Baja's — Restaurant in Orange

Baja’s in Orange offers a casual, welcoming atmosphere that makes it an easy pick for a low-key night out with friends or family. My recent visit with a group of friends left us mostly impressed, and a bit sweaty, thanks to their impressively spicy salsa options.

We were seated right away, a refreshing start that set the tone for the evening. One of Baja’s more unique features is its "build-your-own salsa" bar, a fun and interactive twist that invites diners to mix and match their preferred level of heat. The selection ranged from mild to mouth-tinglingly hot, and though each component was fresh and flavorful, it would have been helpful if the salsas had clearer labels beyond the obvious (like pico de gallo). A few mystery elements kept us guessing, but overall, the quality of ingredients shined through.

One small quirk of the salsa bar setup: it would be great if they provided small bowls rather than encouraging guests to build their salsa directly on the plate. It made scooping a bit awkward and messy. That said, I understand the challenge, small bowls might lead to overzealous portions and waste. Still, a more refined presentation would elevate the experience.

As for the food itself, Baja’s delivered big time. I ordered the Carne Asada and Guacamole Burrito, which was packed with juicy, flavorful steak and creamy guac. It was rich, satisfying, and balanced. My brother had the chicken quesadilla, and it earned high marks from everyone who tried a bite. The seasoning was spot-on, and the portions were generous without being overwhelming.

Service was friendly. Our server happily refilled our chips when we asked, however, water refills lagged, which became more noticeable as some of us braved the spicier end of the salsa spectrum.

Would I return? Absolutely. Baja’s delivers delicious, flavor-packed Mexican fare in a laid-back setting. The salsa bar alone is worth the trip, especially for adventurous eaters or anyone who likes a bit of DIY flair with their dinner. My wife loves Mexican food, and I already know she’d have a great time building her perfect salsa mix.

Final Verdict: Fresh food, friendly vibes, and enough spice to keep things...

My 4 year old daughter has basically grown up here - we go every week or two and have never had a bad meal. I used to get pregnancy cravings for their Baja quesadillas before she was born. Not ashamed to say we are regulars - I should have posted a review long ago. The salsa bar is like nowhere else - they offer a bunch of different types and heats, and it’s up to you to find your perfect mix. The chips often come to the table warm from the fryer. The service is fantastic - super friendly. My husband raves about the chimichangas and the new style fish tacos. I have tried almost everything on the menu. Writing this is making me crave the mole...The decor is not fancy, and I really like that. There’s no sense of pretentiousness at this place. You do not have to dress up to eat here - just be yourself. They have a few TVs on the walls, playing sports or regular tv bit with no volume. Good for distracting a kid when you forget the bag with their games/toys but not distracting for the adults. We order take out too, and it’s always accurate and timely. I have only had a wait once to eat here - we accidentally went on Cinco de Mayo. We waited 45 min anyway because we didn’t want to eat anywhere else. That’s a pretty big compliment...

Our go to for Mexican restaurants in CT. It’s located in a small strip center that is easy to miss. Look for the party store which is next door. On this visit, Megan was our server. We were greeted immediately and had drinks on the table before we could open our menus lol. The decor isn’t anything special but the food and service is always amazing and yesterday was no exception. We had crunchy shredded beef tacos and bean burritos. The crunchy tacos always amaze us as they are consistently crunchy as opposed to others which seem to be soggy at delivery. The bean and cheese burritos have so much flavor. When you add your choice of salsas from their salsa bar it just grts better. One area of opportunity is they offer their customers a glat plate to put pico, pickled jalapeños and veggies and SALSA. That just makes for a mess as everything goes together on a flat plate and makes dipping your tortilla chips up a challenge. This is truly the only negative about Bahas. The bathrooms are always clean and well stocked which says a lot. Go check them out, you...