Carolina’s Mexican Cuisine

Ate at Carolinas the night before last and I love their mole enchiladas. Carolina’s is definitely my favorite mexican food in Dallas.

A
coupon brought us here, but we are always eager to try a different Mexican restaurant. After being seated, they brought out chips and salsa. We liked the chips, which were on the thicker side, and the salsa had a good flavor. Better than most places. We started off with drinks, and I had the frozen mango margarita. Tasted great!
For an appetizer, we decided to order the guacamole. Not a good idea! It was mostly avocado with little to no veggies or peppers, and it lacked taste. We had to improvise to make it taste better! We also ordered the rib eye fajitas, which cost $ 5 more than the regular beef, and added a side of shrimp. The rib eye was very tender and juicy, but there’s just too much fat! I know it’s supposed to be more fatty, but next time, I’ll just stick to the regular beef. I was impressed with the shrimp– they were butterflied and quite large in size.
The service was great, although we came at a time when it wasn’t so busy. The interior is pretty spacious, and I know they host salsa dancing events on the weekends, which is cool! We weren’t wowed by the food, but I wouldn’t mind coming back and sampling more of their menu items. Apparently, the brisket tacos are worth ordering, so maybe next time.

I think Carolina’s is the most underrated Mexican food restaurant around and especially in the Plano area. People pack in and cause long waits at Mi Cocina to get food that isn’t as good and costs more, and none of the Mi Cocina’s have a patio like Carolina’s.
Maybe it is true that people in Plano /​North Dallas just like chain restaurants better, who knows? Regardless, the ceviche, enchiladas, and desserts at Carolina’s are the bomb and their ‘La Bomba’ sangria infused margarita is also the bomb. I have probably had a few too many La Bomba’s over the past few years and I don’t know how many calories they have but I am pretty sure I might be skinnier if I never discovered them.
I will definitely admit that the service at Carolina’s can be a little slow and inconsistent and it is more of a family run restaurant than a efficient chain, but I half prefer that as long as the people are nice and friendly.
Although I like a lot of Mexican food restaurants, Carolina’s is my go to mexican restaurant for the best margs and best enchiladas.

Brisket tacos and Fish tacos are excellent!
Good chips and salsa. Nice patio area.

We just went 2weeks ago & they ARE still open, they just changed their number. Great great tortilla soup & ceviche & delicious adobado chicken tacos in corn tortillas!!! The way it should be! The fish tacos rule & the chimi is my boyfriend’s fave! HiGHLY recommended! :)

If you want a margarita made from a prepackaged mix, and pay 8 dollars for it, this is your place. This is always the test of true Mexican/​TexMex to me. That said, great salsa complete with individual serving dishes. First time I have seen that.
The food, nothing special. I make better Mexican and I am from the Midwest.

Disclaimer: I’m merely issuing a single star because Unilocal requires a star assignment to post a review.
Disclaimer #2: this is not a review.
Story: Whilst entertaining Momma Piangenti (aka: my Mom) during her visit to Big D, I immediately thought of this restaurant when Momma P. said, «Let’s eat TexMex for dinner!» I have heard and read ONLY grand reviews about this establishment, so we gave it a whirl. We made it as far as the entry door frame, as a server (in a strangely empty restaurant on a Saturday evening — insert rolling tumbleweed) greeted us. Disclaimer #3: the conversation thread below is pure fact, not a drop of fiction…
Us: Hi! Are you open?
Them: Well, it depends on what you want.
Us: Um, tasty TexMex food?
Them: Well, it depends on what you like. We’re out of enchiladas, fajitas, guacamole, and most other things.
Had this exchange not been so comical, and were there not a prolific quantity of TexMex restaurants within three minutes driving time from Carolina’s, I’d probably say that Carolina’s had their chance with me. Alas, I see a review on 8÷31÷2010 that indicates the joint is possibly still open and I’d still love to sample the menu and patio. Perhaps this time I’ll pack a dinner bag, juuuuuuuust in case, though.

