Tijuana Flats

Tijuana flats is the best! Thank you for the gift card, not necessary, however greatly appreciated! We feasted on tacos, flautas, and another taco salad. Without question one of my most favorite restaurants in the area!!!

Ok… after reading the reviews, I was confused. Brett N. (who writes some good reviews) blasted this place. And yet many other people seem to love it.
So I decided to try it last night for dinner (mostly because my girlfriend wanted to try it!)
I ordered the Dos Carnitas Tacos… thinking «How could they mess that up. it is so simple»! Then the girl at the counter asked me if I wanted soft or hard tacos. I said «soft, CORN tortillas please!». she said they don’t do soft corn tortillas, as they fall apart too easily. I said «that is why it is sometimes a good idea to double them for juicy tacos», and she just sort of stared at me. So I said «ok… soft, flour tortillas, fine…»
Girlfriend ordered the chicken Flautas… a dish she loves when done properly.
We did not order any sides, or chips… as we were not that hungry. But they brought us a comp order of chips and salsa when they found out it was our first time there. Which was very nice of them.
Now keep in mind, I grew up in Texas, and know Tex-​Mex and Mexican food pretty well. I have also lived in New Mexico and Colorado… where good Mexican food is pretty common. I have also spent a lot of time in Mexico, from Cozumel to Puerto Vallarta… and I always eat the street food that the natives are eating… not the cheesey tourist, gringo spots! I also love to cook Mexican and Tex-​Mex, and have been told by many that I do it very well.
So to my horror, I find that Tijuana Flats is like the McDonalds of Mexican food. I could not even finish my tacos. They were that bad!
My girlfriend did not finish her «Flautas» either… they were more like chimichangas (or deep fried burritos) than any flauta I have ever seen. She said that all she could taste was the cheese, and it was not that great.
On the free chips and salsa? I ate a couple of chips with the salsa… but did not like it. It was SWEET… it had SUGAR in it or something, something a savory salsa should never have (at least not to a sweet level… it is ok to add a touch to kill bitterness if your jalapenos are bitter, but just a tiny bit). This tasted like it was created to fit America’s sweet tooth, along with all of the sugary drinks, candy and Chick-​fil-​A… it was not salsa.
Yes… I was appalled! (and Yes. I might be being a bit dramatic… but it was that bad!)
If you like tourist Mexican food, you will love this place. If you want real Mexican Tacos, I would suggest Loli’s or even Taco Bus.
Blech… one star for the food!
On the other hand… the people working there were friendly, and helpful. That was nice… but nothing could make up for the food!
Nope, Nope and triple Nope. we are not going back!

Horrible with online orders. Had to wait 45 minutes after getting there to pick it up. I actually had to ask about it till they went back and noticed it unbagged sitting there as my husband saw it there minutes ago. And if you add notes to online orders they normally don’t look at those, as my orders were incomplete before as they didn’t look at them. So I’ve decided to call to make sure they read them. Honestly, we’ve come to this Tijuana for 5 years, and it’s been the past two years they’ve been super slow.

First, I love how this location delivers next door to Golfer’s Grail indoor golf and I’m not the only one at GG who orders from there on a regular basis. Yes, you can order from the servers at GG and someone from Tijuana Flats will walk it over to you while you hit golf balls.
This works for me because I’m not really into the hipster vibe of TF and I don’t understand why they keep the fountain soft drink machine behind the counter even though they offer free refills. Especially during busy times, and this place gets packed, it wastes an employee doing something we customers are used to doing on our own virtually anywhere else.
The food is really prepared well. Quesadillas are stuffed full, a burrito ordered «wet» turns a common handheld item into a knife and fork meal and ordering two tacos here is the equivalent of about 4 – 5 at a fast food place.
While most say chips are chips, something about the chips at TF is a step up. Must be the seasoning and the queso is the right color and consistency.
Also, the kids menu here is a bargain. We cannot tell much difference between the size of the «adult» quesadilla and the kids version and it comes with the same chips, but also M & M’s and a small drink.

Great food, nice place and affordable. Love the staff. Good vibes! It’s been here for years. Great place for kids.

