Tijuana Flats

This place is great, by far some of the best salsa I have ever tasted. Everything I have tried there so far as been great. They are so worth checking out for Taco Tuesdsays!

Tijuana Flats is another entry in Mexican-​inspired fast casual dining. There’s tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and enchiladas. But does it live up to the golden standard of Taco Bell? There’s no Cheesy Gordita Crunch at Tijuana Flats, but it does manage to beat Taco Bell.
Come here on Tuesday nights for 2 tacos, chips and a drink for $ 5.49. This may seem like a more average deal, but the tacos at Tijuana are twice as long as the tacos at other places. Substitute steak for $ 0.50 more per taco. I don’t know why, but I’ve always had a particular fondness for steak crunchy tacos. Ingredients are fresh, and the meat is hormone-​free. As a result, the tacos are consistently very good.
I’m mildly intrigued by the hot sauce bar at Tijuana Flats, but I’d prefer a salsa bar instead. Some of the hot sauces work decently as a de facto salsa, but actual salsa costs extra at Tijuana Flats. I can somewhat understand this practice, given Tijuana’s reasonably low prices.
I often prefer to spend Taco Tuesdays at nearby Torero’s because I can buy 35 023 593 tacos at $ 1 a piece. The quality of the tacos at Tijuana Flats make it an equally good choice for Taco Tuesdays.

Stopped in for an appetizer and a beer, and was asked for my id. If restaurants can’t hire people competent enough that they don’t have to ask a 60 year old woman for id for a beer, then they should not be in business. The girl laughed when I refused, apparently she thought it was funny. Get a clue business owners and managers, people do not have to show an id needlessly and expose their personal information to someone incapable of common sense and judgement. In this day of personal identity theft, that is very inappropriate. There is enough information on a drivers license to steal an identity and do serious damage. I refused to purchase anything and left and I will NOT be back there ever again.

Great food and great staff! I came in and was greeted immediately. I got the throwback Thursday special of a burrito, chips and a drink for 5.99. It was well worth it. The staff made sure I had everything I needed, including coming out twice to see if I needed a refill. I’ll be back

My boyfriend and I tried to have dinner here, but we ended up having to eat somewhere else. We shouldn’t have ordered anything, because the whole place smelled like cleaning supplies when we walked in. He ordered enchiladas, but they just looked gross. I got through one taco, and I felt sick the rest of the night. No thanks.

It usually takes a lot for me to give a five star review, but I simply can’t think of anything that I do not like about Tijuana. This is the only location I go to and I’ve never left disappointed, besides the time they took my fake ID the first and only time I tried to use one sometime last year. Oh well, I didn’t really think it would work anyway. :P Anywho, I’m a huge fan of the food here. It’s not 5 star because it’s the most phenomenal Tex-​Mex out there, but every dish is delicious and comes with guacamole, chips & salsa, and there is a pretty wide ranging hot sauce bar in every location as far as I know. The restaurant is mildly interesting with art all over the walls and employees proudly displaying their various piercings. I can respect that Tijuana does not force anyone to remove their modifications. All in all, it’s an exceptional casual restaurant that always delivers on taste and options.

Wem es scharf magt… Mexikaner mit Salsa Bar
Relativ gute Mexikaner. fast casual d.h. mischung zwischen fast food mit leichte Bedienung. Typische Gerichte aber mit eine Salsa Bar mit vielleicht 15 Salsa Sorten von mild bis Ghost Pepper scharf.

Great service, fast but nothing special enough about the food to mention. Hungry? it will work, wanting something special? probably not going to find it here.
Not bad, not great

Our daughter’s favorite restaurant in Cary. Fantastic customer service and excellent hot sauce bar. We’ve consistently enjoyed all of the dishes we’ve ordered and the staff always throws in little extras for our girls :)

The food is decent, but there is no way I would go back here. I tagged along with friends one Sunday for lunch, and I felt like I was being packed onto the Tokyo subway. I have never felt so cramped in a restaurant before. Tables are extremely close together, tiny footpaths getting in and around the place, and noisy. Take out about ¹⁄₃ of the tables and it would be a bit better.

Very disappointed! It was like spending over $ 20 to eat at Taco Bell. The taco shells are prefab and the chips came right out of the bag. They will also charge you extra for Salza even though they do have sauces that are free. I don’t mind spending a little money on a great lunch but I won’t be back here again.

This place is the bomb! The best service of any restaurant in that area! All the workers had smiling faces and was eager to serve. I sat outside with a couple friends and enjoyed $ 1 drafts on Cinco De Mayo. I’m allergic to cilantro so they specially made me pico de gallo that I could have. I asked a server her favorite sauce and she said Georgia Peach, and I agree! We were frequently visited by multiple workers to make sure we were perfect at all times. I will recommend this place to everyone.

I was craving some Mexican food and decided to give Tijuana Flats a shot. Reading that there is no freezer and no microwave here made it sounds promising. Unfortunately, the food was just too simple and bland for me. I really miss that super good Mexican grub I was so lucky to have when living in California sometimes…
Everything did taste «clean» and fresh but there really weren’t developed flavors. I didn’t like that the burrito I had didn’t have beans and rice inside, but my husband liked that it was prepared this way. To each their own I guess.
The highlight of the lunch we had was definitely the dessert. We had the empanadas that had a cinnamon banana filling. This dish had the most flavor of any of the food we had, it was nice and warm, and definitely was big enough to share if needed.
I might give this place another shot if I scoured the menu and found something with potential to be more flavorful, but we shall see. There are a few other Mexican spots I’ve been curious about and will likely give them a shot too.

