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Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Mon-Thu. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sat. 12:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
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Okay, first I'm not a big fan of Mexican food. Coming here today for lunch was a huge delight! My father told me about this well established chain in New Hampshire serving authentic cuisine. Prior to opening at noon today there were about 10-12 other people waiting to get into the Manchester location, a very good start.
We were seated right away by our friendly waiter. He was patient and explained everything to use well. Shortly after our drinks arrived we were giving chips and homemade salsa. This was by far the best salsa I've ever had, period! I've had store bough Ortega and El Paso brands but non of them can compare. If this was a mild salsa be ready for a bit of heat. After finishing off a basket of chips we asked for more, haha!
For lunch my girlfriend and I ordered a Taco Salad and a Chimichanga with chicken. I've never have had a Chimi before and loved it. Perfect blend of spices, meat, sauces and re-fried beans. After a filling lunch we were bold to order more...for dessert Fried Ice Cream (another first for me). Dessert was good and a little hard to swallow. It would have been better to let the ice cream melt a bit before serving it because I had to cut into it with a knife to help break it up.
Overall my first experience to La Carreta was great. I liked the warm friendly atmosphere, decor and truly authentic feel you are treated to when dining here. I honestly feel that this is a great place to go and with three locations that all seem to have a great following says a lot.
I manage to get drunk every time I visit this place (big drinks for good prices), so I'm going to assume that my meals are as good as I remember.
Here's what I know as fact: big portions, ample refills on the nachos and homemade salsa, lunch prices are very good.
As long as you don't mind a waitstaff that seems annoyed to serve you, this is a great little Mexican place with ample parking, thanks to its strip mall location. It's not the best in town, but unless you want to brave Elm street parking after work, it's the next best option.
When this place first opened it was a bargain and the food seemed to resemble Mexican food.
Now the prices have gone through the roof, the service staff is either overstressed or cannot speak or understand English, and you never know what you are going to receive, pinata style. It's amazing the junk that lumpenproletariat of NH (LMPNH) will accept and even praise. They even think Manchester Airport is in Boston!
For the price they charge the Margs should be made from fresh-squeezed lime juice, not a mix. And all this nonsense about overpriced designer tequilas, it's like the rage for single malt scotches, hey - the Queen serves Famous Grouse at Balmoral.
It is also VERY loud. Too many kids and too many drinks. Good place to have a kids' party of any age.
Aside from that I liked it very much!
Good Mexican is really hard to come by in the northeast, so La Carreta is a rather exciting anomaly. The helpings are generous, you can order most anything on the menu and it will be delicious. Sometimes the service isn't so great and the wait times can be extraordinary, but then, this place is popular and beats anything in 60 miles. Success probably poses challenges for the staff to keep up with the demand.Still, it's worth the wait -- and the huge margaritas.
Order the hot sauce. It'll make you cry!
The location is slightly off-putting (strip mall off the highway exit) but the food and atmosphere are great. The margaritas are fresh and delicious, and HUGE. Food portions are also big. I am always hungry, especially for Mexican food, and I tend to get an a la carte plate of beef tamales. These are my favorite for a few reasons:
1. it's hard to come by tamales, particularly in NH, so it's a treat to see them available,
2. the beef inside is yummy, tender sirloin, and
3. the sauce is even better.. it is creamy but light with ground beef and spices, and it is to die for... I'm always scraping up the last of it with tortilla chips.
The service here is fast, so even if you have to wait for a table (which is likely, this place gets busy) the waitstaff and kitchen make up for it.
Time before last that I dined, me and my Mom went in and sat at the bar. Took 15 min. to get drinks. I believe it was Sat. at lunch. Not too busy. The food has always been fast and usually the service is as well. She orderded Huevos and I got the 5 enchilada plate. They were good.
Not the next time with my brother... We drove from Concord yes, but we say in the bar and had no service for 10-15 min so we went back to the foyer and requested a table. We sat there without a drink order for 15 minutes and left. No chips or salsa. Nothing. The staff seem stupified when we were leaving, even though for most of the time we were there they seemed to be hashing things out or just chatting as I'm bilingual.
