Viva Tacos & Tequila

Very nice and beautifully decorated restaurant. Food was very good, just wish there was more to go with the food entrees. I got a $17 shrimp quesadilla and the picture is all that I got for that price. Just wish a side of rice or beans were included with it. Other than that, great service and great tasting food!

The food was amazing, delicious flavors, atmosphere indoors and out was beautiful, and the service was very friendly, quick, and helpful. I will definitely be back and I will recommend this for sure! I already came back for a second visit! They also have live music around 5pm. And just to add if you play PCG they have a great stop! 😉👍🏻

Beautiful place for lunch and dinner! We loved the chips and salsa. They have SO MANY great tacos! You should know that they are VERY generous with the beef in their Birria Tacos. Just so good!

**Restaurant Review: A Disastrous Dining Experience** I recently visited a restaurant hoping for a pleasant meal, but my experience was anything but satisfactory. I ordered a medium to well-done steak, making sure to inform the staff of my cheese allergy. Unfortunately, what arrived at my table was a steak cooked very rare, and to my dismay, it was topped with cheese. I promptly asked the waitress to return the steak to the kitchen. To my surprise, the replacement steak was still undercooked and once again included cheese. At this point, I felt frustrated and unable to eat anything. When I mentioned the situation to the waitress, she kindly asked the manager to remove the charge for the steak from my bill. However, the manager refused, claiming that he had already replaced it. Although it wasn't about the money for me, I found it unacceptable that I had to pay for a meal I couldn't consume. Eventually, the manager came to speak with me. When I expressed my dissatisfaction and mentioned that I would be going home to cook for myself, he offered no apology or explanation. In fact, he didn’t say a word, which left me feeling dismissed and frustrated. This experience highlighted a lack of attention to detail and customer service that is crucial in the restaurant industry. I left feeling disappointed and disheartened, and I would not recommend this establishment to anyone seeking a quality dining experience. A simple apology or acknowledgment could have made a world of difference, but instead, it felt like my concerns were completely ignored.

My go-to for Spanish food. 8 out of 9 x's I've had great service. The food is ALWAYS on point and their chips are fresh made hourly. The Guacamole is awesome. We mix it 1/2 & 1/2 with the salsa that comes out complimentary.

I can’t say enough about this place and their food. The service was fantastic and the atmosphere was great! Love the decor! I loved my queso, and chili realeno. My husband loved his grilled burrito and the kids loved the beef nachos! Enjoy! Follow my Instagram @holycityfitblonde

I went to lunch with my group of friends, and the location and the food were perfect. The margaritas were delicious. The waitress, Ava was very friendly and professional, even though there was an impolite couple at the table next to us who apparently weren't doing well. The manager was very attentive to making sure we were okay, as were the rest of the tables.

First time here and was very impressed. Obviously tequila based mixed drinks here are King, and they didn't disappoint. The strawberry margaritas was absolutely amazing, probably the best margaritas I've ever had. The chips and salsa were good, as well as all of the appetizers we ordered. Food was really good, but not amazing. Staff was super friendly and helpful. The decor is cool, and the outdoor patio area looked like a great place to hang out and share drinks with friends.

The inside atmosphere was very lively with all the vibrant colors and live music. Decided to sit outside. The staff were friendly and the food was very delicious. Good portion sizes and was very excited with their non-alcoholic selection.

I visited Viva tacos for brunch on a Sunday morning and we had no trouble finding a table on the patio, however it did get busier later in the day when the football started and the speakers started blasting the games. The brunch menu has a lot of exciting options , I tried the Guava mimosa which was a great variation from the traditional and really enjoyed it. For my main food I had the enfrijoladas , and unfortunately they did not hit the mark . The flavors were muted and edible , but totally unremarkable. The decoration inside is very pretty to look at and perfect for instagram pictures.

This might be my new favorite restaurant! The food came out quickly, and dinner was fantastic. I didn't try any drinks, but the people next to me seemed to really enjoy theirs. The space is well-decorated yet still feels open and roomy. Excellent service and amazing food overall!

While Viva is a regular weekly spot after soccer practice with the kids, we tried brunch a few weeks back and were surprised at how awesome the menu was! The chilaquiles were massive and super flavorful, and the eggs were on point on the huevos! Mimosas were reasonably priced and the waiter was great with the kids. We love to sit outside under the covered patio - fans, TVs and shades if needed make it a really great spot, plus run around space in the courtyard for the kiddos!

It was great and I loved their Tacos and their service. I had a great time at viva and it was so fun

Great mexican food and drinks on DI. They recently renovated the inside and changed the menu and it's even better! Love the vibe inside.

