Carolina's Tex-Mex in Baltimore, MD

I went to a going-away luncheon at Carolina's Tex-Mex in Baltimore, MD for a friend from Puerto Rico who's moving to Florida. I was a little skeptical because I couldn't find a web site or menu on-line, and I've been almost universally disappointed by all of the restaurants claiming to have Tex-Mex in this area.

But, while the "Tex-Mex" part is a misnomer, the food was delicious. The cuisine is more accurately described as either Cuban, Puerto Rican, Spanish, or Latin American.

About Carolina's Tex-Mex
Carolina's is in the Fells Point neighborhood of Baltimore, though not in the picturesque cobble-stoned district along the waterfront that many think of when they hear the term.

There seem to be a couple of loosely-affiliated Carolina's restaurants within a few blocks of each other, but the one I went to is at 505 South Broadway at the intersection with Eastern Avenue.

The staff spoke very little English (one lady handles the brunt of the customer interaction), but since the guest of honor, Hugo, was organizing everything I didn't attempt to use my high school Spanish. I wasn't sure if it's run by a family, but I believe they have a professional cook who Hugo said is Cuban.

The Food
Hugo strongly recommended both the pork chops and the lechon asado (roast pork), but since he said that the latter is much harder to find and normally would take a long time to cook (they had prepared some ahead of time for our party), I chose the roast pork. I was glad that I did.


A few months ago I tried the roast pork at Cuba de Ayer in Burtonsville, MD and found it decent but uninspired. The lechon asado at Carolina's, in contrast, was juicy, tender, well-seasoned, and had a crispy edging of fat and skin that gave it a delicious savory flavor.

(It was kind of humorous when they started bringing out the food and the server, holding two dishes, asked, "Lechon?" Everyone stared at her. She then said, "Pork?" and everyone laughed as several promptly raised their hands.)

Even the plantains which came with the platter were unusual and delicious. Most plantains I've had have either been fried hard, or else are mushy and overly sweet, and are more of a chore than a pleasure to eat. These plantains were somehow caramelized, perhaps in a skillet, and I devoured them.

I also tried one of the pupusas, an appetizer originally from El Salvador made by putting filling (pork and cheese in this case) inside a thin masa tortilla. It was also very tasty, with slight carbonization on the tortilla. They served a kind of pickled cabbage with a very spicy relish over it on the side with my pupusa.


Everyone else seemed to enjoy their food also (mostly the steak and shrimp platter, or else a chicken dish) with the exception of the girl next to me who got the green chicken salad and found the chicken to be so spicy that she couldn't finish it.

Getting There
Coming from the south, the easiest way to reach Carolina's is to take I-95 (or 295) to Baltimore Inner Harbor, then follow Pratt Street east around the harbor to a right on South President Street, and then a left on Fleet Street.

South Broadway will be about 10-12 blocks down Fleet at the Broadway Market, and a left turn will put you practically in front of Carolina's (on the right) with Pay to Park spaces on the island dividing S. Broadway.



The restaurant looks non-descript on the outside and is small downstairs (I didn't go upstairs or explore it beyond the main dining area, where they had pushed tables together to accommodate our large party). But it shines where it matters, with the food.

Carolina's Tex-Mex Restaurant
505 S. Broadway
Baltimore, MD 21231
410-276-0773/410-276-0711