Taco Vida

Amazing place for a quick bite either dining in or take-out. The owner is often present and busy with assisting the employees - who are also fantastic- with regular operations, but never too busy to pause what he’s doing to deliver top tier customer service. The menu may not be as big as some other Mexican restaurants, but everything that they offer is executed wonderfully AND with consistency. My go-to order is : •5 quesabirrias- no onion •Chips & House salsa •Mexican corn on the cob (grilled elote) - I’m a mayo hater but I love this stuff! •* Just picked up a handful of their desserts with my order so will update upon inhaling them! * The one menu item that I did not personally love was the queso dip. I prefer a bit of spice/kick (ideally with a white queso.) I found it to be comparable to Chipotle’s queso which was also not my favorite. That said, my order has not once been incorrect whether I’m picking it up or it’s delivered via DoorDash. What prompted me to write this review was yet another positive interaction that I just had in the Cantina.

Absolutely delicious chimichanga. The tortilla was lightly fried to a perfect golden crisp—crispy on the outside while still fluffy and tender on the inside. The filling had a great balance of beans, rice, and meat, making it hearty and satisfying without feeling heavy or overly filling. The restaurant reminds me of Chipotle in terms of setup and approachability, but the food tastes far more fresh and authentic—nothing feels manufactured or mass-produced. Every bite felt well-made and thoughtfully seasoned. I would absolutely order this again. A very satisfying meal. This is what fast casual should be—modern, efficient, and genuinely good food.

I am so disappointed. I have been to this restaurant many times and this time by far the worst. The bowl was terrible the worst steak ever! No flavor whatsoever. Toppings very skimpy for the price. I spent $30 on a bowl, a bag of chips and an elote. The only saving grace was the elote. It probably would have been better if the didn't deep fry it. Idk if there is new owners but the need to taste the food. They even sell seasonings there. But I don't think that they used them today. So sad was really looking forward to having a great Mexican dinner. I could have made better at home.

I've gotten food here several times already, usually spaced out through the year. Disappointed is how I feel often when I do. Their food is mediocre and everything is too expensive. Unfortunately they are one of the few places that offer horchata and I fall for the trap every time I do pickup. They don't sell horchata with some ice. They sell ice with a little bit of horchata. You can reference the photo. I drink it on the way home and get about a tablespoon of liquid out of the cup every time and I'm pissed by the time I get home. Im glad I picked up some tequila from the local liquor shop, because a tablespoon of Margherita would have really disappointed my fiance.

I’d like to start off with the service was extremely poor. They will try to core you to try to make you buy more or make your product more expensive. Secondly, over $10 for one taco and a drink is absurd and then for the chips in the queso to also be that much and then for them to charge you more money after you leave is even more absurd because I do not even put that big of a tip. There should be no way that my card is adding More. They were very, just not even nice. They were very rude and should learn some customer service if a customer wants to buy one thing then they should be able to buy that one thing and that’s it. There should be no question and extra trying to talk off the price. I would not come back here again and would never recommend it. There’s much better taco places that are way more authentic. The cheese is literally just nacho cheese.

I found this just driving by and decided to check it out. It's a little pricey for what it is, I could live with a few dollars off. But it's definitely really good food. Not something I personally could afford to eat everyday, but definitely a nice treat once in a while.

Miniscule portions of meat in tacos. Just paid $20 for 3 tacos (shredded beef) and all three tacos only had beef on one half/side of the taco shells...Taco Bell sadly gives more meat than TV. The guacamole we received was brown and the burrito in or order was completely wrong. Fortunately we got a small credit from DoorDash even though this was a TV issue and not a DD issue. This is not the first time here otherwise I wouldn't have posted. Hopefully the owner/manager figures out who was working tonight and takes proactive steps.

I recently catered a party with Taco Vida, and it was an incredible experience! The food was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. Guests couldn’t stop raving about the tender chicken and steak. The guacamole and tortillas were delicious. The portions were generous, and everything arrived perfectly packed. If you’re looking to impress your guests with authentic, delicious Mexican cuisine, Taco Vida is the way to go. Highly recommend!

