Greeted by a very friendly waitress. It was a cute little restaurant with simple decor. The food was exceptional for the price! I ordered lamb tacos the were very fresh and delicious, the chips and salsa were very good and the fruit water was just a tad too sweet for me so I took it to go with my husband's chicken burrito and he enjoyed them both. My only dislike was the exterior access bathrooms. read more

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Hubby's favorite - they make their sauces If authentic is what you are looking for, this is the place. They make their own sauce (none of the commercially produced stuff) and to my husband that is the key to a good Mexican restaurant. The staff was friendly and helpful and the seating area was clean. It's small place, great for a peaceful meal. The food is priced right and the portions are good. We have been in the area for 2 years looking for a place that makes their own sauce and this is the first we have found. Hard to believe with so many options around so few take the time to do this. Thank you Cielito Linda, we will be back! read more

I had the fajitas and they weren't seasoned in any way. Took a long time to get my tortillas. By the time I got the the fajitas were getting cold. The bathrooms are on the outside of the building! And no alcohol! read more

Very good authentic food. Allot of food with prices that are affordable. Server was very attentive. Restaurant was clean and well lit. There are booths and tables. If I'm ever in the area again I would eat there. read more

It is about 3.5 stars. The food is simple and easy to order. During pandemic, the social distancing was observed. The restaurant is located at the prime area of river. May be they can add outdoor seating with river view to increase attractiveness of customers for margaritas and more. We got two taco, the Lengua and Cabeza. This two taco is good. Portion is small. I like cabeza better. The nest dish is steak quesadilla. It was not fully packed. But the price did match the quantity of the meat. Good melt cheese. The last dish is the mixed fajitas. It has chicken, shrimp, and steak. I would suggest if you order, just the steak is good enough. The steak has good marinated sauce in it. It come with fried bean, salad, and rice. Overall the price fare to match the quantity. In Chinese saying, one cent price match one cent goods. read more

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I haven't had ESE(slang term for Mexican) food in a while and was going to go to Cali Tacos that is 1.5 miles from my house. It apparently had shut down. I heard this place was new and thought Id try it out. If you remove the "I" S" and"A" , you get X-men. Is there such a thing as psuedo-dyslexia? Pros: Great authentic Mexican food in Temple Terrace. The ingredients are fresh (cilantro) and the wait time is minimal. This restaurant does have table service FYI. I was the only person inside so obviously service was great. Prices are generally cheap and in line with most Mexican places. Tacos have cilantro and onions are $2 at the cheapest, while platters with rice and beans are in the teens. Free chips and salsa. The chips appear homemade and were hot and crispy and the salsas have a kick. I haven't eaten any ethnic food in a while so maybe I was losing my spice tolerance. One salsa was a green tomatillo type and the other was dark red. It honestly looked like Indian "pickle" which is interesting. The Pregnant burrito is worth it for $8. It includes meat, pico, guacamole, refried beans, and rice. Meat is generous and has good flavor. Cons While the food is good, it is not going to dethrone Loli's. I ordered a pastor taco. The cilantro on the Pastor was fresh and the pork was seasoned decently. It lacked the pineapple of Loli's. The bathroom is only accessible if you exit the dining area and walk around the side. It is a little narrow to get in there because a concrete pillar is there. It is a little annoying. The taco meat choices don't include shrimp or fish. :( Misc: They have Pepsi fountain drinks with refills but Coke products and Mexican sodas by bottle a la carte. Overall: A good Mexican joint worth trying in Temple Terrace. read more

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I came here during my lunch break, service was quick and attentive. I took the servers recommendation, I don't remember the name of the plate but it started with an "A" and was delicious. Good portion meal, I had plenty of leftovers. I sat outside with my dog and enjoyed a peak at the river while I ate. I'll be back! read more

Cielito Lindo Mexican Restaurant - Food - Mexican Near Me - Temple Terrace, Florida

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Delicious! The chimichanga, guacamole and rice and beans all were wonderful. Highly recommend. Very reasonable for the price and you get a good amount of food. read more

