Before Chipotle came to Morrisville there was Salsa Fresh, a small Mexican spot where you could get simple and tasty tacos, burritos and other Mexican fare. As the town grew in both population and size, I feel like many other Mexican restaurants popped up around Salsa Fresh, and it had been some time before I made a return. I'd say that the other spots have tastier and more authentic grub, but Salsa Fresh's prices and nostalgic vibe cannot be overlooked. You walk up to the counter when you come in to order your food, and you dine in a relatively modest dining room. The vibe definitely gives me an early 2010s feel. My first visit here I ordered their California burrito with chicken. I thought this was just okay, the burrito ratios seemed a bit wonky with a lot more tortilla then anything else. The interior of the burrito was a bit bland on its own, especially the chicken. It could've used either some more seasoning or some char from the grill, that would've taken it up a notch. I decided to try something different on my second visit. If you go on a Saturday, one of their specials are their spicy pork tacos. I was intrigued, and decided to give it a try. I was a bit confused when they brought my plate over because all of the sides were on my plate, accompanied by two rolls of tin foil. I soon realized that the whole tacos were in the tin foil, never seen that before! Usually Mexican restaurants will just put the tortillas in the tin foil to keep it warm and to prevent it from drying out, but they put the whole taco inside! The plate came with beans and rice. The best thing was the pork, it was actually packed with flavor and spice. The tortilla needed to be put on the grill, and to be quite honest, didn't seem to be the freshest. Perhaps the juice from the pork soaked into the soft tortilla shell and turned it to a mess. The rice and beans were a bit disappointing to my tasting - I think I just expect more bold flavors and Salsa Fresh's flavors are more mild. They also have a salsa bar for the complimentary chips that they give you. Their homemade salsas were pretty good, especially this roasted tomato one that they had, that one was my favorite. My meal also came with some queso so the chips were great for that as well. I forgot to mention, both meals seen above were less than $13, with the burrito being under $9. I feel this is Salsa Fresh's biggest selling point, it is tough to beat those prices. Big brands seem to be giving you less food for more money, so I can certainly get on board with a local business offering affordable food to the community! read more

Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill - My spicy pork taco plate as it was served to me - Mexican Near Me - Morrisville, North Carolina

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Solid little local Mexican joint. Honestly as good a meal as I've had during my business trip this week and I've been to a number of more expensive restaurants this week. Tamales were good, perhaps a bit dry but very flavorful. The queso was on point. The beans and rice nice... Guacamole very good. Service was fast and friendly. If you're in the area... check it out. read more

Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill - Tamale Plate - Mexican Near Me - Morrisville, North Carolina

Ordered pickup from here on a weekday evening. We enjoyed the meal, however, our order was not accurate. Ordered: Build your own burrito ($11.14) Extra bag of chips ($3.58) Shrimp Tacos ($7.90 for 2) - asked for no cheese. They said they could accommodate this but then made them with cheese. Queso ($5.39 for 8 oz.) Salsa was missing from order Pros: -reasonable prices (comparable to similar restaurants) -flavorful food -reasonable portions -easy phone in orders and restaurant pick up -entrees come with chips Cons: -inaccurate orders -door dash prices are higher than restaurant prices so we ended up calling in our order -door dash does not allow item customization -lettuce was soggy read more

Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill - Build Your Own Burrito with 8 oz. queso - Mexican Near Me - Morrisville, North Carolina

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me and boyfriend order fajita burritos from here allll the time. Half shrimp & half chicken with black beans ... at first it was $18 for two, then it changes to $21 and we literally just tried to order again & they saying $28 ... not sure what the problem is but different prices each time is fishy. will not be back. read more

Great food at a good price. They have a salsa bar with jalapeños! I like the Bueno burrito the best. The one with rice and beans has less meat in it. read more

Other locations are not this bad, fortunately. The young woman working the register was too busy sitting and chatting with a young man to be bothered bringing over the food so it just sat there until she felt like getting it. She also had to be reminded constantly to return to the counter to take other customers' orders. Since she was the only person working who spoke English everyone had to wait until she felt like returning to the counter. Two of us ordered our food with spicy salsa - two of us got food with no salsa at all. And I don't mind the upcharge for steak as long as you give me some. What I got was a large, dry burrito crammed with rice and beans and a spoonful or two of meat. Oh, and no salsa for the chips, either. Also no napkins to be found anywhere so make sure all those beans don't get your hands messy. Total lack of service and truly "meh" food. Go to Taco Bell or any taco truck in the area. Much better food for much less money. read more