Two beef chimichanga's one with no beans And a chicken bowl .. 3 fountain drinks tell me how this cost $55.60 ?? Ok forget the cost I have a severe lime allergy. I understand it's Mexican. A lot of things have lime on it. How ever the complete Disregard for me repeatedly saying please do not put any lime on our plate went in one ear and out the other. I watched him grab the limes. I said no no no no lime. He didn't even change his gloves and proceeded to still touched my bowl. I will never return to this place ever again. Somebody needs to come and teach them what cross-contamination is on top of proper food preparation. And also cleanliness. Extremely disappointed would not recommend this place. On top of those things the store itself wasn't clean. The fountain drinks had Hair stuck on them. The nozzles were dirty. Was not a very pleasant experience at all.

I highly recommend trying Taco Vida, it's absolutely delicious! The food is fresh and tastes super good, the workers are really nice. It's one of my fiancé and i favorite places for dinner. We normally get our food and sit outside on the patio. Great place YouTube: Extreme.Outdoorsmen Instagram: Extreme.Outdoorsmen

So good! A quick, delicious, and welcoming spot for some great food/drink, The outside offers a nice covered area for outside seating. Instead also has a large bar top area for seating and tables throughout. The place is clean and inviting. Inside is vibrant with bright colors and tile. Two bathrooms - single stall to the right of the restaurant. To the right are a ton of drinks both alcoholic and not, along with packaged desserts like carrot cake, rice pudding, etc. This place is like a Subway/Chipotle with ordering your food. They have a specials menu depending on the day. I went with the chef's way two steak corn tacos which comes with rice/beans. Chef's way basically means pre-determined toppings for your taco rather than customizing your taco toppings. My husband got the salad with chicken (good portion). We also got chips and salsa (house salsa). To top it off I went with a horchata to drink. Staff were working hard and cranking out orders/making more food. Your food is handed off to you as your pay at the cash register. No wait staff, waiting on tables. Our food was excellent! So flavorful and fresh. The chips were sturdy and had a nice crunch with a lime flavor. The salsa was also excellent - not too spicy either. My steak tacos were perfect - packed to the brim. Rice and beans were good as well. Horchata was delicious - tasted like rice pudding without the rice.

Love Taco Vida! This place is adorable inside. Lots of punny jokes and clean atmosphere. The ordering process is similar to Qdoba. Easy and fast. My favorite meal to get is the Nachos. I get chicken, queso, shredded cheese and sour cream on top. They are big enough to feed two people. Plus the chips are soooo yummy. A little pricey but very worth it. I live over 40 mins away and beg my husband to go every time we're in the area!

Service was ok, food was good, I would come back. They have outdoor seating as well. They were pretty busy on Tuesday

Went to Taco Vida prior to a show at Pine Knob. Service and food were decent, not great but not terrible either. A few hours later my wife was struck by what she has since described as the worst food poisoning of her life. We were up most of the night due to this and what was supposed to be a weekend getaway was summarily turned into a weekend of discomfort and lost opportunity.

Taco Vida or taco life is a relative newcomer in Clarkson. No competition in the Mexican space, Taco Vida looked promising from the street. A nice space, more fast foody than calle, the dining room is nice and bright. Ordering is mure sub shop than Mexican joint with containers for the meats followed by the toppings/fillings. Tortillas are grilled as you order and then filled as needed. I ordered chicken with onions and cilantro band sour cream with salsa verde on corn tortillas. Ok here's the rub. The grilled tacos were greasy and fell apart while eating suggesting they were old.. The chicken was tasteless. Not somewhat bland I mean no flavor chicken or other wise. Same with the onions and cilantro. Ditto the salsa verde. And for the "sour cream", it was certainly tzatziki sauce like you get on gyros and watered down at that. The girl behind the counter said that's how they do it. Ok but it ain't sour cream. And this ain't a gyro! Good selection of beverages, I had Jarritos of course. All in disappointing. Drive to Pontiac, hit any taco truck for 1/2 the price and find real Mexican street food! Taco Vida....no gracias.

Great food and huge portions! Everything was fresh, made correctly, and really good. We placed a large group order and all Items were labeled and made as requested.

I've eaten here quite often since I moved back to the area. One of my go to spots for sure. Definitely a little pricey but the food is absolutely worth it. I've never had a bad meal here. I've had the burrito, nachos, quesadilla, tacos and bowl. Burrito is by far my favorite but everything is delicious. Make sure to get their vida sour cream!

ok it took sooo long to order i was just standing around for so long while they did other orders but once i finally ordered it was fast and SO good. love this place

Food is decent at best, the bad is that they'll overcharge you for every thing. Orderd two chimichangas one with added shrimp the manager charged $8 for extra protein plus $5 for the added shrimp. $1 each for corn salsa and sourcream. In total $62.89 for two chimichangas and chips/quac. Keep your money or go to a local sit down Mexican restaurant like jalapeños up the street.

