Little Tijuana Restaurant & Bar

I have been here several times over the last decade. I find this a mediocre business when it comes to overall quality. Sadly, I did not always think that.
If I was writing this review a few years ago, I would be giving this place a five-​star rating. Besides a couple of minor glitches (not major enough to dock any stars), this was a fantastic place to go for dinner. Since then, the overall quality has declined, and I suspect that it has to do with new employees. Did the business get a new owner?
The biggest decline is the interior appearance. The employees do not appear to be on top of their cleaning and organizational duties like they used to be. For instance, I have had moments when there was leftover food particles on the tables and the chairs from previous customers. I have had to ask the employee to clean the table before I sit. Therefore, I have had to be more observant of the inside before proceeding to eat here.
Most of the employees are friendly and resourceful. Unfortunately, the new employees are not as good as the ones from a few years ago. This has made it harder to predict whether I will get good or mediocre customer service. Thankfully, the mediocre side of things are in the minority.
This used to be amazing place for my tacos and burritos fix. I am a big fan of both. Sadly, the food quality has turned into a hit and miss. There are moments when they taste delicious, and there are other moments when they taste disappointing. There have also been a few instances when I have had to wait an obscene amount of time. Sadly, the long wait has yet to be worth the wait.
When I am in the area and need a tacos and burritos fix, I will not likely be making this place my first choice. I no longer feel that this lands anywhere near my top priority for such.

Gonna give it to you straight folks, this place sucks! Not only do they have the worst Mexican food in the twin cities but they have some of the most downright awful service here! The food takes on average about an hour to get and their servers seem more intent on keeping up their laissez fair attitude than actually serving!

Loved it! Enchiladas were great, margaritas were awesome, tacos fantastic, tostadas were also fantastic, just overall great. My bestfrined got a vegan fajita burrito which she loved, this place is VERY welcoming to vegans. I highly recommend it to anyone near by. One down side, they’ll ask if you want the chips flash fried, just say no. They’re way too oily once they’re flash fried, unless you plan on having quite a few drinks, for which the oil would be good. Beyond that, I will definitely be back to this place very soon to induldge in even more delicious food. Sidenote, if you’re looking for truly authentic mexican food, this is not your place.

Completely disappointed this was the worst meal I’ve had in Minneapolis. The vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots) in my enchilada clearly came out of a microwaved bag. The side of beans and rice were two tablespoons of bland paste and unseasoned rice. The soda was completely flat and the waitress spent the night consistently looking to up charge us. Basically this place shouldn’t be called anything remotely related to Mexico or be considered Mexican. Take the advice and find an authentic spot on Lake street. Save yourself $ 40 and let the rich hipsters suffer. This did not deserve the 1 star but Unilocal is forcing me to give it. Some places shouldn’t be in business or just stick to alcohol. Maybe you need to be completely drunk to enjoy this place…

Went there with my girlfriend for a quick Mexican food fix. The servers were very cool and the atmosphere was great. They even played the new X Files on tv. Drawing on the table was great for some hangman games while we waited for our food. We are both vegetarian and they had a ton of options for us. It was extremely greasy, but hey, we had fun and it tasted good so whatever. Also can’t forget the cheap beer.

I always love to stop by this cool groovy restaurant. Super service & delicious food.
Also they have a full bar too. Even have crayons for the little ones to draw on the table Mat. Definitely recommend to check this hip spot out.

Terrible, just terrible.

We were lucky enough to chat with the owner of this incredible neighborhood place, wow! I honestly have no idea why people are writing bad reviews about them. Do they not realize this is a place open late that doesn’t want to deal with fixing and voiding a ton of orders for (potentially drunk, which is fine!) customers? Such an amazing experience. I have never felt so welcomed or comfortable in a new restaurant before. Not to mention the food was top notch Tex-​Mex. Can’t wait to come back and soak up these vibes again!

why don’t more people come to this awesome little chill place? I loved every minute here, love the art, loves the people, great bathroom.

Great late night food (try the steak fajitas or chocolate chimichanga!), awesome, chill atmosphere and super nice staff! There’s always a tasty, unique shot of the day and Wednesday’s movie night :)

Great food. Great service. Great people. Whittier staple. Been here hundreds of times, and will be here hundreds of more times.

I ran in today for a quick lunch between appointments. It was very quiet and so I could get some work done. The waiter and the owner were very very nice. The salad was very good, the rest of the food was average Tex-​Mex. Prices were reasonable.

I am astonished this place is still in business. The quality of food is nothing short of gross. We order chips with con queso– the chips were beyond stale and the queso was just terrible. The cheese was gritty and runny like water. Gag. I am so sad because this was a favorite of ours for a long time.

For a Wednesday night excursion, Little T was just right.
Got a few $ 4 PBR tallboys and a few shots of tequila so we were feeling good!
The whittier burger was delicious, as well as the fajita burrito.
Waffle fry game strong!
The service was very relaxed which was just what I was looking for during this long work week.

