Tijuana Flats

Price: Cheap
Atmosphere: 2 out of 5
Quality of Service: 3 out of 5
Food Overall: 4 out of 5

Living in the Sunshine State, you are provided certain ‘perks’ when it comes to dining out. Florida is home to a cultural melting pot of flavors, from the Indian and Asian variety, to a plethora of Italian and Cuban delicacies.

One of the great iconic ethnic groups we have is Mexican cuisine (and no, Taco Bell doesn’t count). From fast food to high class, high priced meals, the wonderful world of Mexican eats is far and wide across this great state.

One such joint is Tijuana Flats, serving up authentic dishes with unique twists. It’s not really fast food, it’s not really classy sit-down-and-eat type food, but somewhere in the middle it comes through with flying colors.

The atmosphere is loud and fun, with extreme pastels and rockabilly artwork on the walls. Even their mass selection of hot sauces fits into the theme here (‘Slap my Ass and Call Me Sally’ hot sauce, or the ‘Chickenshit’ weak sauce).

But these aren’t just ‘hot sauces’. They each have an undeniable creativeness to them, and the flavors are just incredible. I tried three different ones while I waited for my order to arrive: The first was a garlic and peppery glaze of sorts, housing a touch of heat with that strong garlic kick.

The second was their signature sauce, made with habanero peppers. Spicy with just a wonderful taste, it’ll bring some sweat to your dome. And finally, my favorite: the Georgia peach & Vidalia onion sauce. This one wasn’t much for heat, but good God man; the flavor. The sweet, the savory…just amazing. You can try and buy any of these to take home if you so desire.

Oh I almost forgot…you want to know about the food, eh? Fair enough. You walk in and head to the counter, order your meal from a list of classic dishes like enchiladas, burritos and tacos.. Choose your meat, cheese, fillings, and have a seat while it’s prepared and they’ll truck it out to you when it’s ready.

I opted for the burrito, stuffed with shredded pork (carnitas), sour cream, lettuce and cheese. Top it with a red chipotle sauce and more melted cheese, throw in a side of chips (or black beans and rice; your choice) and you got a meal to be proud of.

The burrito was hearty and filling, the pork was braised in its own juices and had that pungent garlic and citrusy flavor. I had the medium one (you can choose between three sizes) and with a handful of chips I was stuffed.

My wife had the tacos, which she claimed were excellent. She also had the beans and rice that I tasted (you know, for the sake of the blog and all), and they were perfectly seasoned with a back bite of spice. Very nice.

And all this for less than $20.00. I will definitely be going back (and this time, I’ll be bringing home a bottle of that peach & onion sauce for sure) and throwing together a new mad scientist style lunch, mixing meats and fillings like some sort of nouveau Mexican chef.

After all, it’s just Da(m)n Good Food.

Tijuana Flats

278 South Federal Highway

Deerfield Beach FL 33441

954.834.0227

http://www.tijuanaflats.com/