This place is definitely a family favorite. We regularly get take out from Salsa Fresh. Pick up is quick and the food is delicious. Kids meals are a good value. We love the burritos and quesadillas. read more

I had the spicy pork taco plate. The 2 tacos were good but the rice and black beans were flavorless. Salsa for the chips was also good. $13 was bit pricey for the amount of food and a drink. I will go back and try a burrito next time. read more

I don't like leaving reviews for places unless I'm dazzled by what I've experienced. You can go through my previous reviews and see that I have only left (maybe) three reviews before. Salsa Fresh had been recommended to me from a friend so I was excited but what a let down. I even left bad whenever I first left because I didn't leave a bigger tip but now I'm no longer phased by that. I was underwhelmed by the food that I received from here. It looked like everything had been thrown together sloppily and without much thought. We had an order of two nachos: one was a regular nacho order with spicy pork and the other was nachos without lettuce and sour cream with the salsa on the side. What was received was a could have easily been put together at home. Both orders had the beans on the bottom (why?) with the tortilla chips on top, with hard cheese, and slops of guac/sour creme/pico. The salsa was on neither order. My boyfriend found a long hair in his order and decided to not finish his. I ended up placing all of my "toppings" into a bowl, adding more cheese, and microwaving them just so i could have something to eat instead of wasting money. I was told when place the order that it would be ready in 10-15 minutes. Showed up 20 minutes after the order was placed. The food was freezing cold even thought it had been placed in an aluminum to-go package. I genuinely believe that I could have taken $20 to the grocery store and bought the same ingredients plus more and made better nachos. I probably will next time. I realized that things are tight with COVID going on right now but there was not anyone else in the restaurant when I arrived. There was one woman leaving and two girls on the patio. If it had been busy, I would have been gracious and understanding. I was really disappointed and can't say that I'll be back. read more

Salsa Fresh is a local chain burrito joint, serving as a competitor to more well known chains like Chipotle. It is clean, has lots of staff grilling away in the open kitchen behind the counter. The offerings are straight foward, which is a positive in my book. That is, it offers chicken, shredded and sliced grilled steak (asada), pork, and veggie. Then you can add your favorite toppings like beans, rice, specific salsa type, and greens. Guacamole, sour cream, cheese (except queso fresca) are extra. There are other options like having it in a bowl or having it enchilada style (topped with sauce and then broiled quickly). West Coast transplants will really appreciate a place to get a standard "food bullet". And the steady stream of guests coming in a lunch seem to agree. The food is not grab-your-hair-and-scream-eureka amazing, but it is certainly good. All the ingredients including the salsas seem fresh and tasty. I can see coming here again and again and again as a lunch staple. One of the key differences of this place is that the burritos are grilled, not steamed. This puts a bit of color on the tortilla, helps melt any cheese, and makes it warmer. However, the downside is that a grill is much slower than the steamer that many places use to quickly heat up a tortilla. So, don't be surprised if your order takes 10-15 minutes to make. So if you want fast food, go next door to McDonalds or head over to the Chipotle to get your week's worth of sodium. If you want better Mexican food, cross the street to Mi Cancun. But if you want consistent, tasty, perfectly fine burrito - come here. Say hi to me. I'll be the guy with his face covered in burrito goo. read more

Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill - The (mostly) ladies behind the counter are a well oiled machine, cranking out lunchtime food bullets por los chicos. - Mexican Near Me - Morrisville, North Carolina

We've ordered pickup from this restaurant twice, on doordash and grubhub, and both times we were missing items from our order. The first time an entire taco was missing, and the second time we were missing all of our salsa (which is ironic for a restaurant named salsa fresh) and our guacamole that we paid for. Of the food we did receive, it tasted good and would probably be worth a sit in over pickup or delivery. Very disappointed and most likely won't come again. read more

