Fresh Taco

After 2 hours and multiple calls the food never came. HORRIBLE delivery service… and EVEN WORSE customer service. The lady at the shop got very rude, short, hung up on me multiple times. I am in awe that this restaurant is still around. I’ve waited over 2 hours now and have to call someone else. I’m starving and irritated, this could have been avoided by ordering from anywhere else. DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS RESTAURANT. unless of course you want to wait for 2 hours and you’re not hungry.

Ever end up somewhere that leaves you questioning your life choices? Wandering into this establishment left me feeling disorientated and caught off guard. Had I used the bathroom prior to ordering I would’ve walked right back out. Ran, even. About 13 years ago while in college in New Haven I had stopped into this place (or some rendition of a taco stand in this location) and found it good enough that all these years later I thought, «why not?» I’ll tell you why not. Chimichangas aren’t egg rolls. Chicken taco was doable but really? This is a Chinese restaurant trying to sell Mexican. Staff eating Asian Soup (which actually looked better than my sad taco) at tables. Giving 2 stars because we didn’t get food poisoning and that, my friends, is the real win of this experience.

This place is strange. Most of the food is awful but I do enjoy their mexican rice & enchiladas. Theyre different then any other enchilada i’ve ever had but theyre still very tasty. I once ordered chimichangas from here and it came in a chinese egg roll wrapper and was nasty. All around it’s pretty bad but i’ll give them an extra star because they’re the fastest delivery around & affordable.

Not fancy, but everything was fresh. Only place I know that makes their own tortillas in Connecticut. There is something about a freshly made tortilla! They were flour and not corn… but excellent! Definitely not Asian fusion. If you want a quick bite, I would recommend it. Get it to go and eat it on the green. They have a few tables, but it is really set up as a takeout restaurant. Counter, Soda/​water cooler and someone to take your order. Service was quick despite the line. I had the chicken soft taco and could see them making the crispy taco shells. Ill be back!

I’ve driven by Fresh Taco hundreds of times and always wanted to stop in. So yesterday was the day. I honestly thought I walked into the wrong place and walked out. I looked around, saw I was in the right place and walked back in. The place looks more like take out Chinese rather than any Mexican I’ve ever seen. I’m not saying that it was bad because it is run by all Chinese people because my family used to own several Mexican food restaurants. Due to that, I know a little bit about what Mexican food should taste like and this isn’t it. I’ve always said I’ll try anything at least once, but take it from my review… don’t then skip this place and drive down to long wharf and get some real Mexican food or several of the other real Mexican restaurants in New Haven.
I was staring at the menu on the wall, then asked «that’s it», is when they handed me a paper chinese take out menu with Mexican food on it. I looked it over, then ordered one of my favorite things. Enchiladas. I’ve never seen enchiladas like this before. They are usually made of corn, not flour, and have sauce on them.
As far as the place, it wasn’t the cleanest place I’ve every seen. This I also found strange. There were several Asian people in there eating chinese food with chopsticks they made in the kitchen (most likely family members). Just like some of the other reviews were saying, some of the workers to put it in a very nice way were not professional in any way. Good luck if you eat here and I feel back for all of you who continue to eat at this place.

Sorry, was really hoping for some real «Mexican» food here, or at least close to it, but it’s really like an Asian influenced, and totally Americanized spin on Mexican food (I guess) and it’s the only way I can describe it. I have no idea how it’s gotten all these «awards» from local diners. Overall, the food lacked your even basic of Mexican flavors, and spices. My tacos came in a deep fried Asian type taco shell thingy (not the usual Mexican hard shell taco, nor like the one’s pictured on their website). They were really crunchy and taste good, but heavy on the deep fry flavor being since they were not Mexican taco shells (corn), so it had an all over different flavor, again tasted more like how deep fried Asian food taste, it was probably made out of flour. The shrimp on my tacos were cooked in a tempura coating style and taste, they were good, but not Mexican, and with no other spices at all. The steak on my other taco was good, but everything else was bland, both served with lettuce, tomato & shredded cheese. I ordered some jalapenos on the side, thank goodness, and which finally gave my food a little kick. The salsa was also very bland, no spices at all to speak of, it was a runny red sauce with maybe some red hot pepper flakes in it? Lastly, I got a side of the Black beans which were so boring and bland as well, no spices to speak of, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, huge bummer and oh well. So if you like this kind of food that really isn’t «Mexican» you’ll probably enjoy it.

