Bringing you the best places to get your Mexican food cravings on that special day of the week: Taco Tuesday. Whether there’s a special Tuesday deal, or the Mexican food deserves some special recognition, we’ve got you covered.
Tijuana Flats
2782 E. Fowler Ave. Tampa, FL 33612; (813)975-0800
OPEN: Monday – Saturday 11:00 AM-10:00 PM ; Sunday 11:00 AM- 9:00 PM
| Quality | 8 |
| Quantity | 8 |
| Price | 8 |
| Value (Average of quality, quantity, price) | 8 |
| Ambient | 7 |
| Accessibility | 7 |
| Vegetarian Options | Yes |
| Tuesday Deal | Yes; Two loaded tacos, chips, drink for $5.49 + hot sauce bar |
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Maybe you’ve heard of Tijuana Flats, maybe you haven’t. If you’ve attended the nearest university (University of South Florida), or any university in Florida, Tijuana Flats seems to be popular. College students usually take advantage of their great deals on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and beer discounts they often have too (go figure!). Sometimes found in its own building, sometimes it’s part of a complex, Tijuana Flats offers great food even if the authenticity of its pure “Mexican heritage” might be missing. Specifically, this Tijuana Flats is located off of Fowler near the USF area. It’s found in a complex with loads of great restaurants: Taj (Indian Food), Pho (Vietnamese), Five Guys (American), and others! BUT WAIT. It’s Tuesday. What kind of person would visit these restaurants on a Tuesday? Crazy. Stupid. Ignorant. Don’t be these. Just go to Tijuana Flats on Tuesday! They offer a great deal… But we’ll go into more detail in just a bit.
I made my way with my partner around 7:00. This is my typical Taco Tuesday time, however, I forgot to snap a picture of the joint! No worries: I found a photo online in case you were wondering what this snazzy, delicious place looks like from the outside.
When you walk inside, you can see the hundreds of pictures nailed to the wall of celebrities eating at the many Tijuana Flats locations, autographed. There are also tons of “graffiti-styled” artworks, framed, posted on the wall. The music that’s played will bring you back to your childhood, with hits from Blink 182, The Eagles, or even the Bee Gees (for that older generation visiting; oh you folks know who you are!). When you walk in, make sure to take a glance upwards, towards the ceiling. You’ll find each ceiling tile is painted uniquely by clients themselves. (To my knowledge) it’s possible to pay a certain fee, grab a tile, paint it, and bring it back. Later they’ll be able to put it up. This is how so many fraternities and sororities are able to advertise themselves on the ceiling. There are some really interesting pictures painted among the tiles–funny and creative!
If you want to really blend in, don’t bother picking up a menu when you walk in. You’re here for one thing and one thing only: Taco Tuesday. This would be the perfect time to go ahead and play yourself some pump up Yeezy as you enter.
Go to the counter and tell them you’re here for Taco Tuesday. They will begin by asking you a series of questions to customize your two taco orders!
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Hard or Soft?
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Type of tortilla?
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What kind of meat? (Both can be the same, or different)
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Are you alright with all of the toppings?
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What kind of drink would you like?
It’s quite customizable and I need to say that my go-to drink here is always a delicious Arnold Palmer (sweet tea + lemonade). Oh… and light ice. I can go off on a tangent and say how much I hate ice in my drinks because the drink is ALREADY cold, and the ice takes up so much space–normally I’d go with no ice, but Tijuana Flats has crushed ice, which makes your drink like a slushy!
So what did I order?
- Soft
- Wheat
- One steak and one blackened chicken
- All toppings (tomatoes, lettuce, onions, cheese, sour cream, jalapeños)
- Arnold Palmer, light ice
And it was gooooooooooooooooood! I even got a taste of some queso my partner ordered, and that was delicious too. That’ll be an additional $1.80 in case you wanted some gooey cheese to dip your crispy chips in. Once you order, take a seat inside (or out) and wait for your name to be called so that your food can be served at your table. While you wait, you should check out the hot sauces.
The Tacos:
The reason this taco tuesday deal is so great isn’t because of its authenticity, but because of the tastiness of the combination of toppings and protein fillers. The (wheat) tortillas are thick enough to not break apart the fillings of the taco. They are also nicely filled, so you don’t run into the problem of having half of your taco pour out of the other side. Another great point is that the tomatoes do not pack too much water (or sauce) in them, so… no pool of gush at the end of your taco or the bottom of the plate! The jalapeños are pretty spicy, round and LARGE. The slices they give are too big for my taste, so what I normally do is split it up into smaller pieces and sprinkle it on my tacos.
The steak is great, a decent amount of meat and not fatty. The steak is $0.50 extra (so if you get two tacos it would be $1.00). This was my first time trying the blackened chicken, though… and it was tasty. tasty tasty tasty. Definitely try it for your first Tijuana Taco. The chips are also seasoned very well with salt and pepper and nicely crispy. And let’s not forget a great perk for eating at Tijuana Flats: the hot sauce bar. If you’re a fan of hot sauce, try out all the different flavors. They range from sweet, spicy, fire, and deathly hot.
In the end, Tijuana Flats’ Taco Tuesday offers a great deal because of the size, toppings, and chips you get. The tacos aren’t too small. The tacos are nicely packed with toppings and meat. The tacos are complimented with crispy salt and pepper tortilla chips. The tacos are paired with a large fountain drink. All of this for $5.49? Now that’s a tasty deal we can count on filling us up at the end of the day.
Taco Tuesday Tampa Bay 
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