While we really enjoy Baja Fresh's food, the reason for this review is to highlight how awesome this particular store and the folks are who work here. We've been coming for years, and unwaveringly the smiles and service is exceptional. So a giant thanks to the folks there who are working hard to make my day a little easier and friendlier! You are appreciated! read more

I came in with a coupon from Baja Fresh, directly from their website, that says $5 off any food order. I go in to place an order and they say it's off a $20 order when it doesn't say that anywhere in the coupon. The manager was very rude and I happily walked out of their restaurant. I will never return to Baja Fresh again after such rude service and a shady coupon system. Board and brew next door was happy to earn my business. read more

I love the happy hour deals here. The salsa bar is my favorite option here. Always fresh and 95% of time super clean. They only get messy around the salsa bar, when a huge crowd is there. The workers are always welcoming and super friendly. Thank you for greeting me always with a smile. read more

Don't come here if you have allergies or dietary restrictions because they'll mess up your order and when you call they'll be super condescending & unhelpful :-) read more

This particular location is nice, plenty of outside patio seating, and very close to connecting eateries. I have been coming to this location on and off for the last 5 years, as I work in the area and a couple times throughout the year we will come here for lunch. Burritos are decent, and the salsa bar is decent too. They do Taco Tuesday specials and other specials throughout the week, but on Tuesday they offer a free taco if you buy two. This will set you back around $10 dollars without a drink, chips are included with most orders I recall. Inside they do a good job at keeping it clean, and also that goes for their restroom, nice to know as I usually will wash my hands before eating my food, and will end up noticing how the restrooms are kept in most places I frequent, and eat at, I have seen it not as well kept up on some of my visits but I think we can all understand that lunch rushes and business can keep the crew from getting to timely cleaning and maintance schedules, overall it is a decent place to eat and shop, walk around, many small and major grocery stores. read more

One star for RUDE. Tim C rang me up. I requested light chicken in my burrito. It wasn't stated on my receipt, so I very nicely asked if he could make sure it was light chicken. Tim said "the longer we talk about it the less of a chance of it happening". Wow. All I did was ask a question because it wasn't on my receipt. I was super nice to him and he was just plain rude. You shouldn't work in a service position if you're going to be an ass. read more

Yelp doesn't mention this but you can order on their website for pick-up. Great food.

Food is super MID. Bland. Smells bad inside. Homeless lady at table. Flies. Salsa sucks. Very nice cashier. Pacifico was the best part. Guac taste like mud. Dust everywhere. Salsa bar hasn't been cleaned since the 1800s read more

Really a solid value. Excellent food quality, a huge and diverse menu and staff that really cares about doing it right. All at a very fair price. I stop in regularly and highly recommend the carnitas tacos. My wife loves the fish tacos! read more

I don't often give a single star but this place was filthy. The kitchen was gross and food was all over the ground, the bathroom looked even worse, the dining tables and floor were just filthy.. For a food establishment it was absolutely unacceptable! I will not be back.. And we drove up from Encinitas for Baja Fresh... read more

Baja Fresh - The restroom is awful.. I hope it's not a reflection of those kitchen.. - Mexican Near Me - San Clemente, California

Ate here. Counter staff was very helpful and fast and friendly. Food was fresh. Had steak fajitas and they were delicious.

Steven is so kind, my goodness!! My husband and I came in for dinner tonight and he went above and beyond to help us choose what to order. The enchilada style carnitas burrito that he recommended was delicious btw! I'm guilty of usually only yelping when a business treats me poorly so I'm happy to have a reason to give someone 5 stars on here. I don't even live next to this location but I'd come back just to converse with Steven again. Excellent excellent excellent service! read more

Always consistent with the quality, fresh salsa bar, clean. Nice staff. I like the fact you can call orders in ahead of time read more

Baja Fresh - Ice cold drinks including BEER - Mexican Near Me - San Clemente, California

ehhh i tried this place for the first time and i i dont know how i feel, i had a kids meal chicken taquitos, and a burrito with like some type of meat made of plants, i had a goft csrd so i was like why not, and i got churros. Lets start with the chicken taquitos they were okay probably just some frozen taquitos that they warm up or something so they were whatever, the burrito i could alreasy tell was gonna be a nightmare, i go to pick this thing up and its just mush like watery, i hoped for the best and started taking bites because i was so hungry, but i could only get like two or three bites before bean water started falling out all over my hands and it tasted like it had some type of weird sweet taste to it when i asked for no sauce so thay immediately made me think oh no red flag, just threw it back in the bag and ill probably just end us making some ramen again, but good thing i had a gift card or else i definitely wouldve been more upset if I spent my own money on this but yea two stars because they people were really nice and had my order ready as soon as I got their. but they forgot to give me my soda. And I was already on the freeway. So at this point take your own risk read more

Honestly one of the better hole in the wall fast food joints. Met the owner too, hes full of life and is super respectful.

