Carretta's Cafe - I guess they sell a lot of alcohol.

*EDIT*  Carreta's Cafe has closed its doors.  I guess serving mediocre food isn't good enough anymore to stay in business.

Carreta's Cafe

7011 S Broadway Ave

Tyler, TX 75703

(903) 581-1895

This is set in what I think was an old Ninfa's (maybe) and is in the parking lot of Target off of I-69/Broadway. I live fairly close and have been several times with the wife and kids.

The spread: The is Tex-mex with a hint of some real Mexican flavors. They offer your standard Tex-mex fair - enchiladas, fajitas, tacos, tamales, nachos and also offer more traditional Mexican items like carne guisada and tortas.

The verdict: The food is average at best. My wife really enjoyed the American Torta which was essentially a guacamole cheeseburger on torta bread. All the other offerings - enchiladas, fajitas etc. were variable okay. There are some problems with the kitchen, the food always takes more time than you might expect (20-25 minutes for food), which isn't great when dealing with hungry kids. Also, the place is a ghost town during the day and early evening, it was only when I went up there around 9:30 pm one night that I finally understood how they stay in business. Without question, they stay in business by alcohol sales in the evening to the party crowd. Since that is not really my thing, I would pass on Carreta's because of the lack-luster food.

Edible Tyler roses: 2 of 5, skip it unless you are desperate or want to party.