So I think 2 stars may be slightly generous. Where to start… ummm maybe with the odd beer cheese tasting queso. Odd, very odd! The server/​bartender was nice and attentive. So no complaints on service. My boyfriend ordered the philly burger and that was alright, it would probably be great if we were intoxicated. The major problem was the chimichanga, YUCK! It tasted like a collaboration of Taco Bell and Chef Boyardee! Not enough drinks in the world folks to make that palatable! We won’t be back unless we are wasted waiting for an über!

This is one of my step dad’s go-​to places, but definitely not one of my favorites. The food is very average, but I like the atmosphere. He loves this place for the Big Ts (margaritas), both because they are great drinks, and because you are entered into a drawing to win a gift certificate, which he has won.
The fresh chips are hot when they come to the table, and the nachos are pretty good, both in taste and portion size. The last time I went, the tacos were pretty «meh», although they have been better in the past.
Also, the waiter this past time was very average — very low key (almost too low key) and didn’t get the full order right — to be fair, there were a ton of us, we were using a gift certificate from the raffle, and we were just all around confusing.
Maybe best of all, it’s around the corner from glam doll donuts!

The service was great! When my pop got done the server would give me another one. Good experience I would recommend it.

I think the replies from the owner elsewhere on this thread say it all. Little T’s, under new management, started out promising. It’s gone straight downhill from there. No one here seems to care about much of anything anymore. I won’t be surprised if they simply leave someday without even bothering to lock the door. High prices, stingy portions (their tiny rice and bean sides are absurd), flat beer, and just generally sub-​par food. «No whining» my butt. Running a restaurant is hard work. These guys aren’t even trying.

«No Whining» That is their motto. By whining, they mean don’t ask us to work or treat you like a valued customer.
I’ve been going to Little T’s for nearly 20 years but I’ve finally had enough. I cannot handle paying a premium for small portions of food and the bad attitude that comes with it. Every time I think about coming here, I remember how terrible it is and I find somewhere else to go. It is really a shame because one of my favorites is no longer an option for me. :(

This is where you go when it’s 3am, you’re wasted and there’s very few other options. Sadly, to me this place used to be a four or even a five star. However, they’ve reorganized under new management and it’s gone sadly downhill from what was not really all THAT high of a bar in reality to start with (I loved it, but c’mon, it’s always just fatty tex mex).
I was pretty saddeded by the chili con queso the last time I was there. The queso was literally watery. I… I just… Awwwwwwwwww, seriously? I haven’t had that in YEARS and was so looking forward to it. No dice. However, the deserts aren’t that much different than they used to be.
Neither is the service! I guess my rating for Little T’s has swung wildly over the years as there was one point in there wherein it would have gotten 1 star from me due to the incredibly rude and listless waitstaff. These days at least they’re friendly– but they are still really inefficient and will leave you waiting forever before your order is taken and your water is refilled. Also, gone are the GIANT glasses of water– what’s up with that? There’s no reason for that!
Aw, forget it. The more I type the more I feel like this is a two star place now. HOWEVER, I still hope it never goes out of business because, really, this IS a classic and I have tons of nostalgia wrapped up in it. Fine, it goes back up to three stars.

It use to be my favorite. I’m so tired of going back to this place and being disappointed. The prices keep getting higher and the portions get smaller and smaller. And to make it worse, the weird lady that owns it makes her hipster staff act all corporate like Applebee’s employees. See ya at Poncho Villa.

This was disappointing. I used to love this place, but haven’t been since it reopened… and now I know why it’s dead. The chips n cheese were shitty. chips were soggy and sprinkled with shredded cheese, not queso dip like advertised. The mini tacos were, the frozen kind you dip in a fryer… not what you’d expect from a Mexican restaurant.

2^nd vist to Little Tijuana:
Food — The Chicken Nachos were sad to look at and even sadder to eat. Everything about it was bland, it looked plasticky, and the subpar ingredients just killed me. I could make better nachos at home with the random items in my fridge. The guacamole was dismal. It’s a Mexican place so you would think they make it in house but it’s definitely out of a container. Clearly people don’t come to Little T for the food but having a standard level of guac and salsa game is important to me. I’m going to need to drink more before I try the food next time.
Drinks — I guess everyone comes for the Happy Hour drinks. I went on a Sunday and the place was a beehive beginning at 5 and then completely cleared out at 7 p.m. When happy hour ended it felt like a bar close at the end of the night.
Lesson Learned — Come only for the drinks during HH and leave immediately after you’re done.

After a night of sharing some spirits with friends, we had a craving for Mexican food; we found ourselves at Little Tijuana around 12:30 am. We all ordered a round of Palomas and waited for our food. The drinks were decently strong but didn’t have much flavor beyond tequila and lime; pretty light on the grapefruit soda in my opinion.
While waiting for the food, a small caterpillar fell onto our table from the ceiling. Not super appetizing but he had a good personality so it wasn’t a huge deal.
We then got our food. I got a burrito, not the best but hard to have super high standards at that hour of the night. My friends ordered nachos which were actually waffle fries with ground beef and cheese on top. They seemed to enjoy them, except for the length-​wise-​cut jalapeño slices. My other friend ordered mini tacos which he was told by the server that they «are the worst item on the menu, easily our most returned item.» Needless to say, the server was correct.
All in all, not a very pleasant experience. Probably would never go back, even after a night of heavy drinking.