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Welcome to Carlillos Cocina

Carlillos Cocina, a beloved Latinx-owned breakfast and brunch spot in Sparks, NV, is known for its authentic Mexican cuisine and warm, welcoming atmosphere. Customers rave about the traditional burritos, featuring flavorful chile verde or chile colorado, and the sizzling pork carnitas. The shrimp fajitas are another crowd favorite, packed with sautéed onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes. With an emphasis on quality and simple yet delicious menu offerings, Carlillos Cocina delivers consistently great food and service. Whether you're celebrating an anniversary or grabbing a quick bite, this spot is sure to satisfy your cravings for Mexican flavors.

LOCATIONS
  • Carlillos Cocina
    415 S Rock Blvd, Sparks, NV 89431, United States
    415 S Rock Blvd, Sparks, NV 89431, United States Hotline: +1 775-351-1274

Welcome to Carlillos Cocina - a hidden gem in Sparks, NV, known for serving up mouthwatering Breakfast & Brunch Mexican cuisine.

This Latinx-owned establishment offers a unique dining experience with its divey, casual atmosphere and limited vegetarian options. Despite not being wheelchair accessible, Carlillos Cocina makes up for it by providing QR code menus, accepting various forms of payment including cryptocurrency, and offering a range of amenities such as TV, Wi-Fi, and private parking.

Customers rave about the Traditional Burritos, Pork Carnitas, and Shrimp Fajitas, all cooked to perfection and bursting with flavor. Reviews highlight the consistent quality of both the food and service, making Carlillos Cocina a go-to spot for locals and visitors alike.

As a food reviewer, my experience at Carlillos Cocina left me impressed. The simple yet flavorful menu, the welcoming staff, and the cozy ambiance all contributed to a memorable dining experience. I can't wait to go back and try more of their delectable dishes.

If you're in the mood for a delicious and authentic Mexican breakfast or brunch, Carlillos Cocina is definitely worth a visit. Be sure to indulge in their signature dishes and immerse yourself in the vibrant flavors of Mexico.

START YOUR REVIEW OF Carlillos Cocina
J R.
J R.

Still cooking up the best breakfast & best Mexican food in town. 100% consistently great food and service. Thanks, Carlos & and family, for years of amazing breakfast.

Mike E.
Mike E.

I was in the Reno Sparks area for a few days and was looking for a great spot for breakfast. I found this location on Yelp and I saw all the great reviews. I love Mexican food, so I thought I'm going to try this. The staff was amazing. The spot is really unique and old school. Almost all of the seating is at the counter like a diner, and the staff cooks the tasty food right there in front of their customers. There is also a lot of great energy from the staff. It is a small place, so you may need to have patience for a spot to sit. The food was fantastic and super fresh. If I lived in this area, I would frequent on a very regular basis.

Tim K.
Tim K.

The food was simply amazing this morning I took my wife out on our 26 year anniversary it was a lot of fun they're really nice and the food was amazing definitely would recommend

Lee D.
Lee D.

Rounded up to 5 stars, but my wife says it was a 4 star experience. Quality/Quantity - Simple menu done well. Both my wife and I really liked the flavors. She got a green sauce with a slight kick. I got the brown sauce/gravy with a sweeter taste. I got the Chicken Fajitas - Really liked the sweet brown sauce. I have not had this before in other Mexican restaurants. The veggies were fresh, with a nice crunch with each bite. Generous portions. My wife got Beef and Chicken Enchiladas - Again, generous portions. She was only able to eat half. Atmosphere - Crazy busy. We came early to hopefully avoid the rush, but failed. So we ordered to-go, but 10 minutes later, two seats became available so we changed our order to sit in. Interestingly enough, after noon, there were plenty of seats. I guess today was a brunch day...? Very small dinner, mostly counter seating. Two small corner tables that seated two more people. Outside seating had two tables, can I suggest a tent also...? Open kitchen. My wife (and I) really enjoy sitting at the chef's table watching the team work and cook. And these diners bring back memories. Small parking lot, probably less than 10 cars. We parked around the corner by the U Haul and RV rental place. Two bathrooms, one for men and one for women. Can use some updating. Open 6 days a week from 7am to 2pm, closed Sundays. Service - This is where they can improve. The service was not bad, but here are some suggestions to guarantee a five star review: Greet each customer immediately as they enter. Have extra menus by the door to not disturb the people eating by having to reach over them for menus. And/or to save your team some time from having to walk back and forth from behind the counter. And if you have enough team members, maybe a door greeter to direct customers, take to-go orders, etc. Better yet, if they can also direct the cars in your tiny parking lot, that would be great. These small few changes, I think, would increase your sales even more. Lastly, since you are made to order, and orders during rush time can take up to 30 minutes, it would be good to share the wait time. Congrats on all your success. Price - $31 + generous tip. Owner Comments - Congrats again on your success since 2013...?