Very nice inside, super clean & welcoming. The menu is huge & everything looks delicious! My husband changed his mind on what he wanted to eat after I sat down so I didn't get a chance to order anything. But the server was so sweet & kind! I want to come back another day to try everything read more

This place was way better than I expected. It's authentic Mexican food and authentic flavors! We ordered chorizo quesadilla and the Diablo shrimp. the spices were flavorful in the shrimp was definitely spicy! The food came out fresh and hot, plus the service was good. the restaurant was pretty empty and other than the lady working at the counter there was no other staff so I'm not sure how the restaurant would fare on a busy day but we enjoyed our visit read more

Cielito Lindo Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Temple Terrace, Florida

Ximena's is a new Mexican restaurant located in a spot, right off the Hillsborough River, which has seen the demise of several other restaurants. I was hoping that this new incarnation would fare better. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Eight of us (four adults and 4 kids) went for dinner this week to try and support a local restaurant. The place had several 5-star reviews so I was excited to give it a try. I am not sure what the problem was, but we received nothing close to 5 stars, not even 3 stars. First of all, the inside needs rehab. The interior is just kind of gross looking. Not dirty, but they didn't put much effort into revitalizing it from the previous owners. There isn't even a bathroom inside the facility. You need to go outside to go potty. Not literally outside, but you have to leave the building and go inside another door, which is weird. The menu was quite extensive, with lots of options and very low prices. For example, they had 11 different tacos you could choose from, and they were only $2.00 each. We were presented with chips and salsa when we sat down. The chips didn't seem very fresh, and the salsa was literally just liquid. No chunks of tomato. Just something that looked like it came from a bottle. It had zero flavors. They don't serve any alcohol, so we got some sodas, of which the mix was wrong and it tasted terrible. At the table, we ordered: Enchiladas, fajitas, two different burritos, quesadillas, and some tacos. Not a single person at the table liked their meal. The fajitas were chicken, steak and shrimp. The only edible protein was the shrimp. The steak and chicken were both seriously overcooked and super dry. The beans that came with the meal were so wet and goopy nobody touched it. The guacamole on the burritos tasted wrong like it was old. I'll put it this way. When we go out, we always take the leftovers home. Even if there is just a scrap or two. Here, we left it all on the table. At the end of the meal, I went around the table and asked everyone (minus the kids) what they would rate the restaurant out of 5 stars. It was unanimous at 2. read more

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This is the most amazing, authentic Mexican restaurant I have ever been to! A friend got me hooked on real Mexican food and I've been searching for a good place that serves al pastor tacos (my favorite!!!). Their tacos are $2 and quesadillas $5. The prices are insanely good and the food quality matches! I will be a regular here! Our server, Omar, was the owner's son and was extremely friendly, attentive, and polite. Home made chips and salsa and everything is fresh and delicious. It is located right on the Hillsborough River and there is a beautiful view of the river inside the restaurant. You can dine in or take out. I am so happy I found this gem! Closed on Sundays! read more

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Went to try this place yesterday after driving by it a few times! I love Mexican food but I am pretty picky and basic - I'm pretty much looking for a good chicken quesadilla and chips and salsa at all times. This is place isshops, especially for the price! Plenty of menu options. I had a chicken quesadilla meal, a taco, and a soda for literary $11. Take my money! It is cute and quaint, right on the river, and as a Spanish student, I really enjoyed the Spanish TV in the background. I honestly hate hearing pop music in a Mexican restaurant lol My only critique is the salsa! I do like thinner salsa, but it should visibly have some chunks of other ingredients like onion, cilantro, garlic, etc.... it was just like super thin tomato sauce almost. Not the woooorst...... definitely not my favorite! TLDR; it was pretty good, very cheap, and I'll be back!! read more

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This is hands down the best Mexican food in Temple Terrace. Doesn't look like much on the outside but don't be fooled. All homemade authentic and fresh. You have got to try this place! read more

