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Baja Cantina - Carmel, Carmel Valley, CA
Baja Cantina - Carmel, Carmel Valley, CA
Baja Cantina - Carmel, Carmel Valley, CA
Baja Cantina - Carmel, Carmel Valley, CA
Baja Cantina - Carmel, Carmel Valley, CA

Baja Cantina - Carmel

4.5 (620)
$30 and under
Mexican / Southwestern
7166 Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel Valley, CA 93923

Make a reservation

2 people
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
7:00 PM
Booked 19 times today

About this restaurant

  • Great for outdoor dining
  • Lively
  • Neighborhood gem
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
  • 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 620 people are saying

Baja Cantina - Carmel reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

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
  • 4.4Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4.2Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • California Central Coast

    Kid-friendly

  • California Central Coast

    Hot spot

  • California Central Coast

    Great for outdoor dining

  • Monterey / Carmel

    Kid-friendly

  • Monterey / Carmel

    Good for groups

  • Monterey / Carmel

    Hot spot

  • Monterey / Carmel

    Great for outdoor dining

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Baja Cantina in Carmel is a vibrant spot known for its "excellent customer service and tasty food." The outdoor patio offers a "fun and festive" setting, perfect for enjoying "great margaritas" and "huge portions" of Mexican fare. Regulars praise it as the "best Mexican restaurant in the area."
620 Reviews
  1. Laurie VIP

    Tucson140 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Truly a local favorite!!!!! Wonderful atmosphere, food and service!

    Is this helpful?

  2. VeraA

    San Francisco5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent customer service and tasty food

    Is this helpful?

  3. Tracy VIP

    San Francisco34 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 10, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The patio at Baja Cantina is a great place to eat and drink. We had a very cheery and welcoming server, and the food is always solid.

    Is this helpful?

  4. Christopher

    New Orleans2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 9, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I survived the first couple years of college in the late ‘70s by eating at the Long Beach Marina Pacifica Baja Cantina’s Happy Hour. My memories of the eatery are deep. The incarnation of Pat Phinny’s creative mind are more than fulfilled at his home base food establishment in Carmel Valley. The imaginative Mexican faire on the menu is engaging and tastebud tantalizing. I enjoyed a very well prepared chili verde burrito and my friend a “combo” plate. The dinnerware was clean with “tongue-trails” when we concluded dinner. The outdoor seating area is ample, the bar well stocked, and the restaurant whimsically outfitted with a deep and wide collection of vintage and classic automobile and car-racing memorabilia. Well done Pat. All my meal lacked would’ve been a visit with you.

    Is this helpful?

  5. Richard VIP

    Phoenix10 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 5, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had a great dinner with super service as usual for Baja cantina! It’s a geat place and we are lucky to have it so close!

    Is this helpful?

  6. Linda VIP

    Central Coast15 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 4, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great mexican food and huge portions. Has good music on certain nights and you can sit outside by heated lamps.

    Is this helpful?

  7. Colm

    New York City10 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 29, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fun venue, attentive staff, good food (a touch spicy) and fast service. Margaritas were great too!

    Is this helpful?

  8. Dan

    San Francisco1 review

    1.0

    Dined on April 25, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 2
    Very rude manager and staff claiming happy hour incorrectly listed on website won’t be honored and didn’t offer any condolences/discounts even though we’d driven over 2 hours to get there. Unreal. Also, food we had ordered many times before tasted different (not good) and wasn’t hot, just barely warm.

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  9. Kelly

    Poconos5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 25, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was great!! A really convenient option when staying at the Quail Resort as well. Probably the best enchiladas I’ve ever had!!

    Is this helpful?

  10. Debra

    Unspecified1 review

    5.0

    Dined on April 18, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always on our must dine list when we visit the Monterey Bay! Excellent.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Baja Cantina - Carmel is rated 4.5 stars by 620 OpenTable diners.

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

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. California Central Coast
  4. Monterey / Carmel
  5. Carmel Valley

Make a reservation


Booked 19 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
  • 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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