Orlando Fast Food Critic » Mexican

Baja Burrito Kitchen

Seth Cardoza — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 04:04:59 +0000

Baja Burrito Kitchen offers up the usual variety of Mexican favorites, including tacos, burritos, quesadillas, salads, and more. It has a rather mild flavor, not really in tune with more traditional Mexican food, but it is good in its own way. The food is light and refreshing, and the flavor doesn’t linger long after you are done eating. They have an excellent salsa/condiment bar as well, ranging from very mild and refreshing salsa to habanero salsa that will satisfy your hot and spicy cravings. These salsas and condiments are a great complement to the food. They also supply unlimited chips and salsa while you dine in.

A quirk I found while ordering tacos is that they offer you either lettuce and cheese or onions and cilantro as toppings. I would prefer to have all of the above on my tacos, and there’s an easy way to get it. Order your tacos with the lettuce and cheese because onions and cilantro are available at the salsa and condiments bar.

The unique and refreshing flavor is a nice change of pace to the other styles of Mexican food available here in Orlando. I think the price is a bit on the high side considering the quality and quantity of food, but it’s not too high that you would want to avoid Baja Burrito Kitchen altogether. Two tacos or a burrito will cost around $6 after tax, not including a drink. Expect to pay around $8 per person with a drink, which I feel is a bit high for a self serve restaurant. It is a great place to visit on occasion because of its light and refreshing offerings, but I don’t frequent it because of the price.

Gift Card Bonus Promotions

Seth Cardoza — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:27:26 +0000

Many eateries have promotions offering free stuff with the purchase of a gift card around the holidays. I generally don’t recommend gift cards since some come with restrictions and fees, and it binds the person to that specific place for purchases, compared to cash. If you are planning on getting a gift card anyway, or if you want to get a little bonus for yourself, I rounded up a bunch of the deals. Not all deals displayed an expiration date, and there are often stipulations on when and on what you can use bonus cards, so please review the fine print before purchasing. Also, many sites are poorly done in Flash, so I was not always able to link you directly to the deals, but did so wherever possible.

This list will continue to grow, so check back often.

Taco Bell’s Cheesy Gordita Crunch

Seth Cardoza — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:24:47 +0000

The Cheesy Gordita Crunch has returned to Taco Bell. I had never had it before, so I decided to give it a try. They have a value meal, which is slightly more than the 3 taco value meal, that has 2 Cheesy Gordita Crunch and a drink. I like the thick flour tortilla of the Gorditas, but this is basically a regular size taco wrapped in some extra cheese and a Gordita tortilla. It’s a lot more filler and a lot less substance. It is good, but not worth the price considering its size.

Del Taco

Seth Cardoza — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:20:11 +0000

Del Taco is a great Mexican fast food alternative to other places you may frequent. It has a much larger variety of choices, which you can see for yourself on their menu. One of my favorite choices is shredded beef for the tacos. I love shredded beef, but it is usually impossible to find at a fast food place. Del Taco is also very cheap, even cheaper than Taco Bell, and the quality of food is better at Del Taco. If you’re looking for a really cheap meal, look no further than their $0.59 tacos, with ground beef, lettuce, and shredded cheese. They also occasionally “accidentally” make extra food, and offer it to customers for free. It’s a welcomed treat, when many places would just throw it out.

Tijuana Flats Taco Days

Seth Cardoza — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:06:32 +0000

Tijuana Flats is running an amazing special now through November 22, at all locations. Taco Daze is the name of the special, and it comes with 2 tacos, chips and a drink, all for only $4.99 plus tax. The tacos are the same size as they have always been. There has been no cutting back on portions for this deal by Tijuana Flats. I’ve already had it 5 times, in one week no less. It makes an already great meal even more affordable.

The Taco Maker Revisited

Seth Cardoza — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:05:40 +0000

After my previous review of The Taco Maker, I was contacted by the Florida franchise owner to rectify the moldy flan incident. Manuel wanted to meet with me, and give a tour of the facility, as well as their cleanliness and preparation standards. I met with Manuel, and Alberto (the owner of this particular location). I was shown the entire kitchen and food preparation area, which was spotless. In the food prep line, all of the items were time stamped, to let them know when it was made, and how long they could keep it. I was shown the freezer, where all of the food was dated when it was received. They have specific time-lines on how long they can teach each item.

I was informed that they previously had issues with their flan distributor. One of the issues what that there was no expiration date on the individual flan packages. This meant that even though they kept track of how long they have had the flan, there was no way of knowing how long it was made previously, nor when it would expire. They already had a new distributor for the flan, and this was only days after my incident. The new one has expiration dates on the individual packages, so situations like mine should never happen again.

I was treated to a free meal at the end of my visit. I had a couple enchilladas, one chicken, one beef. Both were tasty, and again, very filling. I had the Crustos for dessert. Crustos are a deep fried flour tortilla chip covered with cinnamon and brown sugar. They are nice and light, and hit the spot after a big meal.

