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Baja Cantina - Carmel, Carmel Valley, CA

Baja Cantina - Carmel

4.5
4.5
607 Reviews
$30 and under
Mexican / Southwestern

Make a reservation

2 people
10:30 PM
Booked 10 times today
  • Great for outdoor dining
  • Good for special occasions
  • Kid-friendly
Baja Cantina is a fun and energetic place that is known for its exceptional automotive memorabilia collection and excellent food. We have a large outdoor patio that is perfect to sit and relax on a sunny afternoon with one of our award winning margaritas. We have special events all year round, including our famous classic car gatherings, holiday parties, tequila tastings, and sporting events. ****We only accept online reservations during off-peak times. If you can’t find a time you want online, please give us a call.***

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican / Southwestern, Contemporary Mexican
  • Hours of operation
    Weekend Brunch: 11:00am - 2:00pm; Lunch: Monday - Friday: 11:30am - 4:00pm, Saturday - Sunday: 11:00am - 4:00pm; Dinner: Nightly: 4:00pm - 9:00pm
  • Phone number
    (831) 625-2252
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Mauro Cuevas
  • Catering
    We offer a full range of catering options from simple deliveries to buffets. Have one of our uniformed chefs come to your location and prepare our famous tacos and quesadillas on our custom built comal. We cater groups as small as 10 guests, or groups upward of 600 guests.
  • Neighborhood
    Carmel Valley
  • Cross street
    Valley Greens Drive
  • Parking details
    We have both a private lot and plenty of street parking as well.
  • Public transit
    Monterey-Salinas Transit stops at Valley Hills Center.
  • Entertainment
    Live music Thursday through Saturday nights, and Sunday afternoons (during summer months). We have a classic car gathering every Thursday night (also during summer months). All the best NFL matchups are shown on our multiple big screen televisions.
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Dancing, Entertainment, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 607 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5
4.5 based on recent ratings
  • 4.3Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4.3Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • California Central Coast

    Kid-friendly

  • California Central Coast

    Hot spot

  • California Central Coast

    Great for outdoor dining

  • California Central Coast

    Good for special occasions

  • Monterey / Carmel

    Kid-friendly

  • Monterey / Carmel

    Good for groups

  • Monterey / Carmel

    Healthy

  • Monterey / Carmel

    Hot spot

  • Monterey / Carmel

    Great for outdoor dining

  • Monterey / Carmel

    Good for special occasions

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Baja Cantina in Carmel delights with "great quality food" and "excellent service" in a vibrant atmosphere. Known for "the best margaritas" and flavorful fajitas, it offers an inviting patio and friendly staff. Regulars appreciate the fresh salsa and perfectly seasoned chips. A must-visit for a fun dining experience!

607 Reviews
  1. Miguel

    Central Coast

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4
     I ordered the skillet scampi shrimp and it said on the menu that it was sizzling and they brought me a skillet liquidy with shrimp look like soup got so disappointed. The rice of beans was terrible like they just split it on there. I would not recommend to go back there again. I would rather go to cilantro’s in Watsonville California for the best Mexican authentic restaurant with great food.

    Is this helpful?

  2. Gail

    VIP

    Cincinnati

    13 reviews

    2.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on February 3, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    We had chicken enchiladas, food was average at best. There was a sweet flavor that was unexplainable, and the chips/salsa were very strange. Overall, bad experience

    Is this helpful?

  3. Richard

    VIP

    Chicago

    71 reviews

    4.0

    71 reviews

    Dined on January 31, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Very solid Mexican restaurant. Dishes are well-prepared and range across the standard fare expected at Mexican restaurants. The cocktails are exemplary. I particularly enjoyed the mezcal margarita. The only thing lacking that would bring this to excellent are dishes with a true gourmet flare, e.g., huitlacoche tamales or enchiladas, whole fish with a tropical salsa, chicken mole. Nonetheless, very good!

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  4. Ali

    San Francisco

    7 reviews

    1.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on January 27, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    My husband’s credit card information was fraudulently exploited by the restaurant. Unacceptable and fraudulent.

    Is this helpful?

  5. Jackie

    Los Angeles

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on January 3, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great quality food, excellent service. Best Mexican restaurant!

    Is this helpful?

  6. Carole

    San Francisco

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on January 1, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Kicking off the New Year enjoying a spicy lunch, the BEST margaritas sitting in the corner booth next to the fireplace. As regulars we were met with one of our favorite servers that remembered we love their salsa bring us extra along with warm seasoned tortilla chips as we waited for our chicken/beef fajitas that arrived on a sizzling platter with lots of onions, peppers, tomatoes and a slightly charred jalapeño..yummo. Cheers to 2025!!

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  7. Karen

    VIP

    San Francisco

    54 reviews

    5.0

    54 reviews

    Dined on December 28, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Very fun am ambiance, especially tastefully decorated for the holidays. Delicious margaritas and yummy huevos rancheros. Can’t wait to go back!

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  8. Wendy

    Central Coast

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 27, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We really enjoy quality of food and pleasant wait staff! Thank you!☺️

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  9. Teri

    Central Coast

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on December 21, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Baja Cantina is the best Mexican restaurant in the area! If the weather is fine, we love sitting outside in the fresh air. We usually order a Cadillac margaritas, so good! The chips are real—-not the strange cardboard ones that many other restaurants serve. A nice spice mix on them and super crunch make them irresistible! The salsa is spicy and not too hot. All the food we’ve tried has been delicious! We’ve always found the wait staff to be friendly and they do hustle your food out quickly. I’d recommend getting a reservation, especially on Saturday afternoon, where the large patio can be packed!

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  10. josephine

    Central Coast

    28 reviews

    4.0

    28 reviews

    Dined on December 8, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was not as hot as it should have been. Flavor was good.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Baja Cantina - Carmel is rated 4.5 stars by 607 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
10:30 PM
Booked 10 times today
Google Map for Baja Cantina - Carmel

7166 Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel Valley, CA 93923

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Valley Greens Drive
  • Neighborhood
    Carmel Valley
  • Hours of operation
    Weekend Brunch: 11:00am - 2:00pm; Lunch: Monday - Friday: 11:30am - 4:00pm, Saturday - Sunday: 11:00am - 4:00pm; Dinner: Nightly: 4:00pm - 9:00pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican / Southwestern, Contemporary Mexican
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    We have both a private lot and plenty of street parking as well.
  • Public transit
    Monterey-Salinas Transit stops at Valley Hills Center.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Mauro Cuevas
  • Entertainment
    Live music Thursday through Saturday nights, and Sunday afternoons (during summer months). We have a classic car gathering every Thursday night (also during summer months). All the best NFL matchups are shown on our multiple big screen televisions.
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Dancing, Entertainment, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (831) 625-2252
  • Catering
    We offer a full range of catering options from simple deliveries to buffets. Have one of our uniformed chefs come to your location and prepare our famous tacos and quesadillas on our custom built comal. We cater groups as small as 10 guests, or groups upward of 600 guests.
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