La Carreta

I signed up to write this review; that is, to warn you, dear reader. I ate in at la carreta with my girlfriend, and after ordering I spent the next ten minutes counting health code violations. Slicer that’s probably cleaned or wiped down once weekly? check. Reusing pans with old crusted proteins from the previous three orders? check.
I decided to wait and see if the flavor made up for the risk. I’ve heard goods things about their food truck, which I assume has to be manned by a different set of cooks. The enchiladas were soggy and devoid of flavor, the alambres were slightly better but the meat was very tough, gave my jaw a workout. I guess I should have gotten the burrito?
And cash only? What is this, a front?

Cheap, but the prices keep changing which gives me the unsettled feeling of being scammed (although still I haven’t paid more than $ 7/​meal the menu says $ 6, and I’ve been asked for $ 8 before questioning down to $ 7). Also, it’s cash only which is obnoxious. I’ve always done take-​out, but you can eat-​in if you want (very no-​thrills spot). Easy, quick and delicious. Lots of food (generally two meals). I want to love this spot (and I did the first couple times I came), but the cash only and price issues have me on the fence.

A very decent Mexican restaurant in the area that is in fact open on Mondays! Most places are closed on Monday in the area because they want the freshest seafood, or they just want to take the day off since Monday isn’t the money-​making day. This place is always open, 7 days a week, with pretty convenient hours. This is definitely a hole in the wall restaurant, with a food truck. Their door is broken at the moment, so entering is a bit difficult. The décor is very basic, with a few tables, Mexican café ambiance, and a narrow open kitchen. They were out of takeout menus, so we had to look at the selection of items above the counter. Service was pretty good. The food came out somewhat quickly, not the fastest since we were the only ones in there. They have a television, which is quite nice. I had a basic chicken burrito, which was quite large and was filled with a little of everything: chicken, rice, beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, etc. The sauce was very delicious. The burrito was bound together quite well and all of the flavors were amazing. We had a cheese quesadilla, which came with the «works,» sour cream, salsa, guac, rice, beans, cheese, and a red tomato sauce. This was very delicious, one of the better ones we have had. Prices are all great for the portion. Their chimichangas were amazing. They were pulled off very well, with tons of authentic Mexican flavors. Make sure to stop by when in the area and are not craving pizza.

This review is for the food cart on Cedar street, I’ve been going there at least once a week now for a burrito, usually chicken or pork. $ 6 gets you one HUGE burrito, and although it may not be «authentic» Mexican, it is pretty darn tasty. Everything inside that burrito is fresh, it’s made quickly, so I can get back to work asap (at least after I wolf that big burrito down).
Definitely one of the better food carts in New Haven. FYI, the La Carreta food cart on York not far from Toad’s Place is no longer there.

This place is great if you are looking to grab something quick and easy. I usually call ahead and order for pick up. The veggie burrito is my favorite. Eating at the restaurant isn’t very pleasant as there are only few tables and usually a television going in the room.
The food is excellent and the prices are very reasonable. I highly recommend.

This is a review for the cart by the Med School.
I love a good taco. Burrito… quesadilla…etcetera. This cart has, by far, the best tacos I’ve had in New Haven! For 6 dollars you get rice, beans, and three tacos (with toppings/​fillings of your choice), sour cream and smoky chipoltle sauce. I crave these on the regular. Stop by the cart when you’re in the area — you won’t be disappointed.

Best tacos in New Haven.

This review is specifically for their cart on Cedar St. outside of YNHH, which has been a standby of mine for the better part of a decade. Great veggie burritos, great chicken soft tacos, and if you ask politely, the lovely woman who prepares the food will make essentially any additions or substitutions you could possibly want. Even if you catch her later in the afternoon the food is still fresh and as good as always.

They have a food truck which serves super mexican food. They’ve got seriously great food here. To make it even better their prices are on point!

This is perhaps the worst Mexican food in all of New Haven. The meat is usually chewy and the prices are kinda high. Maybe I shouldn’t compare them to the food trucks at Long Wharf but c’mon, 3 tacos for $ 7 is sort of pricey. That’s $ 2.33 a taco. Sure they provide some rice and beans but it’s a tiny portion and it’s not very good.
Plus, the simplest order usually takes a ridiculously long time to prepare. Taquerias like this place are suppose to be quick and painless. But every time I get take-​out it seems like I caught them completely by surprise and they have to scramble 2,000 miles to Mexico to cook my food.

I really don’t understand the hype of the food at the State Street location… It’s cool that they have cabbage in their burritos, but that’s about it. I tried to ask for some chips/​guacamole/​chips and they charged me 3 $ for a handful of those thick crunchy round chips with a blob of «guacamole» that definitely had a bunch of sour cream filler in it– was not fresh at all. They didn’t have any salsa @ all. The food wasn’t horrible, but it didn’t wow and the ingredients seemed pretty cheap. Maybe I’ll try the cart since that seems what folks are raving about, but I don’t think I’ll need to head back to their State Street location.

cabbage!
no wilted, soggy lettuce here, just crunchy cabbage.
cheap, huge and delicious.
i only get the vegan stuffs but at night i see them cutting hunks of meat down for the next morn. all very fresh and everyone is always super nice.

