Gluten-Free at Tijuana Flats

I ordered a taco with a corn tortilla and was careful about toppings to avoid gluten and dairy. The manager came out after my order was placed to let me know the tortillas are fried with gluten items. He was so kind and helped me build a rice bowl instead for no additional charge. I couldn’t have the chips either, but he gave me a corn salsa side instead. Fantastic customer service!

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Safety Feature Ratings

• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions
• Staff will clean kitchen space or change gloves if asked

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Other Characteristics

• Good for dairy-free
• Good for dinner
• Good for lunch
• Good selection of healthy options
• Good with other allergies
• Offers outdoor seating

Mexican restaurant. Serves rice and salad bowls. Chips are corn.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Safety Feature Ratings

• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

There is no longer a gf menu and the manager said everything is cross contaminated and it is not a place that is safe for celiacs

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much/None

Corn tortillas not gluten free here. Only options are bowls

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much/None

Usually Mexican restaurants are a safe place for me to eat. This place made me si k. Not gluten free. Avoid!

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much/None

Other Characteristics

• Good for takeout
• Offers delivery
• Offers online ordering

Got sick after both attempts to eat here.

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Below Average

They do not have a dedicated fryer so the corn tortillas are fried in the same location as the wheat tortillas. I was told it is not recommended for those with severe gluten sensitivity to eat there. They have items that did not contain gluten but the possibility of cross contamination is too high

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Below Average

Had the chicken bowl and had stomach pain the rest of the day. Steered away from anything fried since it is fried with the same oil the flour tortillas are.

Gluten wise this is a safe a decent option for fast food Mexican food. The three stars is only because I wouldn’t rush to try but if you come across one and are hungry, it is a safe place to eat.

11/9/19 Another great meal. Steamed enchiladas and a no-Rito chicken bowl. Yummmmmm!! Thanks to Nicole! 3/5/19 Still a great place to eat. The manager, Nicole, has a sister with Celiac so she “gets it” and I’ve never gotten sick. They can even steam enchiladas!! Ask them to get rice and beans from a new tray to positively avoid cc. From 3/2018 Have eaten here quite a few times- I let them know I'm celiac and ask that they prepare my food from fresh trays of chicken, etc. I get the chicken No-rito bowl. Rice, lettuce, etc all from new trays to avoid the possibility of cross contamination. Very good service.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Decent and fast Mexican food. Lots of clearly labeled sauces. Lovely patio.

Stay away! There is no gluten free menu. They did not seem to know which items on their menu were gluten free.

Extremely limited. Read chart very carefully and look for contradictions between chart and menu. From their chart tacos are NOT gluten free

a lot of gluten free options. staff is knowledgeable

Celiac friendly?

Yes

When I told the owner that I had celiac, he made sure my enchilada was cooked in its own non-contaminated oil and replaced the chips with gf rice. The meal was delicious!

Celiac friendly?

Yes

So the options are limited but they have done a good job at this location. Chips are in a shared fryer so not Celiac safe. I have ordered a steak burrito bowl no chips 3 times now with no issues. It’s a great option. I always specify that it is for a gluten Allergy.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Staff had a list of what foods were gluten free

Celiac friendly?

Yes

The manager was nice enough to tell me the fryer they use to make the tortillas pliable is shared. No go. So glad he told me.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

The staff is very friendly and they know to substitute corn products for wheat.

The staff was very knowledgeable, but they fry everything in house & do not have a dedicated fryer. They suggested I not eat there due to risk of getting sick.. they were great, which makes me more sad I can’t eat there..

Celiac friendly?

No

I always get the corn tortillas and have never had a reaction. I order the steak street tacos and the queso cheese goes great with the chips. I'm not celiac so I can do some cross contamination. I never even flag it as needing GF because they do a good job.

I visited this location at 5:24pm on 9/20/2018. I was very specific with the gluten free instructions when I ordered. The cashier seemed to understand my issues that include Celiac disease and allergies to eggs and dairy. She told us she specifically notified the kitchen. However when my food came out there were chips all over the plate. So I rejected the food. I told the food deliverer that I had very severe allergies (even though Celiac is not allergies) and that I could not eat that with all the chips all over it. So she went into the back removed the chips and brought back the rest. Knowing that this was the case I asked her, "did you just take the chips off the plate?" She said yes. So I told her I needed it to be remade. She scoffed and walked away. Then a manager brought out a "new" bowl. So I asked, "Is this the same one?" and she replied, "No I watched them remake it." At this point I should have just asked for my money back, because all the red flags were there for cross-contamination, but I was hungry and really had no more options in the area. So right now it is 4:38 am nearly 12 hours after eating. My gastrointestinal tract has been bleeding for about 3 hours, I have thrown up and been on the toliet for most of the night. I haven't had a seizure yet, but I guess we will see. I will never go back here and would urge anyone with any kind of allergy or autoimmune disorder not to eat here. They are obviously not trained in allergy prep, or they just don't care if they make someone very sick. Hopefully the owners read this and have an allergy specialist come explain these medical conditions to their staff.

Celiac friendly?

