Talavera Cantina — Restaurant in New York

I went here after work for a friend's birthday because it was close to my job.

The reason why I knocked off one star is because they weren't upfront about gratuity automatically being included on the check. We were two people who sat at the bar. We had two drinks each and one appetizer each. While the food was very tasty and authentic, it was very small for the prices. The drinks were mostly ice, and the margaritas were very sour. I watched them make the drinks and me being trained as a bartender. I could tell they were kinda just winging how they made the drinks. I noticed several times that they added more ice to drinks when they didn't measure enough of the liquor and the rest of the mixers to make multiple drinks. I get that it's happy hour, and things have gone up, but to pay $12 or $13 on happy hour drinks using cheap well tequila for a few sips through the straw is not cool.

I'm a good tipper, I don't like the fact that the tip was automatic. I like to choose what I'm going to tip based on service.

I would most likely not go back here.

My friend said that the place used to be called something else in the past. It seems to be family own and run, which is nice. I loved...

Rating is 4.5 Food and margaritas were hands down the best in the Bronx, and cracked my top 5 throughout the 5 boroughs Guacamole rivals Rosa Mexicana in Manhattan. Birria tastes identical to Dos Caminos. Food and atmosphere were perfect. 2 small complaints. Parking is difficult at certain times. Happy Hour pricing and deals are great Waiter/Barkeep was amazing with recommendations etc, until we were offered Mezcal, the presentation etc were fantastic, but we were never told about price etc. The Mescal tasting for the 6 of us added around $180 to our bill. While I should have asked, it would have been nice if he informed of us that, price wise. Money is not an object to me, but should have been advertised.

I will be back, but I will not be doing the...

Stopped in randomly to get some drinks for happy hour and I was absolutely blown away with how great they were (we ordered 6 or 7 different mezcalritas). The bartender Karen, who also happens to be one of the owners, was super nice and hospitable and incredibly knowledgeable on all things Mexican cuisine and drinks. Her establishment carries products from authentic independently owned Mexican distilleries and a few from female owned Mexican distilleries. We only got a few apps since we had eaten prior to, but will definitely be going back for a full dinner. I can’t recommend this place enough, I’m so glad we stumbled upon this hidden gem of...