Big Juan’s

Big Juan’s is out of business. All locations just closed up overnight around Christmas.

I first stumbled on Big Juan’s when a friend posted he worked at another location. On my way home from working out, I was hungry and this Big Boy needed to replace the lost calories. So i stopped at Big Juan’s for a Big Juan Burrito. Delicious I thought… So I kept going back… Great Chicken Taquitos…$ 1 chicken tacos on Tuesdays… Topopo Salad… Quesadillas…Delicious. There is no doubt this may not be the most authentic mexican food with an over abundance of yellow shredded cheese product over everything, however its not to say it isn’t quite delicious. Id def give it a try if I were you.
Now the opportunities… Last 4 times, an item was forgot when going through drive through. One time i was rewarded by a free burrito coupon, which i MUST remember to use sometime. Second the consistency of the food. well not so much. Though Its hard to mess up a salad, Every time I order the Topopo salad it looks different, Guacamole vs Avocado slices, Shredded Cheese vs Cubed Cheese, A Half pound of grilled chicken vs… WAIT what am i complaining about? The Topopo salad is pretty amazing. I do have to say, watch out with the chips though… last time i had them they were under fried and rather chewy.
Still a place to check out… start with chicken Taquitos… pretty
!

I stopped by tonight to grab a quick dinner on the way home from Christmas tree shopping. The first thing I noticed was the high price (I was expecting fast food prices). But the counter person was pleasant and I was hungry. I ordered the fish taco and shredded beef enchilada plate, $ 8.00. And I waited. And waited. Finally after filling at a half-​dozen other orders that came in after my order, my dinner arrived. Two tacos, no enchilada, flavorless rice and beans. They offered to make the enchilada but I told them «I eventually have to get home». So for me… I’ll just go to Paco’s or Casa Molina’s next time.
I put my card in their drawing box for a free lunch.
I wonder if I can get my card back?

Well, I personally think this place is overpriced for what it is. The carne asada wasn’t good however their chicken was good.
I didn’t really care for the menu since you kind of want to know what is in your burrito you get what I’m saying?
Oh well we tried it and I must say I am still a Nico’s fan for my burrito fix.

I went for Taco Tuesday and thus my review is limited to this. As of now, Tuesdays are $ 1 tacos. I ordered up 3 and they are hard shell, fresh and tasty. There is a choice of beef or chicken and I found the chicken pretty good. The salsa bar offers a variety of things to put in your food. The place itself is a cross between a Viva and a La Salsa– not quite yuppy but close. The prices do not grab me on the menu and I’m not sure I would return unless it was for special offers. I enjoyed the tacos and the place seemed clean, and the tacos took a few minutes since they were made to order.

My little sister LOVES it here for some reason. Don’t get me wrong, the food is good and they give pretty big portions for your dollar. But… like I said the food is only good. The food is made fresh while you are there.
I had some chicken tacos and shredded beef tacos, tried some beans and rice. The meat was good, but there was a lot of excess oil that came with them. Nacho serving is HUGE! You can feed at least 4 people with the nachos that are piled high with cheese, tomatoes, carne asada, beans, sour cream, guacamole, and Pico de Gallo if you would like.

I was excited because Big Juan’s is new and everyone seems to be talking about it. It’s on my way to work, so I got to watch the construction crew create the façade and make the building look nice. So, during my lunch break I headed over and ordered their Carne Asada Burrito and a large drink. I gazed longingly at the salsa bar, but decided to stick with the burrito and if it was good I’d try the salsa.
The lady who took my order was efficient but not overly friendly, which is fine, as long as she’s not rude. Excited, I sat down to gobble down my burrito. My first bite wasn’t nearly as good as I was expecting. Something was missing. Flavor! I did taste the onions though, some bland guacamole and pico de gallo, and steak without an ounce of kick, or seasoning or something! The tortilla wasn’t especially flavorful either. I was so dismayed. I ate less than half my burrito and by the end of the work day I became very ill. Mexican food never makes me sick, but this burrito did me in. I will not go back.