To any extent, I hope our next experience is better as La Carreta is my go-to place for somewhat authentic Mexican. I just want my drink order in 5/10 and my chips/salsa within 10 or less, please.
Great restaurant that is working some new staff kinks, I suspect.
I'm from SoCal originally so I like to think I know good (Californian) Mexican food. I had the… Read more »
Best Mexican food in Manchester by far. Almost as good as cali...Almost.. Weekend nights you could wait up to 40min, and its a big restraunt..so that tells you something. While waiting get one of there ultra strong drinks, you will be sitting down and eat there fresh and free home made chips and salsa. Enjoy!
I've been here a few times and have always enjoyed it until one time when I found a hair in my meal. Although this can happen at any Restaurant I've never been back. Needless to say no one finished their meal. To La Carreta's credit they comped the entire meal except drinks.
Probably the best Mexican in NH (damning with faint praise perhaps, though I've had it confirmed by a Texan that this is closest he's seen up here to "real" Mexican.) There was a time when I was eating here nearly every Friday night. The food is good, and the prices are okay, though the $15 menu items can add up pretty quickly. I don't think I've ever had a bad experience with the waitstaff either.
I recommend the Steak and Cheese burrito, or if you're hungry, the Grande Burrito, which is basically just a gigantic version of the steak and cheese.
I'm not much of a drinker, but the few margarita's I've had here have been good.
I've had lunch and dinner at this La Carreta many times with my several friends who actually love this place. The Mexican food here is definitely authentic, good enough for NH standards, but it is okay to me. I've been exposed to much better tasting authentic Mexican food at outside taco stands in SoCal and Texas, and the prices there are a lot less than at La Carreta.
My buddy (Yelp proxy-the guy I drag to all these places with me) agrees 100 percent with me that the food in general is very bland and not exciting. He enjoys the Margarita's chain, where the food is Americanized and not really authentic, but it's very tasty. On our last dinner visit, the Fish Fajitas came out very hot and sizzling, but where's the good flavors? The dish was very bland. The Taco Salad packed tight in a fried tortilla shell bowl, was decent. The refried beans have little or no flavors. I will agree with many that the chips and salsa are very good! The table service at the Manchester location is usually courteous and attentive.
The bar drinks are above average and made strong. My crew loves it! However, the layout of the bar area is horrendous, especially near the back corner. It feels very crammed and people will try to squeeze by you and you're interrupted to move your high seat in tight. :-(
I will go to La Carreta when my dining group agrees on it, but it's definitely not my first choice for Mexican food.
Ate here for friends bday heard good things bout this place food is good if its not authentic then its pretty dam close to it.. the rice and beans are good and the best part was the 32oz draft beer for 5 bucks..
left out one star because i went to the bar bought bday boy a shot after giving a generous tip.. i even thanked him for his service he grabs the tip with us standing there and doesn't even appreciate the generosity!
Although the wait at LaCarreta can sometimes be long, it is worth it! This restaurant has an extensive vegetarian menu, consistently awesome waiters and guacamole to die for! This is the best Mexican food we have found outside of California and undoubtedly--the best restaurant Manchester has to offer.
Get there early and enjoy a Margarita while you wait for a table!
I don't know why the hype over this place. Maybe this is what passes for good Mexican food on the East Coast? It tasted like the Mexican food you get in Europe, which is not a good thing. I'm not a skilled cook, so If I can make a better version of something at home that's a really bad sign.
The enchilada and burrito were nearly indistinguishable and the tortilla was raw. The tostada was bland and sad. I was really looking forward to the guacamole, but it was past its prime.
I did like the old school Mexican Restaurant atmosphere and our waiter was as nice and attentive as he could be for having a full station
I will give this place another chance at some point and amend my review just in case they were having an off night.
Nothing is better than a restaurant living up to its high praise and expectations. This is another one of those amazing places painfully wedged into a stripmall, but the word is definitely out. It's forever packed and waiting 20 minutes for a table is a given.
They try to take you back to mehico with their charming decor. Service is friendly and surprisingly swift. Comp nachos were refilled 3 times without being asked. YES. Combo plates are apparently the way to go. There are a bunch and each comes with a little bit of this and that. I got one of the other meals, Enchilada Mexicana - awesome, but next time i'm trying the combos... or chimichangas.. we'll see. We tried the Queso Fundido dip. All we knew was it was cheese something, but Fun is fun and it was cheesy and delish.