Salsa exceeded my expectations. Not sure why it is only rated 3 stars. I picked up some quick lunch for my hubby and I. The service was quick, friendly, and delicious. I told the pleasant lady at the counter it was my first time in and she was super welcoming. I asked for recommendations and she recommended the Cali burrito. I ordered a taco platter and a Cali burrito. They have a great Salsa bar with all sorts of fun salsa options. For fifteen dollars I received a lot of great food. She even threw in queso sauce because it was my first visit. Loved the taco platter. I had a chicken and carne asada. The carne asada was amazing. The chips are homemade and taste really great with the yummy queso and many salsa options. Also, my husband found the chicken burrito quite satisfying. read more

Great little shop! We did a take out dinner that was good for everyone. We are going to try to go in for a lunch at some point. The food was great, the store was clean, and the employees were all friendly. read more

I have eaten at salsa fresh restaurants literally dozens of times while living in California and this local version is either a franchise or maybe not. Because of my consistently great experiences at the version in California I had very high expectations but when dining there last night those expectations were shattered. I ordered the tamales and the fish tacos and the fish tacos looked like frozen fish sticks fried on a soggy taco. The rice was clumpy and stuck together and the black beans were also fused and had virtually no flavor and overall terrible presentation. I will not be returning to dine there again read more

Best burrito I've EVER had. The service was crazy friendly and fast as well. Will be back again and again!

Every time I've been here, the meals have hit the spot, the food has been authentic, and I've been surprised it is not a more popular restaurant. We enjoy eating here for its simplicity and authenticity! read more

I had Salsa Fresh cater a lunch for my team at work. The customer service was great, food was excellent and they came in and set everything up for us. I would highly recommend them and will use them multiple times over in the future. Thank you guys! read more

I got the Californian Burrito with Carne Asada. The carne asada was a so so flavor and an awful texture. It was less like normal steak strip style carne asada and more like a half-ground beef mystery. The meat was rubbery and disappointing. The salsa was good, had a nice texture and flavor. Although the salsa was yummy, it's not enough for me to return here read more

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I really, really want to like this place. The good - When it comes to tex mex style restaurants, this place is really good. The food seems really fresh and healthy. To me, fresher and more flavorful than Moes or Tiajuna Flats. The bad - The staff is typically unpleasant. I can not tell if this is a language barrier(granted their english is much better than my spanish) or if they just don't care. They have gotten my order wrong all but one visit and they never make it right. They always seemed to be annoyed when I order which is really puzzling to me. The ugly - The place is just nasty. Multiple ceiling tiles are drooping from either a leaky roof or AC condensate leaks. The soda fountain is dirty and barely works. The restaurant could use a little TLC and maintenance. With a few tweaks and fixes, this place could be great. read more

I hereby declare my first "what the..." review. Tonight, I had a hankering for a burrito, and since I had a good experience at the one off Duraleigh-- I figured it'd be a solid choice, but it was far from it. I ordered my food and found out they were out of lime for my cerveza, and so the guy behind the counter offered me a lemon instead...umm... ok, no problem. I spied the outdoor patio and as I made my way across the restaurant, I could feel food crunching and sticking to the soles of my shoes. I quickly sat myself outside, where I proceeded to nurse my drink for 20 minutes before paranoia settled in. I waved politely to the waiter and he motioned my food was coming. I guess I reminded him, because I did get my temperate Bueno burrito with black beans. With my drink gone... I fished out the last remaining stale chip in my basket, busted out the door, and muttered a cheesy line from a Schwarzenegger movie...(it wasn't I'll be back). read more

I have been eating at the Salsa Fresh over on Duraleigh road for years now, so you can imagine my happiness when I found out there was one not a mile from my work! Best mexican for lunch in the triangle, fresh, yummy, and if you get there before 11:45, fast. The do have some good vegetarian options, the cheese dip is super yummy, my favorite is the burrito with extra Guacamole!!! :) Do note that they get SUPER busy around 11:55 to 12:30 so arrive early. read more

Total letdown with this place. Everything was so bland from the meat to the chips. we had ordered quesadilla, tacos, nachos and the meat was the biggest disappointment. To be honest taco bell would have been much better than this place and that goes to show you how bad it was. Maybe they were having an off day but my family and I were so looking forward to this place since we live nearby and coming from Queens NY we were craving for our new Mexican spot and were so excited to see one so close by but after coming here we will probably never come back. Prices do not justify the food that was served. read more