This place is horrible. Slow service. Can't cook the food correctly. Ordered ribeye chimchurri medium rare which took over 40 mins to come out and the restaurant was not busy. When the Steak arrived it was well done. I sent it back a 2nd time and it came out rare almost tare tare style (still frozen in the center) Bar tenders don't pay good attention customers at the bar. Drinks took forever to be refilled as they kept passing by cleaning. Don't recommend this place to anyone

Viva is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in Charleston! The food is great! And you get so much! Definitely try the fajitas! The server was super fun and down to have a chat about the best tequilas! He also made me the best spicy margarita! Viva is also super picturesque inside if you want to do a photo-op! The elote was my favorite dish but all the food was good and I had plenty of leftovers the next day! I was very happy with Viva and can't wait to go back!

Food and drinks were great! We had the tacos, a holiday drink and the skewers. The food Was plentiful. The service could be a little quicker, but over all a great experience. The ambiance of the restaurant was nice. It was festively decorated for the holiday, but also well decorated in general.

Great Daniel Island spot for Mexican food! Casual atmosphere but the interior still feels nice. We've sat at the bar both times we've come, they have a dual indoor/outdoor bar. We got the Mexican Caesar salad and the chicken quesadilla - neither were overly greasy and both had a nice flavor! Wide variety of margaritas, we had the Spicy Margarita and the Blueberry Basil Margarita and both were delicious.

The manager is rude and had been every time I have been. Service is slow and his answer is essentially "we are busy"

We decided to eat here because it looked super nice from the outside. The decor inside is cute as well but unfortunately that's as good as it gets. The food is less than mediocre. Nothing had any flavor at all. They brought us the wrong nachos. My drink was completely watered down. My entree was missing avocado. They forgot to bring us our street corn that we ordered as well. I had to ask if it was still coming and it came after all of our meals were cleared. Definitely will not return.

Yuck! Maybe an off night because the other reviews are good ‍ the service was almost non existent despite servers standing around looking at their phones with the exception of Richmond who brought our food out. He was engaging and upbeat! The shrimp in the quesadilla had a strong freezer burn taste. We couldn't eat it. We told the server and she said "ok" Thought we might get, would you like to try something else or I'm so sorry.. the Patron rep and free tasting was fun! LOTS of dead flies along the window and on the floor by our table. I will not return

A girlfriend and I have a goal of trying new restaurants in the area every time we get together and this spot did not disappoint!! We both ordered mixed drinks (blueberry margarita was my favorite!) and the meal was fantastic. Our waitress was super helpful in suggesting foods, didn't rush us as it took a while to order and overall it was just a great first impression. We'll definitely be back!

This review isn't about the food or service, both of which were OK but not great. No, instead this is about what happened AFTER I left; the waiter changed my Tip amount and increased it by several dollars! Yes, the waiter committed CREDIT CARD FRAUD, which I only spotted a few days later when my CC bill came due. Even worse, when I went back, the MANAGER seemed completely unsurprised and uncaring that his server had committed fraud. Yes, he gave me back my money but KEPT MY RECEIPT so that I no longer had the evidence of his server's fraud! As you might think, I will never go back to this place. Mediocres service is one thing, but stealing from customers and then stealing from them again when they catch you is the line I draw in the sand.

Great place to go before a concert! It was packed but they were pretty efficient in getting tables turned over. We did have a wait, but we're able to grab some drinks from the bar, which were amazing! We had a pineapple, habanero margarita and a regular lime margarita, with jalapeños added. The bar service was great! Once we were seated the server came to the table within minutes and took our order. The food came out pretty quickly and was delicious. The venue is huge and can handle the big crowds very well. We will be back!

We came before a concert so obviously the place was packed. I was not super thrilled with our waitress who had this horrible, Im so over this look on her face the entire time. We all ordered and my Mexican street corn never came out so I had to ask again. It took a while and I thought It had been forgotten. Everyone's meal was well over by the time I got it and for $6 to have a mini corn on the cob was pretty pathetic. I like that they have a lot of choices for margarita flavors but the fruit ones are very sweet. The only saving grace was that the peach jalapeno had the jalapeno in it to cut the overwhelming sweetness. Overall the food was good, I highly recommend the mini chimichangas. It's a perfect portion size. Its a little too pricey for what it is and the staff need a serious attitude check. I saw a bus boy walking by with a full finger picking his teeth while carrying his tub. EW!

