Turtles Taco Shop

This place is great. Food is delicious and comes out quick, hot and fresh. And you won’t leave hungry! We ordered the loaded fries. They were frozen bagged fries which was probably the only non fresh thing– but they were doused with guac, sour cream, jalapeños and pico. I ordered fish burrito which after ordering was kind of an odd dish but still tasted good– my husbNd order the shredded beef borrito and loved it– we also ordered cheese quesadilla for our son– which were cheesy and gooey and awesome! We lived in south Florida for 5 years and had our fair share of tacos, burritos, etc– and this place can definitely compete with them all…
The few negatives we thought was the ventilation inside is horrendous! You can see the greasy smoke and leave there smelling like a fryolater — and a few more choices of hot sauces would have been nice instead of just one hot sauce to choose.
We will be back for sure but probably for takeout unless the smoke situation is fixed…

I ordered a chicken burrito here and was quite disappointed. It tasted like each ingredient was quickly microwaved and thrown together. The chicken was cold and did not taste fresh. The rice was dry and tasted like it sat out for a while. I’ve gotten a better burrito at Taco Bell. Would not go back and waste the $ 7.

NOTE: I am not a fan of Mexican food, Spanish food etc. so keep that in mind, to be fair.
My friend forced me to go to Turtles Taco a few weeks ago and I finally agreed. I always have an open mind with food because I love eating, so I figured I’d find something redeeming.
I ordered one of their steak burritos (all of their burritos are basically the same exact ingredients so no idea why they bother with the huge list). It was big, so I was excited when I saw that.
But it was the most boring burrito I could have ever imagined. I basically ended up opening up the burrito to dig through it. It was ALL plain, unflavored bean paste and beans. I found barely any steak. I couldn’t believed I paid $ 10 for a bunch of bean paste and rice. I felt like I was eating at a cheap food truck at a carnival or something. It was so plain and bland and mushy. It was like baby food.
I will probably not be going back, but I hope it was just a fluke.

Finding delicious tacos or Mexican food in New England is ridiculously difficult. This place slays that idea and serves up delicious, authentic, and fresh food.
We sampled a few things and everything was great!
I suggest you try a few different tacos. You won’t be sorry!
The staff was very nice and accommodating as well. Win/​Win!

On our last trip there we got a Steak burrito and a Steak taco.
The taco was delicious and tasted authentic. Ingredients tasted fresh.
My only gripe was that it was not hot or even warm, which didn’t make much sense to me considering there was an above-​average wait time for our food to come out.
The rice in the burrito wasn’t fully cooked, and there were many hard pieces.
Parking is on-​street. Though there are a couple of parking lots nearby.

We looked forward to lunches at Turtles when we were in Putnam every summer. The food was great. We liked to sit outside at the picnic table. We could bring our dog with us. The man who owns the place got to recognize us, and would spend a few minutes talking with us. We wanted him to move to Florida so we could enjoy the great food forever

Sitting here eating the steak quesadilla and I’m in love.
I like finding small shops with amazing food. I’m not disappointed here.
Only 4 stars for the sports TV going kinda loud in the dining room.

Quesadilla was good. 5 mini tacos were awful taco shells we weird. How do you run out of guacamole at a taco shop? Loaded chips no guacamole, still charged full price. Over priced, we probably won’t go back.

What happened to this place? It used to be good, now it tastes like white people trying to make Mexican food. No spice and no flavor. Also they didn’t heat up the tortilla so it was cold.
Speaking of cold, service was not very friendly and they had Fox News on blast. Lol no thx.

I go here pretty often and you can even get whatever you want vegan! However I always get the vegetarian burrito and the service is always good to me! The «manager» always asks if the food was okay and he seems to always care !

I’m writing this while I wait for my take out order. I haven’t been in over a year because the last time I came here I got terrible service. It started that way again. Standing at the counter reading the menu and the guy behind the counter doesn’t even ask if I’m set to order when I assume a regular walks in and he ask her what she wants. Omg! As I’m ordering… No smile… He is simply is not happy. I’ll keep you posted on the food in a bit.
I will say, the young lady who brought out my order was very pleasant. So someone does smile there.
Ok… Just finished. Ok Steak Tacos but the Chicken Tacos were disappointing. The Beef Tacos were odd. Someone mentioned mystery meat was correct. Bean & Cheer Burritos was delicious. If I could give 2.5 stars I would but I’ll stick with 2 Stars.

The flavors are great but I wish they would warm up the tortillas for the mini tacos. They were cold like they had just come out of the fridge.

My wife and I stumbled on this place through Unilocal.We recently moved from Maryland to RI and were looking for a great burrito. We found it here.
We will be driving the 25 miles from our house to Turtles Taco Shop on a regular basis. Worth every mile for their superb burritos and other offerings.

The guy behind the counter was pretty off putting but the food overall was really good. The burritos are huge but not heavy and greasy like others. The chicken and steak tacos were a little small but delicious. The ingredients seem fresh and I really like the use of the cotija cheese. The only thing I didn’t like at all was the seasoned beef taco. Not even remotely good.