First time to this chain so my comments are as much about the concept as this particular restaurant. Lunch today with my family of 4. Food was mediorce at best and very overpriced. 2 tacos with plate of stale tortilla chips for $ 7.50. Hate to say it but for the value, I’d take Taco Bell over TF. This is my first and last time here.

I went to Tijuana Flats in Cary recently for lunch. I had been to one previously in Raleigh, but this was my first visit at this location. I had purchased a virtual gift card as part of a Groupon and needed to use it.
I ordered two steak tacos, one wheat and one corn which is a hard taco here. I also chips and queso as my side.
The tacos were quite large and the ingredients tasted very fresh. This is «Tex-​Mex» food, so it’s different from a typical Mexican place. The tacos as I mentioned are large, and they have a salsa bar with various level of sauces (even the infamous ghost chili sauce). Also this place is very «funky» with the décor and yes the staff and you might think you are in Chapel Hill or Durham instead of Cary. Everyone here is friendly and helpful, and made sure everything turned out right with my meal.
I wouldn’t hesitate to return to Tijuana Flats-​Cary for some fresh tasty Tex-​Mex!

There is nothing missing tijuana flats. They have great, fresh food made with high quality ingredients. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. They treat you like family. Also, they have an extensive hot sauce bar to suit everyone’s taste buds. The restaurant is nice with ample seating and patio seating when the weather permits. They also play great music.
Check out their specials on Mondays and Tuesdays. You can get a great meal for 6 or 7 bucks. I always get the tacos because they are so good. The queso is nothing special but the guacamole tastes pretty good. Give them a go, you won’t be disappointed.

Awesome place. The staff was friendly, competent and fun. Their occasional singing to the music would have been annoying some place else, but here it just complemented the whole experience. The food was great. Everything was fresh and prepared to perfection. Some Mexican food is just dripping with grease; not a bit of that here. The 15 hot sauces are fun to pick from. I can’t wait to go back.

The experience was good here. I ordered a beef taco and blackened chicken quesadilla both on whole wheat tortillas with a side of black beans and rice. The food was good, but the beans and rice seemed cold. It took awhile before I received my food too. The clerk at the register was very helpful with ordering, which helped since it was my first time here. I did love the jalepeno slices on it though and the choice of quirky named sauces.

As a fan of fresh mex, tex mex, quick serve mex, and all things mex, I always get a little excited when I see a new spot to try. Tijuana Flats has been in Cary for a number of years, but I just don’t make it to that side of town very often.
Tired of the local mex scene, we ventured out in search of something different. I liked their quick serv’ish model. I ordered two tacos and they were huge and delicious. I believe one was fish and the other was steak. They don’t come with chips and salsa, and every topping was extra I felt like, but still it was tasty!
The big plus, is they have outdoor seating. I’ll be back.

Still the best-​kept secret in the area.
TF’s combines decent tex-​mex with a rock and roll vibe, a pop-​art deco approach (each store has its own theme, similar to Fry’s Electronics. Cary’s is a rampaging robot. Chapel Hill’s is punk-​rock, sci-​fi basketball. Even the ceiling panels are decorated. Go to the men’s room, where the rampaging robot hits you up for TP…) and a hot-​sauce bar, to create a unique dining experience. The food is on par with any quick-​serve tex-​mex. Good vegetarian options. They recently streamlined their menu a bit, to make it a little more user friendly. Excellent guac. Solid queso (with free refills on both queso and chips – just ask). I’m not a fan of the salsa. It’s a little too sweet and overcooked for my tastes. Fresh salsa would be better here.
The big draw here is the hot sauce bar. TF’s has around twelve hot sauces available at any time, rated by smiley faces (a black face with X’s on the eyes is the most intense – their «Ghost» sauce), to try with the food. If a favorite sauce isn’t available, the manager will usually pull a bottle for you. The staff and managers are very attentive and outgoing, and the drinks are rarely empty.
The cookie dough flautas are an awesome dessert. Give them a try at least once.
While not strictly adult, this place does not flaunt a sanitized, Disneyfied «family friendly» vibe. When it opened, some of the more uptight, shi-​shi Cary-​ites threw fits over hot sauce names like «Slap My Ass and Call Me Sally» (several flavor profiles of it, no less), «Jason’s Mom,» and «Don’t be a Chickensh*t» being exposed to their over-​protected brood. But… this isn’t Monkey Joe’s. Likewise, when they were using Sirius-​XM for the background music, the occasional song with a salty word might play.
Unfortunately, it’s been infested with self-​important, Cary hipster foodies (as evidenced by a recent review) whose special-​snowflake mindset has killed the vibe a bit, but it’s still worth it for a lunch or dinner. The meat’s got heat, the art’s a treat, and the hot sauce bar is just elite… Best-​kept secret in the area.

Tex with a little bit of Mex, Tijuana Flat’s location in a busy Cary strip plaza (with Trader Joes and Yuri Restaurant) means you need to hit up this place early for lunch. The menu is pretty basic with the standards: burritos, tacos, quesadilla and more. Order up at the counter and take advantage of their daily specials. On Thursdito its $ 5 for the regular burrito, chips and drink, nice! My beef burrito was a mix of shredded beef along with some crunchy lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. Just about right for a quick lunch.
The place is a bit narrow and gets loud with all the diners inside. Décor is a bit over the top and they’ve got a decent salsa bar. And while the food is decent, what really makes Tijuana Flats a nice spot for a meal is the service. While it’s only counter service, the food comes out quickly and the waitstaff stops by regularly to refill your drinks and chips basket. Pretty amazing at this price point. So while I may prefer a Chubby’s for a quick Mexican meal, I can see why Tijuana Flats works, especially for families. With the Tex-​Mex menu and good table service, makes it much easier for a group of people dining in. So yeah, three stars for the food and a plus one for the service. Nice job Tijuana Flats!