Don Carlos

⭐️⭐️ 2/5 – Not what it used to be I’ve been coming to Don Carlos since around 2016, and unfortunately, it’s just not the same anymore. The food is alright, but there’s definitely room for improvement. When I order guacamole, I expect guacamole — not a pile of lettuce underneath. I get that they’re aiming for a nice presentation, but when presentation overshadows the actual dish, it misses the point. We ordered the parrillada, and while the portion was decent, the chicken was dry, the beef poorly cut, and the flavors just weren’t there. The charro beans were heavily seasoned to the point where all I could taste were cloves and cumin instead of enjoying the beans themselves. The flour tortillas are homemade, which I appreciate, but they’re too thick and get hard pretty quickly. To be fair, I’ll say this — the chips and salsa were excellent, the rice was flavorful, and the customer service was great. I really wish the food had matched that same level of quality.

I ordered the enchiladas verdes and wow! It was so good I even ate some of my rice. The restaurant is clean. The staff was attentive to making sure we had drinks. They were quick in getting out what we ordered. There’s plenty of parking.

The atmosphere is excellent, the food, delicious and the margaritas are the best I’ve ever tasted in my life..

Perfect Tex-Mex lunch for locals. I thought the parking made the place look full, but there are tons of tables and plenty of staff serving! Lunch specials were awesome, I’ll be back for sure. They bring queso with the chips and salsa? 🤯

We came to celebrate my son’s birthday @Don Carlos Mexican Restaurant and have nothing but great things to say! Food was delicious, great atmosphere and friendly staff members! Wanted to say Thank You to our waitress Ana & everyone else who made our celebration special! We definitely recommend this location to our family & friends!!!

Don Carlos exceeded my expectations in every way! The restaurant ambiance was inviting, the menu offered a diverse array of delicious options, and the service was impeccable. From start to finish, it was a delightful dining experience. I can't wait to return and savor more of their fantastic dishes!

Great tucked away spot with friendly service!

This place is amazing. The portions are pretty big for the price. So you'll have left over. It almost has a bunch of options on the menu as well. Definitely not TexMex. Also, they give 50% off for the military 🪖. The environment is very festive and clean. The servers are very nice and on point. They came by and checked our table many times and only communicated with us as needed. I can tell that the staff is very professional because there are multiple people bussing the tables at one time. Keeping everything clean and orderly. 3-31-2023 update --- we went back here on our way to Mississippi and stopped here for dinner. The first time the food and service was great. This time around the the tacos (meat) we ordered was bitter and it was not tasty. Also they did NOT give us the military discount that was advertised. There is a GIANT poster at the door that says 50% off for military people but this discount was not received the second time around. We're not sure why. If they are not giving out the discount then the advertisement should be taken down. It is false advertisement. So I have decreased from 5 stars to 3 stars the rating as average. Our server was nice, she remembered us from last time. Minus one star for having false poster at the door about the military discount. And the minus one star for the food.

Absolutely great service the food was great, the people, the tables we're big enough. I would definitely come back again!!

Went in for family day with my brother and nephews wanna Wednesday. It's fajita day 1999 my favorite. The food is excellent. The service was great. The ambience was for lunch.

Usually me and my family and friends go here to eat and we always HAD a great service but we recently went and I found not 1 but 3 hairs in my food and they for real asked me where are they??? When I showed them the hair and explained what I saw the MANAGER simply said we don't have women in the kitchen. I showed her the hair which was clearly from a man. She said they will go check the cameras, the audacity the server and the manager had was shocking to be honest. I told her go check because I knew I wasn't lying, and they came back and said I see what happen the most I can do for you in 25% off your plate. NOT THE MEAL BUT JUST THE PLATE THAT WE DIDNT FINISH! I don't know if the server was having a bad day or was just plain rude but she didn't serve us the most of the time we were there the other girls walking has to take care of us. Yeah not coming to this location again.

Love the chicken tortilla soup! Been going here since I was a little girl and now I get to take my kids and grandkids! They still serve cheese and chips and the salsa is the bomb!! The fajitas are great and the hubby love the 1/2 chicken!

I recommend trying the Enchiladas de Espinacas Poblanitas. They were a creamy spinachy goodness. I love beans so I asked for double beans no rice. Green salsa is my favorite, and theirs was nice and spicy. Robert was our server and he took good care of us. The area we sat in was chill. The bar area sounded like they were having a blast!