So I have never been a taco person, but wow these tacos just might change that. I ordered fish tacos which come with beans and rice on the side and they were incredibly delicious and filling. My only complaint is I wish we had a choice on the type of beans. I was not a fan of the refried beans. The flavoring and texture of the refried beans were off. I will definitely be ordering here again to try some of the other tacos!

Some of the best taco salad I've had! The bowl is great and chicken is always fresh. Love the vibes and cute case with grab and go drinks if you like. Friendly staff greeted us when we arrived. We waited a few minutes but WORTH IT for them to cook fresh chicken!! I recommend the fruity passion sauce!

Usually this place is good but decided to try the walking taco and it was horrible. Looked like it was the bottom crumbs for chips, they were so salty I couldn't even eat them, and then if there was a barely a spoon full of protein. Was very disappointed

I tried Taco Vida about a week after it originally opened and wasn't really impressed so I haven't gone back. Tonight I was running late from work and had a hankering for Mexican. I wanted 2 steak burritos. I walked in and was the only person in line with 3 employees. I start to order with a guy I'm going to call "Mr. Brillant" or "MB". I get out "2 steak burritos with flour tortillas" and start ordering ingredients but I'm interrupted and MB asks "rice and beans?". I say yes and he responds "we will take care of ingredients later." "Here or to go" MB asks? To g please. I proceed to watch MB start to make a pair of flour tortilla soft tacos. He gets the tortillas grilled and a scoop of rice and beans in a container. As he is preparing to put an ice cream scoop of steak in the first tortilla I say "hey those aren't burritos" and MB proceeds to argue that I ordered tacos. He grudgingly dumps the rive back and throws away the retried beans and starts grilling two large tortillas. At this point two other people get in line behind me and give their order to guy #2. I should say at this point both people get their orders before me. Once the tortillas are grilled, he puts an cecream scoop of rice and beans in each tortilla and a skimpy ice cream scoop of well done dripping steak in each tortilla. "Chefs choice or your way" MB asks? My way please. "Ok you get 4 ingredients". That's ok, I'm going to load it up. "That's going to cost extra" he says. Ok. Let's get started. Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green pepper, jalapeños, Mexican cheese, verde salsa , sour cream and guacamole, please. He grabs small amounts of each ingredient, a small squirt of runny sour cream and 2 melon ball scoops of guacamole. These are slightly larger than a Taco Bell grande supreme beef burrito but about 2" shorter. Onto the grill until both side are lightly browned then into small to go plate. I'm not taking pictures because they don't deserve it. I've had monster 4" foil wrapped loaded burritos that would stand on their end on their own that cost $6-8.00. This isn't one of those. These burritos were wimpy. They were Luke warm and not really that tasty. The steak was tough and gristly. A Taco Bell beef burrito supreme costs $3.79 completely made with whatever ingredients you want. How much were these burritos? $9.95 for the burrito. Plus $3.00 per burrito for 3 extra ingredients Plus $3.00 per burrito for the 2 melon balls of guacamole. $27.45 for 2 burritos!!! WTF???!! To top it off it took over 20 minutes and 2 people who came in after me got their food before me. And the burritos sucked. If you are hungry and you want fast and/or good Mexican, this isn't the place. Taco Bell is much better food that is way faster and WAY!!!! less expensive. I won't ever be going back to Taco Vida.

First time I came here I was OBSESSED. They make a mean burrito. Not only do they have great options for toppings but they put it back on the grill to give it that extra crisp. They also have good chips and salsa and a huge selection of beverages to choose from. Desserts are not it but that's okay. It does take awhile for online and phone orders, sometimes they forget... It is better to just go in and order. Great option for a quick lunch or dinner if you are in the area

It's a pretty good food. I had two tacos and chips and queso. The tacos were decent. I enjoyed the topping options and especially appreciate the pickled onions and chipotle sour cream sauce. Those are my favorite thing so that's an easy win. Chips had a nice crunch to them. I enjoyed the crunchy air bubbles. The queso, though, was a huge miss. It lacks in flavor and quality. To me it doesn't qualify as queso but rather as nacho cheese but milder and runnier. I'll definitely return for the tacos!

I am addicted to the street tacos here right now! I tried this place when they first opened and did not love it. The key is ordering the right stuff. The tacos are great but I don't care for their queso...has a not very authentic spice and sour cream taste to it. The refried beans also have a bit of a different twist to them as well...maybe lime?

