Taqueria Jalisco

This place was fantastic. I was very happy with it. I have been a regular at La Palmera and some other local Mexican spots, and I now believe this is worth the extra 15 minutes each way.
The salsa and Pico were fantastic as well as the entrée.
Small tight spot but feels authentic and quality food/​service.

Traffic was bad as we were heading to Nashville and decided to stop and have dinner to allow traffic to go down. It was a spur of the moment decision, and boy am I glad we decided to stop here. The hostess was so nice and his suggestions were on point! Now to the food, simply amazing!!! We live in Atlanta and still have not found a good authentic Mexican restaurant. My husband ordered the flautas and I ordered a chorizo sope and a carnitas taco and we shared a poblano pepper and cheese pupusa and chips and guacamole. Everything was good, but my husband and I agree that my dinner was the best along with the pupusa. Definitely our stopping point when traveling to see our daughter. You won’t be disappointed!

The chips and salsa are great. So are the street tacos, I had chorizo on mine. Really sweet waitress, fast service. No complaints! Definitely recommend to anybody who loves good, fresh food!

This some of the best Mexican food I have had in forever!!! There is nothing on the menu that I wouldn’t order.

I made a quick stop in Chattanooga on my way to Atlanta. I was pleasantly surprised by the food at this taqueria. The guacamole was authentic and the tacos were amazing. It’s small inside, but the décor was cute. I’d definitely go back.

Very small in a classic brick building. The food is cooked in a trailer out back. It’s all good and you can pair your food with a Pure Sodaworks

Hands-​down the best Mexican food available in Chattanooga, i’m a regular here and eat at least twice a week. The food is always fresh and non-​greasy which I love about this place and the service is always extremely friendly.
My recommendations are the flautas with chipotle chicken, sope & Street style Mexican tacos, I also love the drink options that they offer on fresh juices. Their tres leches is to die for when they have it.

Wonderful !!! Absolute Must if You like the real deal Latin food. Super nice people & quick. Great value & location.

WARNING: there are 2 LOCATIONS of Taqueria Jalisco! there is one downtown on court square right behind community pie and there is this one. Do not get confused when making plans with friends!
… bc that is what happened to me.
FOOD:
CHORIZO taco (⁵⁄₅): so. good. I like that there are 2 layers of taco shells and one is slightly crispy on the outside and the inside one is soft and succulent.
CARNE ASADA taco (3.5÷5): the meat was okay. I would say it was pretty good but will probably order another type of taco next time.
Portion sizes are just normal. not much else to say here.
HORCHATA: sOOOOO GUUUUUD. my brother thinks its sweeter than horchata hes used to tasting (and it definitely is) but I have a sweet mouth so it was perfectly A-​OK with me! I couldn’t finish the huge jug of horchata so I asked for a to go cup and he said he was out of it. :(
really wanted to try their soda pop thing that Unilocal highly recommended, but they only had honey lime left the day I went and I don’t like lime. The two juices they had there were horchata and mango, and really I judge a Mexican place more so by their horchata so that’s the one I got.
The guy is incredibly friendly! there was only 1 guy taking orders on that Thursday lunch time. the space is pretty small inside, but the one downtown at the same time (I would know bc I went there first then drove to this one) is has WAY more ppl at lunch time than this location, and has even less seating too.
Also, parking is FREE at this location. be prepared to pay for downtown parking if you go before 6pm.
overall I would give this place a 4 — 4.5 /​5 due some inconveniences (no to go cup, running out of soda pop thing) and the average portions and average tasting meat, but I will definitely give this place another shot if I can the next time I’m in town. I know its not their fault that the inconveniences happened! but just wanted yall to be wary of that possibility.

Really enjoyed the food and coziness. Used to American style Mexican which tends to taste the same everywhere. This place breaks that mold.

The waiter has A game! All the food had a delicious twist on the classics. The Hawaiian torta was amazing.
Great stop before or after Ruby Falls!

Tiny place, tiny price, big flavor. Like other reviewers, I have to agree that TJs has one of the best guacs Ive ever tasted. Its made fresh with nice chunks of avocado. I love that its on the limey side too. At $ 5 its one of the more expensive items on the menu, however, still a steal when you compare to any other Mexican restaurant. Between the four of us, we ordered 6 tacos: beef lengua/​tongue, tilapia, steak, and shrimp. All tacos are $ 1.75 except the shrimp and tilapia which are $ 2.25. We had them Mexicana style which means corn tortillas. I thought the tacos were excellent although the tamals we ordered were great also. I would say TJs is comparable to small taquerias down in Atlanta, however, it is a gem for Chattanooga.
Of note, they accept credit cards and NO they don’t serve alcohol.