We needed dinner to be fast, close by and good, so we went to Baja Fresh. We'd been here a few times, but the experience never warranted the effort of a Yelp review...until this visit. They had a chalkboard special consisting of a Caesar burrito with carnitas, served with chips and guacamole. I acknowledged the sign to the counter person and ordered that. My girls ordered a couple of bowl meals, one without onions. Meals come with tortilla chips and salsa bar, server handed me a cardboard tray with about ten chips in it for three people. Seriously? I couldn't believe I had to request he add more chips to the tray and he was clearly bothered by that. Food was ready and the first thing I noticed was no guacamole, so I asked for it. I was told that was an extra cost item. I pointed out the chalkboard sign and was promptly and rather rudely told I hadn't ordered that. I calmly explained I had indeed ordered that and had pointed out the sign when I ordered it. I was told I hadn't been charged for the special, don't know how that was my problem. Finally, they produced the two-ounce portion of guacamole. My daughter's order which was supposed to be without onions was laced with them, she spent several minutes pulling them out. My burrito was mostly romaine lettuce with a hint of carnitas, not much to write home about. Avoid. My wife then went to the counter for a bag to carry her leftovers in and was told bags were for take out orders, but we'll give you one anyway. Unbelievable rudeness. Time to leave, we bus our table and approached the trash receptacle, only to have an employee block it with a chair and tell me to use the one at the other end of the room, because he had just changed the bag in this one. I just left the stuff on a table and exited the premises. We will never return. read more

Good fresh food! Customer service was amazing! Steven was super nice and very helpful! Will definitely eat here more often!

Baja Fresh is true to it's name because it sure is fresh!!! Ordered the 2 taco combo. 2 tacos, both with carnitas. Oh yummmmmmy. Loving it!!!! So fresh and refreshing. I hadn't been to Baja Fresh in years, but now I remember why I love it. The taco combo also came with beans and rice. The beans and rice aren't as worthy as the tacos, but they were decent enough. For 5 bucks, I was satisfied. One of my friends that came with me ordered the fish tacos...and they looked and smelled fantastic. He said they were good too. Major plus!! I know this is Mexican food for us white folks, but it serves it's purpose well and leaves me stuffed and fully satisfied. I'm sticking to an apple for dinner tonight....I way overate already today.... PS--service is excellent! Fast, friendly and effecient read more

I love Baja Fresh but the last time I was there the manager with the red hair was so RUDE and DISRESPECTFUL I will NEVER go back again. I understand that we're living in different times but there is no reason to be nasty to your customers. Very disappointed!!! read more

I love Baja Fresh for some salty reason. It's like fast food Mexican for white people (but I love it). GREAT! read more

Oh ye weary traveler, come inside to rest your head upon a pillow sized burrito... I partook of this fine establishment's gargantuan burrito-y offerings for lunch yesterday. I was hot and tired from moving a thousand pounds of network server equipment and a Diablo Burrito with a Lemonade was just what I needed to recharge and get my head back in the game. The staff was very friendly (the gentleman behind the counter brought me my burrito because I wasn't paying attention - sorry!) and my transaction was fast and efficient and my order taken accurately without feeling rushed. I very much enjoyed the salsa bar and tried the 6 Chili variety. I was pleasantly surprised to find a nice pleasant burn to by my reward for deciding to step out of my comfort zone! My burrito was approximately the size of a fully grown dachshund and packed full of perfectly grilled chicken and tender well prepared beans. The restaurant itself was mostly clean and the staff was attempting to curb the onslaught of hungry lunchtime patrons. I did deduct one star for the awkwardly tall tables in the restaurant; they're pretty annoying but it is what it is. read more

Always good to find a Baja Fresh. I usually get the baja burrito but found their fajitas is my new go to. Great counter service they were so nice, order was as expected. Highly recommend the salads as well. read more

