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Carlos O'Kelly's Mexican Cafe

Hwy 52 Frontage road, Rochester, MN
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Ranked #85 of 137 restaurants in Rochester
Cuisines: Mexican
Most recent review
- 5 Jun 2013
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20 reviews from our community

45% Recommend
    3
    6
    8
    1
    2
Rating summary
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere
Date Rating
nebraska/cabo rojo
Top Contributor
105 reviews 105 reviews
80 restaurant reviews
28 helpful votes 28 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 June 2013

I had previously eaten at Carlos O'Kellly's in Lincoln, Nebraska. This one is identical. I had been fasting for an exam at Mayo so I was pretty hungry. The chips and sauce were wonderful and the soup was excellent. However, I erred with the taco order. I ordered a fancy one and it came with more hot peppers than I... More

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Rochester, Minnesota
Contributor
19 reviews 19 reviews
13 restaurant reviews
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 April 2013

What sounds like a quirky restaurant is actually a great place for family dinners. Immediately upon arriving warm tortilla chips were delivered with a perfect fresh salsa. I ordered a chicken enchilada with red sauce and a side of beans. The filling contained plentiful amounts of chicken which was moist and delicious along with yummy melted cheese. The red sauce... More

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rochester, mn
Senior Contributor
43 reviews 43 reviews
30 restaurant reviews
118 helpful votes 118 helpful votes
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 April 2013

Worst kind of airport departure lounge, midwestern, uninteresting, Mexican food that there is. Stick to the booze and the chips.

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Pine Island, Minnesota
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
6 restaurant reviews
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 26 February 2013

Food seems like it might not be made from scratch; even if it is, it seems quite "Americanized" and somewhat bland for Mexican food. If you like that, you will probably like this; but I prefer zestier and less bland.

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Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
5 restaurant reviews
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 February 2013

A solid, but very comfortable Mexican restaurant in north Rochester. Good specials and wonderful servers like Sam who we had tonight. She was fun and pleasant. A great place to eat near the Hampton Inn North

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Byron, Minnesota, United States
Contributor
13 reviews 13 reviews
11 restaurant reviews
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 January 2013

My wife has very picky tastes, for years she always ordered the Pasta Diablo, but last year she switched to the Chicken Fingers and has it served with the Papas O'kelly potatoes. She loves the fingers, but occassionally they have come over done. As for me I love the Chicken Picado, lunch portion it has such a wonderful taste that... More

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West Concord, Minnesota, United States
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
6 restaurant reviews
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 November 2012

I like that you can have very spicy or very mild food. I have been there several times as it is on my way home from work. The wait staff is always nice to you and attentive. They are very knowledgable and can recommend dishes based on what you like.

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Nebraska
Top Contributor
50 reviews 50 reviews
30 restaurant reviews
24 helpful votes 24 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 October 2012

This was a good - not great - Mexican restaurant. They had some unusual and interesting Mexican dishes. I ordered two beef brisket tacos. They were served upright, each in its little holder. Nice touch. The beef was nicely seasoned. The service was very good. I would recommend it to you

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Minnesota
Top Contributor
165 reviews 165 reviews
85 restaurant reviews
56 helpful votes 56 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 October 2012

Carlos may not be authentic, but the quality is great and consistent! We ordered the enchilada San Carlos with the Papa's potatoes. Excellent!

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MN
Top Contributor
55 reviews 55 reviews
47 restaurant reviews
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 September 2012 via mobile

Went to get lunch with some friends today. Food and service were average. The best part was the chips and salsa. They were very good! The chicken enchilada with cheese was pretty good. I think there are some better "authentic" Mexican restaurants in the Med City.

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