My wife and I with my sister in law and nephew have enjoyed many meals there. Last night was dismal at best. The shrimp taco was smelly of old fish and I am home today sick. My wife had the burrito bowl in this fried dough bowl that was great and burnt, the chicken inside looked terrible. my wife could finish her meal. I called the manager and complained. It will take a lot for me to go back there again. read more

My wife and I really love this place. It lives up to its name of "fresh" Mexican. If you're coming for lunch during the week be prepared to wait because this place absolutely rocks out. Call ahead and get it to go! We recommend the chicken or steak quesadillas. read more

The woman at the front counter doesn't smile is very rude and doesn't care about customer service. She where's glasses and is a bigger woman. Everything was dirty in here. Hands down won't return! I'll go to Duraleigh , raleigh location.!the best in customer service. Also food wasn't too good. I was very polite and she made no acknowledgement of me as a person. GEEEZ customer service much? If I could put 0 stars I would. read more

Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill - You can see the woman leaning on the counter taking an order. She is very rude and lazy. - Mexican Near Me - Morrisville, North Carolina

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Been here several times now. Food is always good and not overly salty as I find at most Mexican places. Service each time I went was good. Especially when I take my time deciding on what to order. I've tried a few of the burritos with chicken which had a nice char taste. The enchilada style is a bit overkill too much toppings will probably just do default style next time. Most recently I tried the steak tacos which really were tasty. I'm not a big fan of chips so not the best judge of them but the ones I had there where good. I really liked the rice. Left me wanting more. read more

Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill - Bueno burrito enchilada style - Mexican Near Me - Morrisville, North Carolina

Good Fresh Tex Mex ! Never disappointed! Wish the prices wasn't so high. Can never get out of there under $10.

I have been a frequent customer of Salsa Fresh for several years and it is my favorite restaurant. To me, no restaurant could substitute for Salsa Fresh. The food is consistently wonderful I usually get a BYOB (Build Your Own Burrito). Every bite i take of their burritos makes me feel nice. The chips are made in the restaurant and are the freshest and most flavorful chips of all the chips that i know of in this area. Their pico de gallo and guacamole are as addicting as the chips. The employees are all very good people; Melany, Yuli, and Cindy (to name a few of them) are so friendly to the customers. read more

I normally love Salsa Fresh, but today they lost my business. I placed a $120 order at 10:40am by phone to be picked up at 11:40am. Arrived at the restaurant at 11:50a and stood in line for 5 minutes because it was lunch rush hour, understandable. When I step up to the register I tell the woman I'm here to pick up an order and gave her my name. She proceeded to look around for the two party platters I had ordered and they were nowhere to be found. She asks a line cook if they made my order and I could just see the horrified blank stare from the cook.....Salsa fresh forgot to make my order. So I had to wait 40 minutes for them to throw my food together with NO apology, NO discount, and NO offered "free meal on them" for the inconvenience. And this order was for a work function, so because the food was an hour late getting to the office, half the people who PAID for a lunch didn't get to eat. UPDATE: When we finally got to eat the food, it was so not worth the hassle. The burritos were a soggy mess...the pork beuno burritos were extremely greasy and nasty. The chicken taquitos were so overcooked and dry, pretty much inedible...the only saving grace was the quesadillas and chips. read more

Sometimes a hole in the wall is just a hole in the wall... In fact, this restaraunt has fooled me a couple of times. Their menu looks good - appetizing dishes - but the preparation, quality of food, and all-around quality is consistently disappointing! I went there again recently, and they got my order (a carne asada taco with mild sauce) wrong twice. The soft tortilla was hard, and the carne asada was shredded beef, and tasted strongly of salt. My wife got the nachos, which they make upside-down (the beans are on the bottom, not the top, forcing you to use a fork to scrape them off the tray. I think this place could be much better, they work hard to keep prices down (note the signs on the garbage can asking you to not toss the baskets so they can keep priecs down), but unfortunately, they seem to favor low costs over any kind of quality. If you're considering this place, I'd highly recommend you drive on over to Salsaritas in briar creek instead. Much better food and not a significantly different price point. Even Moe's is better than this place... read more

I love Mexican food and I especially love Quesadillas, which in general are pretty hard to mess up. Tortilla + Cheese + Some chicken = delicious, right? No, not the case at Salsa Fresh. The chicken in my tortilla was greasy and kind of grey looking and the tortilla was only slight warmed. Top it off with some very runny salsa, and color me unimpressed. No thank you. read more

