Bodega Taco Bar — Restaurant in Darien

Bill - 0/5!!! Look closely. What the heck is a Cocina Fee? Exactly, Cocina means kitchen in Spanish. Yes, when ordering dinner here, almost everyone orders in English, not Spanish. The owner instead of raising the salary of his kitchen staff decided to make it your responsibility. Then the owner added this little note on the bill deciding that yes...you are responsible for his/her staffs fair wage. On top of that, it is added without even letting you know until the end. Sneaky bad word, bad word. If I could curse on this, I would. The manager said he would remove it, but that is not the point. They didn't let anyone know before the bill and just tried to sneak it through. This is such a despicable practice. I will never eat here again. Hey owner, I know you have undocumented staff and are saving money paying people off the books, why don't you take that savings and pay them more. The gig is up. Slimy.

Food - 2/5, and I included photos. Look closely at the guacamole. It appears to be green but it looks like the cheap guacamole that you get at Shoprite in the container. They added some fresh ingredients like tomato and onion, but this is not a fresh avocado. Look closely at the chicken. This is cheap low quality pre-grilled frozen chicken breast. This is not fresh chicken. I didn't see a grill to even make grill marks when I walked by the kitchen, yet there were grill marks on the chicken. That along with texture helped me conclude this is basically a step up from fake chicken. If I'm wrong, please respond to the low quality of the chicken.

Interior -...

I was genuinely, beyond disappointed in my first visit today to Bodega Taco Bar in Darien. Familiar with the concept, as I frequent Bar Taco, Taco Daddy and other Fairfield County favorites, often. I have understood Bodega to be a top notch operation with brilliant service, and culinary/beverage programs.

While in Darien today, I stopped by Bodega in Darien for some tacos with friends and we’re back to back disappointed. From a poor engagement by our server, to drinks made incorrectly 3 times, to a flavorless spread of tacos, I am unlikely to be back.

The bartender was chomping on chewing gum in the faces of guests, us being some of them, as he hand delivered a remade cocktail. Our server appeared both stoned/under the influence, or clearly new/not interested.

After asking for the check, the manager came by and comp’d our entire bill. When attempting to communicate the many issues throughout my experience, the manager eventually told me that he cannot speak for the action of his team members and that he would personally take care of me next time. While I appreciate the offer to personally take care of me, I find it odd and concerning, that he essentially denied responsibility for his staff.

Considering my understanding of Bodega to be a top tier dining experience in FF county, I plan to visit the Fairfield location soon. I will not be...

As a long-time customer here, I have been increasingly disappointed in the service I've received. They've continued to raise the prices, but the most frustrating behavior is the bill they deliver to customers. It is ALWAYS wrong. This has happened more than FOUR times. We go for the Taco Tuesday specials and the bill always has the regular prices, not the specials. It seems entirely purposeful, as if they're trying to charge their customers extra and see who notices. One time might be a blip. But more than FOUR times? My friends and I are wary of our finances, so we always check the bill. If you go here on Taco Tuesday, I would strongly recommend you do as well.

Last week, we went for our favorite "Ya Mon" tacos and discovered they were HALF the size of the previous ones we've had every time. Yet, they were the same price. They were practically bite-sized in comparison to the hard-shell taco, which is obviously considerably harder to shrink in order to scam.

This restaurant makes delicious food that I was willing to go back for repeatedly because I enjoyed it, BUT with sketchy scammers running it, my friends and I will no...