For more than two decades, my husband and I have enjoyed dining at Baja's, a charming small restaurant that exudes a warm and inviting atmosphere. The consistently delicious food and exceptional service contribute to our fondness for this establishment. Bob, the owner, is a remarkable host, and his son Ryan impresses with his expertise in crafting excellent drinks and his thorough understanding of the menu. Our appreciation for the entire staff ensures that we will continue to visit this beloved restaurant. read more

Order The shrimp cocktail! So fresh and delicious. A very nice appetizer to share before the main entrees. We order it every time! Staff is very friendly, the food is consistently good, and the salsa bar is a great part of the dining experience. Very casual atmosphere inside and always busy with repeat customers. read more

Baja's Mexican Restaurant in Orange, Connecticut has authentic fresh Mexican food. It has been deliciously consistent for over the three decades I have been a customer. The fresh pollack fish tacos special included refried beans, rice, and guacamole. Nachos are a must here and were made with homemade chips and served piping hot. Their complimentary Salsa bar had an incredible variety of mild to spicy salsa and Mexican Carrots. The interior ambiance is somewhat dated. However reasonable prices for the quality food ingredients make up for it as well as their full service stocked bar. The service is welcoming and phenomenal. Our waitress Jessica is extremely pleasant and professional.There is plenty of free parking in the lot right in front of the restaurant. Scrumptious, fresh Mexican food with attentive service and reasonable prices make this restaurant a winning combination! read more

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Yesterday we went to Bajas (our favorite Mexican restaurant) for their shredded beef crunchy tacos and bean and cheese burrito. It's always good but today really wowed us. Megan (I think newer server) greeted us immediately and took our drink order. The restaurant offers free chips and a flat plate for your choice of salsas from their salsa bar. The bar offers pickled jalapeños, onions, carrots, and cucumbers, pico and your choice of heat in your salsa. The strange thing is you can't get a hot and a medium salsa as they run together as whatever is put on the plate mixes together lol. So, this is an area of improvement. Ramekins would be helpful for these particular items and are offered when placing a to go order. Every other Mexican restaurant offers this. With that said, we have visited so many Mexican restaurants and this truly is the best most consistent food we have found in CT. The staff are always friendly, knowledgeable and helpful and great at offering suggestions. The restaurant is always clean and bathrooms are well stocked. We don't live nearby, but gladly travel just for their food. Go with confidence read more

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We have been going to Baja's since they opened in the 90's. Food is delicious every time, plus free salsa bar and chips! The staff is friendly and attentive and always willing to go above and beyond to make your dining experience enjoyable. If you want excellent Mexican food, Baja's is the place to go! read more

Delicious experience at a hidden gem recommended by a friend! The portions were huge for the price. The salsa bar is unique - I love that you can adapt your salsa to your spice profile. The service was quick and friendly. My burrito was tasty and juicy! The blackberry margarita was a little strong but the perfect balance of savory and sweet! And the dessert made the meal! We ordered the strawberry rolls off the specials menu and they were warm and melted in my mouth. Will definitely come back again to try the many other tasty items on their menu! read more

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First time ordering from this place. If you want traditional authentic Mexican food don't eat here. I order a Carne Asada, and what I got was some chunks of some kind of salty meat mixed with onions. The rice, beans and guacamole were ok. I also ordered a Torta de Milanesa de pollo and it was the same story, some chunks of badly seasoned chicken. Definitely not worth the $40 read more

Baja's Authentic Mexican Restaurant - This is supposed to be Carne Asada. - Mexican Near Me - Orange, Connecticut

A classic. Best salsa bar, hands-down. Everything is always fresh. Margaritas made from scratch. chips are to die for. Love this place!

Really an excellent place! I returned after almost a year and a half and Jessica remembered me and my favorite flan! It's that sort of place! Great service and really good comfort food. It's really popular and a relaxed place! Lots of parking, and there isn't a wait even if they're busy because there's a lot of seating. read more

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This is NOT Mexican food that is in ANY way similar to San Diego or anywhere in California. You could go to any 2 star Mexican drive through in San Diego at any time of day or night and get a burrito that would get a Michelin star on the east coast. The only reason this place has business at all is because people don't know the difference or they are desperate for something other than Italian. The rice is awful, the tortilla is rubber, the "grilled" chicken is boiled,the chips stale and saltless... what is actually in the yellow "queso"???? Why is it sweet? The whole experience is bizarre. Chipotle and even taco bell delivery a better product. Will not go back here again. Too bad. read more

Baja's continues to be our "go to" for authentic Mexican food. The best part about it is that we know exactly what we will get when we order. Fresh ingredients and perfectly cooked every time. The service is great and the free fresh salsa bar is a treat from the jarred offerings elsewhere. A top pick restaurant for over 30 years. read more

