Very friendly service, big portions, and a sparkling-clean restaurant account for over 50 years of success at Tijuana Taco in Lakewood.

Family-run and occupying the same building for all this time, the restaurant has hosted generations of high schoolers, and young or old can still find a bargain meal on the extensive menu, including Mexican beer. Lots of dining room seating and nice outside tables make for a friendly atmosphere, and our server, Taylor, went out of his way to be sure our order was correct as we ordered at the counter.

We ordered cheese nachos at $4.49 (plain tortilla chips with cheese sauce and sliced jalapenos) that were fine as they came from the kitchen, but quickly cooled into a solid, tasteless mass. We also ordered Nachos Grande at $7.09 (a great combination of chips, lettuce, guacamole, shredded beef, shredded cheese and sour cream), two beef enchiladas at  $4.49 (flour tortillas filled with beef and folded over, served with enchilada sauce), a Combination burrito at $4.49 (this was a stuffed beef, bean and cheese combo in a large flour tortilla), a guacamole salad at $6.29 (a flour tortilla topped with beans, cheese and guacamole, which was better with the salsa on top), Churros (crisp, fried cinnamon sticks with delicious soft interiors at $1.99 each), and a taco (a crisp shell filled with shredded lettuce, retried beans, and beef for $1.99).  We also ordered three small containers of salsa at 30 cents each.

The portions were large and the food was fresh, and all the vegetables were nice and crisp.

Carolyn Augustine, a freelance restaurant writer, writes the Senior Eats column for Senior Scene

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IF YOU GO

Tijuana Taco

10005 Bristol Ave., near the corner of 100th and Bristol in Lakewood at the north side of Lakewood Towne Centre. Plenty of parking. No public restrooms.

253-588 4621

Open Monday through Friday 10:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m.