheelchair accessibility: Not wheelchair accessible.

The company I work at hired La Carnita to cater an outdoor event with just over 100 guests. We chose to organize a Taco Bar and it was a huge hit!! Communication with the restaurant was very good and we were able to plan such a successful event. The staff from La Carnita provided fast, efficient service and delicious food. We would definitely recommend their services for any large event, Taco Bar all the way!!

TURN. DOWN. THE MUSIC.

Take too long. No respect for peoples time.

Tacos were good, chips were stale unfortunately. Overall pretty good but relatively mediocre

It s the worst taco I have ever had. Me and my friend went around 8:30pm, it wasn t that busy but we waited more than 30 minutes for our food. We only ordered 4 tacos and one stater. I don t understand why is taking them so long to make 4 tacos. The waitress who served our table was too busy, even after we decided to get the bill and leave, it took her a while to get the pos machine to our table. The food is also very over priced for it s quality. I really don t recommend this place.

Came here on Tuesday around 11:55am to get lunch, went inside, waited here for around 10-15 minutes so someone would get us and nobody came! We were extremely disappointed and just went to the place next door because why are you saying that you start working at 12pm (working hours were updated just 2 weeks ago by the company - it said on Google) and the place is empty even though the doors are open for customers?!

Overall good vibes, churros were the best part of the meal. But the pollo frito and achiote chicken tacos were quite dry and the restaurant seemed understaffed with servers.

The only reason I put 2 star instead of 1 is for customers to read my review and not think I am just hating on this restaurant. Worst protein portion size I have ever experienced in my life. 2 small pieces of beef which tasted rock hard and have no taste. Also barely any chicken and as you can see, more than half the bowl is empty.

Nachos and drinks are amazing

I had heard great things about La Carnita so of course it felt only right to check it out. I visited on a Thursday evening around 630 PM and although the patio was full with tables, the inside was vacant. In terms of atmosphere, there wasn t much to speak about, however keep in mind it was a nice summer night and there are always other things to do in Toronto. The server was very pleasant and she attended to the table quickly so we got our drinks ASAP. Our food too came quickly with only a 15 minute wait. I ordered the Carne Asada (steak), In Cod We Trust and Chorizo tacos. Out of the 3 I definitely prefer the steak. Normally chorizo would be my favourite, however the texture balance was off and I would have preferred it on a hard shell instead. As for the cod one, I felt the cinnamon seasoning was overpowering and was not the taste I wanted in my fish taco. I have yet to try the other, but plan to revisit during the colder months to get more of the atmosphere feel people describe in their reviews.

Waited 40 minutes. Drinks never came. We left. Needs management to get involved. Lack of leadership.

Got the Thursday special to go. It was absolutely horrible, they put four different tacos in one box and now its all mush. Complete waste for 23 dollars

Always a great spot

Called in to complain about my take out order being messed up (only received 1/3rd of the order. Evening manager picked up the phone and once he realized I was unhappy with the service he says hell put me on a quick cold and just never comes back on the line and refuses to pick up any off the following calls. Absolutely garbage costumer service and complete lack of ownership for poor service. I wasnt looking for financial compensation nor anything free/extra, literaly just make exactly what I paid for. Be wary to trust this location.

Taco al pastor was the worst Ive ever tried in my life. the meat was watery, the taste quite artificial overall.

Fourth time I come here. Food is amazing but service is sooo slow. Every time need to wait for minimum 20 mins to place an order and another 30-40 mins to receive an order. Yesterday we waited for 35 minutes to place an order an decided to leave

great hole in the wall, servers were fantastic and polite. they definitely deserve a cudos for the care they put in. the food was fantastic and the hole in the wall atmosphere was great!

Loved it. Very helpful manager and lovely waitress.

Food was good but a little bit cold, service was fast.

Honestly, a great hang out space. Those who helped serve our table were attentive and super friendly. Food took a while as they were busy but it was very delicious. Food : 5/5

Went on a sunday at lunch. Service was slow.

