Carlito’s is a Mexican-styled restaurant that has been in Greenbrier County for a long time. Owned and operated by local Victor Kanafany, the restaurant recently abandoned its old location to set up a new location in the same plaza, but on a more visible corner lot fronting Route 219. Carlito’s reopening has been very successful thanks to the combination of a remodeled building, a new digital sign, and old menu favorites.

Carlito’s has been in the region since 1998, originally as a part of the Rio Grande franchise offering classic Mexican food. In 2007 Kanafany added some special family dishes to the menu and changed the restaurant’s name to Carlito’s. Some consider its new site cursed since over the past 40 years many restaurants in that location have come and gone. These include Bonanza Steakhouse, Pepperoni’s Playhouse Pizza, and, most recently, The China Buffett, which became a casualty of the pandemic. But Carlito’s seems to have staying power.

“It is a good restaurant when it comes to price;” said GEHS senior Keagen Roerig of Carlito’s, “however, the food is not extraordinary and the service is more so mediocre.”

It is true that Carlito’s faces some stiff competition from other area Mexican restaurants Mi Tequila and Habanero’s Grill, but junior Trevan Hall calls Carlito’s “unbeatable.”

My own opinion is that between munch or miss, Carlito’s is definitely a munch. My favorite dish has to be “Burritos La Casa.” The cheese combined with the beef just melts in your mouth.

Adios–see you down at Carlito’s!