Tijuana Flats

My wife and I went there for the first time and we loved it! We will definitely be back the food was excellent as were the prices! I really loved the salsa and guacamole.

Tijuana is what I expected it to be. I appreciate that they have more options on their menu than other places like Chipotle or Qdoba, and are too nice to be compared to Taco Bell. It’s good Mexican food for when you want it cheap (especially when you go on the deal days, like 50% for students on Wednesdays). Overall, it’s not mind blowing but it’s satisfying!
Their salsa’s have hilarious names, but I didn’t particularly like the ones I tried, a sriracha one and a ‘smack my sweet ass and call me jane’ or something like that :). They had a weird sweet taste to them, but I probably should have tried the spicier ones. I had blackened chicken flautas, which were actually like 90% fried tortilla and 10% filling. Eating that much fried dough just wasn’t my thing.
However, I had the bangin’ chicken burrito, which was really good! It’s basically just a lot of fried chicken in a burrito, but I liked the sauce they put on it.
Overall, I would come back, but wouldn’t take my family here or anything. Just come here for when I’m feeling like a particularly poor college student.

This place is amazing. The staff is AWESOME! Such a friendly welcoming environment. The food is hand downs delicious every time never cease to impress.

Have been waiting an hour for food. Not sure if I’ll make it out alive. If this is my last Unilocal post, someone tell me wife I love her.
Chips and salsa aren’t bad. If I come out of this in one piece, I’ll post my review of my steak quesadilla.

Service was super friendly, the food tasted great and the price was right. Everyone that worked there went out of their way to make sure we had everything we needed. From water for the dog, to refills, to answering questions about the menu, to asking us about our drive from Colorado.
Highly recommend.

Taco Tuesday! 2 large tacos $ 5.49 include drink and chips… How can you go wrong… So many sauces… my sinuses are clear now

Friendly staff. Confusing menu. Reaaly cheap on the meat-​cubes. CUBES. My taco shells were stale and the filings were scanty. Should have asked for a refund.

Yummy, better than average, quick-​service tex-​mex food. Fresh ingredients. Staff is nice and helpful. The hot sauce bar is fun if that’s your jam. Fun, colorful atmosphere.

Great specials. Just had queso and chips. Chips come sprinkled with salt and pepper. Pretty tastey with the mild queso.
Foothills ipa for 3 bucks on monday. Easy to see why the place is empty. Looks like they are pretty new to the area. Looking forward to the outdoor seating in a few months.
Great place to pick up moes/​salsaritas type food with a decent selection of beer. 4 taps and all craft brews. Does sam Adams count? Make that 3 micro brews.

Has lots of open seating. Staff are friendly. Otherwise, this is by far the most unsatisfying quick tex-​mex option around. Meat fillings are like little pieces of wet kibble sparingly tossed in your item like an afterthought. Cheese lightly sprinkled. Sour cream drizzled on like it’s a garnish. Chips are barely better than ballgame nachos. Big gimmick is the hot sauce bar, which is a way of acknowledging that the food is no tastier than cardboard without the aid of dramatically labeled condiments. Cosmic Cantina, Chubby’s, Chipotle, and, even, dare I say, Moe’s, are far superior.

Great place for Mexican food. I especially like their tacos and burritos. The service is great and it doesn’t take long to get your food. If your on Ninth St, definitely give it a try!

A great casual place for tasty Mexican food! Service was good and quick, food options were varied, and I’ve never had food that I didn’t like here. They serve all kinds of burritos and tacos with a good selection of fillings and sauces. The restaurant space is also really cool-​looking.
They might be receiving low reviews because it’s not like Chipotle (and that’s what most people want when they go for quick Mexican food nowadays), but I really think it’s a great option for fast but higher-​quality food.

Dank tacos and cheese dip. I have been to a few restaurants in this chain in Central Florida, but I have to say this one really impressed me. I’ve had tacos and burritos here — both equally delicious — but what keeps me coming back is the awesome variety of salsas and the queso to go with your chips. What makes this location stand out is the great staff — they have someone at the door to welcome you in and ask if you have any questions about the menu. I tend to be over zealous with my perceived ability to tolerate hot sauces and they will not let you sit there without adequate refills — which is much appreciated when your mouth is on fire (beware of the Green Ghost!).
Are they the best tacos in Durham? Probably not, but for this price, location, and service, you can’t beat Tijuana.

