Las Carretas

There’s something pleasingly friendly and unpretentious about good Tex-​Mex fare here at Las Carretas. Saddled next to other fancy restaurants like La Risata, it still manages to attract its fair share of diners, all attracted by the promise of quality burritos, tacos and more. The reasonably priced menu (RM50+ per person) means it’s a comfortable spot for when you get your inevitable random Mexican cravings!

Although more of a Tex-​Mex restaurant than a downright authentic Mexican one, I do think Las Carretas serves good food. Living in Ampang, I come by here quite often and even my young daughter eats from the Kid’s menu here! The staff are all very friendly and service is fast. If you happen to come during peak time (which is from 7pm) then you may find you have to wait a bit for a table. It is always best to make a reservation if you have a large group or are going for dinner on a weekend. The décor is loud and quirky and overall fun.
After you order your food, you will be served a little basket of chips and salsa. I love the salsa here; it has just the right amount of spiciness for me. I have a set list of dishes I regularly order from here: the chicken chimichanga, the chicken enchilada or the Chicken Wrap EL JP Monteiro (can you tell I love chicken?). I love them all, it just depends on my mood. As an appetizer, my husband and I will always share the Jalapeño Poppers. Sadly, we find that everytime we go, the poppers get smaller and smaller and the taste is definitely not the same as it was when we first started eating here 5 years ago. Thank goodness everything else has stayed the same.
They have a few food items for kids and my daughter will always get the grilled chicken with mushroom sauce and fries. She will actually eat all the chicken and some of the fries which is pretty good considering she’s quite fussy with her food. The desserts here are nothing to shout about but you would come here more for the main courses anyway. Oh and they always have some sort of promotion going on with their menu, sometimes it will be a special lamb dish only available for that month.

I was very surprised to see how many positive reviews I found of this place. In my opinion this Mexican food is way below the standard set by places like La Mexicana on Jalan Ampang. Even the new Mexican place in Avenue K is way better than this place.
If you really have a hankering for Mexican and you live in this neighborhood you might find yourself here. They do have a few things that I don’t think are terrible and I have enjoyed a margarita here on more than one occasion.
For me, this really just doesn’t taste like Mexican food. I guess I’m used to the real thing in California but this tastes closer to Taco Bell then actual Mexican food for me. Mexican has been slow to find its place in the food orgy that is KL and I think this kind of place is part of the reason.

Las Carretas serves authentic Mexican food. It is my favorite Mexican restaurant and in my opinion serves the best fajitas ever! I think I’ve been to Las Carretas more than 20 times now, its been so often that i dont even look at the menu anymore. My staple orders are the fruit punch, beef fajitas, mussels in habenero and coriander, and chocolate brownies for dessert. Prices are on the expensive side but is worth every penny. The service here is very good cause its a small place and they have enough staff.
This particular outlet is jam packed on weekends and you are required to make a reservation if you dont want to wait forever to be seated. Their authentic Mexican dishes are very yummy too, like the chimichangas, burritos, enchiladas etc. The seafood nachos are very good and is made with fresh seafood like prawn and squid. you get a bowl of chips and salsa on the house the minute you sit down! but dont munch on these too much cause then you’d be too full to enjoy the meal. portions are hefty so we usually order to share. This place will always top my list for Mexican food and I recommend everyone who loves Mexican food to give it a try. trust me, you wont regret it.

When I first visited Las Carretas, it was 2006 and being 13-​years-​old, I remember being super impressed with the food and then and there, decided that it was my most favourite restaurant in the world. Even better than McDonalds! Sadly enough, I never went back and over the course of time, I eventually forgot about it until recently and decided to check it out. I was not disappointed.
It’s abit of a pain to get to being in Ampang and all that but trust me when I say that it’s worth the drive. Hearty Mexican fare is some of the most comforting food one can eat and this place definitely does it right.
Beef fajitas with warm tortillas and chunky guacamole, rich oxtail soup, nachos with zesty salsa, pretty much everything we ordered was delicious and generous in terms of portions. The best bit was that for what you get, the prices are still affordable. We paid about RM65 for a T-​bone steak with garnishings and considering what you would wind up forking out in a lot of places, this is pretty decent.