Tried the briskit tacos — they blow the ones from Blue Goose away. The chips are great, the salsas are great, and the staff is very attentive. I did get a little sticker shock when I opened the menu, but the menu looked outstanding. I had to ask the waitress which would be better out of what I was thinking of, and she said the tacos were the best thing on the menu.
The downside is the neighborhood. Stay the hell out of the apartments across the street, the neighborhood as a whole has gone downhill since I lived in the area.

I tried Carolina’s for the first time and was very pleased. I typically would not stop in this location because the area isn’t the greatest. It’s as if there was this imaginary line on this part of the town where once you cross it, you enter a 2Pac video. I will say there were a few times where I was hoping no one was breaking into my car. Fortunately, my car was fine and it was my over-​active imagination. Go during the daytime if you are really concerned. Once you get over that, you’ll enjoy a great meal.
For my first time at Carolina’s, I ordered the La Bomba, Queso Fundido with beef and the Tacos de Brisket.
You will definitely see the similarities to Mi Cocina with the food. The LaBomba was similar to the Mambo Taxi sangria swirl margarita. Watch out drinking those because they get you when your guard is down.
The Queso Fundido was EXCELLENT. Cheesy goodness and nice pieces of beef. You can also get chicken if that’s your thing. My only complaint is that they served me 3 tortillas at a time. It should at least be an even number if 2 people are dining. It was fine because the waiter brought 3 more when I asked.
The Tacos de Brisket were tasty as well. Four tacos of tender brisket seasoned with spices and onions served with rice and a side of cilantro, onions and salsa verde. I’d definitely get this again.
Overall nice restaurant and a nice place to brighten up the shopping center where it’s located. Hopefully it will help to turn this area around and make it a more appealing location.

Gives Mia’s a strong run for my favorite mexican food! The brisket tacos, ceviche, chicken enchiladas, hot sauce, their drink special the La Bomba all are very good… I have hated mole sauce my entire life, but had a taste of someones when they kept going on and on about it… OMG! So good! Like brown surgar and cinnamon goodness…
Their bar and inside are very nice but their patio has got to be the best in Dallas. Their servers are all authentic mexican it seems and so nice and professional. Becoming one of my favs!

This is another one of those gems that make someone wonder why anyone would go to one of those mediocre chains. The somewhat hidden location is the only good answer to that question.
On my first visit I was exposed to the greatness that is Carolina’s Cherry Coke. Apparently they make their own syrup out of cherry juice, and it even looks more appetizing than what most of us are familiar with, a little more cherry colored. And it definitely tastes better, as our server put it, «cuz we make it ourselves with extra love».
I also have to mention the atmosphere here. Definitely not the standard Tex-​mex restaurant décor, a little more fitting for a date night … as long as the music is turned down. As for the food, Tacos de Pescado (on corn tortillas) were excellent, but its one of those dishes you have to be willing to deal with food thats a little messy and drippy and what not. Points also for providing the onion and cilantro, and for the side of the ‘special’ hot sauce.
And for the heavy fisted guacamole dippers the chips here are the crunchy and thick kind, not the see-​thru grease traps.

After just recently moving to Dallas (3 weeks ago from Detroit Area) and I was in the mood for some Mexican food and came to Unilocal for near by locations since I was alone and not familiar with the area. I stumbled across the reviews for Caolina’s and was happy that it was over 4 stars and right around the corner.
I went on a Sunday afternoon around 4ish and I was the first customer and shortly afterward, 2 more couples came in. When I walked in, I felt under dressed in Jeans and Polo shirt, the place was pretty fancy as far as what I’m use to in Mexican restaurants from Michigan. Once the other couples came in just as casual, I felt more comfortable. They had quiet Mexican style music playing in the background and as I said, the décor was very nice. Not the typical hokey Tijuana décor I’m use too.
Now, why only 3 stars? For one, the salsa and chips were not impressive, I’ve had much better at chains, including On The Border. It was OK, but I’m use to being served 2 styles, one mild and one maybe medium to medium hot, all I got was mild. There were really no chunks of veggies of any kind, just a semi-​thick tomato purée with some pepper seeds and flakes of cilantro.
The entrée was the Taco De Brisket, as other have raved about. I thought they were rather small and I only got 4 of them, granted I’m 6’2″ and over 250 lbs, but for $ 11.00, I was expecting Mucho tacos, not the case. I admit they were very tasty and the beef was very tender, if not a bit too juicy. It was also served with some kind of bland red rice (Spanish? Mexican? I wasn’t sure) and a small salad with vinaigrette. The tacos were of the corn tortilla type, but soft which was fine with me, just wish they were a bit bigger.
Service was great and the food came fast, Rosa was very pleasant and the House Margarita was good as well, they certainly didn’t skimp on the takillya :-) I may return for some other menu items (the Polo De Crema sounded good, but I went with the reviewers on here). This place is OK and I will go back just because its close to home, but I’ve already had better down on Belt Line/​Restaurant Row (can’t remember the name of the place and when I do, look for THAT review). I can’t honestly say at this time that I agree with the 4 and 5 star reviews about this place.