Sadly, another restaurant to TAKE OFF our favorite restaurants list. We had been going to Bajas every 3 to 4 months. We went today and were floored by the difference in portion sizes but higher prices, poor quality of food, poor service, but most of all, the nasty, rude, lying Owner. The pollock in my tacos was not fresh, it was hard and had an off taste. My husband's veggie burrito had huge chunks of tasteless vegetables, making it difficult to eat without using a knife and fork. What should have been an enjoyable lunch between doctors' appointments turned out to be sorely disappointing. WE WILL NOT BE BACK and if you are smart, you will not go. It is definitely not worth the money anymore. read more

Love this place. I always get a combo off the old Menu and they always honor my request. Wait staff is super friendly and remembers us every time we visit whether for take out or dine in. My only wish is that they would give some chips when you get takeout because they are so yummy! Fantastic hidden gem that I have been going to for years. read more

In order to complete our 169 town restaurant challenge, we stopped at Baja's Authentic Mexican Restaurant for dinner. From the outside it doesn't look like much as it's in a mini plaza. Don't let that fool you. Not a reflection of the restaurant at all! When we walked in, we we walked up a mini hallway and we were quickly and warmly welcomed and the hostess brought us to our table. We were quickly given tortilla chips, but there was no salsa. Our server Gabby greeted us and she was super friendly. She informed us that there was a salsa bar! The salsa bar reminded me a little of how the Pizza Hut salad bar looked like back in the day. (decor of it) They had the hotter salsa's on one side and the milder salsa's on the other. As I am a lover of spicer salsa's I opted for the hotter ones and they were all great! I was very indecisive and couldn't decide. I decided on chicken fajitas. Instead of smaller size flour tortillas, (typical taco size) I received two large burrito sized ones! I was not expecting that. The tortillas were warmed, soft and delicious. The fajitas themselves, the flavor was good but I was a little disappointed though. I was expecting them more to be sizzling and on a different type of plate of plate than a typical dinner plate. There was an abundance amount of peppers and onions as well. I don't mind onion flavor but not actual onions. I had to work around a lot of it. I was not expecting that much! My husband ordered the diablo shrimp without tomatoes. He enjoyed his entree and even though he has a higher tolerance for spice, mentioned how there was a kick to his meal. Gabby checked in on us regularly and even accommodated ways to save us money which was nice. My husband didn't want sour cream that came w/ his meal but I wanted some that didn't come w/ mine so he said for his on the side in order for us not to be charged. I am glad we started back up the 169 town restaurant challenge. However, if I am in the area again (Maybe at Ikea for example) I would definitely stop here again as there was so many different items I wanted to try! read more

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Mexicans nacho fries! Yum, very large serving. Beautiful to look at. Not spicy. Pickles carrots, jalapeños, lots of cheese, steak fries, steak. Asked for the quac and sour cream in the side because there will be leftovers! read more

Baja's Authentic Mexican Restaurant - Mexicano nacho fries! - Mexican Near Me - Orange, Connecticut

Best to do it since the 90's. Consistently wonderful food. A salsa bar of dreams. There is no wrong order. Don't fill up on chips and don't skip desert and margaritas read more

One of my favorite places to eat! Their rolled tacos are to die for and the salsa bar is always fresh. Service is quick and friendly, just an over all great place to eat or go out for margaritas. read more

I've been dining at Bajas since it's beginning when they served their amazing food on paper plates. You would have a slight scent of tires from the neighboring TFT. I loved the open salsa bar with many different heat levels. The owner would step out from behind the kitchen to greet you. The restaurant size has doubled with added bar and upgrade in silverware over the years. Lol. I hadn't been here in many years but I returned recently to have my go to meal - Carnitas plate! They serve you a generous portion of slow roasted pork loin in their Mexican spices accompanied with burrito sized tortillas and all of the fixings. I dare someone to finish it all in one sitting. As far as I am concerned my favorite dish is still my favorite. Excellent place. read more

Bajas was one of my favorite restaurants for over 25 years. This place has gone to complete shit. Service is horrible. Ridiculous. Order takeout won't give me a container to take salsa with carrots I have dined here for 25 years I have tipped over 20% every single time they have lost my business. I will never go to this rat shit hole again. Crazy when I got Raw shrimp served to me that got me sick from Baja's. I never was a douche bag about it I still tipped and this is the customer service that I get fuck this place! Maybe if this place cared more about customer service and the people that I've been keeping them in business for 25+ years they would be doing better. Their sales are clearly dwindling when you have a head waitress that is a napkin watcher holds the salt and pepper's off the table so people don't use them because it's such a big expense. Maybe if you guys worried more about the people that were putting money in your pocket and keeping them happy they would still be coming to your Restaurant . I've been coming to your restaurant with my friends for years. None of my friends go anymore because everybody says the same thing. It's sad because it is a great restaurant with horrible service in an absolute, horrible customer service. Not even open on a Tuesday and you're a taco Mexican restaurant read more