Do NOT GO!!! The service was horrible, the staff were very rude!! Do not waste your time or money! I wish I didn't have to give it any stars but unfortunately I need to in order to post a review.

Very nice establishment with good food, large portions, great service and casual ambiance in a large dining area. The service was excellent. I liked the waitresses dressed in embroidered Mexican shirts which was a very nice touch to the restaurant. I would recommend trying it out. Lots of parking across the street and in front of the restaurant. They have a DJ on Wednesday and karaoke on Friday and Saturday night. They also had strolling musicians that sang for us. Had a great time here. I do recommend.

I went in on Wednesday with my cousins and ordered enchiladas I was served my plate with a huge cockaroach on the edge of my plate covered with crema. Gross!! This happened on October 22, 2025 after 3pm. No apologies offered. I am still waiting for a phone call from the manager. I reported to public health and government and hopefully something will be done! I even took a picture to prove. I would give a negative 1 if available.

This was my papa's favorite restaurant. Tonight we came, the deals, the drinks, the food, the service. Everything was amazing! Our server Priscilla, killed it. Fast, very very understanding, great humor. The restaurant felt like home tonight, ambiance was very inviting. Comi mucho.

Don Carlos is a neighborhood favorite in Magnolia Park. I think I first dined there 20 years ago, and nothing's really changed - for the better. It's good, affordable Tex-Mex compete with good service, cheap drinks, and the occasional DJ with live singing. I'm a thin chip and hot salsa kind of gal, and Don Carlos starts you off right. And, if you go during lunch, they offer complimentary chips and queso. Portions are generous, so go easy on the apps or split an entree. They have seafood options (fish, shrimp, scallops, seafood soup), and a few vegetarian options as well. Vegans, you'll have to stick with guac tacos or something super simple. :/ Happy hour is Mon-Tue 11am-7pm; Wed-Fri 3pm-7pm with deals on house margaritas, beer, wine, and appetizers.

I've been here several times. I'm shocked I'm barely remembering to do this review. They have amazing lunch specials and one thing I absolutely love is they bring everyone a side of queso! That's called providing value out the gate! I go out to eat a lot at 99% of Mexican restaurants dont do this! They are the rare one for that and I really appreciate that. That goes along way with me. Easy five stars! I've had the enchiladas and a few other dishes. Also the lunch specials are a great deal. Such a great price for some really good amazing food. I got to remember to take more pics when I go there. I'll be back soon great job Don Carlos.

The place looked nice and clean apart from the area that it's in. We went after a baseball game because my parents said they had their first date here years ago. First we ordered a large guacamole... it was 5 small ice cream scoops of guacamole on top of a huge bunch of lettuce. I ordered chicken poblano fajitas and I was brought beef poblano fajitas. I hate making fussed especially since the people could tell we definitely weren't from that area so I just left it alone.. the fajitas were horrible, my husband and children both said "they taste weird" and I cannot put my finger on the taste (if they were old or weird seasoning) but they were so bad. My sons both order enchiladas; one orders cheese and the other chicken; my cheese enchilada boy hates rice and asked for only beans.. well they flipped the instructions which again. No big deal I scraped off the extra beans and switched the rice with the other brother. For some reason my cheese enchilada boy had random pico on his plate so I naturally just took it for myself only to find a piece of plastic which could've been from the pico bag it was in; honestly no idea. My husbands torta had things in it he asked to take out (basically all the veggies) At this point we were turned off ready to go. Server was nice but if you're not from the area people definitely look at you strange and it makes you not want to be " problematic or confronting " Definitely not ever going back. PS definitely not a language barrier my husband spoke very clear to the woman in Spanish and she understood him.

I love this place. My family has been dining there for years. The food is amazing and the service is great. They have a DJ and karaoke on the weekends.

Great chips & salsa accompanied by beat chile con queso (complimentary during lunch) all options are great even there daily special. Can never go wrong with any type of enchiladas. Flavored sweet tea are also a refreshing option! Go during lunch and will always see a crowd but service is quick and good.

Portion is amazing for breakfast. Eggs are not always prepared as ordered. My mom ordered scrambled eggs and hers were basically an over hard egg that was scrambled at the end and my dad's over easy eggs were over cooked. We ordered bacon crispy and most of it was soft with the exception of one strip that was over cooked. The manager was really sweet when she visited our table. Our waitress seemed irritated when we asked her for a drink refill or more salsa, which we found odd since it was just us and one other table. Food was good for the price and the chips and salsa are yummy.

