Carmelita's Kitchen - Mexican restaurant in Rancho Santa Margarita - 31441 Santa Margarita Pkwy, USA

So peaceful on the patio. The food so amazing! Goldie was our server. Excellent service from her. Spicy pineapple margarita was the best I’ve had. (No picture)But I demand you try it! We also tried the halibut tacos, yum! And my hubby had the steak fajitas!! Ceviche as your appetizer won’t disappoint.

I just moved to the neighborhood. This is my second time at Carmelita's. Both time I found the food to be excellent. There are a lot of options on the menu for every taste and every taste and every budget. The servers were friendly and courteous. Be careful with the chips and salsa. They are addicting 😃

So impressed by this place! Service was incredible, what an amazing staff. Whoever is training and setting staff expectations is doing a great job. Food was delicious, I dare to say best Mexican food in the area, well worth the price. Flavor is authentic yet sophisticated. Location is gorgeous, a table on the patio with a lake view can’t be beat. So happy to have been to this place and can’t wait to be back!

Incredible food, amazing aerobics, great atmosphere. They took my gluten allergy serious - the waiter asked if we had any food allergies before we ordered. They were conscious of cross-contaminating and made the house chips gluten-free for me. 10/10 would come back here and eat again. The chicken burrito was a 6.5/10 because the chicken wasn’t shredded, but the flavour was good. The pineapple pork tacos were a 10/10

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner. Great food. Perhaps the best service I ever experienced. Very, very nice place. Beautiful interior with a wonderful outdoors vista. Right on the lake located conveniently in town. I'll be back as often as I can.

Delicious food and drinks on a picture perfect outdoor patio! They have a big patio with a great view of the lake and a patio cover for those hot days! Try the Pork and Pineapple Tacos with a Cadillac Margarita and then burn off some of their yummy chips with a stroll around the lake!

Restaurant by the water. Service was great. Food was good. Recommend the seafood trio, but I liked the shrimp taco the best out of the three options. Chips and salsa and bean dip was delicious and fresh. Tres Leche was ok, but the berries were fresh. Shrimp taquitos were ok, and would try something else next time. My friend liked her fried ice cream.

Twice now I've returned home to South county and had dinner with my family here. Each time, the service and the food have been excellent. The patio, with views of the lake (there are outside heaters), was especially nice. For special occasions, or any occasion to be made special, this is the place to go!!!