Norte Mexican Food

We were staying in the Carlsbad Inn Beach Resort, so you couldn't get a closer location for us. If seated outside, it's a really nice setting, with patio heaters if needed. The food was OK, but nothing that exciting. The house margarita was a real disappointment with no taste of tequila, probably the worst margarita of our holiday.

Really enjoyed my visit to Norte! The burrito I ordered was delicious—hearty, flavorful, and came with plenty of extras on the side, which was a nice touch. The staff were super cheerful and welcoming, which made the whole experience even better. On top of that, the atmosphere was really pleasant—lively but not overwhelming.

We were staying a few blocks away so the location was good. Place is cool, with a great patio. Our server was excellent too. That's where the positives end. This was probably the blandest Mexican food I've ever had. Zero flavor. I also had a skinny margarita that was void of anything good. It was also more expensive than a regular marg. Why?? It has less ingredients! This place has been around for over 40 years apparently and honestly I don't know how. There are other reviews like this so I'm not the only one. Please add some flavor and spice!

Norte Mexican Food (Carlsbad Village) 🌮 Food Quality: Very Bland, Lacking Authenticity Many diners describe it as “Gringo food” with little to no real Mexican flavor. One recent review said: *“The food was so bland and just poor quality we couldn’t finish it… The burrito had nothing but plain chicken… the sauce was unrecognizable—maybe tomato soup?” Others echo the same sentiment: “Order arrived late… food was bland, not the same as usual.” Some even critique the salsa and sides: “salsa tasted like pizza sauce,” “off ‘old oil’ taste to the rice,” and “guacamole seemed like it had been frozen.” Overall, unless you’re content with generic American-style Mexican dishes, the food here may fall flat. 👍 Service & Atmosphere: A Standout Service gets consistent praise: “Prompt and friendly,” “waiters and waitresses can’t do enough for you,” and “great location to the beach.” Patrons appreciate the laid-back, family‑friendly vibe and the beach‑village setting: “Nice atmosphere outside… even though tourists are their bread and butter, locals love it too.” Verdict: Not Recommended for Flavor, But Friendly Otherwise Category Rating Flavor / Authenticity ⭐ (Bland, unmemorable) Service ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Friendly, attentive) Ambience ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Beach‑village charm) If you’re after vibrant, authentic Mexican food, Norte may disappoint—it’s often described as “very bland” or “just standard” . However, if you're just looking for friendly service and a casual spot by the beach, it hits those marks well. Final takeaway: Great service, solid vibe—but the food lacks punch. I’d steer clear unless flavor isn't your priority. ⭐ Would not recommend Norte for flavor. 😊 Two thumbs up for the service and atmosphere.

We had an ok experience at Norte's Mexican Restaurant! My husband ordered a simple bean and cheese burrito since he just wanted a light bite, but somehow it was amazing. We're pretty sure the tortilla was made in-house because it was incredibly tasty and fresh. The chips and salsa they serve when you sit down are outstanding! The salsa tasted fresh and homemade, though I didn't confirm--but it definitely had that authentic, made-from-scratch flavor. I ordered the nachos without meat, and they were so generous that I had enough to take home for lunch the next day. The best part? They were still delicious the next day! We decided to finish with the flan, but it wasn’t what I expected. It was dense instead of tender, and I missed that melt-in-your-mouth caramel texture and flavor I was hoping for. I did finish it, though—mostly because it was $8. The other downside is that they no longer offer discounts to Carlsbad Inn guests, which seems odd since the restaurant and its sign are both on the property

Restaurant is very inviting and clean! Tacos and selection to choose from are terrific! Margaritas were marvelous!!

Tacos were bland, unseasoned, and overpriced. Genuinely some of the worst tacos I have ever ate. The food took a while to come out when the restaurant was practically empty. On the bright side they gave unlimited chips and salsa which were okay, however, the salsa was too sweet and not spicy enough. Overall poor dining experience, would not recommend.

