Taqueria Viva Mexico — Restaurant in Miami

When I first got to this place I thought it was closed because I went to the original location, and it told me they had moved to this place on 8th st. The “Open” sign wasn’t on and the windows are really dark, so it’s hard to see.

This place is open and please go in.

When I first walked in, it had sort of off putting smell, but I had to stay because I heard the tacos are great. I got used to the smell, but they should do something about that.

The food is awesome though, and there are not many real Mexican taco spots like this. I was just in Mexico, and they provide the meat and the shell, and then the salsas and pickled toppings come on the side. I love it like this.

The guacamole and chips were incredible, and the Piña agua fresco was really refreshing.

The wait staff was super nice, but a little slow. Also, the bathroom didn’t have anything to dry your hands.

Regardless, go...

Viva México is definitely authentic, as in regular Mexican tacos, as in FROM Mexico. All tacos are soft. If you don't know, there are no hard tacos in authentic Mexican cuisine. It comes with the meat and that's it. They will serve NO tortilla. There is no salad on top of it (lettuce and tomatoes). There is no salsa on the table.

The meats are chicken, beef, tripa (tripe) and a few more odd meats I can't think of. They will give you a tray of 4 sauces/sides: raw white onion, chopped cilantro, mild, medium, and hot sauce. What makes it special is the pure simplicity of the experience. You can order one of each to try different flavored and ask the waiter for the super hot sauce if you're like me and loves really spicy food (although their super spicy is not anywhere near fiery or ghost pepper). All in all a really delicious and adventurous food experience. And at a really...

Food was ok enough. Fundito had a nice smoky flavor. A can of soda was $5 per can. Adding meat to a quesadilla was $5-6 over list price. Server pretty much forgot about us after we got our food. We asked for another soda but she didn’t bring it until we were ready to go and still charged for it. They also charged us an 18% tip automatically and then left a spot for another tip on the bill. We were two people and ordered one appetizer, two entrees and four sodas, no alcohol. $84 after they added their own tip. She came to the table twice after we ordered including that last soda along with bill. Not sure that was worth 18%, would have been nice if it said that anywhere on the menu too. We were visiting from Tampa, definitely...