Pretty good. Not as good as the downtown location. Somehow the tacos always come out cold here?? No matter when or how many you order. Also the taco tortillas fall apart. But honestly the pollo chicken taco keeps me coming back. And the shrimp one is amazing. But the taco shells and temperature could be really improved they were like ice cold :( the recipes are still amazing but the quality is not as good as the downtown location sadly :( the jalapeño margarita was kind of bad, I had difficulty finishing it. They have good specials which keeps me coming back. Vegetarian options: Vegetarian tacos are available, and corn

Delish as usual - great drinks too!

Food was OK. Beef overcooked. Good spice level. Guac was just smashed avocado. Server was unattentive. Wine list was 2 red and 2 white. Sat on the patio where we could touch the streetcar going by.

I had one of the worst La Carnita experiences at the Leslieville location. I have been to other locations over the years and generally enjoyed my experience. However, the quality of service at Leslieville is terrible. We waited almost 40 minutes after ordering drinks before getting our two margaritas. The restaurant wasn t busy, seemed to have enough staff outside of the kitchen to accommodate our request, so we were definitely confused why it took so long just to get drinks. After catching someone s attention, they said that they would get the drinks out to us ASAP. Great! Fast forward to 10 minutes later when we look over and see the same person leaning against the bar on their phone. My date walked up to inquire if we would be served soon but received a dismissive response. It was only after this happened that two margaritas were brought out to our table. It should be noted that we re all for taking breaks, and sticking it to capitalism, but there are limits to one s tolerance. Between the problems getting drinks, and some issues with our food, I ve learned to avoid this location in the future. Wheelchair accessibility: Negative!

Great portion size , the tacos were bigger than expected . High quality tacos , the service and atmosphere was great .

Vegetarian options: Great selections if you prefer not to eat meat. The mushroom tostado was DIVINE Food

8/10 Tacos were small (but delicious) Free churros (dry) Corn is good Food : 4/5 |

Decent place for tacos, service can be slacking when full, but surprisingly also when it s empty

Delicious!! Such good authentic food. Amazing service. Highly recommend the nachos to share for the table, had the featured crunch wrap taco, plus two more and was very full! Very good cocktails too!

Very very slow service. Our first drink took over 30 min to arrive. They never refilled our water and i had to go to the bar to ask for more water. Bartender was not friendly. Tacos were good but very overpriced for the small portions you get.

Great food great atmosphere!

The food was ok. I had the three dip trio and they were alright but nothing mind blowing (the bean dip and guac were a bit bland and too smooth). I also had the tuna ceviche tostada and it was good but had no heat despite the menu saying it had habenero in it (unless I read wrong). Margarita was a bit watery so I asked for half ice and that helped. Id say this place is fine, but there is better food and drinks elsewhere in the city for the same amount of money. Server was friendly and quick though, so that was nice.

Vegetarian options: Good vegan taco options :) Dietary restrictions: Waiter was very polite and accommodating re. allergies, confirmed with kitchen each of our dishes was allergen free Food : 5/5 |

I recently dined at La Carnita with my girlfriend, and while the food was decent, it leaned more towards Tex-Mex than authentic Mexican cuisine. The restaurants aesthetic was undeniably Instagram-worthy, with a cool and trendy vibe. However, theres room for improvement, particularly in the cleanliness of the bathrooms, which were disappointingly dirty and seemed out of place compared to the restaurants overall appeal.

Jamie and Ethan did a fantastic job hosting us. The food was great !!!! Will definitely come back :)

Was my first time here, the location is on Queen St east. The place was dead, no many tables, we were a party of four. As you come in, the smell of wet cloth (the one that you use to clean the tables, but it s overdue for a change), and no music, not even in a discreet volume (the only reason I m mentioning this is because it is a Mexican place, so, it s supposed to have some ambiance). Staff was okay , no urgency, honestly, if they were to be fired tomorrow, they wouldn t care. Food is overpriced, and not very generous. Drinks on the other hand were good, but make sure you go during happy hour, otherwise, you ll be paying a lot more for an average drink. Hope this helps in you are looking in the area. Vegetarian options: They do have some