Albondigas soup is good, but service, not so much. The last three times we've been here service has been sub par. Being an F&B supervisor/ lead server, these women need to be retrained and show that they enjoy where they work and not make the guests feel like they are bothering the server. With a positive, friendly attitude, they will more likely see an increase in tips.

Surprised to see the negative reviews, my husband and I ate here twice while we were staying by the coast (we live in San Diego, just a staycation) and had a great experience! It's been a favorite of some family members who recommended it to us. Best enchiladas I've ever had, both the red and green sauces are decadent. They were stuffed with chicken! The fried fish taco was well cooked and huge portion, I just wish it had a bit more spice or flavor in the seasoning or the crema. My husband enjoyed the carne asada tacos and the meat was very tender and flavorful. We also shared a big steak quesadilla and that was great too, it came with rice and beans and we couldn't finish it all. Margs were great too! We had our baby in the stroller and both hostesses helped us pick a table where we could park the stroller out of the way and moved chairs for us. The guys bringing around chips and salsa were friendly and had a good sense of humor, as were our waitresses. The patio is just perfect, casual but beautifully decorated. Parking mau be a little difficult, we had parking at our hotel, but that's true of any place in that area. We'll be back!

Wife and I stay in Carlsbad Beach and Resort when we visit Carlsbad. Parking, beach, pool, kids everywhere, its rad. Didn't expect Norte to be so good. Tourists and purists will probably dislike it, but for families, it's legit. Great prices, great nachoes, great quesadillas. Kid friendly stuff. I came in, sat, got a glass of pinot nior and ordered the quesa and nachoes, bartender said 10 mintues I was like cool, I'll go swim with my kids nextdoor, he said cool. I came back, picked it up, and was very pleasently surprised by the quality. Face it folks, it's not a gourmet spot. It's a have fun and grub spot. Kids destroyed their food, so did my wife and I. I think it was like $35 bucks for everything too. Level set your expectations and you will enjoy. Bring the food to the beach, bring the food to the pool, or have a couple ritas, live laugh and love, you will enjoy it.

The only good thing I can say about this place is the atmosphere outside is nice. Great atmosphere with a fire pit and growing vines. Our mistake was actually eating here. Our waitress seemed to be here on detention instead of earning a paycheck. The food is below average - out of 4 of us, only 1 person was happy with it. The pollo asada (which is a $4 up charge) tasted like it was boiled instead of grilled. Hard taco was greasy. Tostada didn't have beans. Margarita was warm. Disappointing for sure.

"So, if you're travelin' in the north country fair Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline Remember me to one who lives there She once was a true love of mine" (Bob Dylan) Norte is the Spanish word for "North". Now I'm not exactly sure what North has to do with this excellent Mexican restaurant, but let's just say this Northerner was very impressed with Norte. Our party of six had a table in their big dining room and had great service from a smiling and very cheerful young guy who took care of our table. I started off with a great Melon Margarita ($13.50) with 1800 BLANCO, Midori liqueur and Norte Margarita mix. I had it blended so it came out as a slushy yummy cocktail that I really enjoyed. Chips and salsa came out next and the chips were fresh and non-greasy, and the salsa was flavorful and mild. Their food menu is massive with traditional plates, specials, combinations, and seemingly every burrito, Carnita, chimichanga, enchilada, fajita, flauta, quesadilla, Machaca, sopa, taco, tamale, torta, and tostada known to mankind. They have a very convenient A la Carte section too, so you can handcraft your own plate, which is where I went. My creation involved a grilled Shrimp Tostada ($10.00) topped with lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, green onion and cheese, a pork tamale ($9.95) with red tamale sauce, and an order of Mexican rice ($4). My plate was amazing -what a feast! Outstanding job, Norte.

Food wasn't the best sadly. We were visiting and used to go here years ago, but clearly not what it used to be. On a positive note the waitress was very nice as was the hostess. We left our waitress a good tip because she's not responsible for the food. I will end with this, they really need to make better salsa ASAP as it was so so bad! We spent $200 (we each got one drink) on five people.

