When I think of a real Mexican food restaurant I imagine somewhere that has the feel of being in Mexico and the taste of authenticity. Every authentic Mexican restaurant I have been to feels as if you are actually in Mexico right as you walk in. When in this type of restaurant, you feel as if you are family there because everyone is very welcoming and pleasant. Everyone is very social and it is very loud almost all of the time. I would describe this certain type of restaurant as a hole-in-the-wall, meaning the atmosphere isn’t very inviting but the food is worth the trip. Also, the food is homemade and everything is freshly made right in the restaurant. The food has authentic spices incorporated into it that derive from Mexico, and it is usually found in the Southwest United States. This style of cooking is rare to find because usually most restaurants use dried or canned products. Aside from the food, you can usually tell if the restaurant is a hit by the overflowing line coming out of the door almost every hour of the day.

Carolinas Mexican food perfectly fits these descriptions of a real Mexican restaurant. When arriving inside you come into an atmosphere of concrete floors, chipped paint on the bright colored walls, and fresh tortilla dough being tossed into the air. The three locations are placed in the more rundown areas of town, which adds a bit of excitement every time you go to eat there. At first it doesn’t seem like a very good place to eat because of this, but once you see the line running out the door you will know it’s worth the wait. Inside there are pictures framed on the walls of all the awards it has won. Along with the awards are pictures of the founding family and the history behind the restaurant and where it derived from. Although the atmosphere isn’t very inviting when you walk in, all that really matters is how good the food is.

The best part of this restaurant is definitely the tortillas because they are homemade, they are huge, and they are served on almost every dish that you can order. Every time I go to Carolina’s I get a dozen tortillas and take them home because they stay good for a long time and they taste good with everything. Another major hit is the machaca. The machaca is shredded beef with the most amazing flavor that I have ever had, and I have never heard anyone say that they do not like it. Along with the food being amazing, the price is also amazing. It is hard to find a restaurant this good that is dirt-cheap and gives a generous amount of portions. You can get an entire meal for less than ten dollars and it is the best Mexican food you will ever have.

Oddly enough Carolina’s is open from breakfast to dinner. I never thought of having Mexican food for breakfast, but a lot of people must like it to start off their day because it is packed with people right when it opens. Their breakfast burritos are the best I have ever eaten because they put all of the right ingredients into them and they always turn out phenomenal. The entire menu is always open to ordering, so a lot of people also get other plates for breakfast besides the breakfast burritos. Another interesting thing about Carolina’s is that it is filled with a lot of visitors from out of state. There is still a good amount of locals, but most people that are visiting Arizona hear about this place and are very impressed when dining at it.

These types of restaurants are always packed which is the only downside because you have to wait longer for your food to come out. Carolinas having it’s long lines does not impact the wait for food that badly because they have so many employees running around getting the orders out. You can always resort to calling in the order and just walk in and pick it up! This is definitely the place to go if you are looking for real authentic Mexican food with a Mexico feel. It might be chaos but eventually you get used to it because once you go you will want to come back.