If a German group that’s Caribbean and sings in English can work then I guess Mexican from Canada in Dubai can too. Enough of Boney M though, let’s talk food!

La Carnita is the Intercontinental Dubai Marina’s latest and possibly greatest addition and that’s not to take anything away from Marina Social, it’s still a cool spot with great food.

As you descend the stairs down to La Carnita you can hear a dull roar emanating from the venue which is a sure sign that this is one of the more happening places in the city right now and why not? With a solid Hip hop soundtrack playing golden era beats, this dimly lit joint does have a certain vibe about it.

Overall, it’s a compact space, which of course has the obligatory smatterings of street art. In this case a gun wielding gangsta chick mural at one end and some collage type stuff going on at the other surrounding the caged booths near the bar. The black lattice evokes an old school elevator or subway car feel. While the industrial look is getting pretty clichéd these days, La Carnita offers a slightly nuanced approach with bare concrete floors, touches of wood and lots of black. This darkened scene is offset buy some punches of orange light which is further accentuated across the upholstery of the industrial styled seating. Edison bulbs and smokey mirrors complete the look. It’s old school with an ever so slighted veiled sense of grunge.

Getting down to the food and what you’ll find here is a neat, one pager of a menu that’s got some interesting combinations to try.

Tacos are a big thing here and while they’re not actually big, what they lack in size for the most part they make up for in flavor. You’ll down them in two bites but they’re pretty bagging to be honest. The best approach is to probably order one of each and then circle back like a vulture for your favorites. Of the tacos - the Achiote Chicken Taco (28 AED) and Carne Asada Taco (32 AED) are definitely the standouts. Not that there’s anything to bad about the Mexican Beef Chorizo Taco (30 AED), Pollo Frito Taco (28 AED) or the In Cod We Trust - which is a Fish Taco (28 AED). They’re all good but nothing amazing but at or near 30 Dirhams a piece they’re pretty steep.

Now you can’t have Tacos without Guacamole so take a look at the Chips & Dips which offers a choice of either 1, 2 or 3 depending on which way you wanna go. The Guac is good but kinda lacks lime on this visit.

To be clear La Carnita is more than just tacos. There’s other stuff too, like the Smoked Chorizo Quesadilla (45 AED) which was decent but not earth shattering, while the Mexican Street Corn (45 AED) offers two large, fresh pieces of corn dripping in all sorts of stuff that tastes great but makes it hard to hold onto. It’s good though!

If you haven’t already reached your limit or if you’re just curious, the Carne Asada Main (140 AED) is definitely worth a try. This bad boy is a Rib Eye Steak, topped with Salsa picante and a Chipotle Jus. It’s tender, flavorful and packs a nice spicy bite with out being too overpowering. In all the food is great, the service is good too led a bunch of enthusiastic peeps who seem to enjoy what they’re doing.

All of this adds up to making La Carnita a worthwhile joint to visit or potential new local if you’re close to the Marina.

It ain’t where ya from - it’s where you at…..

Enjoy