Real authentic Mexican food at Last! Restaurant and parking lot very clean. Affordable prices. Friendly service and delicious Fresh food, just like the ones I had in my vacation to Mexico city, Nuevo Leon and Guanajuato. In this my first visit I had Chicken enchiladas in red sauce, Sope al pastor with the best Carnitas I ever had and Chorizo Sope with a side of fresh handmade Guacamole. Delish!! Salsas could be a little more heavy tho, but still held the taste of tomatillos and other ingredients. I will dine at Ximena's Restaurant again and again :-) read more

I read all the sterling reviews of Ximenas but my experience at Ximenas on 7/20 Tuesday for a late lunch left me with this impression: It is absolutely the worst dining experience I have ever had. The waitress could barely understand english, when the food arrived it was plentiful. However, the salsa was tomato sauce, the food was tasteless, the mexican rice was yellow rice with absolutely no flavor. I will never darken the doo of this establishment and never should you. Dr. Stan Morey read more

Delicious authentic Mexican food. Lots of meat options. Love it. Staff was perfect and very polite. Only downfall is not Dos Equis or Modelo to enjoy with absolutely stunning flavorful food. read more

Cielito Lindo Mexican Restaurant - Steak and Sausage Pregnant Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Temple Terrace, Florida

It's great to have a reasonably priced Mexican sit down introduced to Temple Terrace. Very friendly service, and great prices for authentic food! I am happy to go back. Our server enthusiastically recommended the restaurant's special prepared drink, a non-alcoholic version of a Michelada. Delicious, and unlike anything else I've had! I highly recommend. read more

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Awesome tacos. No matter which one you take, they taste really good. And for $2/taco it is huge value. And on top of that there is a view of the river. And service is attentive. Chips, salsa and avocado dip are plenty. Not sure why this place is not at the top of the lists, but check it out. read more

Really good food. Authentic and yummy. Great customer service. You should come and eat here. read more

Cielito Lindo Mexican Restaurant - Steak tacos - Mexican Near Me - Temple Terrace, Florida

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The tacos al pastor are amazing here, my only regret is that I should have ordered more! So yummy!

Randomly chose to try this place out with a dear friend as we drove by. What a diamond in the rough. We had probably the most authentically Mexican food I've ever had in Tampa. The server (sorry didn't get his name) was excellent, the food delish, prices very reasonable but the back story of how they were killing it in the food truck scene and decided to go to a brick and mortar restaurant is priceless. Chips and green salsa were to die for and the fajitas, carnitas quesadilla were grea, look out all you taco places nearby. Kudos to Ximena's for taking a leap of faith and setting up what I suspect will be a huge success. Congratulations! read more

Authentic Mexican food and tex mex food. Loved the tacos. They weren't dry. Freaking amazing margarita

Very pleasant small Mexican restaurant with well prepared entrées. I had a couple of traditional tacos in soft tortillas. Plan on returning soon to try Menudo. read more

We had an excellent dinner at Ximena's Mexican on a low key and rainy Wednesday night. The owner was very friendly and gave us time to study the extensive menu. Fresh corn chips and and homemade salsa were complimentary and a nice touch. Tried both their delicious melon agua fresca and the horchata. We enjoyed some authentic chicken enchiladas in green sauce and the daily special; green mole chicken. Both were served with a side of pinto beans and rice. The individual tacos were also a nice option, especially when you're in a hurry. This is a great addition to the neighborhood and I'm happy to support their bus read more

Oh wow!!!! Finally some real Mexican Food in Temple Terrace. Love the food options, and the staff.

authentic and delicious mexican food. it's also very affordable - i got the steak burrito and this is the best mexican food I have had since being in tampa read more

food was excellent as well as service i ordered the pollo quesadilla it was a great portion for only 6.50 i also got two pollo tacos very exceptional. the only thing the salsa is not what you expect its like a warm tomato sauce but the green salsa is super spicy and its great! would definitely come back read more