Why 2 stars? Because it was what I thought it was.
— — —
I believe in second chances, and I hate giving businesses poor reviews. These are the reasons I recently visited Tijuana Flats, after years of labeling them as one of the worst and most overrated restaurants that I’ve ever been to.
I also believe in constructive criticism, and phrasing things in a way that do not offend those involved… but I’m not going to sugar coat this one — I’ve referred to Tijuana Flats as the Alpo of Mexican food. I know Mexican food is somewhat hard to come by in the Bay Area, but you can do (MUCH) better than TF.
So if I hated it that much, why did I return? Well, in addition to the reasons I listed above, one Drew Garabo of 102.5 FM, the Bone, has showered TJ’s with praise over the years. And across the many times I’ve been fortunate enough to be on his radio program, we’ve shared many of our favorite restaurants with each other. It’s uncanny how our opinions on things are almost universally identical. Tijuana Flats is basically the only place we don’t see eye to eye on.
I brought this up with him on the Unilocal Tampa Bay Podcast (shameless plug: search Unilocal Tampa Bay on iTunes or anywhere you listen to podcasts) and vowed to return to TJ’s, if he provided me an exact list of what to order. His suggestions:
–Carnitas Burrito… or if I’m going all-​out with unhealthiness, the chimichanga. And smother it in queso.
Fortunately, you can get mini versions of the burrito and chimichanga under the «2 for $ 10» menu. Done! I then returned to the table, where my fiancé had chips and queso already waiting for me.
As I chowed down on the chips and queso, I was excited and hopeful that my opinion would be changed today. After all, I love Mexican food and this location is only a couple of miles from my house. How great would it be if I had another nearby place to add to the list? And the chips/​queso certainly was a great first step in the right direction — I loved the seasoning on the chips, and the queso was perfect.
But then my order was delivered to the table… and it was just as I remembered.
—I don’t eat at fast food places like McDonald’s, because I feel like the meat is so disgusting, that it makes me feel ill. A burger may cost $ 2.99, but it also tastes like that’s how much it’s worth.
This is how I feel about the meat at Tijuana Flats. It just tastes… off. And when I say off, I mean it’s gross. It actually makes my appetite vanish.
I ended up ordering Steak for my chimichanga, and while the meat was a little better, the combination of veggies and over-​loaded sour cream did not have a good taste. I liked the texture of the lightly fried burrito, but that’s where it ended.
I tried a few bites of my fiancé’s double cheesy tacos. The first couple of bites were much better than anything on my plate… but then the next couple of bites tasted, again, «off.» Like the vegetables were either stale or just didn’t combine very well together.
We left feeling disgusting/​bloated, without even eating half of our food. This will absolutely be my last visit to Tijuana Flats, for the rest of my life.
Again, I hate to kill a small business, but my message to all patrons of TJ’s: this is a horrific version of what Mexican food should be. Any alternative is a better one!

Why 4 Stars? This is an updated review. It’s been almost a year since I’ve visited this location. I was in the area with a friend and decided to give them another chance.
Major improvement since the last visit. It was my friends 1^st time here, one of the lovely gals brought some samples of the sauce bar of her favorites along with chips and salsa while we were deciding our meals. I wish I caught her name, but she gets a gold star.
Food was exactly how we ordered, making additions and omissions to some of the menu items. Excellent job to the back of the house. Our drinks were topped off before they were empty.
Almost a 5 star experience, the only request I have is keeping the tables cleared after guests leave.
Overall very satisfied, glad the owners/​management/​staff were able to change my review and options at this location.

Taco Tuesday! What a deal! 2 Taco’s, chips and a drink for about $ 6 dollars. Had 2 beef taco’s all the way. You have your choice of hard or soft taco’s, beef, chicken, bean or carnitas.
They have a hot sauce bar included that has everything from a very mild chili to red and black ghost peppers. Each sauce is labeled from a happy face (mild) to skull and cross bones (extra hot).
The place gets very busy on Tuesdays but they have 3 cashiers and the lines go very quickly. Food runners bring the food out and call your name.
Fun place for a really inexpensive dinner for 2. Under $ 13. Can’t beat it.

Very few chains have consistently friendly and efficient service. Tijuana Flats is the exception. I have been to this particular location many times. The staff is always super friendly and helpful.
The food is always fresh and delicious.
Our whole family loves Tijuana Flats menu.
I especially love that I can get a «bowl» with blackened chicken and «power lite» with low fat sour cream and cheese.

Excellent location. Bar none the FRIENDLIEST staff anywhere. Greeted at the door, everywhere a «how are you» and «thank you,» this is service. Huge interior means plenty of seating. Haven’t had a bad experience at any of the TF locations and Tampa keeps it up.
Super fast food time and they didn’t hold back on the plates — no skimping on the fillings.
Parking is shared but I found a spot pretty closeby.