Ordered an asada burrito. Flavor was decent, though it did not taste fresh and they didn't do a great job trimming inedible parts of the meat. Not great at following instructions either. Ordered a custom burrito and the first burrito came out wrong. I politely requested they remake it. Second burrito came with meat only somehow. Decided I was too hungry and I just ate it as is but was disappointed. Complimentary chips and salsa are always appreciated. Salsa was good, chips a bit bland.

A bowl burrito with shrimp was just lettuce, tomato llttle avacado, a few shrimp - tasteless would be a compliment. Also the vegitarian burrito was something that should have stayed in the kitchen, and not been served to us.

I grew up eating regularly at the Solana Beach relative to El Norte called Fidel's. It's been several years since I was at this location before. Service-polite and prompt, restaurant was more quiet than I would have expected for a Friday at lunch-probably not a good sign. Plenty of seating both inside and out. Parking, however, is a challenge to find and it took me at least three loops around the block before I could get a space. Menu is pretty similar to Fidel's in Solana Beach. I had the torta with carne asada. Chips came unsalted and were good but there was no salt and the salsa was kinda flat. I found everything pretty average. I think this place has become such an institution it's no longer aspiring to be even good. I chose to go here because I had nostalgic memories about it from the past, but the present did not live up to them and the future-well, it doesn't hold any plans to visit again.

We had an ok experience at Norte's Mexican Restaurant! My husband ordered a simple bean and cheese burrito since he just wanted a light bite, but somehow it was amazing. We're pretty sure the tortilla was made in-house because it was incredibly tasty and fresh. The chips and salsa they serve when you sit down are outstanding! The salsa tasted fresh and homemade, though I didn't confirm--but it definitely had that authentic, made-from-scratch flavor. I ordered the nachos without meat, and they were so generous that I had enough to take home for lunch the next day. The best part? They were still delicious the next day! The only downside is that they no longer offer discounts to Carlsbad Inn guests, which seems odd since the restaurant and its sign are both on the property.

I don't know what Carrie was talking about. We just visited Norte, one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in the San Diego area and it was great. We weren't too hungry so we ordered an appetizer; bean dip with chorizo and it was awesome! Beans were so good, I scooped some up to bring home. We also ordered a carnitas taco. They make some of the best carnitas! The service was great. Friendly and polite.

NORTE MEXICAN FOOD and COCKTAIL is a one-and-done kind of restaurant. the business counts heavily on tourists and happy-hour locals, NORTE's only repeat offenders, to keep the doors open. located in the village, a block from the beach, surrounded by hotels, they survive on a steady supply of out-of-towners who haven't eaten here before. with the possible exception of Vallarta Express a few blocks away on Harding, there isn't a sadder stop in coastal North County for Mexican food. locals with even remotely evolved tastes don't eat here unless dragged in under protest, kicking and screaming with excessive levels of hair pulling, teeth gnashing, and threats of physical violence. I went Monday for lunch with the wife's family. okay, to be honest, I skipped most of the hair-pulling drama because the couch is NOT that comfortable but did sulk in a corner, quietly hoping the food was not as awful as I remembered. good strategy, lousy outcome. lunch was, to be kind, as mediocre as I remember. we sat in the bar and I made the tactical error of not having a margarita or three instead of food. bad time to try and choke down a meal sober. if you get suckered into an infrequent visit to Norte, do yourself a favor: sit outside. enjoy the sun on your face and wind in your hair. have a margarita or three. the salsa's not very good but the chips are usually hot and fresh. but for the love of all things sacred, DON'T order any food.

