Carlito's Burritos

LVA Review

May 2017 we included Carlito’s in a list of Las Vegas hole-in-the-walls, which we define as modest-looking restaurants that serve up good food. Carlito’s definitely fits that description. Some of the information contained in the review may no longer be accurate. This place does some mean green, as in green chile peppers from New Mexico (often called Hatch chiles). As New Mexican natives will tell you, their style of Mexican cooking is unique, and you’ll get an authentic taste of it here. Most of the selections come with a choice of green or red chile. If you choose the former, expect some heat. Given the name, you’d figure that burritos are the way to go, and they are, but there’s a lot more on the menu. Enchiladas are $4.50 (cheese) to $7.25 (shrimp) for two. Tacos are $2.25, tamales $2.75, and quesadillas $4.25. “Smother” them all for a buck more. We’ve tried almost everything on the menu and our favorites are the stuffed sopapilla, a hot one for $8.75; the giant nachos with steak for $9.95; and one of the best soups in the valley, green chile stew, for $4.95 a cup (which is plenty) or $7.25 a bowl. There are too many burrito variations to list, but the breakfast burritos, made with scrambled eggs, hash browns, and chiles (of course) get most of the love. They start at $5.75 and you can add meat for a dollar (try the bacon). On Sundays, all breakfast burritos are 2-for-1 all day. That’s a can’t miss. Carlito’s is a little bit out of the way. The easiest route is to head east from the Strip on Tropicana, turn right on Pecos, then right again on Patrick and you’re there. Hours are 7:30 am-9 pm Mon.-Fri., 9 am to 9 pm on Saturdays, and 9 am to 7 pm on Sundays. Some trivia: Almost directly across the street is Del Sol High School, which is where President Obama speaks when he comes to town (bet he gets a breakfast burrito).