El Tepeyac Taqueria — Restaurant in New York

I ordered delivery through Uber Eats, and the restaurant delivered my food to someone else. Uber Eats showed that my order was dropped off, but a neighbor down the street called to say they received it by mistake. I contacted Uber Eats, but since the restaurant uses its own delivery drivers, they said they couldn’t help because the restaurant claimed the order was delivered and provided a photo as proof.

I then called the restaurant, explained the situation, and they asked, “What do you want me to do about it?” I told them it was a $50+ order, so I either wanted my food or a refund. They insisted the order was delivered, but I offered to have the neighbor contact them or to send me the delivery photo as proof. Instead, the person told me they’d notify Uber Eats that I hadn’t received my order.

After three more calls and 45 minutes of back-and-forth, I finally got Uber Eats to reach out to the restaurant again, but they continued to claim the order was delivered. Mistakes happen, and I understand frustrations can arise, but refusing to help a paying customer is unacceptable. Either provide proof of delivery or issue a refund. Eventually, Uber Eats gave me a refund after an hour and a half on the phone, but it was a frustrating experience with no food in the end. I hope future customers are...

The food here was absolutely delicious, and the customer service in terms of food delivery and attentiveness was top-notch. I really enjoyed the cozy, intimate atmosphere—especially with the door open, allowing a nice breeze to come through.

However, my experience was impacted by an individual—possibly homeless or in distress—who repeatedly entered the restaurant (about four times) and aggressively asked myself and other patrons for money. Unfortunately, the staff didn’t immediately address the situation. One server in particular acted as if nothing was happening, even as customers were being visibly harassed.

Eventually, a staff member delivering food did step in, escorted the individual out, and spoke to him, which helped. But by then, the repeated interruptions had already taken away from what could have been a perfect experience.

That said, I would still return, as the food and vibe were great—I just hope there are clearer protocols in place for situations like this...

Tepeyac advertises on its door that it's open until 11pm, however, on June 17th, a Saturday, we came in to eat at about 1030pm. When we arrived, we could tell they were beginning to put things away. As we approached to place an order the waitress / server at the counter was extremely short with us and stated they would only serve "to go". We pointed out that the restaurant said it was open until 11pm so we objected but decided to take our business elsewhere. If a business says it's open until a specific time it should remain open through that time. If it will only accomodate take out after a certain time, it should specify that too. People might drive a distance, based on reviews, to check the place out but in this case will be met with unpredictable hours...