Great food and great vibes Love the atmosphere in there! The owner is pretty cool too! You want authentic, you can’t go wrong with this place! A+

I feel like they aren’t as consistent as they used to be since opening Taqueria at the Plaza. I usually do carryout. Unless George answers, half the time the order is wrong or something is missing. This past time the taco shells and tamales were extremely dry

This is located at the corner of 17^th street and Rossville Ave. The restaurant is very small and it is obviously family owned. The restaurant has two rooms, one with AC (kind of) and one is open on both ends for air flow. I parked in the street and parking was not a problem because it is somewhat off the beaten path. The AC portion was OK but still warmer than I liked because it had one AC unit. It had tables in each room and the staff is very friendly you so you almost forgot how warm it is. The restaurant reminded me of an old local restaurant in Mexico. They have bottled beer and not sure how many bar drinks they have but do have margaritas. I had beef and chicken tacos which was very good.
OK I have to admit it is a dive, but has that Mexico feeling to me and I would go to anytime. It is the kind of place they would know your name if you came more than once. I will give it a 3.0 and if you want a nice lunch or dinner, I bet you would get it here. The only thing I would suggest is they improve the A/​C because it would be hard to sit through lunch or dinner on a hot day.
UPDATE: I was informed, and rightly so the temperature in the room was not due to inadequate AC, it was because the doors were open for the Unilocal event and 35 people milling around… .so I will be back… even in the heat… And I suggest we all support this quaint restaurant with great food!!!

«Things don’t have to be Perfect, to be Good!» — Josh K
Have wanted to try TJ for quite a while, as several Unilocal reviews penned by trusted members indicated that something good was afoot at 1634 Rossville Ave. Alas, I’m a creature of habit and not an urbanite in any sense of the word, so my infrequent forays into the asphalt jungle are planned and executed in the most direct incursion and exit as possible. My loss.…
Thankfully, a Unilocal event provided the needed nudge which overcame my anti-​urban bias.
TJ is executed in an interesting style, which takes an inspired approach towards the eateries’ physical plant. One enters into a smallish building with a cosy four-​table area containing a restroom and a pay station. Connected to the aforementioned is what can be best described as an enclosed carport with several booths and tables. Alongside the carport is a very nice, modern, first-​class food truck in which food items are prepared. This concept makes excellent use of the space available, and provides a dining environment unlike anything else in the River City. Unfortunately, this arrangement seems not to allow for air-​conditioning. This comment is not offered as a criticism, but as a warning to dress accordingly, and be aware if one is susceptible to heat or humidity. On an July afternoon which found the temperature hovering between 94–96 °F, the sweltering interior was a force to be reckoned with.
Fortunately, the food MORE than compensated for the uncomfortable environment! This is NOT Texmex, nor tourist Cancun fare. This is interior country food that one might enjoy if one was fortunate enough to have close friends in Mexico, and be invited for a evening dinner. The food is presented in a casual fashion in keeping with the surroundings, yet in flavour and feel upon the palate, would stand well in ANY linen-​clothed venue.
The chicken enchilada was exquisite; finely chopped meat, lightly seasoned, and presented in the traditional manner.
The fillings on the torta offerings were generously filled with copious quantities of freshly prepared veggies and plenty of beef, pork, or chicken and topped with fresh, crisp greenery.
The guacamole is rich and flavourful. Those wishing a tad more ‘jolt’ can season accordingly from salsa in convenient squeeze bottles, as I did. The chips are crispy, lighty-​salted, slivers of corny goodness!
Taqueria Jalisco proves that Mexican food does not have to be an over-​spiced, cilantro-​pepper abomination.

Had a Unilocal Event here where they were very nice and closed down the whole restaurant for us Unilocalers!
I can honestly say this establishment is very small but BIG in flavor.
They had chicken tamale with chips and dip.
These were all good.
The building is very small and has a carport added onto the side. The food trailer was then connected to the carport. Very friendly staff.
Gets very hot under the carport as there is no AC.
Would definetely try this again with its full menu choices.

Nice little Mexican Restaurant. I wanted something to eat before going to Riverbend. This worked out great as I also wanted to go somewhere I have never been before. As soon as I walked in I thought it was small with just few tables and a «possibly» shared bathroom.
The guy behind the podium on the left waited on me. I asked for two tacos. He also said that they can seat up to 45 people. I asked how and he pointed to a room to the right behind a door which is also where he put in my order. So I guess there’s a kitchen and a cook in the «mysterious room» to the right.
The service was very fast and very reasonably priced. I got one steak taco, one beef taco, and a bottled Mexican coke all for about $ 5. Great deal and a big savings on money considering going to Riverbend to eat.
Both my tacos were so good I think I literally inhaled them without chewing –while driving to the Chattanooga Riverfront.
The parking lot that you can park in is behind the restaurant to the left. It is big and new and recently built. You will notice the new curbs.
In summary, I will be coming back. In fact, I might go again today.

Wanted to love this little place, but only liked it. The guacamole, while freshly made, was a little underseasoned and underspiced. A little cumin and lemon would help brighten and deepen it. The chips were tasty but, again, the salsa was rather flavorless.
My two tacos on the special (with rice and beans) were authentic Mexican style. I had a barbacoa and a carnitas taco. Not much meat, but the tacos had good flavor. My wife’s carne asada was tasty, but overcooked. The tomatillo guac sauce with it was delicious. No alcohol served at this place.
Might be back sometime, but not really longing for a return visit.

I have to say that this is my absolutely favorite place to eat in Chattanooga. I love everything about it. From its unassuming décor to the friendliness of Jorge, who makes you feel like you’re his favorite customer, to his mom who knows how to make some food. And the food — let me tell you, this is as authentic as it gets. It’s also about as good as it gets. I’ve never had anything that I didn’t like there.
As a Southern Californian native and a small smidge of Mexican in me, this is the real stuff. Stuff my mom and grandma made.
The salsa’s are great, the tacos are da bomb, and the mole, when it’s available, just makes my mouth so happy.
I will never stop singing the praises of Taqueria Jalisco.