Thought I would try this former Whataburger location. Nice and clean location, with a bit of style to it — hanging lights, recessed ceiling etc. I didn’t care for the tacky purple booths.
Menu board is simple and straightforward. I had the Carne Asada burro. Ingredients were fresh, but the guacamole and the meat could of used a bit more seasoning because it was slightly bland. I like a strongly seasoned meat in my burros — you may think how it comes is just fine.
It is better tasting/​quality than the «green and yellow» shops around town. However, it is more expensive — roughly $ 2 more, coming in at $ 6 for the burro. My burro was not greasy in the slightest. Very well prepared and balanced with the guacamole.
Staff and service were quick.

Ran into these guys while looking for a Nicos at 11pm… Breakfast burritos were nicos bfast burro quality… ‘nuf said

Upon entering I was pleasantly surprised to find the interior a notch above the normal taco shop ambiance. It seemed like a good start. An enchilada plate for me and a taco plate for the hubby provided enough food to feed four people. I’ve made a note to share next time. The enchiladas and tacos were good. I like the red sauce. Nice flavor with a mild spiciness. The beans and rice are, well, nondescript. Not bad. Just plain. The various salsas were pretty good. A couple of the red ones have a unique flavor that I enjoy.
Based on this initial visit I decided to stop in for a breakfast burro the next week. I had spotted a sign in my prior visit that said «fresh hot coffee». I typically stay away from coffee at these kinds of place but was in need of an all-​inclusvie morning stop. A 7:15am visit yielded a large breakfast burro — egg, potato, cheese — and a cup of coffee. I wasn’t offered any cream or sugar, but that was fine. I would just get some half-​n-​half at work. As I drove towards the office I decided to try the coffee anyway. Took a big swig and yuck! It was cold. Cold?! How can coffee be cold already at 7:15 in the morning? My fresh, hot coffee was really stale, cold coffee. But I still had a burro to look forward to eating. Well, that didn’t work out so well for me either. The eggs were overcooked and way too brown. The potatoes were obviously fried, yesterday, and reheated. I ate about a quarter of it and tossed the rest. A very disappointing start to my day. On the bright side, my husband also stopped that morning for a chorizo breakfast burro. He said it was great but that he wished there had been potato in it. No, I told him, you were lucky there wasn’t.

BIG JUAN“S A BUST
A new Mexican Restaurant in Tucson should be careful of advertising that they serve and are known for «the best Mexican food in Tucson», as Big Juan’s does. What a disappointment and there is no authentic flavor or preparation technique that in any way puts them even on par with national chains. It was ½ price Taco Tues and I had a $ 1 coupon for Taquitos so I thought I’d give it a try. The corn tortilla taco shell was cold and greasy, the machaca had absolutely no flavor at all and was smothered in what looked to be cheddar cheese but there wasn’t a taste bite of cheddar. I chose chicken for the Taquitos which once again came smothered in yellow cheese and a fairly flavoless guacamole. I did taste cilantro. Staff was friendly. Salsa bar had 4 types of Salsa but they were all about the same, very high heat level. When you get salsa that hot there are no levels of taste. They did look freshly made. There is a weekend offer of Posole which I was excited to see but if a basic taco is poorly done then I’d not go back for a traditional bowl of soup. Please stop advertising as you do. Who gave you that title? Or, step back and taste your competition and become a contender.

Big Juan’s was something of an accidental discovery for the folks at my office. Now it is regular lunchtime destination for me and my co-​workers. Some of us find ourselves eating here twice in one day when our spouses and significant others discover that we have gone to Big Juan’s without them.
The food is incredibly good, fresh and served in almost too-​big portions. The establishment is so clean that even Bubble Boy himself would not need his protective suit to enjoy one of their chile relleno burros.
My only complaint is that service can be pretty slow, especially during the lunch rush and some of their counter help can get a bit surly (for lack of a term) when it gets busy.
Despite the occasional lapse in service, Big Juan’s still remains at the top of my list for fast mexican food.

We have tried this place twice in the last month. First ordered a plate with a fish taco and a chicken taco. Got home, found a carne asada taco and a chicken taco. The carne was so salty it was inedible. The chicken was okay, the rice was nothing and the beans saved the day. Nest time we tried just the fish tacos. The fish was deep fried, but a generous portion. The white sauce with green flecks was a puzzle. There was not flavor, not cilantro, not chile. The tortillas were dried out and cracked (microwaved) and stale. Not going back.