Yesterday, at another spot had a waitress I was lamenting about the lack of proper Mexican food here and she said I should try this place... that their barria taco is pretty good. She is born and raised here, but agrees the Mexican food scene is weak, so I thought I'd give it a try as I am desperate for some flavorful Mexican...! (I have given up on trying to find anything comparable to Southern California/West Coast... just want something that doesn't suck....) First thought: VERY impressive tequila selection... and their menu feels like it wants to be Californian Mexican in style.... The chips were light, but warm and crisp, so that's a good start... Got the Jalapeño peach margarita.... Was ok, a bit sweet for my taste, but tasty...! Ceviche: I judge places on their ceviche. It's a love/hate for me... and this place... strong hate. Was a bowl of line juice with a little (tiny) but of meat (whisch was fresh and delish, what there was), pickled onions, cactus, and lettuce (?!?!).... The flavor was SO BAD... but I ate it cuz it was bloody expensive. Chevys has a better ceviche... Not deterred, ordered a single barria taco.... It came out hot, wet, full of meat, extra sauce on side and the salsa was a nice addition... there was flavor and spice and even the corn taco was good, def the most impressive I've had here... one tiny gripe would be more cheese, but being "cheesy makes it go down easy!" (IYKYK!) Then for some reason wanted the mini chimichangas.... They came out and I judged. Yeah, I totally judged how drenched in cream and queso they were... I got chicken and well..... WOW. Lots of moist, well flavored meat, and i actually loved the gringo style sauces.... I'd go back for those and more tacos...! Oh, and cuz I'm a fat a$$, got a grilled chicken burrito to go..... not what I am used to, def needed pico... but tasty. They have an eclectic menu... and interesting items such as a rose water margarita, or a pineapple chicken burrito.... And the decor was great!!! VERY Newport Beach!!! I'll give it another go. 8/10

Not good :/ I ordered the cilantro lime salmon, and my mom ordered a few tacos. Everything was either bland and unseasoned, or poorly seasoned (bad flavor combinations). My mom's fish taco came with a piece of fish that was half the size of her pinky; when she called the waitress over to let her know, they just brought another tiny piece of fish instead of remaking the taco. I'd probably only consider coming back for happy hour to order a drink. Wouldn't waste my time or money on the food.

Ordered 3, 8 dollar fish tacos, they had one tiny sliver of fish in each one. Are we in the 1920's, rationing is crazy.

We came by on a mid Friday for lunch. We had driven by and saw the massive "VIVA" sign and decided to stop in. Our visit began shortly before 1PM and we walked out the door at 3PM. We waiting an exceptionally long time before being seated and then longer before being waited on. The restaurant wasn't busy whatsoever, but the staff seemed exhausted and somewhat timid. Our waiter was kind and courteous but that could not outweigh the lack of attentive staff. The food was tasty, and if you don't mind the wait, try it out. Otherwise, stay away from there.

Lame. Went during a concert on DI started and ordered a round of drinks for a table of 4. The two tequila sodas were watered down and the waiter came back and said one of us couldn't have wine. Why? He had no clue. Had to walk to the bar and ask in front of a wall of wine. Bartender said they don't serve wine on concert nights. What? Beer, liquor, frozen drinks... yes. A glass of wine? Sorry. Needless to say we drank our 3 drinks, paid, and went elsewhere.

The food was great! Decent prices and a huge verity on the menu. Everything was super tasty and well seasoned. The service was nice and the manager Alex (I assume) was a huge help! The restaurant was also very well decorated and has a nice high ceiling. We wanted to watch a Game and there weren't too many tvs so they sat us by the bar. Everything was fantastic! 9.5/10!

The food never disappoints! The Queso-Birria, Ground Beef, Lengua, Fish, Shrimp, Al Pastor, Chorizo, or the Taco of the month always hit the spot! Although the food is great the drinks....umm...are on the money with presentation and flavor. I have yet to have a bad drink since they opened. I will say this is my favorite spot in Charleston. The atmosphere is chill, and any day you can sit on the patio at the outdoor bar. Lastly, the staff is super nice and knowledgeable about the restaurant.

Holy guacamole!!! The BEST carnitas I've ever had IN NACHO FORM! Delicious! *drool* A must try at Viva!

Theee stars because I absolutely loved the berry and basil margarita, and I love that they have an outdoor bar, but I waited almost 20 minutes before being greeted. They were busy and I know things happen, especially in a new restaurant, but the wait seemed really long being at the bar and being just one person. I also want to add that I won't return to this restaurant until Covid is gone. There were SO many people and no distancing. Extra seats were pulled up to the bar so it was even more crowded, staff had masks pulled under their nose, even people standing around drinking and chatting so it was impossible to social distance. Some reviews here say they're taking precautions so maybe it was a fluke, but not worth the risk for me, so if this is important to you just keep it in mind.