I love coming here. Their salsa is always hot, queso is good, and chips! Their staff is usually good with timing and service, it's a hot or miss. This place has a very home and family vibe that I appreciate. They can take a huge party if needed. Everything that I have tried has not disappointed. I ordered the enchiladas suizas and it was delicious, the sauce really tied it together, great flavor. In the Past I've ordered their carne asada. That's my fav! It comes with this really good chicken soup. My sister orders the Flautas, they are pretty big.

First off for a Friday to have only 1 waiter is ridiculous. We went after a funeral so there was over 20 of us, the waiter did the best he could I'll give him that. Ok now the food, my husband ordered fish tacos and let me tell you the moment it was placed in front of him you could smell it was spoiled the fish was a grayish color a terrible smell that we will not be eating any fish for a while. This place I will not be visiting again and they DO NOT HAVE COCA COLA!!! Very disappointed

We were here yesterday and had a very pleasant experience. We ordered the mixed fajitas and some mangonadas. Both were a good choice. Cristian was our server and he was pleasant but seemed to sort of be in a rush to turnover the table. We were just hanging out catching up. Other than that, my family has been coming to this location for a long time and I enjoyed sharing this experience with my good friend.

Service was terrible. Waiter brought me my margarita ingredients for me to mix at my table. Waitress at bar wanted me believe she was closed when she clearly had an open register prompting me to ask the manager to give me a To-go order against overwhelming evidence that her register was indeed open still

First time here and didn't think much of the food or the margaritas. I wouldn't say I recommend. Just another over priced Tex-Mex joint.

In the beginning, It took them a while to bring the chips, drinks, and to get our order. Once we placed our order after waiting along time, the food was delivered fairly quick. My other complaint was that they placed a large party of at least 12 people, very close to my small family of four. They always like to crumble larger parties with smaller ones for whatever reason.

Service makes you feel like you're very welcomed. Your meal comes in quickly after ordering, but it all depends on how much you order of course. We ordered 4 meals and it came in 10 mins. During lunch hour, you receive a free small queso con chile, and they're queso dip is sooo good! We always go here to feel great

Best queso in Houston hands down. This is the original location. Good food and good prices. The quesadillas are probably my favorite go to dish. I like the menudo too.

Our server only spoke Spanish, so i was thankful to have my bestie to help communicate. The nachos were delicious. The drinks also a hit. I don't always love it, but today was a good day. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Seriously delicious food. Staff wasn't very friendly though and there is NOT free WiFi as mentioned on Yelp description. But I'd still recommend visiting. Very good menu.

Always excellent food and five-star service! My wife had the Matamoros Nachos, and I had the Carne Guzada - delicioso! Will be back!

I absolutely love this place! I had my engagement dinner her a few years ago. And we always come back here. At least one Sunday a month. Today 9/18 was soooooo good! Our food was so fresh and hot, our service was fast and efficient. My margs was delicious! It was a very good lunch! If you haven't tried this place you should!

We've been going to this location for twenty years. This was the worst experience. Service was horrible and it wasn't crowded for a Sunday brunch time. Waitress had an attitude from the get go. Annoyed that we weren't ready to order. Asked for water and salsa twice. She never brought it. Told the hostess about the salsa because no one else ever came by. Lady that brings salsa and chips finally dropped off the salsa. By that point we were done with our meal. I asked for coffee to go the waitress made a face. She said let me ask. Excuse me what?? For coffee to go?? Waited for about five min to pay, with the hostess passing us by and then standing behind her podium ignoring us for another few minutes. Then she finally shuffles over the four feet from her podium to the iPad. Asked for a quarter to exchange to get a sticker from the machine. I'd have to walk to the bar I was told. Tried to talk to the manager about the horrible experience. She said I don't speak English. Ok I asked for someone who does. A waiter, which is fine. The manager walked away when I was talking to the waiter. The waiter just nodded his head. Basically if the manager doesn't care why would the waiters? Food was great but that's about it. Go somewhere else because the service and attitudes SUCK. I will not recommend this place to anyone. Where is Henri when you need him?? The longtime manager.

food was horrible, servers looked at customers rudely, overall food didnt taste right. The puerco asado tasted like straight up mole, birria tacos were just tacos de barbacoa and they hardly gave us any consomé. Been here before and it was good but this time the food was different. food did not taste accordingly.

The green enchiladas are great ! My husband usually orders the fajitas and they are good also. The food quality is great i wouldn't say the same for service though.

