9 Best Latin American Restaurants near Carlsbad

“super cute little place to hangout in. they could use better happy hour deals to bring people in tho. My friends and i sat in the bar and were taken care of by Yesi who was super awesome in taking care of us and many others at the bar alone!! such a superstar. she was so funny and we shared a lot of laughs.
for the kitchen and managers- the rice needs more salt, the birria is disgustingly dry; like eating dry rubber. al pastor could use more marinating time and better sweetness. the carne asada was just a tad bit dry but not horrible compared to the birria. i even drenched my tacos in lime to get it less dry. the rice is fantastic. some tweaks are needed in the menu and consistency but i am not turned off by this restaurant. they have a lot of potential if they keep it up.

Parking: good luck finding parking“

“First time at this place. Worked down the appetizer list. Great variety. Octopus amazing. Multiple shortrib choices, all great. Service great(Jerrold). Noise level uncomfortable. Hard to hear my dinner companion. We will go back when in this area.“

“We enjoyed an amazing meal with delicious food, amazing service and incredible ocean views! Thank you for a wonderful experience!“

“From the first course to the last our server was extremely attentive and helped us navigate the menu. We had the 8 course tasting menu and honestly, I couldn’t find a single dish to say anything but amazing things about. After dinner we got a brief tour of the private dining area and back of house, shook hands with the executive chef and got to thank him for helping curate such a special birthday dinner for my partner and myself. It truly was a journey through coastal Mexico with every bite and the staff was incredibly kind. If you have an opportunity to experience this place, you should absolutely book the reservation! The chef’s and staff here earned their star for great reason!“

“This beautiful little Peruvian / South American restaurant has been one of our favorites since it opened years ago. The flavors and spices and authenticity of the food is amazing, and we're happy to see they've kept some old favorites but also introduce new dishes which become favorites too. We love Q'ero!

Vegetarian options: The menu is definitely meet heavy, but there are a surprising number of vegetarian options, and some dishes that are made where meat is added, for example as a topping, they've always been great about leaving the meat out for those who don't eat meat.

Parking: Parking is always a chore in downtown Encinitas on highway 101, but if you're willing to park a couple blocks west and walk back, most of the time you can find a spot. It does get challenging on the weekends during Peak dining hours however.“

“Good selection of traditionally made additive free tequilas“

“The food and customer service are on point“

“I’ve been dining at Le Papagayo’s for 20+ years. I love the atmosphere, ambience, live music, and fabulous food. It’s a down to Earth place and you can come casual or dressed up! This place will not disappoint.“

“Good selection of traditionally made additive free tequilas“