Alicia W.
Alicia W.

I've been wanting to try this place because having 4.8 stars on Yelp out of over 1,000 reviews is a huge accomplishment! It reflects consistently great food and service that sounds like something I must experience. They have a pretty limited window of when they're open which already tells you they know what they're doing. Before my husband and I were able to make it here in person for lunch, I suggested ordering food from here for a catered work event. I was thrilled to hear it got approved! We had quite the spread of enchiladas, carne asada burritos, rice, beans, chips, salsa, and guacamole. A little bit of everything! It was all delicious and high quality. Quantity was large, flavors were on point, and everything was packaged well for a catered meal (no leaks, stayed hot, silverware and plates provided). I was most impressed by their red salsa, it was some of the best salsa I've had in a long time. I was very pleased with this first experience and can't wait to come try it out for lunch at their restaurant sometime soon!

Tommy J.
Tommy J.

Five star all the way. Pretty amazing place that I have never heard of lol. I had dropped off my van at Bill Pierce for a transmission fluid flush. Tire rotation as well as front in alignment. So I decided to Search up some steak and eggs on my trusty Yelp app. This place popped up. After looking at all the pictures, and reading all of the reviews, I decided I had to try it. It is reminiscent of the old diners that you would see in some black-and-white movies just with the counter in barstools. Short order cook, grill and everything right in front of you and you get to watch them prepare your food. The servings are generous proportions as well as priced quite nicely. What I ordered: Carne Asada and eggs over easy Chile Relleno À la cart. There was only a couple people at the counter so they started my food pretty quickly. I got to watch them cook my food as well as some of the others. I found it very interesting the way they cooked the Chile Riano. They took the long green chili/poblano put it on the grill and spread some eggs next to it then they rolled the chili up in the eggs... they had a nice sauce for it. Everything was cooked perfectly and as a matter fact I could barely finish 25% of this breakfast. There was that much food. So I took the food home and then turned the leftover food into omelettes for my family lol. I definitely want to come back and try all of the other goodies.

Nate P.
Nate P.

Top marks for this decadent spot. Staff was great and loved the vibe. It's kinda small but that adds to the experience. The have a breakfast bar seating with a few out door tables. I went with the meat lovers but subbed our chorizo for pastor. Hole Lee smokes this was a plate. Whole thing was fantastic and I ate the whole thing. Flavors were tip top and their salsa is choice. Anytime I'm ever in Reno again I'm coming back to munch. My Coke glass blew up in my hands like a sniper took a shot at it and that couldn't keep me away. Parking is a little tight but there's plenty on the street. Don't hesitate get you some brekky here.

Teuila G.
Teuila G.

We had very attentive service and enjoyed our brunch at the counter. Everything is made to order and made right in front of you. I enjoyed my strong coffee while we waited for our food. We ordered: chilaquiles con salsa verde, El Rodeo con pollo en salsa rojo, and Camarones la Diabla. El Rodeo was my favorite out of the three plates. I loved their beans and rice more than their potatoes. I was bummed because I love potatoes and love making them at home. I prefer mine crispy and less greasy. Everything we ate did have a great flavor, and I wish their salsas had more of a kick. I was personally craving something spicy. I preferred their red over their green salsa, and I'm usually green all the way. The majority of their seating offered is counter space for those dining in or waiting. I do recall seeing maybe two other tables for two off to each side. Seating is limited, but we stopped by mid week for breakfast. I can only imagine wait times can get long. I am looking forward to coming back for my next brunch experience.

Connie C.
Connie C.

FLAVORS: (+ great, ~ ok, x no) ++ Pastor (lots of pineapple! Sweeter than I'm used to but delicious!) X carnitas (don't know why but it was dry and flavorless this time) + casual fajitas Bonus: apparently they can cater!

Zuly L.
Zuly L.

The Food was great! If you sit to eat, you can watch as your food is being made... & pretty fast overall. Although, it does get extremely busy at times. The customer service here is amazing. You can tell Carlillo and his crew are well respected by their usuals. & the crew was very respectful to my mother in law and my self. My husband has been here for lunch and breakfast. As most working men do. The space is very small but you can order take out. They also Cater! We will be coming again(: -no patio -no alcohol