Carlito’s

The best Mexican food in Columbia. Outside of LA, this might be the best authentic food.

Reasonable prices. Small place. Each order made fresh. Loma Saltado was made with beef. I prefer it with chicken or shrimp, but was good nonetheless. Although some of the beef was tough and the owner noticed I was having difficulty. He offered to make another plate. I asked for a Sopapilla instead. He also gave me an Asada Taco to try. Very good. I will definitely go back.

Ignore the décor, the fact they close at 7pm and that they don’t serve margs… They have excellent authentic Mexican carnitas tacos, the best we have tried in Columbia. Get the number 11.

I got a bean, rice & cheese burrito and a carnitas taco.
The taco was so great. I ate it in probably two bites. Perfect corn tortillas, the juiciest carnitas, and they kept it simple with the traditional onion and cilantro. It reminded me of street tacos in Los Angeles.
The burrito was pretty good too. I’m new to town, but it’s the best I’ve had in Columbia so far. I have pretty high standards from my favorite place back home, but this held its own. The tortilla didn’t taste homemade, but it was tasty. I think the rice was plain white rice, but it just mixed into everything else so it was fine. The beans were creamy and had great flavor, and they actually use real cheese which is more than I can say for the gross queso mess I’ve seen at other places around here.
My biggest wish would be for the food to be served a bit warmer, but that’s not a deal breaker since I just shove it in my face right when I get it. Also, ask for the hot salsa– it’s really great.
I’m super glad I found this place so early on. It’s close to my work, there’s a drive thru and they accept credit cards. This will probably be my go-​to stop for a while when I get a hankering for a taste of home.

Best tacos in town! Real authentic crunchy tacos (deep fried– yes, this is the right way to make a crunchy taco. It’s not greasy or gross, I promise!), but if crunchy is not your thing, they also have soft tacos. Everything is made with care and attention to detail. I live in Texas, and I can’t find authentic tacos like these! I crave them! (Yep, live in Texas, but crave random ass Missouri tacos. They’re that good.) My favorite is chicken, but beef and carnitas are also delicious. They have great salsas and hot sauce. The only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is because it’s more of a takeaway place. You can eat there, but it’s not exactly a romantic date night spot. Spotlessly clean. Just Spartan.

The burritos are amazing and I love the hot salsa. This is hands down the best Mexican restaurant in Columbia. It is spotless — extremely clean. Every now and then they offer a Peruvian rotisserie chicken on Sundays, they post information on Facebook when they offer it. Absolutely amazing.

We tried the Lomo Saltado and it was very good. We were chatting with the owner who gave us some background on this Peruvian dish. I highly recommend it.

Very disappointed in the #9 and don’t like the styrofoam/​paper product. Expensive for what I was served. Prices have gone up considerably since I last visited.
It looked like the special was the thing to get, but at $ 9.58 for lunch on paper plates, I say «NO».

Most authentic place in town hands down! I am big fan of the carnitas tacos!
Very low key atmosphere inside, and the people are incredibly nice!

I had the 3 carnitas tacos special and hubby had the lomo saltado special. Both dishes were flavorful and worth ordering again. Hubby wished his dish had included beans though.
My only complaint is that they use plastic utensils and styrofoam boxes for their plates. Definitely not my favorite way to enjoy good food.
Next time we are in Columbia, I’m hoping to return so we can try more menu choices.
As other reviews have noted, this is a very clean and well cared for establishment. I thought it was a nice touch that they had a diaper changing station in the restroom and I’m sure it is very appreciated by their customers.

