Baja Fresh Mexican Grill

Baja Fresh is awesome. I think they're a good middle ground between something like Taco Bell and a sit-down Mexican restaurant. They are fast, but they still take about 5 minutes to make your food.

You can order take out or eat in the restaurant, but I usually get my food to go. They have a typical menu of what you'd expect, but with a few surprises. You can also order from this location online.

They are really reasonably priced as well. You won't spend more than $10 on yourself, and I usually can't eat all of the food that I order. The portions are really satisfying.

I've been to two or three different locations and they've all been very clean and neat, and I think I've been to this one the most. What's great about Baja Fresh is that they have a little salsa bar with little to-go cups so you can fill those with as much salsa as you want. They've got I think 5 different kinds of salsa, including mild pico de gallo, spicy salsa verde, and mango salsa. They also have fresh lime wedges, jalapeno slices, fresh cilantro and banana peppers so you can control the flavor of your food.

If you order a drink there it's pretty much just fountain pop and they offer Coke products.

I have a favorite that I get here and I usually stick to that, but I've tried several items on the menu. My all-time favorite is the Nachos with Carnitas. For about $7 you get a huge helping of carnitas, sour cream, guacamole, beans, cheese, pico de gallo, all piled on top of tortilla chips. I like to add my own salsa and jalapenos from the salsa bar, which I usually busy myself with putting in the little to-go cups while I'm waiting for my food. The nachos and SO good and it's a good amount for my boyfriend and I to share as a meal for two - not at all bad for 7 or 8 dollars. There's no way I can finish these nachos by myself. Some of the chips get a little soggy if you leave them under all the goodies, but that's to be expected. And I supposed you could ask for them on the side but I never really thought to do that until now. I guess that's the beauty of sitting down and reflecting on your meal.

I've also tried the Mango Chipotle Chicken Salad. Also a huge meal, and also delicious. The salad comes in one of those tortilla shells, which I love, but since they're fried I try not to eat too much of them. The salad was just kind of lettuce topped with a hearty helping of chicken, mango salsa, veggies, avocado slices, white cheese, and came with their chipotle vinaigrette. The dressing was full of flavor and you could kind of mix the salad yourself. I definitely had some leftovers.

Beware of one thing. I have tried their tacos before - it must have been some taco plate that came with beans and rice. I did NOT like their tacos. Everything about them was great except for the tortillas. I was expecting crispy shells, and instead they serve their tacos in these bland, floppy, chewy corn tortillas. Gross! Not a fan. I remember I just ate the taco filling with a fork and the rice was really good. I'm not a huge fan of beans, but they were ok, because they also topped them with white cheese. I won't get the tacos again, just because I'm only a fan of crunchy corn taco shells or soft flour tortilla shells.

One little side note - I remember a long time ago Baja Fresh used to serve sandwiches called tortas. Very very good, and I was sad to see that they weren't on the menu anymore. They should bring them back!

My favorite thing about Baja Fresh is the churros. I wish I didn't love them so much. For only 99 cents you get two churros, each about 6 inches long. A churro, for those of you who don't know, are fried pastries covered in cinnamon and sugar. I think they are made with honey because they are very sweet. Try them if you never have. Churros are sold everywhere on the west coast, but here in Ohio, they are hard to find. This is why I love Baja Fresh. I remember I used to get churros from Chi-Chi's (remember that place?) as a kid and when that place disappeared I had nowhere to get my churro fix. When I vacationed in California I was so excited to find them there, but was back to longing for them when I came back home. Baja has reunited me with churros and I love them for it. If you walk into the restaurant sometimes you can smell them and they're heavenly. Too bad they aren't good for you. I could eat them all day.

I have to stop. I am getting so hungry as I type this because I haven't had lunch yet and now I'm craving some nachos. In summation, Baja Fresh is a great place to go for some quick but quality Mexican food that won't have you spending the rest of the night in the bathroom. The service is friendly, and best of all the price is right. Definitely an all-time fave of mine!

It's as good as chipolte, but totally different. I always go for the chicken tacos, original style, and then add a bunch of their yummy green salsa. Everything is very fresh, and the guac, if you're a guac person, is amazing! Big chunks of tomato and so good! Call ahead is always great too if you're on your way home from work and need to pick up fast, since it does take a few minutes for them to make it.

Very fresh ingredients for a chain; good quality and price as well. It is healthy as you make it/want to be. Pico de gallo is damn good.