I cant say enough good things about this place. Everytime I have been the staff has been great, the food has been delicious and the margaritas have been legit.
Their patio is really nice and dog friendly. This place just has a good vibe and sadly, has never been the least bit busy anytime I have gone it.
I really hope business picks up this place is so close to my house, I’d love for it to stick around!

Sugar Bear and I checked out this restaurant after we bought a gift certificate from
. I was excited to go there after all of the positive reviews! We were surprised to walk in and find ourselves the only patrons during the dinner rush.
The restaurant is beautiful, and I can’t wait for spring so I can enjoy the patio area. We were seated quickly and had our queso in a jiffy. The queso here may be the best I’ve ever had… we devoured every bit of it!
Our entrees were lovely and quite tasty. I ordered shrimp and Sugar Bear got a steak. The portions were huge, and since we were semi-​full from the queso, much of each plate went home for leftovers. Everything was still excellent the next day.
No room for dessert on this round. We will be back!

Pretty freaking great Mexican joint! The décor and atmosphere are way better than most Mexican restaurants… Definitely not stuffy as it’s open concept makes you feel like you’re in a loft space.
Lights are a tad too dark for me as I felt my eyes adjusting every so often to see my family members or the menu… Tip: Scan the room for tables with more lighting before being seated. Not all tables are lighted the same for some reason…
The food was delicious and be sure to order the 5 layer dip. Sure, we kind of cringed at the $ 7 price tag, but it sure did go fast! Salsa and chips are tasty — nice and fresh. I went with Cristy’s suggestion and stopped at
before going and snagged a $ 25 gift certificate for $ 10. Tuesday nights are $ 5.99 enchiladas — score! Ordered the chicken enchiladas with spicy queso and sour cream sauce. Everything was good.
Other plates ordered at our table included — beef milanesa (fries are outstanding, nice and crispy but meat breading is a little too soggy), quesadillas (nice, solid chunks of fresh chicken), and tamales (masa tasted rubbery — maybe not as fresh). Hubby also ordered a mango margarita which he said had a nice kick and he HARDLY ever says that.
Prices were a decent price and definitely better than Mi Cocina. I’d definitely give it another shot (or 2, or 3) and try some other plates. Most nights they have happy hour or daily food specials. Go quick before everyone finds out about this new place.

The hubby and I finally made our way over to Carolina’s Mexican Cuisine last night.
Because of the awful weather he was running late. No problem, I told him, just take his time and be safe. Plus this allowed me the time to order a La Bamba margarita and relax a few minutes. The La Bamba is the house specialty and it was an excellent choice!
I also enjoyed their chips and salsa. Their regular salsa I thought was a bit on the salty side, but that is not necessarily a bad thing when you are eating chips and sipping an alcoholic beverage.
When the hubster did arrive, we ordered the Queso Fundido with chicken. Our waitress brought it to the table and deftly mixed the ooey-​gooey cheese with the chicken and prepared two tacos for the both of us. It was delicious!
For dinner I had the brisket taco plate and he had a tex-​mex enchilada plate. Both were well prepared and tasty. A personal preference for me would have been to cook the onions on the taco until they were a bit more caramelized and to leave the cheese off. The brisket was so tasty I didn’t see the need to muck up the flavor with the addition of cheese. The other half enjoyed his meal thoroughly, as well.
We were using a gift certificate that had some stipulations, so in order to meet the minimum purchase amount we also got dessert.
We were both so full but I have to say, we both polished off a sopapilla with no complaints!
The service was also stellar. Friendly, but not overbearing. Attentive, but not hovering. Our lovely waitress made suggestions that delivered on what she promised.
We both look forward to making this a regular dining out choice. For us it is very convenient being only 2 miles from where we live. It is a bit pricier than other Mexican restaurants, but if the food is always this good, it is worth the few extra dollars per person.

