Carlos O’Connor’s

Sadly we wish we could rate this restaurant with negative stars. My friends and I were so excited after a day visiting Red Bank (now all creatures of Manhattan) to walk pass Carlos Oconnors and see that it was open for business. We had thought they were closing or closed for good and were excited to see that they were open.
Before walking in I swore up and down about how amazing the food is, how attentive and kind the staff is, etc. Needless to say, we had a painstakingly horrible experience. We walked in and were greeted by this kind woman who we asked the status of the business– ‘Are you open or closing sometime soon’. She mentioned the restaurant was under new ownership and would be happy to find us a table. Then the unthinkable happened. This abrasively aggressive woman (who I think is the new owner) basically barks ‘what did you come in here just to ask questions?’ I was speechless. I couldn’t even bring myself to respond to her. I could have a conversation with a brick wall, but couldnt bring myself to respond to the woman. I was so turned off. Next she dictates what our plans were by forcing us to sit at a table. My friends were entranced in this nightmare and felt like they needed to eat there. We sat down and order diet cokes around the table where we sat and watched the woman point at us as she was speaking to the serving staff. Number 1. it’s mannerless to point and number 2. ironically she was Roseanne Connor married to Dan. Connor/O’connor — understand? We drank our diet cokes and were served complimentary chips and salsa. The salsa tasted as if the kitchen staff sifted chef boyarde sauce from the noodles and mixed it with a can of jolly green giant stewed tomatoes. Not fresh and unbelievably offensive. It’s as if they have zero respect for our expansive pallets. We quickly got the check, paid for our diet cokes, and high-​tailed it out of there. Mark my words, we will never, ever be returning. We wish we didn’t have this last experience and furthermore would like to remember the restaurant as it was.
Last thought, the floorplan feels like a romper room with zero soft surfaces to absorb sound. This was my all-​time favorite mexican restaurant before the new owners took over and regardless of improving the salsa, I can assure you we wont be returning.

We had not been here in many months so when we walked in we were surprised to see the remodeled restaurant with new owners and a music stage up front. The restaurant is bright and clean and other than a couple of chairs that needed to be exchanged it is a comfortable fun setting in close proximity to Count Basie theater. The service was friendly and on top of it. The vegetables in the fajitas could have been cooked down a little longer and the chilli con carne that we added to a salad in a shell could have used some seasoning. It was too sweet for Mexican chilli. A major drawback was the singer. Always nice to have music but this was too loud and too invasive for a restaurant this size. I would suggest dialing back the volume a bit and a little more time on the stage and less roving.

For someone who likes to try new places. This was on my sore list as the sauces tasted like from a can. And didn’t taste authentic. After telling her I didn’t like it she still charged me by only taking 10 dollars off from the coupon. It’s an ok place.

The positives –
The staff was friendly .
The décor is fun.
The negatives —
The food. We had a number of different dishes. None of the them had flavor or were any good.
It was extremely overpriced for the terrible food.
I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone.

We had a very pleasant pre-​theater dinner here and will probably be back again soon. Our server was very nice, very helpful, and very efficient. The salsa served with the complimentary chips was excellent. My Mexican Caesar Salad was Ok but I didn’t really catch any taste of Mexico. Just a decent Caesar dressing.
My wife liked her seafood quesadilla main course while I (almost) loved my chicken fajita. It was a very large portion which always makes Lenny happy, and it was chock full of flavor and seasoning.
The bathrooms are a little «awkward».

Very good. had guc. Tacos beef n chicken n they where excellent… loved the sopidila deesert!!!

With a name like Carlos O’connor how can you resist?
The décor is great fun (chili pepper lights?) and you can leave notes, scribbles, and photos under the glass of the table. There’s a lot of kitschy stuff hanging on the walls that makes this place feel great as you enjoy a delicious burrito or taco platter and bask in the comfort of this little piece of Americana (Mexicana?).
Great place for friends and dates. I just wish the prices were cut in half because I’d be here more often. Still, if you’re looking for something cute with atmosphere and don’t mind paying 16.95 for a burrito this is a great stop for once in a while get-​togethers.

