Los Carnales Mexican Food — Restaurant in Colorado Springs

Fairly cheap, consistent, and while "americanised'" is is certainly far more authentic than Taco Bell. While you won't find 5 star mexican food here, it's difficult to beat out as a chain restaurant.

The meat, particularly their cured meats, can be a touch salty due to the liberal use of what I assume is a general spice mix, but that can be well offset with sour cream. I personally favour their breakfast options as, while they can often be rather slapdash, they still tend to hit the spot. Portions are rather generous, certain items notwithstanding, and extras/sides are accessible and rsther cheap.

Vegetarian options are very, very limited, and the menu is opaque at best for those unfamiliar with Los Carnales or mexican-style cuisine in general.

Customer service can be hit or miss, as with any chain or quick service restaurant, but you aren't here for customer service. Due in part to spanish-speaking staff, it can seem hostile or perhaps unfriendly, but cultural differences aside they are fairly friendly and amenable to requesting extra sauces, condiments, and plasticware.

Overall, I find Los Carnales rather decent and a good choice when searching for fast Mexican cuisine with a sprinkle of...

TLDR; a bit of a pricey taco shop that doesn't hold to that value, but not so egregious that I wouldn't recommend coming here. Definitely good if you're looking for some homemade Mexican food on your way home.

The vibes and food are exactly what you'd want out of a small taco shop. Not too fancy, just getting right to the good and spicy stuff! They even have a drive-thru window so you can pick up something for the whole family while driving home from a long day! The tacos were pretty big, and I felt decently full after scarfing down 4 of them.

The challenge is they're a little pricey for what you get. The meat (carnitas and carne) is kinda seasoned, but is pretty dry. Usually comparably priced places have some marinade on the meat. That adds not only juiciness but also a good, noticeable flavor. Unfortunately, that's not the case here, which again is totally fine for a small taco shop, but not for a place that's this expensive. The portion isn't bad for the price, I was just left wishing there was some juice (and flavor) still on the meat.

Overall not a bad place at all, and recommend checking it out for sure. Just understand going in that the value isn't...

This place is just awful. Please don't waste your time or money coming here. Drive a few minutes further, and go to one of many other better options.

First of all, it's more expensive than other options. Figured that would mean the quality would be higher, but the complete opposite.

I like to try the carnitas everywhere I go, and these were easily some of the worst. Carnitas are supposed to be crispy, but still juicy. These carnitas were soft and somehow completely dry and completely flavorless. The tortillas were severely undercooked. And for a $4, extremely underfilled.

I also got the Ranchero Platter. The beans and rice were okay. The tortilla was actually decent. The meat was once again extremely dry and flavorless. Do you guys just not season your meat at all, for some reason?

The salsa was even more disappointing. The red sauce was decent, but the green sauce was practically water and flavorless. Watering down your salsa is a common money-saving technique for cheap restaurants that don't care about quality. Also, I was only given one container of salsa for 2 meals?

At least the Agua Fresca was good.

DO...