Carlos River Cafe Menu (Update 2025)
Welcome to Carlos River Cafe, a hidden gem nestled in Crystal Lake, Illinois. Specializing in authentic Mexican cuisine, this restaurant stands out for its vibrant flavors and homely atmosphere. The menu offers an extensive breakfast selection, featuring delights like the Rajas Omelette and Huevos Rancheros, perfect for those seeking a hearty start to their day.
The lunch and dinner offerings shine with masterpieces like the Enchiladas Hustequenas—four enchiladas bursting with your choice of meats and smothered in rich chipotle sauce. Customers rave about the freshness and homemade quality of each dish, underscored by the attentive service of the friendly staff.
Carlos River Cafe embraces simplicity, prioritizing extraordinary food over flashy decor. If you cherish genuine flavors and a welcoming environment, this cafe invites you to indulge and savor every bite.
Breakfast
Huevos Rancheros
3 eggs cooked over easily topped with ranchero sauce.
Chilaquiles
Tortilla bits mixed with scrambled eggs, chorizo, and salsa.
Mexican Sunshine
3 small burritos with chorizo, eggs, and chihuahua cheese.
Sunshine Burritos
Huevos con Chorizo
3 scrambled eggs with Mexican sausage.
Huevos a la Mexicana
3 scrambled eggs with cooked onions, tomatoes, and jalapenos.
Rajas Omelette
Chorizo, green peppers, onions, and chihuahua cheese.
Enchiladas Suizas
Mild ranchero sauce. 4 enchiladas filled with your choice of meat, topped with chihuahua cheese, and your choice of sauce. Served with rice, beans, lettuce, and sour cream.
Enchiladas verdes
Medium/hot green sauce. 4 enchiladas filled with your choice of meat, topped with chihuahua cheese, and your choice of sauce. Served with rice, beans, lettuce, and sour cream.
Enchiladas Hustequenas
Hot chipotle sauce. 4 enchiladas filled with your choice of chicken, beef, steak or cheese, topped with chihuahua cheese, and your choice of sauce. Served with rice, beans, lettuce, and sour cream.
Enchiladas
Chimichangas
Chimichanga
Chicken Fajitas
Served with rice, beans, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and tortillas.
Combo Trio
Made with chicken, steak, and shrimp. Served with rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream, and tortillas.
Steak Fajitas
Served with rice, beans, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and tortillas.
Steak and Chicken Fajitas
Served with rice, beans, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and tortillas.
Shrimp Fajitas
Served with rice, beans, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and tortillas.
Fajitas
Combinations
Combo 1-Taco, Tostada, and Cheese Enchiladas
Served with rice and beans.
Combo 2-Chile Relleno, Tamale, and Taco
Served with rice and beans.
Combo 3-Two Flautas, Cheese Quesadilla, and A Taco
Combo 4-Tostada, Chile Relleno, and Quesadilla
Served with rice and beans.
Chicken Fingers with Hand-Cut Fries
Mexican Burger
1/4 lb Ground Chuck Cheese Burger
Chicken Sandwich with Hand-Cut Fries
Grilled Cheese
BLT
All American Favorites
House Favorites
Carne a la Tampiquena
Tender skirt steak grilled to perfection and served with 2 cheese enchiladas, lettuce, and guacamole. Served with rice and beans.
Steak Vallarta
Tender skirt steak topped with grilled shrimp and chihuahua cheese. Served with lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and tortillas.
Carne Asada
Tender skirt steak grilled to perfection. Served with lettuce, guacamole, and tortillas. Served with rice and beans.
Pollo a la Tampiquea
Chicken breast grilled to perfection and served with guacamole and sour cream.
Carne Ranchera
Grilled skirt steak served with grilled green pepper, onion, melted cheese and salsa ranchera.
Bistek a la Mexicana
Tender skirt steak with grilled onions, tomatoes and jalapeos.
3 Piece Steak Burrito Platter
3 small burritos filled with skirt steak, cheese, and grilled onions, served with lettuce, and sour cream.Served with rice and beans.
Bistec con Rajas
Strips of tender skirt steak grilled and topped with green peppers, onions, and tomatoes. Smothered in chihuahua cheese, served with lettuce, sour cream, and tortillas. Served with rice and beans.
Bistec Oaxaca
Tender skirt steak grilled to perfection, topped with chihuahua and chipotle sauce, served with lettuce, sour cream, and tortillas. Served with rice and beans.
Mar y Tierra
Grilled skirt steak with 3 open face garlic shrimp.
Pollo con Rajas
Grilled chicken breast topped with green peppers, onions and tomatoes. Smothered in chihuahua cheese. Served with lettuce, sour cream and tortillas.
Camarones a la Mexicana
Shrimp with grilled onion, tomato, and jalapeo.
Filete De Pescado a La Plancha
Grilled, fish fillet.
Coctel de Camaron
Shrimp cocktail.
Camaron a la Diabla
Shrimp, in homemade hot sauce with shell.
Camaron a la Matequilla
Shrimp, cooked with butter and seasoning. No shell.
Camaron al Mojo de Ajo
Shrimp, in garlic sauce with shell.
Camarones Botaneros
Shrimp in spicy sauce.
Camarones a la Plancha
Open face garlic shrimp with shell.
Camarones Enchipotlados
Shrimp in chipotle sauce.