I had my birthday celebration here. It was 9 adults and two children, They accommodated us wonderfully. The food was outstanding and our servers where exceptional, especially Anita, I hope I spelt her name correctly. If you wanna bring some cerveza and have a great Mexican dish in a festive atmosphere Carlos O’conners is your place!

Been here many times, nice little place. Food has always been great, service has always been great. Very nice people

We dined at Carlos O’ Conner on a Saturday night. We have eaten here before and is always good but, this was the best meal we’ve had here. The shrimp enchilada was excellent, loaded with shrimp. The chicken chimichanga was also great. For desert we had the fried ice cream, it was the best we ever had! Our server Ann Marie was great, perfect service! We will come back again soon.

This place used to be the best. Have been back twice since Carlos retired, and won’t ever go back. Service is always good, but the food has gone downhill.

Friends come into town… once a year… where to go after a hard day vacationing down the shore? They are staying near the Molly… so I’m thinking… close by. Who amongst us doesn’t love Mexican food? When you are in Red Bank, it’s Carlos O’Conner’s.
Kind of serendipitous, really… these friends found this place on their own last year and they liked it. Which is a good thing.
So it’s Sunday at 7:30PM. Parkway north traffic is building up after an epic day in Manasquan (71 degree ocean, abundant sunshine, low humidity… life is good)…and I’m thinking… crap…why did I drive north… they could have come south. Luckily, the right lane was moving at 109 and we made the quick exit.
Reservations under «Lorenzo». Because «Lorenzo» is «Larry» in Spanish. It’s quiet in down town Red Bank on Sunday evening. Mental note.
The food was good as always. We had no apps… so no review. The chips were light, not greasy, and warm. The salsa was OK. I like my salsa a little spicier. No complaints, though.
The entrees were all well received. Two of us had tacos (one had flour, one had crispy). Two of us had the pulled pork burrito (one of the several specials that night). I had the chorizo dinner (served enchilada style). I would have liked some caramelized onions in there… should have asked. The chorizo itself was perfection… grilled nicely, good portion, great flavor. The last meal was the tamale. I’m told the mole sauce was «awesome».
Servers were attentive and not overbearing. Décor is good. It’s kind of a surf /​cantina vibe. I like to play «find the skull» when I’m there. You see them everywhere. I got to 8 and stopped that night. BYOB which is OK BY ME. I will be back.

Ate here last night before a show at count Basie theater. The food was great but the service was a bit chaotic and disorganized. My partner were promptly seated and with in a minute a waitress came by to take out drink order. No more then 30 seconds later a second server came by to take our drink order. The second server then excused herself and told us she’d be back in a few minutes after she took another table’s order. That wasn’t really a problem but I found it odd. After our mains were served I made 3 attempts to ask the server for hot sauce. It became comical and even the people at the table next to us were laughing. The same thing happened when we asked for soda refills. This time we had to ask 3 servers before someone actually brought us refills. Then the check came and everyone disappeared. It literally took 10 minutes before we could find someone to pay.
The food itself was great. We had chicken fajitas and pork fajitas. We had the grilled chorizo as an appetizer. Very good. Even the salsa and chips were good. Guacamole was fresh and tasty too. One warning however. The hot sauces both red and green were HOT!

Service, yes. Food, no.

This is our new Mexican spot! The search is over. Well seasoned beef in our nachos, loaded Monterey jack cheese and fresh, colorful toppings. Even the sour cream was presented well. Dont forsake the Guacamole as an appetizer. A small is big enough for 2 – 4 ppl. Interior is very eclectic, Mexican inspired with a ton of décor hanging where ever there is space. BYOB We’ll be back!