Didn't get to try the margs this time, but that's what next time's for.
We really enjoyed the ambiance of this restaurant. They have huge margaritas priced by the quality of the ingredients used in it. We also enjoy their large selection of $10 dinner options.
Delicious mexican restaurant.
This is not the best Mexican food out there, and the service was horrible. The waiter kept mumbling, and 10 minutes into the meal, the waiter just plopped the bill on the table.
This used to be our favorite Mexican restaurant due to the attractive and fun atmosphere and good food, but we haven't had a truly good experience (much less great) here in a number of years. While I will admit that their margaritas are perhaps the best anywhere, and their chips and salsa very very good, the entrees seem to be suffering. Several times we have been served food that is barely warm (not good when it's a dish filled with cheese - like enchiladas) and it seems to be more and more difficult each time we go to get the attention of our server. The place is always busy - which might be part of the problem, but we've found places with much better food, consistently prepared, and with less of a wait. So it's likely that they have lost a couple customers. Hope you have better luck. But drink a gold margarita for me, since that is something that I will miss.
this is my favorite restaurant. it's the first place i took friends when i got my license, and it's where i meet them whenever i get back to nh. i love the red sauce on the burrito crocquetta, and the rice is good. this place is always a happy fun time
Seriously the most authentic Mexican restaurant I've been at. I would have never tried this place if other people never swore it was the best... from the outside it's very grungy and looks like another one of those restaurants you'd drive by and never try. The inside was nicely decorated and clean. The service was prompt and refills came no problem. Great variety combo menu.
All I can say is "WOW!" This is the closest thing I've been able to find to REAL Mexican food in the Northeast. The steak I had last time I went was fantastic, the fried ice cream was AWESOME! The service was amazing... They were attentive, knowledgeable and FAST! Definitely worth trying if you've never been.
This place is great. The food comes quickly but is top notch and authentic. I love the salsa and chips here. Lunch is great with some filling special plates.
I found this place after reading a fine YELP review and wanted to try it since I love Mexican food. Well, this place is the best kept secret in S. NH. I also learned that this is a new and expanding business and has 3 other "La Carreta's" nearby, even 1 closer to me in Derry.
Well we come in and this place is HUGE. One wouldn't think so as it is in a Small plaza. They give you a huge amount tog hot and fresh tortilla chips and fresh salsa. I was very pleased at the menu. Very large selection and combo plates for like $9.00. I ordered the Colorado burrito with pork. This was so authentic and good. The pork was cooked perfectly and seasoned like no other. It had firm texture and was not mushy or pulled. Chunky pork! The red chile "Colorado" sauce was out of this world. My long island iced tea was also kick ass. My BF ordered the Enchiladas super Rancheros which was 5 enchiladas (chicken, bean, steak, and gr beef). All meals come with bean and rice. Service was fast and attentive. I think I have a new favorite restaurant in S. NH. The bill came to like under $35 for the 2 of us. Sweet.
The food at La Carreta is excellent. On our last two times eating there the hostess wasn't very friendly, but the wait staff was great.
Their food is very good; seems quite authentic. I loved their margaritas also.
My husband & I LOVE mexican food and recently moving here form CA we were a bit hesitant if NH would offer us true Mexican food. This place proved us wrong! We've been too lots of Mexican places around here trying to find a great one & this outdoes ALL of the others! This place is great overall, great food, awesome atmosphere (finally, a true Mexican atmosphere!) FAST service, nice staff. This place was packed when we went & we still got a table in about 15 minutes. I'd say the only downside is the small portions (or maybe it was just the size of my enchildadas?). They have a combo w/5 items & now I can see why! I always have a test at Mexican restaurants, if they make good rice & beans everything else will be good too. And it was! I can't say enough about how great this place is! Oh, and great prices too!
Manchester, NH
Category: Restaurants
Manchester, NH
Category: Mexican
Manchester, NH
Category: American (New)
Manchester, NH
Category: Pizza
Manchester, NH
Category: Restaurants
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