Great authentic food with an awesome atmosphere! Service and food were great! Great spot in a great area so close to the beach and all the other spots in Carlsbad

Very disappointed. I came in for the daily special, which goes to 3:30pm according to their website, but the waiter showed me the lunch special and said it ended at 3pm. It was 3:10pm. After I ordered alacarte, I looked on the website and saw the daily special ended 3:30pm. I told the waiter the daily special is what I came in for and if I could change my order and he said no. I asked him why he didn't show me the daily special and he said because I asked about the lunch special. I asked about the lunch special because that was the only special listed on the menu. He also said the daily special ended at 3pm when the website stated it ended at 3:30pm. The food was mediocre. Not coming back.

We ordered the chile relleno. The egg breading was super weird, It was like a marshmallow around the pepper. I loved the chili sauce and beans. Good authentic flavors. The salsa was interesting bring there are no chunks it's almost a thick sauce consistency. Server was quick and back often. The patio was nice with brick everywhere with the contrasting white tables. It felt similar to a design you'd see at Disney.

Norte Mexican is conveniently located next to the Carlsbad Inn Resort. Patrons of the resort and locals enjoy the food and drinks here. The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating with heaters if you choose to dine outside. This time around, we choose to have lunch and dine inside. The restaurant ambiance is pretty casual and the bar area has a pretty nice selection of beer on tap. We were seated immediately, and quickly served some freshly fried chips and salsa. We ordered a couple margaritas for drinks - strong and a great compliment to our food. For food I ordered the fajitas with chicken, beef, and shrimp. The fajitas were tasty. My friend ordered a carne asada plate with beans and rice. He enjoyed it but said the meat was a bit dry. This place is a great location to watch the game, get a drink, and just have a nice casual meal.

I placed a to go order. 10/10. Chille relleno was delicious and the chicken and rice soup was . It's now my favorite soup. I was feeling sick but this combo made me feel better.

Food was mid, service sucks. Staying at the hotel next door and for two hours before they open and two hours before after the open/close the staff blasts their terrible music. The kitchen is essential staff but they shouldn't run the house. They do enough volume to have a head of house and waitresses who want to be there.

Place was very busy also extremely loud and noisy Waitress was very sweet Food was ok Not really flavorful and tasty but was fresh Should have reviewed the ratings first But was there and so went ahead and tried it

Ok so, it's not the same inside anymore. The server for dinning inside was already gone and it was 4pm. BUT we sat outside and the service was wonderful. Wasn't too hot out just a nice sunny day and no birds around lol food was yummy and who doesn't love chips & salsa when you sit down. Took mama for lunch n we were so glad to go. Her fav here for decades is the crab burrito. Mine is the flautas. Tasty, Gracias!

Food was mediocre, very few options, family did not even know what to order . We enjoyed the outside seating but that's just about it. Asked for extra chips and they never came , soda was also very flat. Waiter seemed to not assist us or check in with us at all. Also no kids menu. Go to tortilla Mia instead .

Service was horrible!!!! I've ate here twice before and never had a complaint. When I walked in with my guests the 3 hostesses looked at us like we were interrupting their conversation, then just looked at us not even asking if we wanted to be sat I had to say something. One even looked us up and down with the rudest look. Then finally when we sat down the server was rude as well but nothing like the hostess's. Would not come back felt very unwelcomed. Just a heads up for anyone wanting to visit. Food was alright can't lie!

By far one of the worst meals I've ever had. Salsa tasted like tomato paste out of a can and microwaved, quac wasn't ripe and had no flavor, and the beef taco's were all time bad. I'm surprised to see others rating 3+. Maybe my family and I caught them on a bad night... doubt it

The last two times I've ordered from here, the Dasher came straight here, under 10 minutes, and both times the food is cold. Not even a little warm. Clearly the food sits for a bit NOT under heat, before it is given to the Dasher. OH, both times the Dasher has been there waiting for the food, so it's not been sitting waiting to be picked up. While the food is pretty good and it's nice getting margaritas delivered to the house, it's not worth getting cold food that has to be reheated.

Best Mexican food I have found in Carlsbad. The chips and salsa are my favorite. The service is not always great but the vibes are chillin.