I am giving a 4 stars because I have to say the food is good so far. The service is prompt and delivery is good too. They delivery to my door. I always get the C3 which is the grilled chicken and steak dinner comes with a drink. Yummy. Their taco is good too

This little hole-​in-​the wall joint is definitely NOT Asian Fusion. If you think it is only because of how the cooks look, you are in for a surprise. I mean, how many times have you gone to an American restaurant and have only seen «typical Caucasian Americans» cooking… or at a Japanese restaurant and have only seen Japanese chefs… or [gasp!] a Chinese restaurant and have only seen Chinese chefs!!!
This place is as fresh as it gets. The tortilla are made on the spot to order and arae amazing. They may not be «traditional» tortillas but how many of us really know what traditional Mexican tortillas taste like — Mexico is far from CT and I’m sure we don’t all venture into non-​touristy areas.
Get take out or delivery. Don’t bring a date here unless you both are a no-​frills, not-​to-​impress sort of people. What you see is what you get.

The food here has never been spectacular, but it was decent. However at this point, it’s completely inedible. Don’t waste your money.

I rarely take the time to review a restaurant, but «Fresh» Taco is the exception. Delivery took over an hour when I live a few minutes from the restaurant, and the food was soggy. Customer service was HORRENDOUS and unresponsive to my concerns when I called. Staff even contradicted themselves — the cashier said to pay for the order and the manager will call back, yet when the manager called back, he said because I picked up the order, I had lost my right to a refund. Clearly the management doesn’t care at all about its quality or its customers.
I probably should have smelled trouble from a restaurant that feels compelled to bellow «fresh» in its name; but at least I’ll know not to come back. Yes this place is cheap, but not nearly as cheap as the thoughtless owners.

I used to be a frequent flyer of Fresh Taco! They were fast, tasty and the prices were spot on!!!
I haven’t been to this place in 5 YEARS! Maybe pre-​YELP? WHY? The last time I stopped in, I observed an older gentleman/​worker in the back performing the usual restaurant tasks that one would expect to see. Chopping tomatoes, restocking sour cream, lettuce, et al…
He then took his index finger & placed it on his right nostril and blew mucous out of his left nostril. I stood there stunned as the young cashier took my order & then walked out. Never to return.
I often wonder if they are still owned by the same people or if he still works there as I frequent this area several times/​week for business.

Fresh Taco is little more than a hole in the wall on Elm St. that happens to sell tacos and burritos, and given that fact it’s surprisingly good. Food is standard fare Mexican — burritos, tacos, quesadillas, etc. — that comes in big portions for low prices. Eating in the restaurant itself is practically not an option, as the atmosphere is non-​existent and there are barely any tables anyhow; get your food and eat it elsewhere! Haven’t had any bad experiences with the Chinese family who runs the place, unlike some other users, but maybe I’ve just been lucky. Overall, a good go-​to place for cheap Mexican food.

I don’t care what anyone says. I like this place. It’s true that the restaurant is not pretty, but the food is a fun, inexpensive change of pace. It is sort of a delightfully pleasant mix of the best cheap Mexican and cheap Chinese foods. Portions are huge. Good comfort food. If you’re looking for fancy, you’d best go elsewhere. If you want good food and low prices, check this place out.

I figured it would be a good place for a quick lunch. and quick it was. the food was about a ²⁄₅ but what really upset me was the worker yelling on his cell phone swearing and cursing the whole 10 minutes I was In there. stay away. not worth it

I know all the bad reviews but ill give fresh taco a consistent and average 3 stars. ;)
We used to get delivery quite often. Quick, inexpensive and I have a liking for their soft taco with guacamole. the little cups they send of their spicy sauce help kick up the chicken soft taco :)

You might get excited to order from this place because it’s cheaper than most Mexican places.
Well, all my experiences have been bad.
While most of the ingredients are there, the food doesn’t taste Mexican.
The shells for the tacos are basically spring roll dough and the meat is kind of flavorless.
Also, the food is quite heavy and I did not feel well after eating it.

I’ve been avoiding this place because I hear nothing but bad things…
Even the reviews are not on the good side, but my company moved offices to a location right next door, in a pinch for time, I tried it today for lunch.
The interior is small, and feels like an independent «Taco Bell», and I believe they try to mimic the food.
It’s not entirely bad. The crunchy corn taco shells seemed fresh, and my taco was topped with lettuce, tomato & cheddar cheese. The steak was way overcooked and not juicy at all, the taco sauce added good flavor and kick to an otherwise bland taco.
I didn’t sample the beans or rice.
If I was in another time crunch, i’d go back, it took them less than 5 minutes to get me out the door.

The food does not taste very fresh. There are much better burrito options in the city. I’m disappointed I ate here.

I got a chili enchilada for a quick meal. The enchilada itself was not bad but nothing to write home about either. However the rice is super bland and the black beans were dry and had a slight burnt taste due to being cooked way too long. A quick fix but by no means the freshest.

I’m not even sure what I just ate… Chinese-​Mexican fusion?
The enchiladas were eggrolls with grilled chicken and veggies inside. It’s like if someone described «Mexican» food to a person who had never eaten it before, and then made them cook it.
Most surprisingly, it tasted decent… but it’s a FAR stretch to call this Mexican food. I’ll probably not eat here again, as it was also quite bland.