Man, Mico Rodriguez’s ex-​wife has definitely put up some strong competition for his Mi Cocina with this fresh, high quality, less expensive alternative.
Guess what? No lard-​ridden refried beans. Guess what? Virtually the same great tasting menu items as Mi Cocina but with a little extra. And guess what? On Fridays and Saturdays, Carolinas is open till 2am (not a childish 11pm like her ex’s place).
Don’t get me wrong, I like Mi Cocina’s. My personal tiff with them is that most of the people I know want to go there at least twice a week. So the repetition got boring, I needed something different, but not completely different. And this is the place, my friends.
Most everything tastes very similar. Chips and salsa, sour cream chicken enchiladas, brisket tacos (damn good tacos!) and even the rice is highly identical. The fact that there’s no lard in the beans is a huge plus in my book. The waiter said, «The only pig we have is in our tamales.» Perfect :)
They even added a few extra things that Mi Cocina doesn’t have. For example, we ordered the Sopesitos («Sope» on the menu) which didn’t have much of a menu description, but they’re like tostadas with refried beans, a meat (we got one with beef and one with chicken), lettuce, tomatoes, some sort of sauce and sour cream. It was fresh, lighter than expected and very tasty.
They even have Queso Fundido. Although On The Border still has the best I’ve tried, this was pretty darn good. (Note: I stopped going to OTB a long time ago due to the poor meat they have. Good chips and salsa though).
The biggest downside to this place– no fresh squeezed lemonade although Mi Cocina has it. Major bummer man.
We were too stuffed to try desert, but we’ll definitely be back! So till next time, four stars baby.

Ok. I need to go back and give Carolina’s another try before I can bump it up to the 4 stars. Their Tex-​Mex items sitting on the table next to me looked very good.
I got the shrimp tacos, and I was not underwhelmed, but I wasn’t overwhelmed either. They were ok. The shrimp were a tad on the chewy side and I wasn’t really sure the salsa they were cooked in really worked. I would have much rather had plain grilled shrimp and then doctor up the tacos myself.
Speaking of doctoring up tacos. someone please explain this to me… 3 perfect slices of avocado… FOUR tacos. Um, huh? One taco gets left out and I felt very bad for that one sad lonely taco.
This place is 2.3 miles from home, so I am sure I will give it a couple more shots to wow me.

