Taco Dive Bar — Restaurant in City of Peekskill

I really wish I had more good things to say about this concept. The restaurant has a prime location near the Peekskill waterfront, and plenty of patio seating to dine al fresco. But our first and only experience was disappointing and confusing.

First of all, there seemed to be two establishments sharing the outdoor tables, that were part of the same restaurant...but not. We had to sit in specific tables for the Taco Dive bar menu, but if we wanted to order a drink from the next door sister bar, we had to get up and order it ourselves. I tried to order a Bloody Maria from the Taco Dive bar menu, but they were "out of tomato juice." This was unfortunate, seeing how it was Sunday afternoon and this is a popular brunch drink. I decided to try to order a drink from the same-but-not-the-same sister bar next door, but there was no one tending the bar. Frustrated, I waited for our (rather inattentive) waitress to order a different drink, maybe a michelada. Remembering they were out of tomato juice, I simply asked for a beer, hot sauce and lime and I would create something close to a michelada.

When I squeezed the limes in my glass of beer, there was an oil slick created on top. I smelled and tasted it, and it was bitter and soapy. There was definitely some sort of cleaning agent on the limes. I brought it inside to the bartender to bring it to his attention, and he nonchalantly said, "oh yea, I think a server was spraying cleaner around here." He did not offer another drink or any apologies.

Our food was decent, but portion sizes were incredibly small for the price point. I had to mention the chemicals on the limes incident to the manager, just for safety reasons. He was nice enough, and discounted our bill, which was still much higher than I hoped to pay for a few small...

I used to love, love, love Taco Dive Bar, and was always happy to take people there or suggest it as a meeting place. The food was delish, the presentation was great, the whole vibe was awesome. Now it feels infinitely less like a cool spot/“5th borough” than a somewhat upscale and absurdly expensive Taco Bell that serves margaritas, for which you will pay out the nose and not get salt on the rim of the glorified water glass they’re served in unless you specifically ask for it. Gone is the giant jug of “Spicy Mamas” behind the bar and the spicy mama who was so proud to mix one up for you. And if you order some classic quesadillas, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, you will get said quesadillas perfunctorily slapped on a plain white plate, with a steel thimble of sour cream, and absolutely nothing else—no garnish, no thimble of salsa, not even an offer of a jarred hot sauce. Basically an utterly boring grilled cheese, made (I’m guessing) with industrial pre-shredded cheese, if they don’t actually come pre-assembled out of the freezer…no cotija or crema. No one is cooking behind the line next to the bar that used to be the source of yummy smells and the vitality of hot-off-the-grill creations. I don’t even know where the sad quesadillas came from.

Our bartender, a young woman studying for her master’s in psych with the goal of working at Ryker’s, was charming and attentive. The vibeless, starched-white-shirt-and-black-shoes boss-like man behind the bar was efficient and utterly lacking in charm, on the other hand. $46 for crappy quesadillas and 2 “classic” margaritas. I keep saying I won’t return, as each time I’ve visited Taco Dive Bar since the pandemic, it’s been worse. But this time I’m...

Won't be coming here anymore (would give zero stars if I could). The food is overpriced and the service (to put it mildly) is AWFUL. We've been giving this place lots of chances over the Summer, especially since we love the waterfront and they have outdoor seating. Latest incident came when I visited with a friend of mine- we had a waiter who wouldn't look at us, rushed us through making a decision, took my appetizer plate away while I was essentially mid-bite, and slammed our main courses down when they arrived. Mind you, this is NOT for lack of us trying to be polite- I never mess with people who are serving me food. Prior to that, I came with two other people and we lingered in the doorway a full five minutes (one of us actually used the restroom and returned) before someone grudgingly came over to ask if he could help us (??????!!!!). A member of my party had food allergies and the server looked annoyed that she had to ask the chef what was in a particular dish so my friend could be certain it was safe for her. They have a habit of hiring staff for their aesthetic appeal and not necessarily their personality or competence. Also, the new place next door, Bajarito, kept blasting throwback techno music out of their open window, totally killing any semblance of atmosphere at TDB. Between the absurd prices of their miniature tacos and the ridiculous waitstaff, I think we're pretty much over it. PS- what type of bar doesn't know how to make a Long Island Iced Tea? The last girl Googled it right in...