You don’t have to travel to the heart of Mexico for fine Mexican cuisine; you need only travel to Carlito’s Mexican Restaurant in Lewisburg, WV.

Carlito’s has brought the heart of Mexico to us. From their families to ours, they brought the heart and soul, the pride and love of Mexico to us… and it is in their fabulous food. Believe me, it’s in there. The food speaks for itself. You need only go there and try it. You’ll be hooked… and like me, become a familiar face at Carlito’s.

As soon as you enter, it’s as though you’ve gone ‘South of the Border’. You can feel the atmosphere of the Mexican old country captured throughout the quaint little restaurant. You immediately feel welcome. You are one of the family. If you catch them on the right night, you can expect to see a live Mariachi band. On Cinco De’ Mayo, they give out free t-shirts to the first 400 customers. Who does this? Carlito’s Mexican Restaurant does. I have been to many many Mexican restaurants in my lifetime, but Carlito’s by far is hands down above the rest. It is my favorite Mexican restaurant and no matter what I order, the food and service could not be any better.

Carlito’s was part of the ‘Rio Grande’ franchise at one time, and like Rio Grande, they feature authentic and traditional Mexican dishes. The menu offers such classics as their famous tacos, burritos, enchiladas and sizzling fajitas and the combination platters with the newest, innovative recipes are out of this world delicious.

I sat down with the owner, Victor Kanafany; we talked and he gave me the grand tour of the restaurant. He told me that Carlito’s was formerly part of the Rio Grande chain and they opened the restaurant in 1998. They changed the name to Carlito’s in 2007. As I sat there and listened to him talk about the restaurant and the wonderful, fine food they lovingly prepare and serve their customers every day, I could see he was beaming with pride; proud of a heritage and culture that he and his family brought to America. He said through hard work, a lot of sweat and tears, he had captured the American dream. A true successful immigrant story.

As I sat there listening to him, I was distracted by the smell and appearance of many fine Mexican dishes, sizzling hot, coming from the kitchen. I watched as the waiters gingerly set down the dishes in front of smiling customers. Like I said; from their family to ours. I gotta admit, the factual stuff about the restaurant was being upstaged and overshadowed by all of this fine looking, wonderful smelling Mexican cuisine. I was hungry. I just wanted to eat. Victor could say whatever he wanted, but the food was speaking to me… and as I said before, the food speaks for itself. Even though the food is stand-alone awesome, you can feel the ingredients of pride and love of Mexico in it. It is all of that with a welcoming family restaurant atmosphere, saturated in fine Mexican heritage brought here from the old country. If I had to rate Carlito’s Mexican Restaurant on a 4-star rating, it would have to be 5 stars, because their food is off the charts. I want to thank Victor and the staff for all of their hospitality and taking time out of their busy day to accommodate me to tour the restaurant . . . but what can I say? I’m family now. Go over and visit, have a great Mexican meal and become one of the Carlito’s family too.

I hope to see you there. Hasta luego. Nos vamos. -the Random Prophet

A sampling of the menu of fine Mexican cuisine that speaks for itself…

CARLITO’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT   (304) 645-3891. 467 Greenbrier Valley Mall Dr. Lewisburg, WV 24901

FIESTA PLATO – One Fried beef Chimichanga, one chicken quesadilla, two taquitos Mexicanos (beef & chicken). Served with guacamole salad

BURRITO ESPECIALES -Two burritos with grilled fajitas (steak or chicken) , covered with spicy cheese dip. Served with rice & pico de gallo.

POLLO SINALOA– Whole chicken breast topped with onion, mushrooms & cheese dip. Served with rice, pico de gallo & tortillas

CARLITO’S HAMBURGER – All beef patty with white cheese, tomatoes, lettuce & bacon. Served with fries smothered with cheese dip

NACHOS FAJITAS – Your choice of chicken or steak fajitas on top of nachos with cheese dip

FAJITAS – Grilled chicken, steak or both with onion, bell pepper & tomato

FAJITAS CAMARON – Grilled shrimp, onion, bell pepper & tomato

SPECIAL MIGUEL – One flour tortilla stuffed with sliced steak, onion, & mushrooms. Served with lettuce, cheese, guacamole & sour cream

FAJITA TEXANAS – Grilled chicken, steak, shrimp, tomato, bell pepper, & onion

FAJITAS TROPICAL – Grilled chicken strips with ham, pineapple, bell pepper, onion & tomato

– Random Prophet, HashtagWV #103. July 2018.