We have loved this place for 30 years. Had a little bump in the road during Covid (what restaurant didn't in SoCal). Now, back and better than ever. Staff always on point. Jose our server was on top of his game with us and everyone else. Busser Mr G never stops working. A dream come true for any owner/manager. Salsa music was awesome.

I have dined at Norte Mexican Food since 2017 and the quality of their food has dropped along with their customer service. It used to be an excellent restaurant to dine at. Their menu has a large selection of different dishes to select from. All not very good. We had problems with getting what we ordered. Waiters would not listen and bring us the wrong order. By the time we got what we ordered the rest of our group had finished their meals. Food was usually not hot but cold at room temperature. Forget about service with a smile. Great looking restaurant with a not so great food. This is a business that depends on tourist here in Carlsbad. Locals will not dine here. We will never return.

Karina S is amazing! She was the best waitress we have ever have!!! She served us and 5 kids and was kind, fun and just a pleasure to be around! We have been coming here for 10+years and she is by far the coolest, most fun and hands down best waitress we have had! We can't wait to come again!!!!

Some of the worst "Mexican" food you could imagine. Ordered the chicken milenasa and it was just a greasy, unseasoned fried piece of overcooked tough chicken breast. The rest of the food my party ordered was equally bad. Hard pass.

I love sitting on the outdoor patio in the sunshine. When the sun isn't shining or if it's cold, they have heaters to keep everyone cozy. The fountain in the center of the patio is beautiful and provides a nice ambiance to the area. The Carnitas burrito was a little dry, but just add salsa. They have the best salsa! The chicken tacos were also a little dry. The taco shell was cooked to perfection. The margaritas are fantastic and they have great deals for happy hour. Our server was readily available to provide anything we needed. Free chips and salsa. I like that they have the portable credit card card machine to pay at the table.

WORST MEXICAN FOOD!!! We ordered tacos, fajitas, burritos and quesadillas and they all tasted terrible. Even the Guava Mama was terrible! Service was terrible! We should have known from the beginning when the hostess handed us all the forks with her thumbs on the tines. Please pick another spot if you want to actually enjoy your food!

The food was okay, the price and portions are good. My little sister has a gluten intolerance and was careful to order only corn based tortillas, but unfortunately halfway through the meal she had to leave. One of her worst gluten reactions ever. We asked the waitress and she said it was likely from cross contamination as the tortillas are all fried in the same oil, but for such a sudden and intense reaction the tortilla had to contain wheat flour. The ambiance on the patio was nice, the service was good, and the food was okay. Either the restaurant added wheat flour to the masa to make a thicker tortilla, or outright mixed up the order. If you or anyone in your party have a gluten intolerance maybe order something where you can see the tortilla to visually verify it is masa.

Read the other low star reviews and believe them. Our visit was not a success both with the food quality and mostly the service! Our server took very little notice of us and talked so fast we could barely understand him. Waited 15 minutes just for chips and salsa then more for the check. My chicken was very dry and had no flavor, the taco was ok, hard to ruin a taco. Sad that this place was such a disappointment for us. It has a Great location and bar, but after that it was downhill.

I usually don't post. Received horrible service. I am gluten free and no meat. The chips are fried in animal fat and they wouldn't try and get a meal I could eat. I just kept hearing no. I wanted to order a second drink since the meal wasn't right but didn't even get the chance. I hate eating out! Burned again. I wish I could report that something went right. I guess the weather was good. It is SoCal.

I had a great time my waitress was absolutely wonderful! I forgot her name but she was very nice. They definitely rely on tourism because the food here absolutely sucks. The price point doesn't match the quality. The modelo was tasty though. We paid the check left our 20% and waved goodbye. On our way out three employees followed us out. The manager was about to stop us till this lady goes ello pagon!!! Ello pagon. = they paid, they paid. I'm assuming people walk out on them a lot? Or a good old fashion case of the racial profile. Who knows. I'll prob be back for the happy hour. 4-6PM.I believe grab my modelo enjoy those stale chips, tip my 20% and call it a day. Do not eat here. You will be disappointed. Definitely drink here the drinks are tasty.