Have you heard the news?! There’s a ‘Southern California Style Taco Shop’ in Connecticut, and its freakin’ awesome!
I’m now a couple years removed from my SoCal life, but doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten the goodness I left behind. Something about a chipotle burrito just turns me off, and the Mexican offerings in Connecticut as a whole are just lacking. BUT NOT ANYMORE!
But before I add any more exclamation marks and accolades — lets be clear — this is a 5 star ‘Connecticut Taco Shop.’ But hey, thats not a knock on the deliciousness — we’re 3,000 miles away from southern california, and the recreation is pretty spot on.
CALI BURRITO. CALI BURRITO. CALI BURRITO.
GUAC. FRENCH FRIES. CARNE ASADA.
This is real carne, not ‘marinated steak’ as the americanized menu states. If you want carne asada, get it here!
This place is even better than the new haven taco trucks, SO GOOD!
This place is an hour away from my house, but I will be back. Definitely. Thank you for solving my california cravings Turtles Taco Shop!

Great food but horrendous service. Messed my order up two consecutive times. The employees just do not listen to what you are saying no matter how many times you repeat yourself.

after reading all the rave reviews, i have to say: i expected more. the décor is colorful, and there are picnic tables, so you can take your meal outside on a nice day/​evening. food is largely affordable, and there is a little lot right across the way with free parking (and you could always park on one of the close-​by side streets).
i came in on a recent night, choosing to get a little takeout, instead of cooking dinner from scratch.
oddly enough, the menu is incredibly one-​note. pick one of four or five proteins, choose your format, and everything’s basically the same; the only real difference is how the food is delivered to your mouth: in your hand in a taco, on a fork in a salad, on a fork in a burrito, in your hand on a chip– you get my drift. not wanting to choose poorly (and thinking staff would know best), i said i wanted to spend about $ 20– what’s good? i understand this is slightly unusual behavior, and staff was a little flustered, but came up with this, after discussing my likes and dislikes: chicken taco salad with cilantro dressing, fish taco, chorizo taco, rice and beans.
taco salad: the chicken wasn’t shredded, it wasn’t diced, it wasn’t strips, it wasn’t ground. i’m not sure how to describe it. it was tasty, but odd. greens were a nice mix of field and romaine, and there was a good amount of corn, black beans, and pico de gallo. when mixed altogether, the salad had a great overall flavor. the cilantro dressing was more like an herbaceous, kicked-​up ranch. it was delicious, and i was given an ample amount.
fish taco: i think it was tilapia, slightly rubbed with some blackening seasoning. the fish was fresh, moist, and tasty. it was topped with some kind of chipotle sauce, as well as shredded cabbage, guacamole, and corn. tasty, but it needed more. if the cabbage had been dressed with some vinegar, or some of the cilantro dressing, this taco would have been out of this world. i know that isn’t traditional, but tradition isn’t a reason not to improve. so, instead, this taco was a little dry and disappointing.
chorizo taco: i was surprised– the chorizo itself was yummy, and not ground in the fashion to which i’m used. this appeared to be a link that had been diced, casing still intact. i liked it. standard toppings continued to apply, including corn and guac. it was good, but also a little– eh. some cilantro, some chiles, vinegar– something was needed to cut through the fat.
rice and beans: rice was underwhelming. it was tinted red, so there must have been some seasoning (paprika?), but it was undetectable. i doctored it with some mild salsa (salsa verde), and then doctored it further with the hot salsa (traditional red). CA style, these are liquid and without any chunks. the rice– even with all the added flavor– still didn’t do anything for me. the refried beans were nothing special. they tasted good, but could have easily come from a can.
overall– i wouldn’t NOT go back, but it wouldn’t be my first choice, either.
*also– not sure if they simply don’t have A/​C, or if it was broken that day, but it was HOT outside, and it was HOT inside. they also don’t serve any alcohol which, i have to say, when i’m eating mexican, i want beer. one more strike.

I found this place when I had a hankering for good tacos at work. Went once, and have been a huge fan since! I travel 30 minutes from my house just to get their food. Wonderfully fresh ingredients, awesome selection of items, and they are really accommodating with substitutions. My wife is gluten-​free, so their menu full of corn tortilla items really makes her happy. Some of my favorites: The marinated steak fries, the taco salad, and the shredded beef conga (big burrito). And they make their own hot and mild sauces!
The only downside I can complain about is a good, full online menu is very hard to find. Hopefully they will fix that.

Good more Mexicali flavor! Finally got my comfort food. Rick makes a banging burrito.
Had the chorizo burrito. Perfect. Nice spice. Made from chopped meat rather than ground Mexican chorizo. The spice was spot on. Potato was soft and not fried hash, these boys know how to make it.
Mum had the grande steak burrito. Weighty and well priced.
Side note: the mild salsa has a nice zing. Garlicky, vinegary tomatillo, and jalapeño. Not too hot. It actually is mild.
I am looking forward to adding this as a regular go to.

I’ve been coming to this place since it opened and just got back from being gone for almost a year and tried it again tonight and I was very happy.
All the vegetarian meals can easily be made vegan and they are all delicious! Soyrizo is vegan (I asked), so just ask for «vegan style» and you will get the perfect burrito/​taco/​tostada for you!!!
The hot salsa that they make is VERY hot, to me it didn’t seem like a very deep flavor to me, but still very spicy. Everything made to order is not spicy at all though.
I also wasn’t a fan of the chips and salsa… they just poured pico all over the chips. which was weird.
But really it was delicious and definitely some of the best mexican food you can get in the Northeast that I’ve come across. (and im looking now because i just got back from New Mexico)