Carmelita’s Mexican Restaurant

Porfavor gente hispana no vayan a este restaurante, muy mal servicio que porque si no eres Americano no te atiende bien y mas si es un pinche mesero pelon racista sin clase sin morales. Que porque no soy de piel blanca ojos de color y hablo solo el ingles. Es gente como el que me averguenza de ser hispana besandole el culo a la gente que ni nos quiere aqui.

Food was fine. Drinks were stout. I am currently 1 of 3 tables and have had the worse service I’ve ever had in any restaurant. Currently on my 13^th minute of waiting for my check. These waiters are terrible.

Poor service. Long waits. Dirty restaurant. Roaches crawling around the floor and the walls. Different size glasses for your beers. Different plates for everyone at the table. Different chairs too. Napkins and silverware and straws available by request. Same service people that have been there for years. These folks really need to find something else to do for a living because they look at you and treat you like you are an inconvenience to them, not patrons. There was a fat bald employee wearing a Texans shirt that was staring at our table all night.
Employees in and out of the bathroom so much they must be having a coke party in there without you. Fatty burnt beef fajita. Doesn’t matter how you order it. Fajitas, enchiladas, quesadillas, chimichangas — it’s all poor quality garbage. Chicken too. Chips that were half stale and tasted like plastic. Water tastes terrible. This place was never the best Ninfa’s anyway but they still have the Ninfa’s floor mats on the ground, a disgrace to the good Ninfa’s on Navigation.
$ 120 trash meal.
I wish I could keep slamming them but that’s all I’ve got.
Thanks everybody goodnight!

Let’s start here… our normal spot was crazy busy so we thought we would give this joint a try. Bad idea. I farted at dinner and it smelled like burnt chorizo because of the beans but the margs were strong, all in all, not bad. #2stars

I got the Plato Matamoros.
Supposedly a crispy taco, a cheese enchilada, and fajitas. Comes with beans and rice.
To start, the salsa served before the meal is usually a good indicator. The red salsa was devoid of any chunkiness and was over the top, hot pepper-​wise. Not much flavor or character, just hot. Points for the green salsa, though. Good taste but apparently also went through a blender. No texture.
Several pieces of fajita beef were fine but a pittance of grilled onion accompanied it. No grilled pepper, and the real crime: no pico de gallo. I must have cilantro. This was a bad omen. Points for the delicious homemade tortilla. Refried beans did not include any flavor, sadly. So rolling up fajitas with a bit of onion and beans was pathetic. So lacking in flavor.
The rice was practically white and was also bland.
The crispy taco. Points for the oversized shell. Lost points for the off-​tasting meat filling. Cold. Made the shell soggy. No pico. Iceberg lettuce and a speck of tomato. American shredded cheese. The only taste was not a good one and a couple hours passed before I was sure it would stay down.
The cheese enchilada was good. The temperature could have been warmer. I was informed that getting an extra one would cost three dollars.
I wanted so badly for this place to be good.
I left still wanting good Mexican food.
I may try to find another place today!

This was our first time here. When we walked in there was this strange smell almost like rubber burning. The restaurant was very hot and they had fans positioned all around the room. The décor leaves something to be desired with their old booths and stained, nasty ceiling tiles. Our waiter spoke maybe 5 words to us the entire time we were there. We ordered a child’s plate and fajitas. Childs plate was ok. The fajitas were burned and barely edible. On the side you get pico, guacamole, sour cream and lettuce. Correction — you get almost a full bowl of lettuce and less than a teaspoon of guac, pico or sour cream. When we were done eating, I asked for a to go box and tortillas to take home with our leftovers. I was charged for the extra tortillas and I’ve never had that happen before. There were 8 tables of patrons and only one waiter running around. I wasn’t impressed and won’t be back.

Came here during lunch. I ordered the Chicken Flautas and got food poisoning minutes after leaving. Save your money and go else where. The food is disgusting and the restaurant does not look clean.
Now excuse me… I have to go barf :(

My visit is bitter sweet. I walked in with low expectations. I was seated promptly. Salsas: red and green were fresh and delicious. The waiter was super fast bringing my order. I was pleasantly surpriced at this point. The I realized I had no silverware or napkin. I had to wait a while for the waiter to come back and take notice of me. The food got cold. My fajitas were nice. I enjoyed my dish. I needed chips and water but my waiter was nowhere to be found. She helped tables around me but did not come at least once to check on me. I had to raise my hand like a kindergardener so that she could come help me. She brought the check before I was done eating: one of my pet peeves! I feel like they are trying to rush me out. Do you know if I want to order dessert? Then, the waiter took forever to pick up the check. Overall, aside from spotty service, i think I would come back. I have been to way worse Mexican restaurants. (Or Tex-​Mex if it makes you happier to think that way).
Random fact: I did not see one hispanic client in this hispanic eatery.