One of our favorites for Mexican through the years. The salsa bar is fun and loaded with good choices. Food is always very good and portions are big! read more

I love this place, I haven't went since I was a child so when I finally got the chance to come back I could taste the nostalgia in every bite especially because I usually get a burrito but this time I tried the chimichanga which is a deep fried burrito and I must say I'll never go back to anything else. It was so delicious. This place is always pack on weekends and the servers and host are really nice I can't wait to go back and try something new read more

Baja's Authentic Mexican Restaurant - Chimichanga (bottom) and enchiladas with mole (top) - Mexican Near Me - Orange, Connecticut

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Excellent Best Mexican food in the area. Not much ambiance (strip mall feel) but the food makes it worthy.

My brother & I ate there yesterday & as usual the meal was great! My brother had a chicken chimichanga & I had shrimp wrapped in bacon with veggies. The service was as good as it always is. read more

So delicious! Every time we come we leave super satisfied. The waitresses are really kind and friendly. Everything on their menu is great! We love their nachos especial and don't get me started on their salsa bar! They have the best salsas too. I wish I could bring them all home. Their homemade tortilla chips are to die for. Don't leave before trying out their desserts as well, I recommend strawberry rolls, aghhh they're so good. My husband and I would come here every week if we could. Give it a try! read more

Baja's Authentic Mexican Restaurant - Strawberry Rolls - Mexican Near Me - Orange, Connecticut

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was my first time there. it was small but we went at the right time cuz after we sat down it was busy. service was slow. we started with nachos especial it did not have enough refried beans on it and it's supposed to have avocado and sour cream mixed nothing was green it was all sour cream. we told the waitress and she if u look it will be there. Then we order dinner I got the carne asada plate. it was not what I was expecting. The meat was mix with stuff that was not on the menu. and it was chuck of steak. My friend got the Rafael's especial she didn't not like the mole but to be fair she didn't know what mole was. another friend got the Roberto's queasadilla which she liked. They give big portion sizes for the price. I did not eat at the salsa bar i don't like the idea that anyone could go up and get what they want. it's like a buffet of sauces since Covid and all the viruses going around that was unappealing to me. read more

I Dined here yesterday after not having been yo Baja's in a while. While I usually opt for Enchiladas with Chicken, Beef or Cheese, I decided to try the Shrimp Quesadillas. The Shrimp were grilled perfectly. They were sweet, Succulent and a little spicy, all at the same time. The Salsa Blanco, Shredded cabbage as well as the Salsa as a topping, combined so well together. All I have to say is if you don't try this, "YOU'RE MISSING OUT"! This will be my new go to dish, Can't wait to have these Shrimp Enchiladas again. read more

Baja's Authentic Mexican Restaurant - A perfect accompaniment to a Delicious Meal Pacifico Beer - Mexican Near Me - Orange, Connecticut

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One of the best taco place around. Looks like such a hole in the wall destination but the food here is truly worth the trip.

This unassuming place has some of the best Mexican food in CT. I'm from Texas and have been on a hunt to find ANYTHING resembling mexican food. Baja's is it... delicious chips, a salsa bar and a great menu! The carnitas are a hit. The only negative is that the margaritas aren't great. read more

The model of authentic and consistent Mexican food. Have been going to Baja's for decades and it never fails to deliver.

I don't understand why Baja's doesn't have better reviews here on Yelp. It's the best Mex food in the area and good Mex is hard to find. I love the fish tacos and my husband (a Texan) loves their carnitas. The fresh salsas are great, too. I'll admit the ambience leaves something to be desired, but the service is friendly and pretty fast. read more

Baja's Authentic Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Orange, Connecticut

Crazy if you don't think this place is amazing. Shrimp pompano ribs and best steak fajita. Sorry no pic too busy eating

catered a small party with Bajas. Taco bar with all the fixings was perfect and plentiful, especially the guacamole. Great job and everyone loved the food. read more

I couldn't wait to try this Zagat-rated restaurant and after trying it, we were utterly disappointed with the quality of the food. There is nothing "authentic Mexican" about this restaurant! We had the enchiladas con mole and enchiladas verdes. The mole was NOT mole. The mole tasted closer to a sweet Italian marinara than true mole. The enchilada verde was bathed in oil with plenty to spare and tasteless. Only the rice and beans were palatable. We will never go back. I would recommend the Chef to try even using the canned Doña Maria mole as this is closer to my grandmother's "authentic" mole. read more