I came here based upon the Unilocal reviews. I would have never noticed it otherwise. The front of the building is sort-​of non-​descript and it would be easy to miss. The back parking lot is large and there is a rear entrance.
I was surprised when I entered because it is set up like a fast food place. You order and pay at the register. They take cash or credit cards. They will bring your meal to your table when it is ready and everything is prepared fresh. It took about 10 or 12 minutes to get our order.
Like other reviews — this place was spotlessly clean! Wow! Our table was positioned such that we could look down the entire kitchen area. The dining area and kitchen area were equally spotless!
The food was good. We got the 6 pack carnitas tacos and the cheese quesadilla. With 2 beverages, our bill came to $ 16.44 which seemed a little bit high, but we could not eat it all so, maybe not.
The food also seemed to be more traditional Mexican (maybe further south of the border than Mexican???) than Tex-​Mex. I like both so no matter to me. The hot sauce is pretty spicy and the mild sauce is mild. The sauces are more liquid than thick (again tradition Mexican overtones).
I am looking forward o my next visit to this place so I can try some other menu items.

Delicious! A pleasant surprise for Mexican food in the Midwest. I thought I was having street tacos in Tijuana, without the craziness of being there and in exquisitely clean conditions!

Omg. First time here and it won’t b the last!!! I had the «Lomo Saltado». Excellent. Worth every penny. Half of the plate was Beef, onions, tomatoes, and cilanto over fries. Yes, I said fries. (I was skeptical at first…) The other half was this amazing rice. This dish had great flavor, spicy without being too spicy and just a tad of tartness… maybe from some vinegar? The only negative I can say… they are not open on weekends! :(We were passing thru on our way to KC and I told my husband we might have to come back Monday instead of Sunday so I can try something else! Ps. The accept cards now! Debit and credit!

Little pricy when add some extras to your order (sour cream, etc) and service is very slow (don’t expect to get out of there in half an hour as that’s how long it takes you to get your food). But the food is very tasty and the people who work there are very friendly.

I really like this place. It can take a little while to get all your food when going through the drive thru, but it seems really authentic. Someone told me that their tacos reminded them of awesome food truck tacos and I kinda agree. Beef and carnitas tacos are both great! PS cash only!

I have been here twice for take out. the first time I got the Asada combo (but substituted chicken in place of beef) and the second time, I got the Enchilada combo.
The tortillas were authentic but the overall taste was okay, nothing to rave about. The rice in the Enchilada combo was actually a little under-​done. I paid about $ 8 for the enchilada combo and I think $ 10 for the Asada combo. A little pricey for average tasting take out lunch, me thinks.

Most spotless restaurant we’ve ever seen. Talk about pride of ownership … and pride in your food! When a place is so clean, you know the food will be well prepared, with care, too.
Carlito’s is a small neat-​as-​a-​pin mostly Mexican place with excellent food, but with a twist: since it’s owned by a young couple from Peru (he’s getting a doctorate at the U) they occasionally add Peruvian dishes as specials to the otherwise pretty typical Mex menu.
The day we were there we had a very tasty loma saltado, obviously good Peruvian home cookin’. Call ahead to learn about their Peruvian specialties served only on Sundays.
But don’t be confused — this is a very respectable Mexican place, serving good tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tostadas, etc. We also had a yummy carnitas taco, perfectly seasoned to our taste.
The owners are engaging and genuinely interested in making your experience enjoyable. It’s not a fancy place but very comfortable and cheery. We were delighted to have lunch here.

I am a huge fan of Carlito’s. I live in Chicago but I came to MIZZOU for college and luckily my boyfriend stumbled upon this place. I absolutely love it. The tacos are as good as they get. Believe me I have tried lots of Taco places in Chicago and these are simply the best. When I am in Chicago I dream about the tacos, and when I visit Columbia this is my first stop. I really want to try the LOMO SALTADO but I just cant get myself to not order the tacos.
The staff is very friendly, the food is great, I will come here for as long as I can. Take advantage of this place, It is Definitely a gem!

Delicious. Seriously. I barely even noticed it at its location and would have never noticed if it hadn’t been recommended. I don’t normally crave Mexican food but ever since my first trip here I can’t get enough.

I have eaten at this place several times and never have been disappointed. The place is very clean and the staff is very helpful on what dishes to try.