The food was stellar. The salsa is a fantastic mix of spice and smoke, perfectly chipotle. I had a fish taco which was quite good. I also had a perfect margarita which was STRONG. We had a great time. We were a big group and the service was prompt, efficient and friendly. Highly recommend this spot!! They had a big booth for all ten of us which worked perfectly. It's not always easy to get a table for a big group but Norte had it available for us.

Javier is a great server for years we ask for him if he's there. The food is amazing chili Relleno's are amazing. Their lunch specials are a good deal and the ambiance is always nice. We like to sit out on side patio to get some sun. We truly love this place. Mark & Corey

While the service was great, the food was just good. The fish taco was not seasoned as much as others I had in the area. My daughter had sopes that lacked flavor. My husband loved his food and had the machaca. It was unlike machaca he'd had before and was more like an egg scramble, but was still good.

Love this food. Love this place. This is our new favorite Mexican restaurant in North County San Diego. Parking can be difficult, but it's worth it.

We went to Norte for lunch but service was extremely slow. The waiter (with a mustache) was unfriendly, and unwelcoming. Norte atmosphere may bring in unsuspecting tourists but it's worth $25 for a meal and drink.

Service was good and location is great BUT the food was probably some of the worst Mexican food I've had... I ordered the carne asada plate and was served strips of dried meat that were very obviously not freshly cooked. Not worth it.

The food was a disappointment, stale bread, dry, flavorless chicken and pork. The waiter was nice, the drinks were definitely premixed. I have been her 3 times previously, this was a terrible choice for a birthday celebration with people who had never eaten there before after I had raved over how great it was. Ambiance was typical for Mexican food,

I go there often and usually amazing, this time I was disappointed I found multiple (2) pieces of hair in my food. I was grossed out and threw it away

Had to come back and review the food and service. I have been here plenty of times and continue to find new delicious things on the menu! The beef flautas(specify flour tortillas) are amazing. The tostada is always delicious, the half is enough to feed two people! They started doing happy hour tacos again, and they are great, and wonderfully priced! The service is the bar has been fantastic- especially Will, who always takes great care of us! Love this place!

I LOVE their food, homemade from Martha Montanez, she gets the credit!! I worked at Norte when I was on high-school. Made friends with Mark Montanez. He was a wonderful person. I have great memories of that time. I still enjoy, the setting by the beach, quality of the food. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND NORTE, CARLSBAD AND' FIDELS SOLANA BEACH. YOU MUST TRY!!!

For such reported history of this place we expected much better. Drinks were very poor especially for the price. Look at the pic of the Taco..... where's the cheese?? Especially for a $7.00 Taco.... The Red enchilada sauce was flavorless... our server Yuliana was great... Go to Barrio Restaurant and let Rachel at the bar take care of you... Way better food and drinks!! Cheers!!

Horrendous food. From the salsa to the unseasoned chicken. So bad. Worst I've ever had

Nice atmosphere on the patio, excellent service, good menu. The salsa and fresh chips were delicious. My friend recommended her favorite, Tostada Suprema. Get the half size, even that is a large serving! Although it was nice and fresh, it was pretty tasteless, even with added salt and salsa. It wasn't my taste buds, as my friend said her identical order was delicious "as usual". I'll try the restaurant again with a different selection, since other diners looked like they were enjoying their meals and the place has a good reputation.

The food had no flavouring and the salsa tasted like a can of tomato paste mixed with BBQ sauce and black pepper. My friends said the margaritas were pretty good, but the food was plain and had zero flavor.

Thought I would try again. The food horrible. The beans heavy tortillas tough, taste old. Heavy cheese I could peal off in one piece. A huge change in the food in the last year. not recommended!