Baja's Authentic Mexican Restaurant - please make note of how the chicken is bathed in oil - Mexican Near Me - Orange, Connecticut

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My go-to Mexican restaurant in the greater New Haven area. Consistently good and reasonably priced. This is definitely a no-frills place, where you come for the delicious food. The burritos are my favorite and there are normal sized and "finish it tomorrow" sized. I prefer the latter. Service is always friendly and while not the most attentive, it's good enough to not complain about. The smell from the tire shop next door can sometimes be a bit off-putting when you walk in, but it fades quickly...especially if you dive right in to the chips and salsa bar offerings. If you're in New Haven and want good Mexican food, drive the 15 minutes to Orange for Baja. It's worth it. read more

Place used to be better. Some of the seafood items were still good. The chicken- hmmm Their salsa bar is still awesome. read more

I grew up in the New Haven, Connecticut area. I know pizza and what constitutes a good one. I am a total pizza snob. I have traveled and will own up that I am ignorant on the subject of "authentic Mexican" or "Tex-Mex". I do know what tastes yummy and Baja's Mexican Restaurant fits this bill. I am sharing a picture of the outside. It is in the same building as a Town Fair Tire. Although I don't think it looks too inviting, this is a good example of not judging a book by its cover. My girlfriend and I arrived Tuesday November 11, 2014 around 3:30 pm. It was Veteran's Day so we were the only customers. Jessica took care of us right away. She was very friendly. I ordered a Dos Equis while my girlfriend got a margarita. We were both happy with our drinks. We then proceeded to the salsa bar which was amazing. It is labeled mild to hot. We were warned about the green salsa at the end which could clear up a person's sinuses. I have been reading some different reviews and I do agree they should be offering better plates than the flat ones here for their wonderful salsa. I didn't mind it so much but do believe this is a valid criticism. I ordered the shrimp tacos. Everything on my plate seemed fresh and I did enjoy them. My girlfriend ordered the Vegetable Fajitas. She did share and I liked her plate a little better than mine. I will order something else in the future. I did notice other customers coming in for take-out. As we were leaving I overheard one woman getting food for a bunch of 16 year old girls. I would get food here for a party. Baja's is my second favorite Mexican Restaurant in the New Haven area. Jalapeno Heaven in Branford is still my favorite. I am giving Baja four stars. The salsa bar was amazing. Our meals were fresh and Jessica our server was very attentive. They do lose some points for no Wi-Fi and the flat plates. Still this was an extremely enjoyable meal. We will be back. There is a good reason why this place has been in business since 1992. read more

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Zero stars for atmosphere but we keep coming back because the food is very good. My husband got the carne asada which has the most tender beef! My fish tacos were not one of their better dishes - just too soggy. But, because we have come so many times and the food has been much better than that dish, I think they merit 4 stars. Kudos to the waitress - she was the only one working the dining room at lunch and she did it admirably! read more

Baja's Authentic Mexican Restaurant - Carne Asada - very tender meat - Mexican Near Me - Orange, Connecticut

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Been eating here for years today's lunch disappointing No more lunch portion/price instead $19 for Taco Bell quality.....at best. Just as good or better to be found in New Haven for $13 and no tipping required. The chicken did not taste like anything literally. Anyway will give it a break for a few months before I try it again. Good luck. read more

Did you ever have one of those nights where plans had to keep changing? This was one of those. It brought my brother and I to Baja's, though, which made for a pleasant surprise in an evening of disappointments. Baja's has an extensive salsa bar, which you serve yourself and bring back to the table to accompany the basket of tortilla chips which promptly appears. Service was quick and friendly, and our entrees, when they arrived, definitely hit the spot. It's neither fancy nor pretentious, and they're clearly committed to offering good food at a good price. read more

Baja's Authentic Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Orange, Connecticut

This is a small hole-in-the-wall Mexican place right next to a McDonalds that you've probably driven by 20 times. However, their food is pretty good! They have a serve yourself salsa bar with mild and hot salsas and plenty of chips on the table. Before going here, someone commented they don't have bowls and I couldn't think how that mattered until you try scooping up salsa with a chip from a plate...it's hard! I had a bean and cheese burrito for my meal which was relatively inexpensive (compared to some other menu items) but I was surprised it was refried beans mixed with cheese. It tasted good, but I was expecting whole beans, cheese, and possibly a few other ingredients rather than a bean/cheese paste inside. read more