Thought the food was really good and the service even better. Nice atmosphere and good people. They are still ironing out the kinks but I see a bright future for big Juan’s.

Good portions. Fair taste & quality. Poor and unfriendly service.

Great food. Good deal for your money.

What’s the same about the other Mexican fast food places around town:
Carne Asada — the massive burro (we’re talking Man Vs. Food Territory) comes stuffed with meat, guacamole and pico de gallo.
Fish Tacos — two corn tortillas folded around a generous piece of fish adorned with cabbage and boring white sauce. Decent but nothing special
Salsa bar — not up to snuff with, let’s say, El Guero Canelo, but better than Los Betos (do they even have a salsa bar?). I rank it somewhere in the middle of all those places.
What’s different than the other Mexican fast food places around town:
Vibe — it’s a little more modern and clean. You listen to actual music overhead rather than just a boombox blaring from the kitchen.
Prices — Yes, it’s a huge burro, but six bucks is more than most of the other fast food Carne Asada competitors around town. The menu called the fish taco a street taco but it’s bigger than street tacos I have had. They had some combos that were in the $ 10 range. That’s more than I want to pay for fast food.
So, there you have it. It’s not the best, it’s not the worst but the 24 hour drive through is sure to be backed up in the wee hours for those that can stay up later than me.

I think the phrase for 3 stars sums up Big Juan’s pretty well: A-​Ok. If you’re going to Big Juan’s for fine dining, you’re going to be disappointed. If you’re going to Big Juan’s for a 24 hour Mexican joint, you’re at the right place.
I went here today for the first time, and got a carne asada taco as well as a cheese quesadilla. My lunch date opted for a chile relleno burro. Both of us were pretty happy with our meals. I was a little sad to see they used the yellow cheese on my quesadilla instead of the more authentic white variety. The yellow cheese was mega greasy to boot. My street taco had a sprinkling of the white stuff, and I was overall more happy with the taco. The meat was good and the ingredients fresh. There was a huge selection of salsas, but none of them were good enough to write home about.
I wasn’t blown away by anything, but it was a little cleaner than, say, the Taco Shop. It was also neat to see that they’re open 24 hours. Tucson doesn’t have enough late night options! Seriously, Tucson, get on that.
I’d definitely go back, but I won’t be planning any special outing there.

So im not sure if this place is a francise or not but when I tried it I was expecting a more local owned fast food restaturant. This place just opened up by where I live. Its probably the only place open 24 hours besides McDonalds and Subway. And with me getting off really late and lazy to cook I thought I’d give this place a try. Eager to figure if we would like/​return to this place, me and my bf decided to get a few different things. Here’s the list:
Fish Taco: Fried with cabagge. Pretty good, cant complain. If I was to return I would order this.
Shrimp Taco: Grilled, had some kind a seasoning with a little kick. But I like my shrimp tacos fried. Sorry :(
Carne Asada: Fried, like deep fried. It wasn’t moist, it was crispy. Not too greasy tho.
Chicken Enchilada: hmmm, had better but cant complain either.
Beans and Rice: Beans were pasty and rice were dry.
Horchata: My bf said it best «It’s something i can get at 7-​eleven»

The first question I always seek to answer, when visiting a new restaurant, is, «would I visit here again?»
Big Juan’s offered a resounding «yes!»… It wasn’t just the fact I liked the food, it was the feel of the joint. The friendly staff, the conversation while I waited, the incredible and friendly guy behind the counter that got my order and brought it to me before I could get up to come pick it up… This experience was better than I find in most restaurants today, and I was just doing carry out…
Since that time I have enjoyed quite a few items off the menu, and to my delight each one is as good as the last.
As a critique — the portions are huge — to big for me, and I am a big guy — I work out, am in good shape, and weigh 220 — so, if you have an «endless pit teen» or you are one of those people that loves the hearty portions — this is a great place for you. Also, the servings are a little much for me — like the sour cream and guacamole… They were both offered in HUGE portions on my plate, and were kind of overwhelming…
Overall — I would suggest going here — enjoy a breakfast combo plate, or a burro — you won’t be disappointed, and most of all you will have a great experience with a friendly staff that is ready to serve…
Thanks, Big Juan — for an overall great experience in the realm of Faster Food…