I've been to VIVA a couple of times for both brunch and dinner. Their outdoor dining is wonderful, and I felt we had great service both times. It can be pretty chilly inside though. The best option for parking is on the street directly outside the entrance. They have great drinks and don't shame you for ordering more queso! We'll be back.

Review on their takeout- Good birria, but not worth the price in my opinion. I birria taco with a small cup of consome for dipping was $11! One taco! It tasted very good and delivery was pretty quick via Uber eats (I live 2 minutes away and it arrived in 30-45 minutes). Street corn was good but not life changing. Overall everything tasted good but I expected more for that price.

I honestly can't say enough. The location is prime. The decor is awesome. The food is excellent. I went with a large party last week and they accommodated us easily. The server was great and the food was delicious and on time. The portion sizes were huge!!! The guacamole was to die for and so was the queso. 5 stars

Food: meh, I had quesa birria tacos they were greasy and not flavored. Everyone else In my party seemed to enjoy their food but we all agreed the food was average. Service: for one woman working a pretty section god bless her soul she's working her butt off. I know they are understaffed and it saddens me. Drinks: I don't consume alcohol so I can't say how the alcohol drinks were but 2 other people in my party got drinks and that's what seems to be driving this establishment. Overall i wouldn't come back to this restaurant until I was dragged by family members cause it's convenient to where we live.

Dante was a fantastic server. He was very knowledgeable and helpful regarding the restaurant's many tequila options, mixed drinks and the food options. Dante made it a great experience for my wife and I. We'll be back!

Stopped in for a late lunch. Was one of the only tables in there at the time. Service was slow and inaccurate, and the food was over priced. I had a torta, street corn, and pineapple habanero margarita. The bread on the torta was dry. I asked for hot sauce and was charged $1.50 for it. The street corn was decent but the margarita was not spicy at all and I couldn't taste any alcohol in it either. Definitely won't be back.

Great service and atmosphere... big screen for the games! Will go back fish tacos are fire!

Inattentive service. Mediocre food. Drink was made with store bought lime juice instead of fresh (I ordered a tequila and soda with lime juice, so the metallic taste was very obvious). Blah. Go somewhere else for a memorable meal.

We read the mixed reviews beforehand and hoped for the best, but honestly this place wasn't worth the cost. The food was mediocre. We got the piña burrito and carne en su jugo - the burrito was a decent size but pretty salty. The carne en su jugo was lacking very much carne- thankfully we ordered some rice and beans to compensate for it. The worst part of the experience was the service... SO SLOW. We didn't even see our server for the first 10 minutes, and when she finally came to us it took another 30 mins before we had our drinks and food. The restaurant wasn't even full, so there was no reason for the service to be that bad. We won't be going back.

Great option on DI with a huge menu made from all fresh ingredients! All margaritas are made of fresh muddled ingredients, no mixes! Wow! I tried the Zona Rosa - strawberries, kiwi, basil if you like a sweeter base, this is the one to try! Can't go wrong with the Millionaire Marg- for an upscale traditional margarita (grand mariner and Don Julio)! Food- I highly recommend the beef birria taco- it is soooo delicious and packed full with beef and cheese. I was stuffed with just one! Chips and salsa are perfect - chips served warm and salsa is flavorful! The traditional queso is amazing! Hubby got the shrimp bowl which had rice, beans, veggies, pickled onions etc. He snagged the salsa verde from my taco to elevate the heat! The restaurant itself is bigger than we expected. There are outside & upstairs bars and seating! Overall we are happy with this addition to DI restaurants!

Ok, so it's been months since the first time I reviewed Viva and I still have to say I will be giving it 3 stars. The good: The margaritas are delicious! They have so many to choose from and they even offer $5 margaritas on Tuesdays which I had no idea about! The Margarita I had for the Tuesday special was a strawberry basil margarita, it was so delicious I had to get two! The birria taco was delicious too! The meat was juicy and well seasoned and I enjoyed the sauce you dip it in! The bad: The service. The service is super slow. I have been a bartender, a cocktail waitress & a food runner in past jobs. The bartenders were more concerned about trying the drinks they just made you(which really should not be happening right now) and drinking their own than checking on you. I was never offered a water in the hour and a half I was there and I had to wave two of them down for my check. My taco also took about 25 minutes to get, which was ok since I was having a drink, but it still shouldn't take that long on a Tuesday afternoon that was not very busy. I also watched one of the bartenders drink a drink and blow her nose without washing her hands afterward. This is especially worrisome since we are still in Covid. I saw a food runner grab some berries with her bare hands and eat them without washing their hands and then serve food. I think if they taught everyone food and health safety and focused more on customer service, Viva would have a lot of potential.