This place was great. The staff was friendly and the drink was amazing. I enjoyed my food, the portions and the atmosphere. This is a great neighborhood restaurant.

It was okay. I ate all of it. I got the Lunch Special Enchiladas. The Fajita Enchiladas was not part of the Lunch Menu. The Ground Beef Enchiladas could have been seasoned much better. Needed more taste too bland tasting.

Karaoke was very loud. Food is good but with so much noise it's difficult to enjoy. Restaurant is too small for the speakers.

We had not been to this restaurant in over 20 years..wish I never did. My wife and I drove from Sugarland and were excited to visit this place, we used to eat there bi-weekly when we were dating. We were beyond disappointed with the food. To begin with, the menu is a little pricey but if the food is good then I can understand however that was NOT the case. My carnitas was cold and unflavorful, the rice was bland and cold, and the beans were lukewarm. The tortillas that the carnitas was wrapped in were cold.. the only thing that was good was the iced tea. My wife's flautas meal was the same..cold and tasteless. We took most of the food to give to a homeless person. This was the worst $31 I ever spent! You couldn't pay me to go back to that place. Not a good way to start off 2021. A huge disappointment

This spot was packed on Cinco de Mayo with even a line out the door. Music was blastin and TVs had the game on, so a good place for large parties. Service took a hit because every table was packed and they couldn't keep up with the green salsa demands which is the best one. It's a creamy verde with a good spicy kick, we had to ask multiple times to get bowls and they never brought more after asking a few times until we asked one of the food runners to bring it to us, which he gladly did. Large menu with lots of authentic and tex-mex options, so you get the best of both worlds. Started off with the queso flameado with chorizo (mexican sausage). Portion is large, ideal for about 4 people. Lacking a little on the meat, mostly cheese. It can be very greasy because of the chorizo so be prepared! Tex-Mex Special - Chicken fajitas, tamale, ground beef enchilada with beef chili gravy and melted cheese. Guac, lettuce and tomato. Interesting sauce, it really is beefy gravy that's ontop of the enchilada, not my particular favorite. Ordered the chicken but they charged me for the beef fajitas, which was luckily pretty tender. Overall nothing too impressive. Service is definitely lacking, not surprising considering how packed the restaurant is but still. I just wanted more green salsa! The food is alright, nothing amazing and nothing horrible.

Food was average. The Chile con queso is always a go too. We had the beef parrillada mean was a little tough but flavor was there. Servers are always very attentive. Would go back but not my first choice.

We visited Don Carlos tonight because of their post on January 16th (12 days ago) saying that they were "proud and honored to offer 50% off for active duty and veterans" well.... as we learned tonight, was a lie. How DISGUSTING of a company to advertise something like that to active duty and military veterans and not fulfill their post. We'll never visit again.

This used to be a good place. The food quality has really gone down in my opinion. I very rarely not finish my food. But I literally am leaving most of this food. Just not happening at all..

Service is ok long wait just to get order in, we went after 1:30 pm. Food is good ....x

Super disappointed, food was served cold. The waitress took our plates and returned them with heated guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo. This neighborhood restaurant was a family favorite of ours for many years...won't be going back.

Four stars because they don't serve breakfast all day. If they did, I would have no need to go to Taqueria Del Sol. Don Carlos has the best breakfast hands down. Fast service and plenty of food. If they ever transition to breakfast all day, I'd be a very happy camper. Currently writing this review from Taqueria Del Sol at 3pm waiting on my breakfast order.

Had business on this side of town today and was told to come by Don Carlos for lunch. Was seated and greeted super fast. Chips, salsa & queso, and the water came right way. Order was served fresh within minutes. The Fajitas were cooked perfectly. Charro Beans could have used more flavor and or spice. Would have given it a 5 stars, but water was not refilled and price was a little high for a lunch special. I would still recommend giving it a try.

Customer service is horrible. I called and placed an order before hand to pick ip for lunch and gave thorough details on what i wanted and the incompetent person who took the order in the first place confirmed my order. When i got there the order was missing a whole meal I ordered. Save your money and go elsewhere. Staff here don't pay attention and play games with your order.