Overrated and overpriced. Much better options in the area

We were there during happy hour and afterward. The first shot I ordered was not included in happy hour. It was for the birthday boy. The next few rounds of shots were included in the happy hour- $5 a shot. They were extremely watered down. I drink tequila exclusively, and everyone had the same feedback so Im sure Im not mistaken. What was surprising was that later in the evening, the birthday boy mentioned his first shot was watered down as well.. so I would assume thats the case across the board. The fish tacos on the happy hour menu were not the star of the evening for sure. I think some people enjoy fish more on the raw side? Its not for me. I will say the street Corn was incredible. Id go back just for that. But I wouldnt order anything else. The staff was very accommodating and friendly.

The best tacos!!

My girlfriend and I went here before heading to a show at history. They had a great location and was easily able to find parking close by. The food was reasonably priced and delicious. They had great beers on tap and a decent selection of margarita. Our waiter was fantastic we had a fantastic time here.

Had a nice time. Will definitely go again. Mentioned to a friend about this place and they have been before and agreed. Food

Terrible experience here. When we first walked in, there was a sign that said Please seat yourself so we walk in to choose our table. Then a server comes up to us with a dirty look and asks us if were looking for a table, then tells us to follow her... After we ordered, it was probably 20 minutes and our server comes to our table saying our food should be ready in 2 minutes. After waiting some more time, a different server comes up to tell us that there was a communication issue with their system so our order never went through...So we had to wait even longer. Then I see the waiter coming with our food and he spills the sauce all over my Canada Goose coat...The next thing I notice is that the fajita skillet was the same size as the fajita tortillas which were really just small soft taco shells. Portion was super small for the price. It was also really spicy even though the menu didnt mention it. We also had to wait even more time to get cutlery and more water. During all of this, there was no offering of a free appetizer while we waited over 45 mins to get our food, no discount on the bill, no free dessert. Thoroughly unimpressed and disappointed with this place.

i went for dinner today with two of my friends and we were served by Jay; she s extremely kind and accommodating, and truly made our night so special. there was no wait time for service at all because she made sure to greet us right away and offer recommendations/favourites as we were overwhelmed and indecisive because of the amount of menu items. we ordered a few cocktails and nachos for the table, and they were great - layered nicely and the guac was 10/10. i also ordered the cod tacos and tres leches cake for dessert. both were very flavourful and i d definitely recommend those items to anyone stopping by. i wish i could give more than 5 stars for Jay because her service is what made our experience at La Carnita so memorable. she was sure to accommodate to allergies & dietary restrictions at our table and offered friendly conversation to keep us comfortable. she s the kind of server you d come back to see even IF you didn t like the food. i ve been a server for 7 years now and i am usually very particular about the service i get at restaurants, but Jay is so dedicated to her customers. key takeaways from the night: - tres leches cake is to die for - Jay is a 10/10 server

Amazing food & drinks. Great service also! Will return

First time at Mexican. The pork belly taco was amazing

Great tacos! New menu to look at! Wings a must try

The service is the best and the food really delicious. If you wanna get a good time, this is the place.

We went on a Friday night a couple of weeks ago. It was not busy. Maybe 5 or 6 tables in the back and 3 servers. First off - the food was great and what you expect from La Carnita. However, and this is a big however - the service was ALL over the place. We were served by three separate people throughout the night. There was never a clear indication of who our primary server was, they were constantly double-upping on service (e.g. one would come to take our food order when another already had and then look confused or annoyed), they were mixing up who-ordered-what and forgetting drink orders, and at no point was there ever any acknowledgment of what was happening or apology. It was honestly just so weird. And we are a pretty chill bunch so even just a sorry guys we re training new staff or the kitchen is a little nuts would have gone a long way. When it came time to split the bill it took them three attempts to split it correctly (in hindsight it would have been way quicker to just pay for the original incorrect bills and settle among ourselves afterward so we could be on our way as this process took forever). I d be more forgiving if the place was packed, but it almost seemed like they were more preoccupied with fulfilling Uber delivery orders. This was my partner and I s second visit to this location (the first wasn t any better - similar service issues) and we likely won t be back.