Baja Super Slow!!! I was there ordering dinner for my wife, my son, and myself. It was a "to go" order, so I was there with my 4 year old and the time it took to get our order was really amplified by my son (because he doesn't like to sit around much). The whole time I was there I kept looking at the sign that says "Fresh food takes time, thank you for your patience". So I kept thinking, "Don't worry, it's going to be worth the wait". I ordered a Cheese Quesadilla, a child's Bean and Cheese Burrito meal, and the advertised special of the Steak and Lobster tacos. I kept thinking to myself... "It shouldn't be taking this long, maybe its the tacos?" We were sitting right by the register waiting, so I could see everybody that ordered after us get their food, eat their food, and then leave. Finally, the manager asks what my order number was and starts looking for my ticket. He couldn't find my ticket so I gave him my copy. He takes the orders that were sitting in the window and puts them in a bag and presents them like "Here you go, enjoy!" I asked him, "Is this going to be hot? It's been up there for quite a while." He looks at me like I'm crazy for asking and says, "It's hot, it just came up!" So now I'm headed home (a 5 minute drive) and I'm figuring out just how long we waited (I can tell pretty accurately because I "Checked In" to Yelp when we got there). We were in the restaurant waiting for 40 minutes, by the time we got home it was a 50 minute round trip. The first thing I did was get all the food on the table and told everybody to "dig in". My tacos were warm - cold, my wife's quesadilla was warm - cold (you could tell by looking at it because of the way the cheese stood there like plastic), and my son's bean and cheese burrito was cool to the touch. I didn't finish the lobster taco because it was just plain cold. I was frustrated, all that waiting and I got cold - warm food. My recommendation is to walk next door and get a sandwich from Board and Brew. I would have done that, but I had just eaten there earlier. I don't think I'll be back to Baja "takes a freaking long time" Fresh. read more

Food is good and tastes fresh but the service staff suck. Kevin and the lady working with him didn't smile once or thank you. Basic manners should be required right?? Rude.. read more

Plastic in salsa. No action taken when I told worker Kevin. I'm still here 15 minutes later and nothing. read more

Baja Fresh - Plastic in Salsa. Found plastic in salsa and told worker Kevin who said he would "take a look". - Mexican Near Me - San Clemente, California

This is my hands-down very favorite Mexican restaurant. I LOVE the carnitas quesadilla with guac and sour cream. They have such a wide array (free) packets of salsas. Marcella is a wonderful waitress there and her boss is just as nice, but I don't know his name. They are super kind and attentive and the food is delicious. And they have a wonderful $4.99 margarita ... served in a glass, not plastic. I highly recommend Baja Fresh on Pico in San Clemente. read more

Placed my 1st online order with them, but I guess I didn't process it completely, so when I arrived they didn't have my order. HOWEVER, the Manager, Tim, jumped into action, explained how to properly submit online, and by the time he and I completed our conversation, his staff had my order ready, no charge. THAT is how you do Customer Service- excellent experience that will definitely bring me back. read more

I'm giving them one star because zero star is unavailable. I went to Baja Fresh today for lunch and ordered two tacos and got one free because it was Taco Tuesday. I took my lunch back to work and was chewing my fish taco when I bit into something hard but small. I thought it was a bone so pulled it out of my mouth. And then, there were 2 more small plastic objects that I was chewing on that was in my taco. I took them out and examined them but they were not bones at all. It was some type of small plastic. So I called Baja Fresh and told them what happened and they said to come back and they would refund me, so I drove back and told a lady by the name of Marcella what happened. And I showed her the plastic. She acted nonchalant and only wanted to give me a refund for one taco since the plastic substances came from one taco. I had the food with me that I didn't finish and I said look, my lunch was ruined. I didn't even touch one of the chicken tacos because of what I found in my food. I still didn't have intentions of writing a post because who has time to waste to write a yelp review but then what happened next made me decide that I had to write this post. She haggled me about giving me my money back and then accused me of putting the plastic in the taco. I couldn't believe her. Why would I waste my time. She gave me my money back and said to me. I remember you because you complained here before. And I had to think, what was she talking about but then I remembered. One day I went in to order lunch and I was like the only customer there but it was taking over 30 minutes for me to get my food but all the employees were laughing and playing. So I'm just waiting. Finally I asked a guy what's going on with my order and this lady Marcella who took my order, didn't give it to the cook, so I was just waiting there while they goofed off and played with each other. Who has time for this? I didn't have time to post the bad service then but now after this incident, with plastic small objects in my food. It's time for me to share what's happening at this location. I even told her that I'm going to post on yelp what happened and again she was nonchalant and it seemed she didn't care. read more

I frequently come to this Baja Fresh location. Its fast and the quality of the food is consistently good. I generally only order the same thing, tacos and queso and salsa from the salsa bar, so I can't vouch for the entire menu but what I do order is delicious. I also want to point out that the management team and operations staff always provides fantastic customer service and I am always treated with respect. read more