No

If you are celiac save yourself the trouble and just go to chipotle or qdoba if you want Mexican. The girl taking the order had no idea about gluten nor was there a gf menu. For those who got tostadas they are fried and I highly doubt they have a dedicated fryer that's a no go. Ordered a bowl with out the yellow rice and no chips, guess what I got in my order. Find looked great and would give it a 5 star for normal people but it should not be on this site IMO.

Celiac friendly?

No

I was in a pinch and stopped here for lunch. Although the girl taking our order couldn't have more accommodating with all the gluten free questions, the food here is mediocre. I had the soft corn tortillas, one with chicken and the other with steak. Neither of the meats were warm, had no flavor and were chewy. None of the other items such as tomato, lettuce, cheese and sour cream had any taste. It's apparent they purchase lower quality items. Not worth another a visit. (No dedicated fryer).

I only get the beef tostadas with queso. I don't get sick but I do get gassy! I don't eat the chips.

Really nice and helpful staff but surprisingly little GF for a Tex Mex place. Had soft corn tacos with blackened chicken. Not much flavor Addendum: had a medium reaction. I think the soft corn tortillas were NOT 100% corn

I eat here all the time. I live so close and it's so convenient. Always get the queso and beef tostadas. I ask them to change their gloves and tell them I am severe gluten sensitive. Have NEVER gotten sick.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

good gluten free corn tortilla options. cross contamination could occur, they say, but only the obvious things have gluten, plus the ranch dressings.

Terrible experience, un educated and misleading staff. I asked several times if the corn hard tacos and chips were gluten free and they checked and said yes. Both my sons have Celiac they ate the chips and when the tacos came in they said it was all fried in the same frier as other breaded items. Horrible service, will never come back

Celiac friendly?

No

While they have a gluten free menu, they do acknowledge cross contamination on some items. However the staff was knowledgeable and offered options to ensure no cross contamination.

Though they had a paper taped to a register what could be gluten free it was misleading. The gluten free items would be cooked in the same oils as the gluten items. This was the one in Merritt Island, Florida.

Celiac friendly?

No

Not dedicated, but staff was very knowledgeable and had recommendations. Fryers are shared. Celiac and had no problems.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Had a separate list of items that contains bed gluten & suggested things to order that are gluten free!

I eat here about once a month and haven't had any problems. My usual order is the Ultimate Beef Nachos. They use grated cheese instead of cheese sauce (though I was told at a festival they had a booth at the cheese sauce is gluten free too).

Celiac friendly?

Yes

They have a small menu of options they serve that are gluten free off of their regular menu. Corn tortillas, chips, and taco shells. They were very careful with my food and were very knowledgeable.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Mediocre texmex. They only have salads and rice bowls that are assured gluten-free. The chips share a fryer with unsafe foods. It's cheap--kids eat free on Sundays--and that's all it has going for it.

The person who greeted me had absolutely job idea what gluten even was. I had no confidence so my friends and I promptly made our exit and went to Mellow Mushroom nearby.

Celiac friendly?

No

This place is delicious! Although it may not be celiac friendly, if you are just gluten intolerant like me, then you'll be fine. They have corn tortillas and chips.

Celiac friendly?

No

No gluten free menu, but the waiters and owner were very knowledgable on the matter. I had chicken tacos on corn tortillas and they cleaned the grill before cooking it. The rice was gluten free as well

Celiac friendly?

Yes

The only GF options are the burrito bowls and salads. Chips are NOT safe since they fried in a shared fryer.

I asked for a gluten free menu and was told I can have anything that is made with a corn tortilla (hard tacos, salads, enchilada, and tostadas). There was no gluten free menu specifying what is gluten free. I ordered a kickin chicken tostada and the chicken was breaded. So you need to be very cautious of what you order! Lesson learned.

Celiac friendly?

No

Corn shells and chips are in a shared fryer. Also they said the rice is not gf. We got the norito bowl and enchiladas. They made the enchiladas without frying them first for us. They have a menu, and the cashier checked before placing our order. The gf menu is difficult to understand, but the food is good. If we were local I would come back with my kids again.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

No GF manu but they are happy to use corn tortilla shells. Haven't gotten sick from them.

Have items on the menu that are GF. Just do not get anything fried, not a dedicated fryer.

The staff has a list of options that don't contain gluten next to the cash register. Not very knowledgeable about the hot sauce. However, the manager just came to me and mentioned that he knows someone who comes here who's very sensitive to gluten & they don't get the red sauce on their enchalata . Make sure to ask them to not dip the corn tortillas in the frier

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Left here feeling sick, won't be back

Absolutely awesome!!! I would seriously say this is the best Mexican food in all of Orlando. Staff is attentive and knowledgable! I had two tacos with beans, cheese, lettuce, guacamole, and jalapeños with a side of queso. Felt great after eating and wanted more!

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Love the food here, and have never gotten sick. Just be smart about what you order. I get the bowl with rice, chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, and cheese. Chips, salsa, guacamole, queso are all safe. There's an allergen list on the website. Very easy to order online and it's ready when you get there!

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Delish! Eat here all the time with no reaction, although cross contamination doesn't bother me. I know most locations do not use separate fryers. Love the chicken tacos and queso!