So I have not been here in a couple of years, but I used to go here at least 2 – 3 times a month. I was on a vegetarian diet, so I would always get the veggie burrito with those delicious refried beans and rice on the side. Last night, my boyfriend and I were looking for a place to eat in Red Bank and we popped in here after I told him it was one of my favorite places to eat. Needless to say, we left very disappointed, especially me, who used to be in love with this place…
The service I cannot complain about — still friendly and attentive, as I remember, which is why I still gave 2 stars. We were seated within a few minutes and were constantly tended to during our meal, and received a friendly thank you and farewell when we left.
Unfortunately, it was the food that was not up to par — especially for the price. I decided to order the coconut chicken with mango sauce instead of my usual burrito, since I started eating meat again since my last visit. My boyfriend had the chicken enchiladas verde, a favorite he likes to get at Mexican restaurants. My chicken came out way overdone — the coconut crusting was a very dark brown, which I wouldn’t have minded, but the chicken was so thin and dry it was hard to even cut it. The flavoring was okay, but the meat itself was not good. My boyfriend was not too pleased with his enchiladas. The menu said they were mildly spicy, and we both observed that the verde sauce barely had any flavor. Also, chicken enchiladas are supposed to have shredded chicken, and these had large chunks, making the meal hard to eat because it kept falling apart. His chicken was also dry as well.
Lastly, the dessert. I convinced my boyfriend that we should get dessert to perhaps make up for a disappointing dinner. I ordered my favorite — the fried ice cream. Now, before I go on, I am fully aware that ice cream is supposed to be frozen. But these were frozen SOLID. I mean like, one of us had to hold it while the other one attempted to scrape off a spoonful. I’ve had fried ice cream at other places, and it’s not supposed to be frozen solid to the point where it’s impossible to eat.
Maybe I was disappointed because I have never really tried the meat dishes there before? But regardless, I was upset and disappointed. Sadly, I will not be going back :(

For the price and the amount of food you get it’s the top Mexican place around! All of the burritos and tacos are so great, the salsa they give you is delish. The sour cream is a must on everything you order. I don’t even like sour cream, but Carlos has awesome sour cream!
The décor in the resturant is awesome also! If you don’t go for dinner at least check It out for some apps and the atmosphere,

Really fun atmosphere! The food was great! The service and staff from the hostess to all the services were friendly, happy and provided great service!
Chicken fajitas were outstanding as was the guacamole and habanero mango salsa! My friend ordered the Eggplant quesadilla which was also delicious!
Will definitely eat there again! Thanks to the great staff!

Presentation goes a long way. This place doesn’t have it. Nobody greeted us when we walked in and we had no idea if we were to seat ourselves or wait. There were no signs of a greeting table/​area.
I’m all for a «dive» ambiance but this place is just about as ho-​hum a place as you can get. There’s a big difference between an interesting décor and just hanging junk on the walls and tables. This is the latter. From the street, it’s not well-​lit. In fact we thought it was closed when we first passed by.
The place was about half-​full, the glasses were red solo cups that you’d find at a college kegger while the plates seemed to be a mismatched collection of whatever they could find. Chips were stale, salsa watery and the «housemade» guacamole tasted like the avocado went bad and wasn’t seasoned at all.
My plate of crab cakes were at the same time floppy and burnt with runny dipping sauce that just oozed all over the rest of the plate. «Cajun» does not automatically mean «burnt».
I got the shrimp and chicken entrée. Shrimp was overcooked and rubbery. The chicken was good but the plated presentation was terrible. A molded scoop of rice, some beans, all on a watery plate from the lettuce/​tomato. My fiancé got the veggie fajitas and they were just warm, not sizzling on the plate like they should be.
This place wasn’t the worst Mexican food I’ve ever had but they just seemed to not care about what it looked like or was serving. If they just paid attention to some simple things it would’ve been a fine experience.

A place with character and good Mexican food.
When you walk in you are greeted by eye catching objects covering the walls and ceiling. A friendly staff will bring out some fresh chip in salsa as you mill over their many choices. The nachos were loaded such that few chips escaped untouched. The entries were perfectly nice.