Mesa Grande Taqueria

Agree with prior reviews — it is way too similar to Chipotle in décor. Maybe that is why when I started to eat the food, I was comparing it to Chipotle in my mind and setting that as the baseline? Other reviewers do the same, I almost think that hurts Mesa Grande vs helping.
We went for lunch on a Monday, pretty slow in there.
I had the taco option with corn soft tacos. I went for the vegetarian– black beans, skipped the rice (wish brown rice was an option), lettuce, tomato, cilantro, guacamole and pico de gallo and sour cream on the side. I just feel it lacked flavor. I was looking for more. I went back up and got a side of the hot salsa to provide flavor.
I appreciate that they source locally and also make their items from scratch in house, so points for that. I also would much rather support a local business than a national chain.
Husband had the barbacoa burrito– again comparing it to Chipotle — he said it was good but didn’t have the heat that Chipotle’s does.
If you are in the area and feeling like Mexican style food, go for it. Just don’t get in comparing it to Chipotle.

Decent! Kind of a Chipotle rip off (which I don’t entirely understand because they would be fine doing their own thing) but local! Worth the drive out to Camillus near my fav store, Costco. Mesa Grande offers pretty much what you can find at Chipotle. Two things that stuck out that I liked better than Chipotle was the flavor of the chicken. The chicken is pulled and is SO flavorful unlike Chipotle. They also have better beverage variety so you actually might not get water. & Spanish rice! My boyfriend said he liked it better than Chipotle which is huge coming from him! Will be back.

Good service, nice set up and the employees were diligently cleaning. I had the tacos, three per order, so I highly recommend it. It gives you the opportunity to try at least three of their meat offerings. I had the pollo asado, pollo tirado, and the carnitas. All of them were good but my favorite was the carnitas. Obviously this is not authentic Mexican food, it compares to Moes or Chipotle or Quidoba. For a quick bite is not bad. I would come again. Oh by the way, the music playing is more Caribbean than Mexican but I loved it. ¡Buen Provecho!

Food was good, selection was a basic taqueria, they had some organic selection wish they had more

Pretty darn good meat and condiments. And I always love it when restaurants make the customers sort out their trash and dishes. However the staff that day was pretty upset and it kind of affected our moods as well as out hot sauce. (One staff member asked another if she remembered which sauce was medium and hot and she basically said I dont care.) So all in all good food, but I wish the staff was happier and more careful.

This place is a real winner… it’s a locally owned establishment… they place an emphasis on the quality of the food they prepare. The food Is always fresh, have been a frequent visitor (twice a week since they opened). As they get more experienced in making product, portion size and consistency of size should improve. The only thing that annoys me Ali’s that the chips cost extra. Jim D… you are doing a good job… keep it up.

I was surprised to see all the unpleasant reviews for this place. It does copy chipotle, but I did still find it to be tasty. Better than taco bell, and not quite as good as an authentic mexican restaurant… Just like chipotle and moes. I had the chicken burrito bowl and was satisfied with my choice. I didn’t witness anything unsanitary, but if I did (like the previously mentioned glove and cell phone scenario) I definitely would have been grossed out. A little pricey for an average burrito place, but I would go again.

enjoy the hard tacos and think they are the best in this town, see no reason for the prior harsh reviews, it’s fine there! I’ll continue to eat there and encourage people to as well… let’s get real peps… it’s a taco or borritto not a kobe steak, gimme a break go eat taco bell !

This is a locally owned and operated restaurant in the genre of cafeteria style burrito joints, a la chipotle. The food is locally sourced and organic and moreover, their profits go directly into the pockets of your neighbors, thus improving the whole economy. Give them your business! I went there and the food was fresh and delicious!

Nice atmosphere, clean dining area and great food. My staple there is the chicken burrito and it’s always delicious. I like they prepare everything fresh right there. Plus it’s a locally owned business!

I ordered the tacos and was very impressed with the quality of the homemade hard taco shell and thought that the fresh jalapenos were a great addition. We ordered online and picked up, which was very easy to do. They seemed a little disorganized but I’m sure that will change as it’s around longer. I’m not a fan of the rice they use at Chipotle and this is much fresher compared to Moe’s, which is also located in Camillus. If I’m going to get quick Mexican food again, I will definitely go here.

Have been here a couple times since they opened and will definitely be back. The restaurant is very clean and the staff was friendly. The food was great. I loved the chips and guacamole and enjoyed a great burrito. I also like how environmentally friendly they are with the biodegradable containers, recycling bins, and glasses for drinks instead of plastic. I thought that the prices were reasonable as well. I am very excited that we have a great Mexican restaurant in the area and we will definitely be visiting regularly.

Went here last night for a Cinco de Mayo treat. I will give them a little leeway considering they’ve only been open for a week or so, but I was pretty underwhelmed. First off, I really wanted a margarita (it was on their menu), but they haven’t received their liquor license yet. Again, I understand they are new and not everything is in place. Just kind of a bummer since I was craving one for the holiday. I understand most new restaurants have a time period between opening and receiving their liquor license, so no points lost for me.
What was unfortunate was the quantity and quality of the food. I ordered a quesadilla with the barbacoa beef. The beef looked better than it tasted. It was flavorless. They also put a pretty small portion on the tortilla. Not even a full ladle for the giant tortillas that they use. They also never asked me if I wanted any veggies on it. It was just meat, cheese, and a tortilla. I saw (too late) that there were grilled onions and peppers sitting there. Probably would have improved the flavor. Maybe it’s my fault for not asking for it up front. I’ve never been to a MGT so I didn’t know how it worked. I assumed I would go down the line (Subway-​style) and be asked what else I wanted on the quesadilla before they put it on the grill. But they never asked.
We also ordered the guacamole which had NO flavor. I mean, none at all. I tasted no citrus or cilantro. Just bland and flavorless. And our order of chips were hard as a rock. Maybe we arrived late (8:30ish) and they had been sitting for awhile.
One thing that really stood out was one of the food counter employees who had gloves on and was preparing food also had her cell phone out. She was trying to read something while making the food and actually put her phone in the non-​food side (attached lid) of someone’s take out container. She pushed it down the line while throwing cheese and lettuce into the food side (which of course was also getting all over her phone) and trying to read her phone inside the lid. Maybe I’m weird, but that really bothered me. I don’t know where that phone has been. To place it directly into someone’s food container and handle their food with gloves while also handling your cell phone just seems unsanitary. Why wear gloves at all if you’re still going to handle non-​food items? The only excuse I can see is if she was making a container for herself. If so, they may want to think about not doing that in front of customers. It really wigged me out!
Again, I realize new establishments are still working out the kinks. The inside was very nice and clean. I like that they have separate trash bins for recycling. I won’t say I’ll never go again, but I will probably wait awhile until I see improved Unilocal reviews.

So not really sure what to say here. There are some pro’s like the chips and pork. But really it is trying to be a chipotle (the look of the place and the food) but comes up short. Also, $ 24 for two is a little on the $$$ for Mexican. The steak was overdone and watching a worker take money with gloves on, not change them, and make someones burrito was gross. Overall changes will need the made for this place to survive.