Lime Fresh Mexican Grill

This place is trying too hard to be something its not. More dance club than restaurant, with hip hop BLASTING inside and outside of the place. I’m fine with hip hop and blasting music but not at lunch. I’m not feeling Nelly bumping so hard that I cant have a conversation with the guy across the table from me.
First off is the goof-​ball ordering system. You get a menu and order at a register. Is everybody afraid to have table service lately or what. Good God, if you can afford 5 people to work behind the counter surely one of them can cover the dining room. The menu is complicated and hard to understand. The manager did take the time to explain it to us but it was still difficult to come to a conclusion. When we walk in the door, the manager thinks we are there to work on their equipment. OK we are in uniform shirts carrying a tablet but what the hay. Lots of people are. We were working on a sick computer remotely at lunch. The manager looks at us and asks if we are there to eat. Already I’m not feeling this place.
The food was cooked to order and fresh. I ordered a big Cali burrito with steak. It was plenty big enough and has a reasonable amount of steak. What it didnt have was a good steak taste. The steak was bland and tasteless. It had no seasoning what so ever. A little salt and pepper would have gone a long way. There was a ton of rice in the thing. It had fresh cilantro and a lime taste but the lack of steak taste just turned me off. The salsa was OK, nothing worthy of a note home. Ditto for the chips. Average at best. The burrito and a drink cost me about $ 13 at lunch. A little pricey. I just didnt care for this place. It rubbed me the wrong way from the start. Better mexican is close by!

I liked the food here. Nice salsa bar. Surprisingly pricy though. Nachos, a burrito, a beer and a frozen margarita were $ 33. That seemed excessive.

This place is pretty good, as long as you don’t have lofty expectations. A fancy, authentic Mexican restaurant this is not. A quick, relatively cheap, Mexican-​ish food is a better description. It is a step up from Chipotle, in that there is more menu variation and you can wait at a table for your food to be prepared. Several of the reviews mentioned pumping music, but it didn’t strike me as any louder than the music would be at Chipotle or other similar places.
If you are looking for a quick lunch, this place stacks up. If you are hoping for a delicious culinary experience, maybe go somewhere else.
They have online ordering, which is nice. Works well when you just want to pick something up to go.

I enjoyed this place. I had steak tacos that had cheese dip and fried jalapeño so yummy! Great salsa bard too. What you would expect for a quick made to order Mexican place.

The music was so loud I couldn’t hear myself think. Literally, I thought I was at a night club except the only ones in the place were me and the two servers. Not a place to enjoy a meal sanely or conversation with others.

Prices are perhaps slightly higher than the local cheap Mexican places, but I like this place. Very clean. Ordering at the counter, similar to Chipotle, but a little more menu variety. I really like their steak salad, and the kids love this place. Just really easy to bring the family. Parking is easy with the parking deck underneath. Staff very nice.
Sure, it’s not the most amazing food I’ve ever had, but the overall experience is good enough that I want to return for a 3^rd time.

Came here with my friend for dinner and we absolutely LOVED it! Ordered the chicken tortilla soup and chips and guac. Not only were they generous with the chips, but they also give you unlimited salsa refills! Food was fresh and the people were awesome.
Maui served us and she is the BEST. super funny, kind, and really really great service. We’re definitely coming back again soon and asking for Maui.
A fantastic experience!

Lime has a great location, food is good but not amazing, service is eh.
I got the chicken tacos (3) and it came with chips and a drink, this added up to $ 10 which was a little high I thought…
But the salsa bar was really fun and yummy. I loved that they had cilantro and lime slices at the bar as well. I can never have enough cilantro on my tacos. Pineapple salsa was a hit too.
We sat outside which had a great atmosphere, especially for a Monday afternoon. The music was loud and fun but not too obnoxious. Our food was brought to us relatively quickly which was nice.
Overall I would say Lime is good place to have a quick lunch with friends of tacos or a burrito but don’t expect anything out of this world.

I ordered their 8^th street burrito and the service was really slow. It took like 15 minutes to get my food when people who ordered after me already got their orders. They claimed they had sour cream in it but it did not. The burrito was also extremely salty. I would have been more full and satisfied at Chipotle for a cheaper price. Their salsa bar is decent though, but all the salsas were running low.

Lime is good but not great. The location is outstanding but the food is not. I am not a huge fan of «fast food Mexican» so take this review with a grain of salt. Chipotle and Qdoba are less than a block away from Lime and from my experience they are much more popular with the college crowd in Chapel Hill. Also note that parking can be tricking when trying to visit Lime. There is a parking deck under Old Chicago but it is a pay lot during normal business hours.
As far as the food, it is average but not great. You can get your typical chicken or steak tacos. They do have a deal where you can get three tacos at a discounted price. They also have Taco Tuesdays in which you can get an even lower price. The atmosphere is fun because it is right across from Granville Towers but unless you really want this type of food I would suggest other options with easier and better parking.

Pros:
Ample seating, indoor and out. Outdoor ambiance with the sun and breeze was perfection.
Sirius radio pipes throughout, save for one section indoors toward the back; great if you need a less stimulating environment.
Salsa bar with tons of options. Standard pico was my favorite (fresh, light, hint of lime without being overpowering), but I am quite the traditionalist.
Modern atmosphere definitely catered towards the university population.
Great light, fresh, flavorful fish tacos.
Mild wait time for food — felt appropriate.
Bottomless chips
Cons:
Tried several salsas from the salsa bar, most of which were lacking decent flavor, spice, or pizzaz.
We enjoyed our meal, but it wasn’t anything spectacular or memorable. I was craving fish tacos, and they definitely hit the spot, but chipotle is usually my go-​to for mexican.