Finally made it here yesterday. Arrived around 1500 and we were the only table in the entire huge restaurant. First impression, WOW what a beautiful space. Enormous dining room with both booths and tables. (The bright yellow plastic chairs at the tables reminded me of those you might find in the dining area of a restaurant in an office building, but, somehow they worked with the contemporary/​retro feel of the place).
As others have said, there is a very large patio area that at first glance one wouldn’t notice that is covered… nice for rainy days. Large bar outside with a comfy seating area with couches in front of a fireplace. Will be great in the spring and fall months. Fans and misters for the warmer times of the year.
The booth seats are an orange leather, good contrast with the modern look of the polished woods. I’m overusing HUGE, but there is a HUGE long bar along the inside wall. Also, at the entrance off to the left is a fairly large lounge area with a flat tv screen to enjoy with a cold one while waiting for your table (which I presume the owners hope gets busy enough to have a wait for a table).
First comment; I am really being generous with my 4 star rating, giving the benefit of the doubt on this first visit. REASON… my top shelf margarita was hopelessly bad, even after sending it back twice for adjustment. Just plain bland; no flavor and no alcohol. I really think I was misinformed by our server. He told me the La Bomba was their «regular» margarita and I wanted a top shelf with Grand Marnier. Whether I misunderstood, or he was unfamiliar with the drink menu will remain a mystery. Moving on. marg served in a tall glass with shaved ice, not ice cubes. It was shaken which I found strange for a marg «on the rocks». As I’ve stated many times in other reviews, I am the «Queen» of top shelf and this one was definitely «bottom shelf». The margarita, rates a 1 star.
Finally, returned the marg to server and ordered a Stella. It was good and ice cold.
On to the food: great extensive menu, many enticing items, but I thought I’d check out the Tex-​Mex options on this first visit. The #1 was very good; cheese enchilada, tamale and crispy beef taco. Luved the beef taco; meat and taco fried together, just yummy. The accompanying lettuce, tomato and cheese had a slight taste of Italian dressing which was wonderful. Tamale was tasty, good shredded, moist beef. Cheese enchilada was also well prepared with lots of creamy cheese both inside and on top with chili con carne. Served with rice (which to my surprise I liked) and beans that were creamy and smoky with just a drizzle of melted white cheese on top. A large serving, more than enough to satisfy a Tex-​Mex craving. A 5 star Rating for my food.
BF ordered the taco salad. Ya know, we eat with our eyes first; this presentation was downright beautiful; salad greens (romaine and iceberg), tomatoes and avocado served in a large bowl; the shredded chicken was in a small taco «cup» sitting on top of the salad mixture. Nice idea chef! BF declined a dressing, opting to pour a bowl of the excellent salsa over the top. He said his meal was delicious, giving it also a «5» star grade.
Chips okay, a little thick for my preference, but taste was good. Loved the chunky salsa; just the right amount of heat, and actual chunks of onion, slivers of cilantro and jalapeño. Very good. Salsa, 5 stars.
Our server provided excellent service (except perhaps about what a top shelf marg was), very attentive, friendly and checked on us at acceptable intervals. Service, a 5 star for sure.
At the end of our meal, Ray, the Manager on duty, came to ask how our meal was. As I shared my margarita story with him, BF assured him I was a true connoisseur of top shelf margs, having had them all over the country, including the famous «$ 18» one (plus tip!) at Dulles Airport in Washington! (BF will never let me live that down!) Ray graciously apologized and asked that upon our return visit to let him know and he would comp us our first drink, and that he would personally prepare the top shelf, just for me! Awwww, I was so touched. Thereby… the 4 star rating instead of a 3.
Yes, we will definitely go back for a second run at this newbie restaurant, and look forward to trying some of the house specialities, i.e. shrimp, tilapia and other upscale «Mexican» dishes !

I was lucky enough to get to tag along to with Miss Nikki B. to the opening of this Carolina’s…even though this place is WAY out of my Dallas bubble that I remain a slave to, I was very excited to try a new place!
The décor of this Mexican Cuisine establishment is beautiful. You can see the influence from the other family of restaurants this one is related to (Taco Diner, Mi Cocina, etc)…but it still had it’s own mood about it. The patio was HUGE and split into two sections… a place to eat and a place to chill, equipt with couches, another round bar and a fire place (obviously not needed on this smultering evening). And apparently… once the clock strikes 9pm, they clear the tables from the main dining area, the DJ puts on the teeth vibrating dancemusic and you can get your club dance on. Not my scene, so thank goodness Shuck N Jive is right next door :)
We only got to have a taste of a few things on the menu, but what we did get to taste was pretty darn good. Their tamales were my favorite… they reminded me of the tamales I used to buy from a little Hispanic lady that cleaned our offices when I worked in Denison… truly homemade, so I was a fan. The ceviche was pretty good, a little bland though… the tiny little bite size chicken chimichanga was good, but would have been a LOT better had they given us some queso, or sour cream, or guacamole… ANYTHING…to add to it. Same for the chicken quesadilla… i LOVE sour cream… but had none :(*tear
They were handing out free margaritas… but the tray full… and they were great. Very tasty and NOT skimpy with the tequila. *slow clap
Overall the place is beautiful. Its in an area that desperately needed a step up in venues… and now it has one. The tasting of the food was overall a success, and I wish them the best of luck and suggests everyone in that area give it a shot :)
Now…can I just have ONE more margarita!!!