This place I would not recommend the manager told the hostess that we can't come in a freely sit down even though the waitress said to sit down. The waitress skylor didn't care for anything. We were the last thing on her mind. Honestly just a sad sad service. Would not recommend this to anyone. We sat and waited for skylor to bring us our check for about 20 minutes.

We don't normally leave reviews but multiple times lately their food is all mixed with beef and chicken and pork regardless of what you order. We usually get the vegetarian option and it almost always comes with random chunks of meat. And the manager doesn't seem to care that much or try to effectuate change in the kitchen. Taking off the order from the bill doesn't matter if every time the food is wrong. I'd rather pay for what we ordered and ensure it doesn't include random meat. And...lately the service has sucked too. Seems to trickle down from management. It's ok for drinks but that's it. We won't be back alone or with our friends to eat again. We gave them many chances and it's the same story...

Fun and festive pick for cocktails and tacos at the bar. Drinks were delicious and food came out quickly. Free Chips and salsa fresh and tasty. Good date night pick. Birria Taco was delish.

Viva tacos is a great spot for food and drinks! I tried the mango chili margarita and it was amazing! The chicken enchiladas were really good and spicy. Overall great atmosphere and very reasonably priced!

Normally I love going to Viva but I can assure you I'll never go back again. A young opportunistic server decided to charge us gratuity for 6 people, considering the 6th individual was an infant! If servers are that hard up for tips, management should pay them more!

Viva Tacos & Tequila on Island Park Drive on Daniel Island is a great place to go for delicious food and drinks in a cool and relaxed atmosphere. I have been impressed with their menu and level of customer service here. Good overall experience every time.

Cavernous space reminds me of a school cafeteria with a bar. Two hours before closing a server was sweeping the area where we were seated. I find that uncomfortable on several levels: 1) I don't want flying debris stirred up from the broom to land on me or my food. 2) I feel I'm in the way of the person sweeping. 3) I didn't see the sweeper wash his hands before running food to tables. Chips seemed stale but the salsa was good. Ordered a flour filet mignon taco. The shell was dried out and hard while half of the beef was so full of gristle it was inedible. Rice bowl with steak was good. Drink glass had a chipped rim which I didn't see until it cut my lip. As a courtesy, when the glass was removed from the table I pointed out the damage to the glass. I had turned it so that I could drink from the other side. I received a barely audible acknowledgment but no apology. Look at your check closely, I believe the calculated tax on the bill is a little over the standard sales and hospitality tax. Also the "suggested tips" printed at the bottom of the check include tip on the sales tax. Of course, feel free to tip as much as you would like, but tips are not earned on money a restaurant or bar collects for the state. It makes no sense! Consider that on a tab of $100 plus $11 tax, the total bill is $111. Per the restaurant's calculation a 20% tip is $22.20. Actually, the tip should be calculated on the $100 restaurant tab that required service, hence a tip of $20 is correct. Be cognizant of tipping habits in this day when people that simply take your money for an order ask for a tip. It's not about being cheap, it's about the right and wrong of etiquette in business.

We did take out but food was just okay. Will need to try them again to get a better impression

Ordered takeout from Viva for the first time, and it was great. The placing of the online order went smoothly and it was ready right on time. We were downtown when we were notified about our order, so it was super convenient picking it up. The food was tasted a lot better than I expected it to. I never thought I'd have good Mexican food while in South Carolina. I ordered the Grilled Burrito with chicken, rice and cheese, which was enjoyable. The grilled chicken was juicy, the cheese was warm and melty and the rice was warm as well. Although it only had a those three fillings, I felt full after just eating half of my burrito. That's another thing that made this place great: it's serving sizes. Some dishes, like the Fajitas, could easily feed two people. Like I said before, ordering takeout from this place was a pleasant experience, and I'd recommend Viva to anyone looking for good Mexican food in the Daniel Island area.

This was a really nice atmosphere with a great pre-concert vibe. There was live music and the location is great for pre-gaming prior to going to the credit one stadium events. The food was fantastic. We had the shrimp fajitas and they were excellent.

First impressions were not great, The hostess was incompetent at best because she gave us 3 settings for 4 ppl, led us to two dirty tables, and didn't give us drink or kid menus. Our waitress made it up and was very pleasant and attentive. The food was good, guacamole dip was plentiful. I had the chicken and shrimp, very flavorful and cooked tenderly 8/10. Kids somewhat enjoyed their chicken tacos, and my wife liked her enchiladas 7/10.

Pretty good and authentic. Fair prices and in a chill area. Food portions are large. Salsa is fire.