After my first visit, I was on the fence about The Taco Maker. Considering I was served moldy flan, but still enjoyed the rest of my meal, being on the fence is not a bad position. After being shown the facility, and really just having the owners take the time to meet with me, my confidence in The Taco Maker is renewed. I would recommend this place.

The Taco Maker

Seth Cardoza — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:23:31 +0000

My first experience with The Taco Maker was a mixed one. My girlfriend and I ordered the Fiesta Feast, and an order of flan, to go. On the way home, my girlfriend happened to look at the flan, and noticed it was moldy. This did not make for a good first impression. I turned around, and went to exchange it/get a refund. Initially, the staff was very apologetic (as they should be when serving moldy food), and glad to give me a new one. I inspected the new one instantly, and found what I thought was another very tiny spec of mold. The staff argued with me about this one, but I was not about to take the chance. They brought me another new one, this time from the cooler in the back, instead of the mini fridge up front. This one looked fine, I took it, and left. Not once was I offered a refund, or a gift card/certificate as compensation for being served moldy food though. To be fair, the flan is not made in house, but it does not speak well for the quality of their food storage.

My girlfriend and I went home, uneasy about the meals we were about to eat due to the moldy flan, but we also did not want to just throw away almost $20 worth of food. The Fiesta Feast, which comes with a burrito, taco, tortilla chips, and re-fried beans, was surprisingly good. We were full for hours afterward, much longer than expected considering the amount of food in the meal. It has been a couple days since we’ve eaten the meals, and we have not fallen ill because of it.

The food at The Taco Maker is good. It is a little expensive for the type of restaurant (giving a fast food feel). Expect to spend close to $10 for a meal and a drink, but it should fill you up for quite a while. Unfortunately, the moldy flan completely ruined my experience. The rest of the food was fine, but I cannot get the flan out of my head. It put a premature end to what could have been a beautiful relationship.

Update: I was contacted by the owners of The Taco Maker, and given a tour of their facilities. Please read the follow up.

El Potro

Seth Cardoza — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:18:41 +0000

El Potro is small Mexican Restaurant chain in the Orlando area. It offers a wide variety of authentic Mexican cuisine. The best part about El Potro is its buffet. It is the only Mexican buffet I know of in the area. The lunch buffet with a drink will cost around $10. It will keep you satisfied for hours. I often skip dinner because I eat so much food.

All of the food on the buffet is fresh and delicious. You can make your own hard or soft tacos, and taco salads. You can pick from ready made taquitos, cheese quesadillas, pork with peppers and onions, and a plethora of other items. The buffet even has chicken wings, which are surprisingly good for a Mexican restaurant. For dessert, you can pick from flan, deep fried rolled tortillas filled with flan, and deep fried chips covered with cinnamon and brown sugar.

I have yet to try something at El Potro that I didn’t like. The food will leave you more than satisfied. The service is good, and accommodating. After trying this place, you will visit it often.

Tijuana Flats

Seth Cardoza — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 02:26:32 +0000

Tijuana Flats is a Mexican restaurant chain started by a UCF graduate. It is most famous for the psychedelic artwork that covers its interior, as well as its selection of hot sauces. The number of hot sauces available varies by location, but there are usually at least 10 to choose from, ranging from the mild and sweet, the the unbearably hot (at least for me). Their selection ranges from the usual tacos, burritos, and quesadillas, to flautas, enchiladas, tostadas, and more. They also have certain menu items for a limited time. You can view their entire menu on their website. Toppings include lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, fresh jalapeno peppers, sour cream, and black olives. You have the option grilled chicken, blackened chicken, re-fried beans, beef, or steak for most items on the menu as well.

It is primarily a self serve restaurant, but the staff is very helpful and will come around and refill drinks, or get you anything else you may need. I have been to at least 5 different Tijuana Flats in the area, and have received excellent service and food at all of them. I visit the one on Aloma in Winter Park most often, and I can say the staff there goes out of their way to make you happy. During my most recent visit, I accidentally dropped what was left of one of my tacos on the floor, and they offered me a new one without hesitation. That is exceptional service you don’t always see, but it is what keeps people coming back.

Habaneros Mexican Restaurant

Seth Cardoza — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 04:26:17 +0000

Habaneros is a great Mexican restaurant. It has an excellent selection of authentic Mexican cuisine. The atmosphere is nice, and the music helps set the mood. They even have a live mariachi band on certain nights of the week. The staff is pleasant and accommodating. As soon as you are seated, you are greeted with fresh chips and salsa, that is both refreshing and delicious. The salsa has just enough spice for everyone to enjoy.

There are numerous options for combination dinners, including all sorts of combinations of tacos (hard and soft), enchiladas, quesadillas, burritos, chile, tamales, rice, beans, and more. All of the food tastes great. Habaneros has a “Monster Margarita” on the menu, which is a full 32 ounces. At under $10, it’s a refreshing drink at a great price. It’s strong enough to taste the liquor, but not to overpower it.

I recommend you finish off your meal with an order of flan. It is enough to split it with someone else, but one person could finish it themselves if they wanted. The flan is a sweet end to a delicious meal.