I Love This Place! I’ve been coming here for about 8 years. Love the megajuana beef and black bean burrito. The atmosphere is fun and the décor is eclectic. If you doubt it, just look up! All the ceiling tiles are artfully painted. The bumper stickers stuck to the wall of the front counter where you order and they are all funny. They have a wide array of autographed photos of famous people, mainly athletes. Now comes my favorite part! The hot sauce bar!!! OOOOOOHHHH YEEEAAAH! I LOVE hot sauce! I like it so much I have actually done shots of habanero sauce straight up! They have a large selection of sauces and they are marked with the names of the sauces, ingredients, and level of hotness. They have mild to extreme heat. *If you ask them, they can give you a taste of their hottest sauces that they keep behind the counter. You have to sign a waiver and they give it to you as a little itty bitty speck on the end of a toothpick. I have done it and I handled it like a champ, of course. My friend, however, didn’t do as wonderfully, lol. There was lots of sweating, eyes bulging, and drinking soda. Now for the staff. There is usually someone to open the door for you. Everyone is very young and cute. They are attentive and very friendly.

Terrific service. Awesome food. Black bean tacos are my fav. Only downside, the music is so LOUD. Difficult to relax and have conversations.

First time there. It was just what I expected (which is not a bad thing) except there’s only beer and sangria and no Margaritas. We had the chips and guacamole, chicken tostadas and chicken chimichangas and churros for desert. The food was good, borderline great but not awesome. The staff was very friendly and energetic. The only bad thing was that the churros where a bit overcooked and hard. Overall, it was a good enough 3.5 to get a 4 instead of a 3.

Customers of various Tijuana Flats locations for 13 years. We went to this location over Labor Day weekend. While the staff was pleasant and attentive this place has serious problems in the kitchen. Both my granddaughter and I ordered Chicken Quesadillas (the only food we had in common that day). We both became very sick after eating our meals. I have filed a complaint with the State of Florida DHR and sent a letter to Brad Kaemmer, CEO of Tijuana Flats, hopefully the issues will get resolved soon so they don’t get other customers sick. If they can’t get food safety right they have major issues. We will no longer be visiting any restaurants in this chain.

My two favorite days to go to Tijuana Flats are Taco Tuesdays and Burrito Thursdays. $ 5.49 gets you two tacos, chips, and a drink on Tuesdays and $ 5.99 gets you a Tijuana sized burrito, chips, and a drink. By far better than Moe’s and don’t forget the queso!

First time trying this place and I must say not bad. Food was good and for the price can’t complain out the door 10 $. two things that put it over the top for me is one friendly staff and two the fact they have a hot sauce bar. If your a hot sauce person you must try this place. I will be going back

Parking: Shared with other businesses in the mall area. I’ve been here a few times, expected to have some trouble parking, but have always found a space right in front.
This is a walk up to the counter, order, sit down, and your meals are brought to you.
Service: Very good. Smiles. Our chips and salsa was brought out quickly after ordering. The meals not too long after that. We were there about 40 minutes and were asked 3 – 4 times if we wanted our drinks refilled.
Food: I had a Chimichanga with beef. topping included the sour cream, tomatoes, and jalepenos. Great taste including the fried wrapped tortilla. Done very well. The chips and salsa were slightly above average.
Return: yupp. will do so.

WEAK ASS Burrito! I got the carnitas but you wouldn’t know it as there was only about two bites of pork in there, maybe 3 jalapenos, 1 piece of onion, and maybe 2 pieces of tomato.
The rice and beans were ok but I only got one small little spoonful of each.
Very disappointed with the small portions. Not worth the expensive prices AT ALL. Save your money and go to a REAL Mexican place where they actually give you a full meal for half the price.

The staff is always friendly and helpful. They have the best fresh food Mexican style around.
Tuesday’s are kinda crazy with Taco Tuesday but the price is right. Just wear shoes that protect your toes from the brats.
I love the chopped ice that makes any drink better and your beer colder. This place is great for meeting friends and having a few drinks and cheap good food.

Never found a bad one, every new Tijuana Flats I enter, I enjoy. Love the chicken chimi and smack my ass sauce! I get it without lettuce but EVERYTHING ELSE! My fiancée gets it with lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream. And of course she likes the smack my ass and call me sally sauce too!
Tijuana Flats is kinda like an upgrade on Qdoba or Chipotle. They have a better selection, more like a Mexican Restaurant, but you still wait in line to order. They do have beer, that is a plus, but the ambiance is really what makes Tijuana Flats better than and different than its competition. Fun and hip with vibrant colors and crazy décor, this place will bring the kid right out of you!
What really sets Tijuana flats top notch is the sauces, The smack my ass sauce is always gonna be a pleaser, but their are so many different choices, and lots are really hot and spicy. The smack my ass sauce is not spicy, much more sweet, but when I need to mix it up and get some spice, I can utilize their handy sauce color coding and find whatever hotness I need. With the insane sauce selection, you have endless combinations.
Service was fast and friendly, even for a crowded Friday night. Tijuana Flats is fun and filling and you should have a blast at this location.