Bodega Taqueria y Tequila — Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale

Bodega Taqueria y Tequila is located in the historic Bryan Building in downtown Ft. Lauderdale. It was was built by Thomas Bryan after the 1912 Ft. Lauderdale fire and it is the least unaltered historic building in the downtown area which makes me love it. The last time I was here, the space was occupied by a bar called the Hideaway. This is a historic area of Ft. Lauderdale that is in transition. The River Walk complex failed years ago and is being replaced by new tower housing. Across the street from this restaurant is the new Wharf complex of bars and eateries but they have been shuttered since Covid. Parking is located around the corner at a garage for $8 flat rate or there is metered street parking if you are lucky enough to find it. Either way you are going to pay.

This is the newly opened Ft. Lauderdale location of Bodega Taqeria y Tequila which has a location in South Beach near Lincoln Mall. The company was founded in 2015 Keith Menin of Menin Hospitality Group. They specializes in street tacos, burritos, and Mexican bowls. They do serve alcohol which includes margaritas and beer. There is limited seating inside at a counter along the window but we opted for one of the roomier picnic tables outside. It was very nice watching the yachts sail down the Intracoastal until some guys on bikes decided to start racing down the street and acting like morons as they upset the diners who were trying to enjoy their expensive tacos. The people at the tables closest to the street actually ended up leaving.

When you are ready to eat, you place your food order inside at their adorable airstream trailer and they give you a buzzer that let's you know when it is time to pick it up. My friend ordered first and by the time I ran back to my car to retrieve my forgotten mask, it was 20 minutes later by the time I ordered. Even so my order was ready first. I ended up having to get a manager to find my friends food only to find that they put her order in twice, so she got four tacos instead of the two she wanted. Even worse they gave her a lime margarita instead of the mango one she wanted. She's so sweet she drank some of it anyway even though I could tell she didn't like it. We asked one of the people working for some salsa my friend thought she was supposed to get with the chips but she never came back. I finally went inside and was rewarded with a tiny cup that my friend didn't even think was very good.

For lunch I ordered the steak chimichurri, al pastor, and chicken al pastor tacos. After the drink mistake I stuck with a pineapple soda. The tacos were small but very good. Three tiny tacos and a soda was $16. My friend was nice enough to share her queso and chips or I probably would have left still hungry. The queso was very good and the part of the meal she enjoyed the most.

It was nice to hang outside with my friend on a beautiful Florida day and enjoy the gorgeous weather. They are new so they still have a few kinks to work out. I also think they are a little pricey but I am sure they will be fine since there is a massive residential complex right across the street and many offices in the immediate area. I love their historic building and cute decor, and I am glad...

Joined my partner on a business trip and explored the Fort Lauderdale tourist sight for cool adventures off the beaten path. Learned on Mondays Bodega’s offered a Midnight HH from 6 pm until midnight. We love a good taco and aren’t picky people but figured this would get us off the Beach side and allow us to explore. And off we were. Bonus: Daniel Popper’s Thrive sculpture is across the street at the Society property adjacent to The Wharf.

We used Lyft so I didn’t even pay attention to parking. Plenty of seating. Order at the bar and seat yourself in the lounge to enjoy the HH menu. There is also seating on the patio. The street isn’t too busy where you can’t enjoy yourself. I can imagine for Thursday’s - Sundays the vibe is different and probably a little more congested.

The food was decent. My favorite was the Carne Asada, Coconut Shrimp and Al Pastor tacos were my favorite. They had a deliciously sweet twist on the Moscow Mule that I enjoyed too, which was a huge deviation from my usual Margarita. The service was pretty quick. Don’t expect much attention and note there is an auto 20% service charge for most orders - this seems to be the norm in Florida from my experiences thus far. If you need something, catch someone randomly coming by or hit the bar with your needs. I didn’t like that the water tasted sweet. I’ll stick with bringing my own bottle and asking for ice if needed because it gets mixed with whatever soda they serve and it tastes horrible to me. But a minor pet peeve.

The atmosphere is cool and chill. The music is okay. It can be a late night stop after you visit other places and you need a late night bite and drink. I hope you enjoy this review. If so, please take moment and give me a thumbs...

First Timer — I came alone to experience Bodega. I heard good things about the place. Hence the reason why I wanted to try Bodega on a Taco Tuesday. I arrived and notice the atmosphere was nice. Everyone was having a great time. I knew I wanted to do the same after a long day of work. I noticed a spot at the bar was open so I immediately grab the spot. Stood and scanned to see who I can wave down for service. I noticed a Female Bartender. (don’t know her name) But we made eye contact and she told me wait. I’m like okay cool. she walked past me initially & finally she came over & I told her it was my first time. How does the seating work ? I want to order food and drinks. she responded “anywhere. It’s first come first serve” that wasn’t helpful because I turned around and it’s tables everywhere. but me being considerate I don’t want to take a table that sits 6 people and it’s only me. so upon ordering I got 4 tacos, Elote corn, 1 shot and 1 patron margarita was $49. 2 tacos were okay (Carne Asada) the other 2 I asked to get replaced for a Fish taco. That came out quickly, but taste wasn’t it for me. Elote Corn 10/10. Delicious! Moving forward I ended up asking a lady next to me if I can borrow her chair only because she wasn’t sitting. She was standing and dancing. I definitely didn’t feel comfortable but I rather do that instead of taking up a table for 6+ people. Anyways, the food was OK. Im thinking maybe they were ready to go home and didn’t put much effort. Maybe cause I came near 8pm closing time says 11pm, but my experience wasn’t as good. I won’t be returning...