Tipsy Taco & Tequila Bar

Tipsy Taco & Tequila Bar aka “the taco place across from Sangria’s.” Before you get defensive and think it’s rude for someone to open a Mexican restaurant across the street from another Mexican restaurant, you should know that they are basically sisters. With that in mind, we were excited to try it because we are big fans of Sangria’s and Draft Gastropub (all owned by the same people). 

In A Bite

Restaurant Facebook page & menu

Ambiance: Fun bar vibe

Music: We didn’t really notice the music, but it’s about what you’d expect at a Mexican restaurant.

Service: Friendly

Price: $

Food Style: Mexican food truck

What to Order: Puerco Verde taco, Jamaican Jerk taco, Margarita Flight

Go Again?: Yes

The Whole Plate

If you’ve been to Sangria’s before, you know that parking can be a challenge on that side of town. Tipsy Taco does have its own parking lot which it shares with Dollar Tree. If it’s full, you can park at Sangria’s. If that is also full, you can park on the street like we did.

First impression? It’s much bigger than we thought it would be! There’s plenty of seating including a large bar, high tables, low tables, and a couple super cute pergola-style booths that would be great to share with friends. The vibe is very laid back and we had no trouble getting in around 5:30 on a Saturday night.

We were seated at a high table (which both the chairs and table were wobbly) and had plenty of time to review the menu before the server arrived (this is not a dig on him, he was just busy) so we ordered food and drinks at the same time.

Let’s start with some overall observations before breaking down each item ordered.

The service was so quick that the tacos came out faster than both the margaritas and appetizer (so we didn’t even need to order the app). It definitely felt a little bit out of order and rushed. We appreciate quick service but thought it slightly impacted the quality of the food which was lukewarm/cold. After reading a number of Google reviews, others have also commented on the insane speed and lukewarm temperature. 

We shared the margarita flight which our server accurately described as “one of the prettiest drinks on the menu.” It had peach mango, black cherry, and blueberry jalapeño drinks. 

Peach mango is a safe option for anyone who wants a yummy margarita with balanced sweetness and no spice. Black cherry was just a bit too sweet for us and had a medicinal quality to it, though, if you know you love black cherry, you’ll probably like it. The blueberry jalapeño was very yummy where you got the blueberry flavor first followed by the spice of the jalapeño on the back end. Next time we will try other flavors, not in flight-form, because the margs were just looking too good on other tables.

Ok now on to the food…

Appetizer: Street Corn Fritters – 8/10 for Lindsay and a 6/10 for David. These were a solid appetizer with mild flavor but the jalapeño cream gave them a kick. It was fried/crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. David is a big texture guy so he didn’t like how soft they were, but Lindsay likes soggy food so that’s why they rated higher.

Lindsay ordered:

• Mexican Taco, grilled chicken: Dry and not very exciting. Really needed a salsa or sauce of some kind for both moisture and flavor.
• Negra Modelo Braised Pork Carnitas: Also dry and needed a sauce, but actually the menu says there should have been a cilantro crema which was missing. So that could have been a game changer.
• Jamaican Jerk Chicken: Good jerk flavor, had the most moisture, and the honey glaze added sweetness without being overpowering.

Tip: order salsa and sour cream on the side in case you need it.

David ordered:

• Buffalo CBR: “A cold chicken tender that had been sitting under a heat lamp for a long time. Needed more sauce. Too much blue cheese. I wouldn’t order it again.”
• Puerco Verde: “Moist carnitas, warm, juicy, flavorful, the best taco of the night!”
• Negra Modelo Braised Pork Carnitas: “It was a pork taco. Nothing fancy about it.”
• Mexican Taco, grilled chicken: “Needed salsa”

Last, but not least, service.

It was good! No complaints there. The only thing that seemed interesting was that one person brought us chips and salsa. Our waiter took our food and drink order. A third person brought us the food, and a fourth person brought sour cream. Clearly it’s a team effort!

We know what you’re thinking. This is a mixed review and there seems to be more negative than positive. But to be clear, we will absolutely go back and try more of the menu (and will bring friends). At the time of this blog, it hasn’t even been open for two months and we know that time will make it better. Please, go and tell us what you think!

One final note for the Tipsy Taco team and our readers, when you exit the restaurant and turn right to walk to your street-parked car, there’s a pretty big step down to the sidewalk. If your tacos got a little too tipsy (or even if they didn’t), you very well might miss that step. A coat of spray paint on that ledge would be helpful just as a safety precaution.

Ok, enough talking. Please, go and tell us what you think!