I really like the food and personalities working at this Tijuana Flats. Not sure why it’s received such underwhelming reviews. I’m a Los Angeles native and have had more than my fair share of authentic Mexican and
American-​style/​Tex-​Mex food. This place holds up well, considering it’s a chain with a restaurant located in the Southeastern U.S.. I definitely prefer it over similar nearby offerings. They have an awesomely diverse selection of salsa and fresh, supposedly not frozen food. The workers Greg and Dennis are especially friendly, chill, helpful, and respectful.

Standard TF. Coming from Central FL, the origin of this chain, I’ve been to my fair share of TFs. Food is exceptional here, but parking and lunch rushes aren’t too fun.

Been to this place twice. Neither time was good but my second visit sealed the deal that this is one of the worst places to eat in Durham.
Without being too overly dramatic, their food is simply bland. What is worse is that it’s actually kind of expensive. The ingredients are not good and everything is served at close to room temperature. I’m assuming everything is precooked and either microwaved or not microwaved long enough.
If you have never eaten an authentic mexican dish and you love corporate chains with really cheesy décor, this is your place. I’m not a Durham foodie, but it shocks me that the people or company that owns this restaurant thinks it can survive in a town with so much good grub like Durham.
Do yourself a favor and go to one of Durham’s many fine tacquerias or go to Chubby’s or Cosmic Cantina which are very close to Tijuana Flats. You’ll be very happy you didn’t spend $ 15 for bad food and some of the most ditzy servers in town.
p. s. Their hot sauces suck. None of them are actually hot. This is just a gimmick that soccer moms and preteens think is cool.

If you are going for the food, DON’T– it’s awful. The burritos are lackluster and skimpy with thick, stiff barely warmed tortillas and virtually flavorless. I would go to Chipotle any day of the week before going back to this place. Not even the Queso was worthy– thick and flavorless.
To give fair credit, the service was good. Friendly, upbeat staff greeted us at the door and were very nice. But unfortunately it just couldn’t make up for the really bad burrito. Definitely will not be going back.

I really like this place. I brought my son here before a basketball game and we both liked the meals we had (Noritto and kids burrito.) Fast service and cheap prices. They have a large selection of HOT sauces too.

Meh. If you like actual Mexican food, go to one of the more authentic Mexican restaurants on 9^th Street: Chubby’s Tacos, Cosmic Cantina or Blue Corn Café.
If you like corporate American-​style Mexican food, take the extra step to go to Chipotle on Erwin Rd. Chipotle has much better American-​style Mexican food for the the same price point.

I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek before the official open thanks to a friend that works nearby. I was surprised to hear that another taco/​burrito/​Tex-​Mex/​Latin-​inspired place was finding its way to 9^th Street, given that Blue Corn, Cosmic Cantina, and Chubby’s there.
Tijuana flats is certainly targeting the Dukie crowd, it would seem. This makes sense given that TF got it’s start on UCF’s campus down in Florida. The bright, eccentric designs on the inside give off a hip vibe that I can definitely dig. Their menu offers more than just burritos (flautas, taco salads, tacos, and chimichangas, baby! Fry that bad boy!) One of their signatures is a plethora of hot sauces, found at the hot sauce bar. They have a number of flavors that range from traditional to the unconventional (hot curry, I think an Asian-​style sauce?) and all are available for purchase by the bottle as well.
I really enjoyed the queso dip w/​beef. They season their tortilla chips really well, and I would love to go tear through another order of those right about now. My flautas were pretty good, but I personally would’ve liked just a little more filling to balance out the amount of fried tortilla. The staff was SUPER attentive, and hopefully that level of service can continue once they officially open.
Can TF peacefully join the mix on 9^th street? I sense that there will be some die-​hard Durhamites that will bristle at the thought of a Tex Mex chain competing for local dollars. I dont’ know if we an all coexist, but I will definitely be adding it into my mealtime rotation on 9^th.