Had a great meal. My California burrito tasted great and the medium size queso is perfect to share. The food is always fresh and the staff is friendly. read more

We got nachos to go and they were super yummy! Plenty of beans, cheese, guacamole, sour cream and salsa. Will definitely be back. read more

Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill - Mexican Near Me - Morrisville, North Carolina

There is nothing "fresh" about this place. Ordered for delivery through Door Dash and the food got here cold. Not sure who's fault that was. But, the food was horrible. I got the shrimp tacos and that were NOT devaned and they tasted and smelled super fishy. The lettuce on the tacos was hot and wilted and the cheese was like melted Jraft slices. I could not eat the tacos at all. Threw them away!! I ordered a side of guacamole and never got it. Also, the rice and beans had NO flavor at all. Bland as could be. The other 2 orders were so-so. Hubs and kid said "tolerable " but not good. I called and the "manager" barely spoke English. She kept telling me to come in to get my money and I tried explaining I couldn't. She offered no other remedies, like coming in the next day or anything. Wasted $32 +delivery fee. Will never go there again!! read more

Haven't been here in person (due to COVID) but I've door-dashed take out food from here twice now and it's officially my favorite Mexican food spot! The tamales are soo good and they gave tons of chips to go with everything I ordered. Finding good take out food during this time is amazing read more

I think what bothers me most about this place is the vibe. Usually when you go into a Mexican restaurant it is cheerful and alive and smells good! Not here. It's kind of dingy and the interior looks like a repossessed french cafe. The staff are just about as friendly and the parking lot- although very visible from the road- is difficult to access. The shrimp tacos were our favorite here and had a tangy fresh taste that was on point. The beef and chicken tacos however felt greasy and not so fresh. Overall, especially with Mi cancun right across the street- we won't be back. read more

Just your standard Tex Mex fare here - nothing to write home about but when you're looking for a quick lunch burrito with an unlimited salsa bar, this is a good spot to stop in for. I personally like the Fajita Burrito, but they have a variety of premade choices or you can create your own. Pricing's pretty cheap as well and they are always really fast with orders. read more

I don't get the negative reviews here, either. The health rating is fine and the place always seems plenty clean. (Floors are swept, tables are clean, the kitchen area-- which you can see right into--is clean.) We enjoy the food a lot. As the name implies, they focus on fresh flavors. So there isn't necessarily a lot of sauce thrown all over everything. You can see them frying the chips right in front of you and the salsa bar is great; pico is very fresh and I also love the smoked salsa. A thousand times better than the probably jarred goop they put out at a place like Moe's. Last time I was there I got the fajitas and they were a great deviation from what you usually get at a sit down Mexican place. There were several large strips of chicken that were very white and very moist and the peppers were cooked to just the right tenderness. Their guacamole is probably the best you can get in this area. When I'm really hungry I get the tostada which is essentially a taco salad. You can tell they fry the shell fresh there because it is nice and flaky. I adore the layer of black beans they put on the bottom. The only thing I haven't liked is the steak burrito. I was expecting steak strips but it was actually shredded steak that had been cooked in liquid. I didn't enjoy the flavor and a lot of liquid leaked out of the burrito as I tried to eat it. A Chipotle-loving friend complained that this place was bland compared to that. So if that's what you want, you might be disappointed. I personally enjoy it much more, though, and my stomach seems to as well. It isn't tasteless or bland; it's simple so you can actually taste the food. And there's plenty of hot sauce sitting around! read more

While Cosmic Cantina will always be my #1 spot for a burrito in the Triangle, I frequent this spot quite a bit due to it's proximity to work. The food is delicious, they have The Independent Weekly if you're flying solo and forget reading material and your meal always arrives quickly, even during those slammed lunches. Parking during lunch hours can also be a hassle but I generally don't have to walk too far. If you're craving some fresh mexican, Salsa Fresh is for you! read more

So I am not sure about the negative reviews. I almost bypassed the place. I am from Texas and think I know a think or two about good Mexican food. I had a burrito enchilada style and the ingredients were fresh and flavorful. The food is on par with Cosmic Cantina and Chubby's Tacos which I also like. Clean with a 97.5 rating and a nice lunch crowd. I'll certainly be back. read more