Foodies Throw a Little Tex Mex in the Mix

Name: Baja Fresh

Cuisines: Tacos, burritos, quesadillas

Payment: Cash, all major credit cards

Alcohol: None

Price: $

Address: 8099 Sudley Rd., Manassas, VA 20110

Hours of Operation: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Salt's Take:

When I walked into the restaurant, I felt like I was walking into an average eatery. Everything in the restaurant was bright, clean and soft country music played in the background.

While it was the middle of lunch service, the restaurant wasn't packed with people, but there were still plenty of patrons. After ordering two Original Baja Tacos, one chicken and one pork.  I took a seat and waited for my order to come up. Even though there were only three people ahead of me, it took a good 15 minutes to get my order. When I did get it, I was a little disappointed.

When I opened the bag, I saw the two tiniest tacos, ever. There were suppose to come with cilantro and salsa. Instead they came with cilantro and onion, but no salsa.

I thought the seasonings on both were good, but the chicken was very dry. It tasted as if the seasonings on the chicken were an afterthought, added after the meat started cooking. The pork taco was much better, the meat was moist and the flavor was more pronounced, probably because the meat was shredded. The corn tortillas lacked any substantial flavor.

While the restaurant was clean and inviting, I think the customer service was subpar. The food was average, but it really didn’t do anything for me. I think I’ll pass on going back.

Pepper’s Take:

The place was surprisingly bright and empty—typically when I go around lunchtime there are many guests.

Happy that I would not have a long wait ahead of me, I ordered the Chicken Baja Burrito Enchilado style. About 10 minutes later, I had my meal in front of me. The chips drenched in cheese and enchilada sauce tasted great. The burrito wasn't not stuffed with much, some black beans and a little chicken. They could use a much smaller tortilla or “beef up” their burritos a little.

But all in all, the chicken was cooked well, not dried out or overcooked—a typical trait in chicken used or, “re-used” in tex mex cuisine. The tortilla also was drenched in delicious enchilada sauce and topped off with melted cheese. Absolutely amazing.

The staff was friendly and our interaction with them was limited to pretty much ordering the food. The place was cleaned and would fit a large party of people. 

If you haven't been here before, you should know that it isn't a "sit-down" restaurant.

I have been going to Baja Fresh for years and it is comparable to California Tortilla or Moe’s. The menu is pretty self explanatory, and offers just enough selection without overdoing it.

Unfortunately, I’ve noticed that the burritos get less stuffing every year. I will definitely return to Baja Fresh, but I hope that at some point they will add some new stuff to their menu.