Haven't been to a Baja Fresh in about two years. Now I know why. Food was not very good and not prepared with care. Planned on quick stop to pick up quick tacos. Meat has to be cooked & placed with other fresh food items. It shouldn't take 25 minutes to prepare already prepared food. If we weren't so hungry and headed to a two- hour class we would have left. Obvious need for more staff and serious concerns for food safety. I will be contacting Baja Fresh to report. Lack of staff manager (or who we thought was the manager) trying hard to answer everybody's question and everybody's need instead of focusing on completing one task at a time. He succeeded in opening up several avenues to make multiple people wait a long time and not resolve issues. MAIN ISSUE: The same "manager" was handling the register, touching money, handling food items, preparing bags and touching stuff all over the counter. He then turned around and prepared food, filled orders, and moved trays of food - WITHOUT WASHING HIS HANDS There was also a second cashier who looked very disinterested in her job. She seemed to be doing the least amount possible. She left a very busy front line to pick things off the salsa bar. She wiped the salsa bar WITH HER HAND and then picked up trash items left about. Those trash items were put in the trash can which she pushed down WITH HER HAND into the can. This same person returned to the front line to immediately put food plates on trays, cover to-go items and put orders in bags WITHOUT WASHING HER HANDS! Yuck. When we received our order (which had been covered with lids before they touched them, thank goodness) - I spoke to the manager about the lack of cleanliness. He barely acknowledged what I was saying because he was attempting to fix things for three other customers. We will not return. read more

Our chicken tortilla soup really didn't look like what I thought I was ordering. Tasted even worse. I paid 27+$ on that and plates of room temp lettuce with one tiny sample container of dressing. No stars this was the worse lunch ever and I wasted my money. read more

Baja Fresh - Mexican Near Me - San Clemente, California

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To the server who waited on us today who is from Israel, welcome. Thank you for your kindness on taking our order, insuring all was accurate and welcoming us to Baja Fresh. The store manager has been with Baja Fresh for awhile now and runs a great operation. Thank you! read more

Overall I really enjoy Baja Fresh. This being the closest one to my house and office, it is usually where I go for Baja Fresh. Sometimes a little too busy, especially weekends and when busy, usually messing and dirty tables but the food is made to order, always hot and fresh. I could honestly just eat the Pico De Gallo and chips and be happy, but always feel like I need to order a burrito or something. One of the few places where you can actually get a really good salad, Try the Chicken Mano Chipotle and the Fire Grilled Shrimp salads... yummy. Staff is always friendly which I don't seem to get at other Baja Fresh locations.... that's cool though because this one is the one I go to mostly. read more

Ate here for lunch and everyone was satisfied. They have amazing guacamole and multiple salsa options. Fairly priced and very filling portions. read more

Burrito Ultimos are not worth the money. $10 bucks and burrito doesn't even fill you up. Managers are weird to say the least. Restrooms are dirty. read more

The baja steak burrito is insane. People complaining about the wait....dude you can't wait 10 minutes for lunch? Better head over the McDonalds for some quick plastic. You can't have baja fresh food in microwave time yo! read more

This place has really good food and a great selection of salsas. They're meat on their tacos and burritos tastes like it's pretty good quality too. I've been here a couple times and every time I have a great experience. The staff is friendly and helpful. I ordered the two taco combo with a shrimp and carnitas taco. Both of these were delicious and the carnitas tasted pretty high quality. My order was made quickly without any issues. I really like that this place gives you free chips. That is not was a quick Mexican food place does so it's appreciated. My favorite part about this place is the large selection of salsa. They have mango, verde, pico de gayo, rojo, and a think a couple more but I can't remember what they were. They also have other sides such as cilantro and jalepenos. I'm a big fan of hot sauce and salsas so this place works for me. Overall, this place is fast and has good food. It's perfect for a quick meal that won't cost you too much. read more

Every employee working there every time I've gone in is so rude and doesn't acknowledge me or people I'm with until after 5 minutes being in there. They aren't busy that often, common courtesy is to greet customers at least. Nothing. Ever. My last visit I walked in with my husband and our best friend and waited at the counter for almost ten minutes.......no one else waiting in line and not busy. Two employees made eye contact but nothing else! So we walked out. Never going back. Only reason I gave it one star is because it's clean in there. As far as I could see at least. read more

Conner helped and what an amazing young man (I guess him at 17). Super patient and helpful. To my surprise he also spoke Spanish fluently. He was not of Latino decent, so it was great to see a bilingual young person. No doubt he will go far in his life read more

Everything I have ordered from Baja Fresh has been delicious! The employees there are always upbeat and friendly. So refreshing to see a kind group of people grateful for the business. read more