This place is the best Mexican in New Haven. The veggie tacos are flavorful and kinda healthy. Great rice and beans. And no it’s not the place for romantic first date, but I like watching the Mexican soap opera on tv while waiting for my food.

Loved the value of this over-​stuffed burrito. It filled me up for an even $ 6! The quality was excellentl! Ordered a basic chicken burrito which was loaded with chicken, black beans (not refreid beans :)) whole grain rice (not white rice :)) cabbage, a little cheese and a bunch of other stuff. The tortilla was fresh, chewy and warm.
My only complaint is that I like a messy Burrito where all the sour cream and guac and pico comes squirting out with each bite and this item didn’t have much of a sauce on it. The only thing that fell out of it was rice and beans. I am sure I could have asked for a side of the saucey stuff. Next time I will ask him to put extra into the burrito itself, but then he may not be able to fold the darn thing!!!
Definitely recommend this place! You won’t be disappointed.

We went to La Carreta for lunch but it was closed. So we went there again for dinner, and fortunately, after a long trudge, we finally sat around a table.
The restaurant is located in a residential area, quiet and peaceful, with an obscure deep green signboard. It was not convenient to get there, and there were few customers in (to be more exact, zero before we entered). The environment had nothing special, in comparison with other Mexican restaurants. There were small decorations like a picture of a Mexican man. Not much use of bright colors, and the whole room and the furniture looked a little bit old. There were only four tables in it. I guess they possibly provide more delivery service. The kitchen is the main part of the restaurant, and they didn’t seem very used to providing table service. We had to ask for silverware, and they only had paper napkins. There were three or four people working in the restaurant, most of time they were cooking food, except that one of them would run out if the customer had any need. We could see pictures of dishes on the wall, and they were extremely useful to foreigners like me and my roommates. The menu was a piece of paper, convenient and easy to understand. I took one, hoping to learn the complex names of Mexican dishes. Haha… It took about 15 minutes until all our dishes were served. Not fast, in my opinion.
We had 5 people and we ordered: Chicken Burritos, Beef Burritos. Chicken Quesadillas, Enchiladas and Vegetarian Tacos. Burritos were in an American style, as one of my friends commented, but they tasted good. I found beans, cheese, cabbage and chicken in the fillings, and I liked them all. Quesadillas was soft, and had a strong taste of cheese. Another friend felt that the cheese was not Mexican — the orange color signaled it was likely cheddar cheese. Enchiladas were too sweet and not spicy enough. Vegetarian Tacos was full of vegetables and looked healthy. The flour tortillas served with the tacos did not taste extremely fresh. Maybe they were purchased and stored rather than made in the restaurant. We also ordered Mexico-​made sodas. Different flavors, different colors, the right sweetness, made with real sugar, a nice change from normal soda menus.
The price was relatively low, and the portion was big. We spent about $ 9 per person, including tips. I only managed to finish half of my burritos.
In conclusion, though the meal was authentic as we expected, they tasted not bad and at least worth the money we paid. The environment and service were barely satisfactory.

I’ve been using Unilocal to scout out places as I just moved to the New Haven area. On most places the reviews are spot on… not here.
I got the enchiladas with the mole. They were pretty awful. The mole was totally tasteless, which was better than the taste of the tortillas used. The chicken was acceptably cooked, but the rice and beans just lacked flavor. The place was totally empty when I got my food, and after eating it I can see why. The place just lacked soul (and taste) in the food!

Really? I can’t believe that people give them good reviews! Especially those of you that claim to be form Cali! I have lived in CA too. Their burritos aren’t nearly as good the ones form the Tijuana taco cart! I live across the street from La Caretta, so I have gotten take out, including their taco salad. I can’t imagine something unhealthier and less authentic. The only reviews I understand here are the ones that say the price to amount of food ratio is good. Their burritos ARE cheaper than Tijuana’s. The only people I know that eat here are the frugal male scientists that need to maximize their caloric intake to price ratio.

This is by FAR the best Mexican food in the New Haven area. $ 6 gets you anything on the menu and it is delicious. The portions are HUGE and they are more than happy to make custom dishes if you have allergies or food restrictions. The lunch cart on York st is also amazing and you get the same dishes for $ 5! The veggie tacos are great and you get 3 with sides of rice and beans, and the burritos are huge.

Let’s kindly remember that I’m from California and therefore am an authority on Mexican food. Now that we’ve got that fact out of the way…
I’m writing specifically for their food cart by YNHH, which was always my favorite cart. Love their veggie burritos! I don’t know who was the first person to put this sort of shredded cabbage on a burrito, but yes please! The employees are really sweet, and quick, too!

Love going in for take-​out on State Street — for $ 6, you get an amazing amount of food and it’s delicious. My personal favorite is the beef quesadilla — comes with rice, beans, mango salsa, guac, etc. The staff are all lovely, and their kids are there to entertain while you’re waiting for your food.
The other day, I discovered they have set up a cart across the street from the Roomba burrito cart. Stopped by for lunch and got the same thing for $ 5.00. Now that’s a lunch bargain and you get so much more than you do at the Roomba cart. Loved it, was great.