Social Cantina - Carmel

Came in for happy hour! $25 marg pitchers! But do note that if your asked for a flavor, that's an extra $5 to the price.Instead of the happy hour apps, we ordered the nachos from the full menu. It's a huge order, five of us shared it!

After visiting the downtown location, we thought to check out this location. However, we were not impressed with the food. The social nachos are always delicious but it could have been a little more saucy. The chicken quesadillas lacked flavor and the tacos (fried avocado, mushroom, and Baja shrimp) were okay. I was expecting the fried avocado to be crispy but all three tacos could have used some more flavor. I was very disappointed. If we come back, I think we will stick to the nachos.

I've been here a few times now, and each visit impresses me with the quality of the food, drinks, and service. The staff are super friendly, which is a must-have for me as I roam the streets in 2025, my official FAFO year.I the cocktails --absolute delish! Swing by during Happy Hour for a $5 drink (but don't quote me if inflation decides to ruin the fun). The location is great, and after your meal, you can enjoy a pleasant stroll through this beautiful, historic town.

Because it is cold out, don't pass by the Social Cantina. The prime location on the MONON is great in the summer, but winter is a great time to warm up to the menu of bowls, tacos, salads...and delicious and innovative seasonal cocktails. Today we enjoyed the black bean soup (with lots of chorizo and avocado slices) and chicken fajitas. My husband brought home half of his fajitas. We started with jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped and bacon. These grilled little gems are offered on red cabbage and make a delicious starter and or even meal. I tried the smoking Negroni that was on special if you like bitter and you like smoky and you like Negroni, this will be good for you. It's made with Mezcal instead of gin and has a nice smooth finish. My husband got the standard, Margarita that's always a good bet.There was hardly anyone there for our late lunch so the food came hot and fast.

We made a reservation for Social Cantina on a Saturday night and arrived on time. They seated us on the enclosed outdoor patio, which I thought was odd since we had a reservation. The inside is much more lively. The menu has the typical Mexican favorites, with a pretty good selection of a la cart tacos. I ordered two tacos, the americano (ground beef, romaine, mixed cheese, pico de gallo) and tinga chicken (tinga marinated chicken, guacamole, tomatillo crema, tropical pico). Others at the table also got a mix and match of various tacos. It was ready in about ~15 minutes, but my tacos were room temperature which was really disappointing. The tinga chicken was also pretty spicy, which was my own fault because I didn't know what 'tinga' marinade was, although the menu didn't explain it either.The service was fairly lackluster. Overall, the experience could've definitely been better.

Came here for dinner and we were pleasantly surprised! The minute we walked in we were warmly greeted and seated at our table. I quickly took in the ambiance and all of the fun neon lights! I quickly scanned the menu and ordered the chicken tikka taco and the chicken enchiladas. The chicken tikka taco was okay, nothing extraordinary but not necessarily bad either. I do wish the taco had a bit more filling though! On the other hand, the chicken enchiladas were definitely on point. The chicken was so tender and the cilantro lime rice that came with it was so good!! I decided that at the end of the meal I wanted dessert so I ordered the churros. The churros were delicious and I was happy to end my meal on a sweet note! Overall good experience and will definitely be back to try more items off of the menu!!

I love that the patio is closed in during the winter! And there's heaters! This is one of the few places that I can think of where I can get my dog out during the colder season. The staff is always so attentive! I love that they dote on the pups! I usually get a taco or two and a side of chicken to share with my pup! Always great food!

I love this location right in downtown Carmel. We sat outside and enjoyed the weather. This is a spot that has a great happy hour, even on a Friday!The happy hour times are 3-6pm. The salsa flight is $10 and a pitcher of margarita $25 both are fantastic deals. We chose the avocado ranch (yes), fire roasted salsa (yes), mango habanero (hot but becomes sweet over time). Queso is a must for my husband so we added that too. Tacos: mushroom taco was great. Salmon special taco...salmon was over cooked. Would pass on that. I enjoy skinny margaritas. I'd order the pitcher again!

Awesome! This restaurant elevate you Mexican food experience to a higher lever. Great menu, with more sophisticated choices and excellent cocktails. The staff is friendly and energetic. Great for family dinners or Date Nights. The ambiance is Chill and relax. Enjoy the experience!

Aryanna was an amazing waitress, she was very patient considering it was my 21st and made sure we got everything we needed. 100% recommend her and social cantina