Riverside Restaurants: Tijuana Flats In Five Points

[RiversideLoki]

I agree with Ben...Pepe's and Mr. Taco are, by far, the best Mexican food in Jacksonville.

Their carnitas tacos are the stuff of legends.

[PeeJayEss]

I just can't go into TF and spend that kind of money, no matter how inexpensive, on glorified Taco Bell. Everything tastes the same and the interior/decor is obnoxious. For 1/2 of what you'd spend at TF, you could go to Pepe's or Mr. Taco and get real Mexican food. I live 2 blocks from TF and still refuse to eat there.*

*I fully expect at least 5 comments along the lines of "you suck"--"you're a food snob"--yada yada yada...

I don't think anyone would ever call you a food snob for liking a place where you can literally burst your stomach (Se7en style) with $10. If either one of those places was located in Riverside and open daily until 10pm, I would rarely eat anywhere else. In fact, I would have a moral crisis deciding between the two if they were both in town. That said, TF has more convenient hours, is very close to where I live and work, has a good product (glorified Taco Bell? Please, you need to go try Taco Bell again or adjust your hyperbole-meter), is reasonably-priced, and has PHENOMENAL service. For a non sit-down restaurant, I don't see how you could ask for much more.

Mr Taco and Pepe's are total outliers. And let's be honest, the pricing at Pepe's, while awesome, is a liiiittle fishy, amiright?? They are thebomb.com, but TF is sometimes the better, sometimes the only, option. Like Sunday and Monday nights, when Burrito Gallery is closed as well. Seriously, why is BG closed on Sunday and Monday nights? that is my strongest burrito-craving time.

[ben says]

That's like saying Primi Piatti is more Italian than Carraba's.  It goes without saying that it's not as authentic as restaurants owned and run by actual mexicans and steeped in Mexican traditions, but that doesn't mean that you can't eat there.    Mr Taco has a very limited menu that barely begins to scratch the surface of what Mexican cuisine really is.  The same is true for Pepe's, but I have less experience with that restaurant, so I'll let that slide.  Sure T-Flats isn't crazy authentic, but it's not meant to be.  The two places you rave about have good tacos, but they are far from fantastic mexican food.

I agree it's an unfair comparison. My apologies. So, let me compare apples to apples: I'd rather go to Burrito Gallery for Tex-Mex than TF.

[funwithteeth]

Seriously, why is BG closed on Sunday and Monday nights? that is my strongest burrito-craving time.

Augh, I had this craving just last night. I ended up going burrito-less, but I think I'd have gone to Tijuana Flats than, say, Lola's. (Unless the latter has since gotten better, but I haven't heard anything to that effect.)

[peestandingup]

Food snob or not, I'm glad TF is there. If you guys hadn't noticed, there was a real lack of cheap/easy/decent food in Riverside that stayed open for any amount of time, esp one that I can take my kid into. Right now, places like the suburbs & the Town Center pretty much see all of that action, but screw that. Too far & not worth it.

So yeah, the whole Riverside area needs more of this kind of stuff, local business or otherwise. Mellow Mushroom would fill this type of void as well. More things that stay open later that aren't bars or the more expensive type of sit down restaurants.

[spuwho]

TF on Beach/Hodges. Taco Tuesday.

Line out the of door tonight. Parking lot full. Place packed.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Well played, MJ.

TF in Riverside was packed as well.  I know this because, for some strange reason, I had burrito cravings....