Carlito's Place — Restaurant in Baja California Sur

Carlito's Place is such a hidden gem! We live in Cerritos and after visiting nearly every restaurant from here to Todos Santos, it's easily in my top 3 in the area.

I heard that Carlos used to have a more unpredictable schedule and was still trying to figure out his menu. Well my friends, it's 2024 and his hours here on Google are accurate in my experience and the Asian fusion cuisine is top notch. He doesn't overpromote the farm to table aspect of his restaurant, but almost everything you'll eat comes from just beyond your table in his beautiful gardens, even the poultry. While the location isn't thought to be as desirable as the restaurants on the other side of the highway, I highly prefer Carlito's Place to all of them. Here's why:

Cleanliness - Outdoor dining in Baja can be dusty even at high end spots, but not at Carlito's Place. He can't hide anything in his open kitchen concept, and every surface in the whole place looks sleek and freshly cleaned.

Food - We have mainly ordered the Thai dishes and I highly recommend them. Pad Thai, Thai Curry, and Thai Basil are excellent and you have several choices of protein to please every palate. We keep ordering the shrimp and lamb. The quality of the ingredients is unbeatable (as he grows most of them right there) and his techniques are on point.

Service - Maybe it's because this place needs some time to be rediscovered and given another chance after the revamp, but it's always easy to get a table and I love that it's our little secret for now. The servers are friendly and attentive and the food comes out fast. On our last visit, Carlos sent us complimentary zucchini soup and duck pate, both of which were delicious and so appreciated. He knows service and I can just see that he expects more of his staff than other restaurants here. On our first visit, Carlos showed us around the property at the end of our meal, including the prep kitchen and all of the seedlings and crops. He also shared his deeper purpose with us and he is a great guy.

Atmosphere - Right before sunset is my favorite time to arrive. Honestly, it's not as Instagrammable as other places, but it's still great. The tables are big and spread out, the bar is really cool, and the enclosed garden setting on this quiet dirt road is tranquil.

Price - I told a few friends to give this place a try, and they said they've heard it's on the expensive side. When I consider the family-style portions and quality of the food, I think the prices are quite fair. Local families on a local salary probably can't afford it, but if you dine at the likes of Hierbabuena and Oystera, I think you'll be surprised in the best way and shouldn't...

This was such an unexpected wonderful surprise for us. Even though we live in Cerritos we had never visited Carlitos before. It has been closed for a while and then had some random hours but it seems that during their closure they had done a stunning remodel! This setting rivals any of the other farm to table restaurants in the area and the menu was also such a surprise. Lots of wonderful Thai dishes as well as lots of sashimi and other seafood options, including oysters. Between the four of us we tried numerous dishes and were not disappointed. The highlights were the roasted duck and the Green curry with pineapple and pork. Drinks were really good and even though they were a bit expensive they were served in generous portions. The classic mezcalita and the tamarind mezcalita were excellent. Just the right balance of sweet and sour and the perfect strength. Prices are definitely on the higher end for this area, but anymore are pretty much in line with some of our other favorite restaurants in the area. Dishes are large enough to share and the service was excellent. It’s definitely on our list for taking out of town guests or when we have a craving for some...

Off the beaten path so you have to search for it or know about it. Won't just drive by and see it.

Food is quite vast as I'm not sure there is an identity, there is Thai, various Asian and fresh seafood. We opted for some of both.

Fried rice, good flavor good portion. We asked for no onions but it had green onions all over/in it. The woman explained she thought we were only talking about white/yellow onions.

Aguachile - fresh, but very spicy with serranos it really had us tearing up. Delicious, just be prepared.

Carlito was nice and friendly, they are happy to help explain dishes.

NO CREDIT CARDS, cash only and the prices are very expensive. We payed 2250 for lunch for 2 with one...