Seafood
Traditional Dishes
3 Piece Taco Dinner
3 tacos with your choice of meat with rice and beans.
3 Piece Tamales
3 homemade tamales filled with pork.
1 Piece Tamales
1 tamale filled with red pork.
King Burrito Dinner
Served with rice and beans.
Taco Salad
Served on a crispy tortilla shell shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and your choice of meat. Topped with chihuahua cheese and sour cream. Served with rice and beans.
Flautas
4 rolled corn tortillas filled with chicken and deep fried. Dressed with lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and cheese.
Meat Quesadilla Dinner
Served with rice and beans.
Cheese Quesadilla Dinner
Served with rice and beans.
Regular Burrito Dinner
Served with rice and beans.
Torta Dinner
Served with your choice of meat with rice and beans.
2 Piece Tostada Dinner
Served with your choice of meat with rice and beans.
Chiles Rellenos
2 poblano peppers stuffed with chihuahua cheese, egg battered and pan-fried, topped with ranchero sauce, served with lettuce, sour cream, and tortillas. Served with rice and beans.
2 Piece Sopes Dinner
Served with your choice of meat with rice and beans.
1 Piece Taco
Includes lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and your choice of meat. Meat choice: steak, chicken, marinated pork, ground beef, Mexican sausage, beef tongue, and avocado.
King Burrito with Steak
Meat choice: steak, chicken, marinated pork, ground beef, Mexican sausage, beef tongue, and avocado.
King Burrito with Chicken
Meat choice: steak, chicken, marinated pork, ground beef, Mexican sausage, beef tongue, and avocado.
King Burrito with Marinated Pork
Meat choice: steak, chicken, marinated pork, ground beef, Mexican sausage, beef tongue, and avocado.
King Burrito with Ground Beef
Meat choice: steak, chicken, marinated pork, ground beef, Mexican sausage, beef tongue, and avocado.
King Burrito with Mexican Sausage
Meat choice: steak, chicken, marinated pork, ground beef, Mexican sausage, beef tongue, and avocado.
King Burrito with Beef Tongue
Meat choice: steak, chicken, marinated pork, ground beef, Mexican sausage, beef tongue, and avocado.
King Burrito with Avocado
Meat choice: steak, chicken, marinated pork, ground beef, Mexican sausage, beef tongue, and avocado.
Regular Burrito
Meat choice: steak, chicken, marinated pork, ground beef, Mexican sausage, beef tongue, and avocado.
1 Piece Tostada with Steak
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and steak.
1 Piece Tostada with Chicken
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and chicken.
1 Piece Tostada with Marinated Pork
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and marinated pork.
1 Piece Tostada with Ground Beef
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and ground beef.
1 Piece Tostada with Mexican Sausage
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and Mexican sausage.
1 Piece Tostada with Beef Tongue
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and beef tongue.
1 Piece Tostada with Avocado
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and avocado.
Tostada with Steak
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and steak.
Tostada with Chicken
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and chicken.
Tostada with Marinated Pork
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and marinated pork.
Tostada with Ground Beef
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and ground beef.
Tostada with Mexican Sausage
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and Mexican sausage.
Tostada with Beef Tongue
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and beef tongue,.
Tostada with Avocado
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and avocado.
Torta with Steak
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and steak.
Torta with Chicken
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and chicken.
Torta with Marinated Pork
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and marinated pork.
Torta with Ground Beef
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and ground beef.
Torta with Mexican Sausage
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and mexican sausage.
Torta with Beef Tongue
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and beef tongue.
Torta with Avocado
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and avocado.
Fajita Burrito
Combination of steak and chicken with black beans, sour cream, grilled onion, grilled pepper and guacamole.
1 Piece Sope with Steak
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and steak.
1 Piece Sope with Chicken
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and chicken.
1 Piece Sope with Marinated Pork
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and marinated pork.
1 Piece Sope with Ground Beef
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and ground beef.
1 Piece Sope with Mexican Sausage
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and Mexican sausage.
1 Piece Sope with Beef Tongue
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour and beef tongue.
1 Piece Sope with Avocado
Includes beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and avocado.
Carlos Special Burrito
Combination of steak, chicken, and shrimp with mushrooms, black beans, sour cream, guacamole, cheese, pico de gallo and ranchero sauce.
Vejetarian
Grilled corn, spinach, mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, rice, black beans, sour cream, guacamole, and cheese.
Mexican Favorites
Appetizers
Guacamole and Chips
Nacho Platter with Meat
Chips and Salsa
Cheese Quesadilla with Meat
Nachos with Cheese
Nacho Platter (no meat)
Cheese Quesadilla
Queso Fundido with Shrimp
Queso Fundido with Chorizo
Queso Fundido Cheese Only
Guacamole
Bag of Tortilla Chips
Pico de Gallo
Tamale
Sour Cream
Rice
Avocado
Fries
Beans
Cheese
Side Orders
Kids Menu
Kids 1 Taco with Rice and Beans
Kids 1 Cheese Quesadilla with Rice and Beans
Kids Chicken Nuggets with Fries
Horchata
Lime Jarritos
Pineapple Jarritos
Fruit Punch Jarritos
Mandarin Jarritos
Tamarin Jarritos
Pepsi Soda Pop
The bold, refreshing, robust cola, click to add to your meal.
Diet Pepsi Soda Pop
A crisp tasting, refreshing pop of sweet, fizzy bubbles without calories. Click to add to your meal.