My first knowledge of this place was due to a $10 gift certificate the restaurant gave to all the employees at my job. Otherwise, I would not have ventured to step a foot into this place. On a long hungry day at work, I decided to try this place out. I called in the order and drove order right at the beginning of my 30 minute lunch time because I didn't know how far it was. I figured I would eat a little while it was hot and the rest for dinner after work. Well. . .THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN!! I was lead to the bar to get my take out order, which was fine since the tables were not vacant. I was already halfway through my lunch break driving and parking my car. I was about to get my order and hand the cashier my certificate when he tells me that I couldn't use the cert because it's not valid on the lunch special. "Understood," I stated, "but I didn't order the lunch special. I ordered from the regular menu." "The certificate is for dine in only," he said. "It doesn't say dine in only" I recanted. "But it says one per table which means dine in only," the man stated. Imagine what my face looked like after this meaningless banter and what I wanted to say, but the good in me took a breath and took one more chance to get them to side with my hungry, hard working soul: "I looked for the words dine in only, but did not see it. That would have told me automatically that this certificate was only dine in only in conjunction with the words "one per table." Plus, this it the only time I can make it over here because I work long hours and don't live in this area. Could you please make an exception this time? I'm already half way through my lunch time." The cashier tells me he understands--even whispers to me that he can't do anything, but he will call the manager over to see what they'll do. I'm thinking this will work in my favor being that I'm a new customer with a paying job. . .THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN!!!! I was told she could not do it. Ummmm YOU'RE THE MANAGER! You can pretty much do what you want to make a customer happy, but you know THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN! She explains again that I have the lunch special which cannot be used with the certificate. AGAIN, not my error!!! Then she goes back to the fact that it's only to be used to dine in. HONESTLY!!!! would it have made sense to sit down and ask for a doggie bag two minutes later just to say I dined in? Plus, it was the peak of lunch time. Me ordering and picking up my order helped your @ss! No dishes to clean, no tables to prep! Common sense to many isn't common evidently! By the time this exchange has went on, I'm looking at my watch by now and know that by the time I get back to work the only time I'll have for lunch is to smell it, so exasperated I don't have much to say but what I had already told the other guy because I was about to raise my voice and use some colorful language by then. But for what??? They gave me the certificate. She tells me that the only thing she could do was extend the date on the certificate. At that point, I wasn't hungry anymore and was pissed off so I told the manager that that was ok--I don't need your certificate that bad--you can have it back and walked out. Yep. When down just like that. The yelp reviews maybe spot on about the food, but don't waste my time and play games. I did good not to make a scene, but ladies leave quietly and in this case so did my money because AIN"T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT!

It wasn't my choice to come here, but I'm sure glad I did. I came here with a group of 8 and they quickly seated us and served us all several baskets of chips and bowls of queso and red salsa. I preferred the salsa since it is flavorful and much healthier than the thick gooey queso they serve here. I ordered the #11 special at lunch, which is called the Trio Plate ($7.95). It consists of ground sirloin tacos, ground sirloin enchiladas and ground sirloin tostada. It also comes with rice and beans, cheese and sour cream, although they forgot to put the sour cream on my plate and I didn't remember til after I had already left. Other coworkers ordered the chimichanga, the shrimp fajitas which looked great and the taco plate. I really enjoyed my plate, although I wish I had ordered the charro beans. The rice was just average but then again I'm not big on rice at mexican restaurants anyway. This is the original location, and consequently the first Don Carlos I have ever been too. Not too bad I must say. Service was attentive and quick, they came to refill our drinks and salsas many times. If I'm ever in the area, I'll consider this as a lunch spot for sure.

The place has not changed at all like literally. They really need to put some money into it , make repairs and remodel. I was enjoying my food until I saw little insects coming out of the broken wood that I was sitting next to. I got nachos, quesadillas and my husband had a parillada. Fajitas were really good but I wouldn't go back.

Frequently eat here and it's always consistently delicious. Love that they serve a small queso with the lunch menu. Get the carne asada or chicken tortilla soup

I love this location and the food is amazing!!! However, they really need to do something about the DJ they have on Saturdays! He plays the exact same some songs in the same order every single weekend...and they are boring! At least put the songs on shuffle or something. We all know that the first song will be Alan Jackson's Chattahoochee...followed by Toby Keith and then Brook and Dunn...update the playlist and more upbeat please! ‍:) Aside from that, I love the staff and the food!!! Of course I'll be back but the 3 stars is only because of the DJ. ‍

Over priced Mexican food not worth it Service was not the best got there an hour from closing and I was hurried into ordering because "the kitchen closes early" I also asked for green salsa and they said they only had it on weekends so I asked for jalapeños and they were trying to charge me for that too. Would not recommend the place Food was warm not hot .