Pretty good over all. I only wish that had authentic Mexican Cotija cheese, not the two cheese blend found in the grocery store. Even with that, I was impressed by the flavors. I'll definitely be back to try different items. Seems like they had a lot of new employees learning how to make the dishes, thankfully the manager was there to assist and help them make things properly. The staff was very friendly and eager to get your order going.

Excellent food and service every time! We've never been disappointed and we usually eat here once or twice per month.

I love Taco Vida! I always order the Chef's Way bowl and swap salsa verde for traditional house salsa. It's a huge bowl and I always have enough for a second meal. I usually order online and the food is always ready on time. Bonus - Everyone that works there is so nice.

LeRoy: Well I got the burrito made with pulled pork rolled up in a flour tortilla. It had a nice flavor, very filling. Then I got donuts and elephant ears and they were ok I guess. The biggest problem I had of all was the amount of money. $58 for three people, and I'll just cut it off there. Katie: I got the nacho and I made it my own. I got pork that was very delicious but there wasn't very much of it. The chips were thin and crispy but I did find a couple of hairs in my food. Everything was really delicious otherwise. Caitlin: I loved that the menu had plenty of lower calorie options, and everything tasted incredibly fresh and authentic. I will absolutely be back! And I also would rate it high stars but I got overruled.

Gave this place a second chance after a not so good first experience, but seriously save your money. The food is tasteless. The person serving me was rude and seemed to have better things to do. You are better off going anywhere else.

Lots of options and build your own is pretty great. Better to go in and order than place online/delivery. The house strawberry margarita was pretty good but kinda small for the price. They're always Super friendly And I love that you can sit outside!

My husband and I discovered this gem on DoorDash, looking for lunch. As vegetarians it is NOT easy to find food. It was delish I would definitely return!

TACO'bout delicious!! My first time here and all I can say is WOW! I need more of these to open asap and preferably near my house. I had a shrimp taco and and Carne asada taco! Both seasoned to perfection omgg and sooo juicy. TIP: you can buy their cilantro sour cream sauce and I advise you to do so! I finished the bottle in less than a week! I put it on everything! -a.bold.dish

My "Chef's Way" pork burrito was fantastic, best burrito I've had in a while. Meat was tender and the burrito had just the right amount of "zip."

An authentic take on chipotle that serves margaritas, what's not to love?! The vibe is refreshing and family friendly. My wife ordered the tostadas, which were excellent and I had the jalapeño poppers which were fresh wrapped in bacon as opposed to the run-of-the mill deep fried cream cheese balls. Finishing up with fresh churros, this has become one of our favorite local Mexican restaurants.

Love the aesthetics of the restaurant, i had a pretty big order and staff offered to help bring it to my car. Food was delicious !!!! Elote, vida fries , california burrito, nachos and that horchata was on point!! I live about 40 mins from the location but it was worth the drive!

Unfortunately, I would love to recommend this place because they do have great food BUT I cant since the owners employ sexist employees with poor judgment wanting power trips. As a woman I tried to purchase a 6 pack of beer from their store next door and got rejected by a employee for absolutely no reason whatsoever. Claimed I was intoxicated while doing nothing except walking into their store and trying to check out. I guess it's in their "best judgment" to refuse customer service without doing anything wrong or out of ordinary to support their baseless accusations.

Superb tacos in every way--100% 5 Star. Great protein flavors, including a truly solid smoked pork. The staff was friendly and very responsive. Don't go in here expecting a Qdoba or Chipotle -- this is a polished but authentic taco joint, and it has better food than those chains.

The food is great but the prices are expensive and the staff need to practice being patient with customers. I shouldn't feel like I'm being rushed to take my order and the staff getting irrated because I'm asking questions about the menu. Like I'm suppose to know the taco vida menu 0.05 seconds after entering! Shouldn't be working in service if you have a sort fuse.

God this place is so good. Can't wait till summer hits and covid is gone so they can open the bar!! The steak is delicious. Better seasonings then Adobe and chipotle. The pickles veggies are a favorite of mine. Get the BIG bag of the chips - you will thank me later.

Good food, nice staff, clean place with good seating indoors or outdoors!! Enjoy coming to this spot very much. Would recommend!!