Amenities: Outdoor seating with SIRIUS digital music, fun times watching the kids and adults enjoy the outdoor sculpture, friendly attentive staff.
Food: Good selection and high quality ingredients. Liked Queso burrito better than the Queso dip.
$ 21.50 incl tip for Corona and above.

Great customer service but food wise… it’s not bad. I ordered the steak and queso taco recommended by the cashier. The queso is like a doctored velveeta cheese. And the taco wasn’t stuffed with much. They could have gotten smaller tortillas to make it seem like more value at least.
I do like that they offer different tastes of salsa. That’s a plus that helps the taste if the taco. The meat itself was just okay. A little on the salty side.

Maui was terrific! Great customer service! Lisa was fantastic!!! The food was amazing!!! BEST QUESO EVER IN THE TRIANGLE!!!
5 STARS

The lunch specials are good, as is the taco salad.
It’s not gonna hurt the wallet either…
Waitstaff are helpful and friendly… right Maui?

There was nothing shockingly bad about Lime Fresh, but for a few reasons it is was my least favorite of burrito places in Chapel Hill/​Carrboro. For the record, my rankings going from best to worst are Carrburritos, Cosmic Cantina, Chipotle, Armadillo Grill, Qdoba, Lime Fresh.
They didn’t put much guacamole in my burrito, and the guac wasn’t very fresh or appealing anyway. None of it really seemed very fresh but instead very processed– I agree with an earlier reviewer on the disappointing iceberg lettuce, and the food wasn’t even a bargain price like Cosmic.
They say they speak vegetarian, but the veg options are very limited. They basically just take meat out of their main dishes and consider themselves «fluent in vegetarian». I would really appreciate if they were «fluent in vegan» and labeled which items are vegan or could be made vegan– otherwise you have to ask an employee who might not have memorized every ingredient on the menu. It’d also be nice if they could include some fresh or organic vegetables in their menu, or get ingredients locally and ethically sourced like Chipotle strives to do.
Until they make some changes, I won’t be back to Lime Fresh.

Ok, so let’s preface this by saying I was slightly annoyed that there was going to be yet ANOTHER Mexican restaurant on Franklin St. I mean… Chipotle AND Qdoba is a block in opposite directions; Then there’s Bandidos, Cosmic Cantina, and Cinco De Mayo… like the list goes on.
With that being said, I choose Lime, hands down, over ALL OF THOSE PLACES! The taco’s are awesome (Order the Tijuana Tacos); Get a swirled margarita or a beer-​rita (both are great) And alsoooo, if youre on a budget, For $ 2.85, you can get a taco, chips and dip. Talk about a bargain!
The service is pretty good, the atmosphere is laid back, and the prices are reasonable. Drop in for lunch or dinner!

I’m a diehard Armadillo Grill fan for my Tex-​Mex fixes, but I do give this place a visit every now and then, primarily because they offer fish tacos. The Surfer fish taco is tasty chunks of fish, cabbage, and a nice white sauce – very San Diego. The chicken tacos are OK, but not as flavorful as those at Chipotle across the street or at Dillo. They do beat the pants off the flavorless mush at Qdoba, but so does anything else.
Where Lime tops them all is with the salsa bar, with about nine options ranging from regular salsa to pineapple to charred tomato to smoky to black bean/​corn. Having so many options is cool and it’s also a nice touch that chips come with the tacos and don’t have to be purchased as a separate side.
The interior is new and painted in the cliché Tex-​Mex colors of yellows and oranges. The entry is a bit of a cluster because the order/​cashier station is close inside the door and if there are more than a couple of people in line, it spills out into the street. Not handy if it’s really hot or raining. I’ve had to wait a touch too long sometimes here for the food to come out, but it’s always hot and fresh with good chips.

Let’s talk about what is truly important here: the giant metallic space burrito art installation that emits steam and colored lights and is located just outside Lime. Stare at This Thing for awhile and you’ll be mesmerized. Eat outside and bask in its… steam.
Inside, the music is PUMPING college pop hits. It’s also pumping those college pop hits outside. And in the bathroom. You cannot escape the pumping of college pop hits in Lime. Quite loud. Not bad, but loud (especially for noon on a Wednesday).
I ordered a bean burrito and I must say while it didn’t taste bad, it was nothing special. It was as if I opened a can of refried beans, put a little cheese and rice inside a burrito, and charged myself ten dollars for it. The flavors here are nothing special, which is perhaps why they rely on 10 different kinds of salsa, all of which you put in these tiny cups that hold VERY LITTLE salsa, requiring you to stuff several cups with salsa, or go back for several trips. Either way, I assure you that you only have so many hands.
The meal comes with a side of tortilla chips, which is nice. But after the hoopla of Lime dies down, Chipotle, which is across the street, will probably reign supreme (and let’s not forget Carrburritos, which is the local champ). What throws all of this into a wrench is the fascination and possibly idol-​worship people will commence after witnessing the amazing metallic space burrito.

Lime Fresh Mexican Grill is a new burrito place in Chapel Hill/​Carrboro, a place with a lot of burrito places. You have national chains (Qdoba, Chipotle), local chains (Cosmic Cantina, Bandido’s) and local local places (Carrburritos, Armadillo Grill). If I were to rank these, this would be the ranking:
1. Carrburritos
2. Cosmic Cantina
3. Bandido’s
4. Qdoba
5. Chipotle (why do you fall apart on me?)
6. Armadillo Grill.
7. Lime
Lime just doesn’t do it for me. I understand that this place is new, and that it’s apparently the happenin’ place to be, but the chicken burrito doesn’t really have a taste that brings you in. It’s just there. It will fill you up, but it won’t excite you to return. Sure, the place is bright and exciting, but overall it doesn’t really do it for me.