Tijuana Flats — Restaurant in Jacksonville

Had been meaning to try this place for awhile and finally had the chance. Food was delicious, the vibe was very chill. They serve beer - which actually caught me off guard first walking in because I didn’t see anything except a beer menu on the wall and thought I accidentally walked my teen into a bar lol But the regular menus are to the right of the counter in a box on the wall.

Ordering: You look over the menu, order at the counter, they get your drinks to take with you to sit, then they bring the order out to you when it’s ready. The menu is predominantly: choose a style (tacos, burrito, burrito bowl), choose your meat, and then you can customize your toppings/fillings or just order regular. Can order as a combo to add fountain drink and side of chips.

So like I ordered burrito bowl, grilled shrimp, regular but without the tomatoes. Made into a combo.

There are some other items in the menu as well like appetizers, sides, other dishes, desserts.

Staff was friendly and came by to offer refills or grab us something we may need. The wall to the left side of the room has a hot sauce bar - YES…. HOT. SAUCE. BAR. So if you love to experiment with hot sauce on your tacos or burritos, definitely a place to check out! We really liked the Dictator: but sweet and smoky but with a bite, texture like bbq sauce. The ocean-something one was really good too. Garlicky heat and thick sauce, almost akin to A1 but garlicky. The buffalo chicken one wasn’t really our favorite but good if you’re looking for a buffalo kick. The smack my arse one that was sweet spicy chili was good too (there’s two smack my labeled ones but they were two different flavors.) I believe you can also buy bottles to take home. Oh also if you grew up in the 90s and enjoyed alt/punk rock, that’s what was blasting on the speakers in here lol Quite enjoyed that aspect! Was a little on the loud side, we had some trouble hearing the staff when ordering and even talking to each other at times, but maybe we were right under a speaker.

Went on a Thursday and there was some sort of special. For my bowl and the burrito both as combos it was about $22

Definitely going back again...

Well first of all let me say I absolutely enjoyed the food. Very fresh & satisfying to say the least. The hot bar on point. However I noticed that the customers that entered before me were getting A1 customer service & the customers that entered after me were greeted as first timers & offered a very beautiful welcome. I mentioned that I missed my opportunity to be greeted as a customer in Tijuana Flats & the young lady at the register stated that the customer in front of me was her grandmother & the customers after me were first timers. I then stated that this was also my first time visiting their establishment. She then stated oh we can hold the door open for you as you leave. Which they did not do. I didn’t expect to be treated like the Queen of England, or for doors to be held open for me. All I expected was the same courtesy as a paying customer as everyone else. I will say again the food was amazing, everyone around me was asked how was their food, & how was everything going. Again I don’t know if I had a miss me with customer service sign on my head, but I was skipped with this courtesy as well. Oh & I tipped quite nicely even though I didn’t receive great service, I believe in doing the right thing. I wish the same could be said for Arianna at the register & Elizabeth my server. I believe in second chances so I will visit again and hopefully be afforded the same respect as all the paying ...

If I had to rate this Mexican inspired restaurant, it would most certainly have to be " just right." It is very good fast type of food. I enjoyed the Shrimp Quesadilla which is aptly described as, just right. It's a good restaurant, but despite things being right I did sense some wrong. Menu location for one, " and don't I just feel great looking around for a menu." Customer service is a hard field I get that, it's hard to please all the customers all of the time. There is no internet wi fi at Tijuana Flats, isn't that cellphone just a needed, if not integral part of the dining experience? They do have an extensive condiment area but I'd question whether it's clearly marked and it's actual use, sort of like the menu argument (see above). The portions are good but they are measured and sensible, or "just right." I'm actually surprised there aren't more collisions here between the staff and the patrons trying to navigate through a somewhat tight space, like when I was trying to return my dirty dishes and questioning, "where to go?" It's almost like to really enjoy Tijuana Flats you'd need to go there several times to get the flow of the Mexican inspired direction. 🌮 Perhaps this is done on purpose.

Not much to update. It's hard to get beyond average with the competition that...