Manager was wearing his face mask around his chin, not covering his mouth or nose. Another manager in the back was walking around behind employees and wasn't wearing a mask or gloves at all, and yet was making physical contact with people preparing food. Several folks preparing food had masks that were not covering this noses when preparing food. Until food safety is improved I wouldn't trust this place. ‍

The wife and I tried this place this afternoon as we've driven past it and it's new to the Clarkston area. To the folks giving one star for employees not wearing masks, C'mon this is a food review! We both tried their burritos and they were packed with flavor. They have a very diverse selection of ingredients to choose from including a variety of salsas. We also liked the option they had of finishing the burrito on the grill. The Guacamole is a must try! You won't regret it, trust me! We also got the opportunity to chat with the owner who was very nice and went through his background of opening the store. We will be back when we are craving Mexican food.

Every time I am here I am never disappointed. This food is excellent! Authentic Mexican! Delish!

If there's a wait for the guacamole, wait. It's tremendous. Definitely worth the wait. Still working. Staff is friendly. I suggest you give it a try.

We tried this place once before and weren't sold on it, but decided to try it again because it'd been a few months. Maybe it's just me, but I'm not too sure about the fresh Midwestern take this place has on Latin American food. I want to love it so much but I always end up getting sick the next day.

This food has no Mexican taste in any way, it tastes very much like canned food, service is fast and friendly

For the prices here, you'd expect better food. The Mexican chicken soup tastes like over salted canned broth with bland chicken, does not taste fresh or good whatsoever. The steak tacos with flour tortillas was not good, the meat did not taste right, the side of black beans and rice were almost decent. I have no idea how this place can be open with that quality of food, small portions and high prices.

Loved the food, fresh and filling. The place is super clean, friendly people working there. Will come back again

Great place for any Mexican food . I love the variety of flavors and I love the tacos

Food is delicious and service is quick. Portion size does seem small for the price. Love the burrito bowl. Would be nice if they offered black beans.

I had been wanting to try this place because I believe in supporting local business. The food is ok. The service is horrible. My husband started telling the owner (I think) his order and the guy literally walked away in the middle of the order. When he came back he asked me what I wanted. He fixed my order then asked my husband what he wanted. 2 taco's, a bowl, a soda and a water... $25. Not worth the price. I hope they stay in business but I won't be back. If you don't like people, don't work in a service industry - or, hire people who like people.

Very pricey. A salad with chk and vegetables, cilantro, onion and jalapeños and salsa, xtra scoop of chk (small scoop) was over $14.00. The salad includes two scoops of protein 4 toppings including the salsa!! A Mexican restaurant that doesn't have avocado or guacamole...say whaaaat?! No sanitizer anywhere in the place, I need to ask for someone to take a couple minutes for them to find some.

I ordered my steak bowl without jalapenos and there were jalapenos throughout the entire bowl. It was so incredibly spicy with a TON of black pepper. The chips were good but queso is not authentic. The queso tasted like velveeta..

Amazing Amazing service and the tacos were delicious. The four of us all try different tacos. The steak, ground beef, fish, and vegan nuggets. Every one of them were delicious! We're definitely going to be repeat customers!!!

So my family loves the food here and grabbing a taco bar is perfect for takeout night. It does feed 4 of us (I do order 2 extra tortillas to be safe). But almost every time we have had an issue with either attitude or having to wait. The first time we went in and had to wait with no acknowledgement while they filled online and DoorDash orders (which I get because they were ordered before we came in). Then we got attitude from the girl doing our food. The food was good so decided to give another try and again went in and got attitude (like these people resent you for coming in). Then did an online order and it was perfect. Food was ready and everything was good. Yesterday decided to do another online order while on our way home (also I did not do an online tip because I was going to do a cash tip depending on the service and attitude due to previous experience). Placed the order it said it would take 15 minutes, so we stop at a store to make sure there was plenty time and wouldn't have to wait. There is a line when we get there and my husband goes to the pick up area and was ignored. Finally a young man who had his back to my husband turns around my husband tells him he is there to pick up an order the young man tells him it would be a little bit and turns back around doing nothing. Another gentleman came and acknowledged my husband who then said he was there to pick up an order and had to give the name 4 times and was told it would be a few minutes. They cleared out their line (mind you more people came in and got in line) and still no food. A young lady finally asked my husband the name again and asked if it was DoorDash when my husband said no it was an online order she was at the register and then a ticket popped out. She then started making the order by herself while other workers danced and joked around behind the counter. An order that was supposed to take 15 minutes took well over an hour with only a meek apology.