I started going to Carmelita’s when it was Nifa’s. I loved the food; then new ownership took over. There were some changes I did not agree with but I kept going because of the convenience. I took several friends and they did not like it. I stopped going for about a year.
Last week I went again on a Saturday and the food was very good. My tamales and sauce were great; my friend liked it too. They do make the BEST CHARO BEANS. Since it is a privately owed restaurant they don’t give a lot of extras like Pappasitos does. The service was great also.

Carmelita’s is probably my favorite mid-​week, after-​work, Tex-​Mex-​fix joint in town. It’s conveniently on the way home from work for me, but I keep coming back because the food and the margaritas just hit the spot.
I love the fact that they let you pick which tequila you want in your «top shelf» margarita. I always get Herradura and it’s plenty strong, so just one will be enough.
The green and red salsas are delicious! Pollo Loco is fantastic (chicken thigh fajitas marinated in wine and garlic butter. Really tasty refried beans. Really, just about everything I’ve tried on their menu has been good.
Those were the Pros. Here are the Cons: The décor is NOT great. Some of the booths have splits in the vinyl and the ceiling tiles look atrocious. The past few times I’ve visited, I noticed they’ve taken to running a fan to keep the dining room cool, since I’m guessing their A/​C isn’t working so well. And one time (only one time out of the many, many times I’ve visited) I saw a roach on the floor near my booth.
But don’t let that deter you. Carmelita’s is a low-​key and reliable spot for delicious Tex-​Mex and margaritas.

The food was pretty good, but we had very slow service. My wife had a great margarita, but the service was so slow we won’t be coming back.

Carmelita’s is a low-​profile delight tucked away in the Bellaire Triangle. I’ve never been disappointed in the food or service. Every dish I’ve tried has been well-​prepared and presented. The entire staff is very friendly and from the welcome at the door to the goodbye as you leave, you are treated as a guest. And for fans of those cold, tasty creations called licuados, some of the best in the area are served here. Watermelon, pineapple and melon are the usual flavors, and the drinks are large and made-​to-​order. My most recent visit was last night, and all in our party left happy and well-​fed.

I love this place! The salsa and green sauce are some of the best I’ve ever had. The staff is courteous and attentive.

We were looking for a quick place to go for our lunch hour. Since it wasn’t that crowded, they had a lot of waitstaff and a lunch menu, we figured it would be no problem. After 15 minutes of waiting to place our order we left. No one noticed.

I chose to eat at this place since the reviews were good online. However I was very disappointed! I am Hispanic myself and could not believe how bad the food was. It’s not worth the price for the amount of food they give. There were roaches under the frame by our booth. When we spoke to the manager about the issue she got upset instead of trying to fix it. I will NEVER eat at this place again or recommend it!!!

We’ve eaten there about 10X now and never a disappointment. Excellent food, especially their chicken dishes (best chile rellenos in town). Huge portions, so always a meal or two thereafter. Margaritas (at least the frozen ones are sl, sweet and could do with more tequila). As noted by others, better than Pappasito’s (which I’ve always contended is too commercialized and highly overrated), Los Tios, Ninfa’s and not as rich as the food at El Tiemp. Highly recommended. sdm

Excellent food, great sevice, love it!
I had the Tacos Carmelitas, and the flavors were amazing! The steak in the beef taco was delicious and very tender. I love that my dinner came with avocado slices, yum!
I was warned by my friend in advance that the margaritas were potent. Very true! The frozen strawberry margarita was amazing, and you only need one to do the trick :)
Chips were fine, but both red and green salsas were perfect. Rare that you find a restaurant that gets the red AND the green right. These are not just right, they are spot on!
The only reason I am deducting one star is for the décor/​ceiling upkeep…
Will definitely be a frequent patron of Carmelita’s!

Excellent service, excellent meal, enchiladas were awesome. Will put this restaurant on my rotation

I expected so much more. Having been to ninfa’s I held this restaurant to a standard it simply couldn’t reach. The wait staff was aloof, the food was overpriced for what I received, and the smell of sewage emanating from the restrooms was almost as nauseating as the refried beans. The only saving grace was… oh wait. Nvm.
Not coming back.

This place is awesome, try their stuffed avocado!
This was my 2^nd time here, will come again soon.

This place is freaking awesome and is always half full. Used to be ninfas and one of the «extended family» owns and operates now (that was the story as I heard it two years ago). Food is the best homestyle Mexican for the price. Never a wait to get in, always friendly service, always leave very happy. I had the beef fajitas this time and they were on point as usual. Salsa is spicy seasoned & homeade, chips are thin and crispy and the beans & rice are not afterthoughts like most tex mex places. If you are looking for straight Tex Mex with no fuss, skip Meyerland plaza or 59 and head here!