Tacos & Grill Mexican Cuisine — Restaurant in Johnson City

We chose this place based on its 4.5 Stars and some of the reviews. We're Latin American (I'm Mexican) and I've been to my fair share of Mexican restaurants. The staff was very attentive and friendly and that's why I have to give this place 3 stars vs 1. Also note we only ate here once, perhaps their other food items taste better. Here are my thoughts:

Burrito Mojado with Carne Asada - The meat was bland and needed some salt, the Size was great; I was full after I finished it. I added a photo of a chip next to it for size comparison. The red tomato sauce wasn't bad and did help with the overall flavor of the dish but it wasn't enough to make me want to order this again in the future. 4/10

Chicken Fajitas - Again, the size was good. The temperature was also on point, the onions and peppers kept grilling as we ate and it really brought out the flavor in the end. However the chicken was unseasoned and it appeared to be cooked in a pan, I believe grilled chicken would've gone a long way in texture. We didn't order tortillas with it so no comment on the tortillas. 5/10

Carnitas Taco - I regret not getting a photo as this was the best item we had. I was unsure of the ~$4 price tag, but once I tasted it, I could see why. The carnitas had a nice cook on it, and some good flavor. Very moist and not dry. The choice of a handmade tortilla (which I think might've been made earlier in the day) was reheated well and not dry at all, which usually happens when you try and reheat handmade tortillas. 7.5/10

Accompanying Salsas - The salsas that Accompany the food weren't bad. Nothing outstanding about them but I didn't dislike them so we weren't disappointed. 6/10

In the end, I don't see how this place has a 4.5 since this place felt very average...

Others told me good things about Tacos & Grill, so I stopped by to try some carne asada tacos because I am from Arizona and know good Mexican food when I taste it. There was a friendly welcome when I walked in, and the worker was smiling. There are only about six tables in this small restaurant, so I went to the counter to place my order to go. I ordered four tacos (2 for now and 2 for later). Even though the employee was working both the counter and the drive-thru, I did not have to wait long at all for my food. I double-checked the bag for hot sauce, and he told me there was. The smell of the meal when I opened the box made my mouth water, but the taste was not as good as the smell. The meat was satisfying, but there was no wow factor for flavor. The corn tortillas were the best part of the meal because they tasted good and were fresh. The green sauce was also good, but the red sauce was...

Hearing some great things about this to ny restaurant, my husband and I could wait to try to out.. it was pretty busy for such a small space and seems to do a lot of take out business. I quickly settled on a pork tamale, a pastor taco, an asada sopes, and refried beans. My husband had tla fish taco and a shrimp taco. The chips and salad they brought out were horrible. The chips were so stale that I ate one with a bite of the salsa and spit it out. It took a long time for our food (and I am not an impatient person) to arrive. The pastor taco was delicious and is the reason my rating is not a 2. The rest of the food was just so-so and pretty bland. We always give almost any restaurant a second try, but decided there are too many really good Mexican restaurants in Johnson City to come back to...