Viva Taqueria & Cantina

Mexican restaurant · Ithaca

Viva Taqueria & Cantina

Mexican restaurant · Ithaca

215 E State St, Ithaca, NY 14850

Highlights

At this lively Mexican cantina, sip on killer margaritas and dive into delicious tacos and nachos while enjoying a vibrant atmosphere.

215 E State St, Ithaca, NY 14850 Get directions

vivataqueria.com

@vivataqueria

$10–20 · Menu

@onthegrid

"The food here is cheap and delicious. There are favorites of course – the escabeche, the chorizo, the calabacitas – the list is long. You can grab a burrito at the taqueria and eat on the Commons, but then you can't enjoy a margarita, and they are not to be missed. The full serve restaurant (the cantina) has a solid bar menu and all the favorites that you can get to go. Food is fresh, healthy and wonderful. Don't forget to look for the hippo head." - St. John Design Group

On the Grid : Viva Taqueria

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@onthegrid

"Viva Taqueria, Downtown Ithaca. The food here is cheap and delicious. There are favorites of course – the escabeche, the chorizo, the calabacitas – the list is long. You can grab a burrito at the taqueria and eat on the Commons, but then you can't enjoy a margarita, and they are not to be missed. The full serve restaurant (the cantina) has a solid bar menu and all the favorites that you can get to go. Food is fresh, healthy and wonderful. Don't forget to look for the hippo head."

Ithaca

View Postcard for Viva Taqueria & Cantina

Ji You Kang

Google

Viva is a great Mexican place to relax on a nice day. House Margarita with Nachos and guacamole are simple but delicious! Frozen margaritas were also good on a hot summer day.

Crystal Joy

Google

We visited Viva on Valentine's Day 2023 and it was a wonderful experience! Our table wasn't quite ready when we arrived, so we sat at the bar and enjoyed an order of Mini Nachos. I like this smaller sized portion which was perfect as a starter. The fresh squeezed orange-limeade was refreshing. My husband enjoyed a soft taco plate while I enjoyed the hard shell tacos! (one of our only debates in our home!) To Crunch or Not To Crunch... that is the question! We celebrate our anniversary each week, and Viva Taqueria made our 93rd Taco Tuesday together very memorable. Thanks for a wonderful Valentine's experience.

Rebecca McNellis

Google

We had a couple cocktails and a snack of nachos. Nachos were very good. Atmosphere was bright and cheerful. We sat outside. Our server was busy, and was okay. She could've been a little more attentive. Overall, everything was good.

Jason B

Google

The enchiladas were likely the best I have had in years — super tasty. Tacos were tasty but the soft tortillas did disintegrate such that they ended up better to eat with a fork and knife. That was the only negative. The draft beer selection was 7-8 options but the margarita selection was large. The service was a little slow the day that we were there, but the folks were all super friendly. I recommend this place but maybe avoid the soft tacos.

Zach Jaeger

Google

Excellent healthy Mexican food in Ithaca! I've been eating here for years and have never had a complaint. The staff is always super friendly and the food usually arrives quickly even when they are busy. Make sure you get guac and all the salsas!

Zachary Brown

Google

A staple restaurant in Ithaca. Tasty tex-mex, casual atmosphere, and most importantly, excellent margaritas. The hours are unfortunately limited in the past few years, with the restaurant and bar both closing before 9, even on the weekends. As a previous resident of Ithaca, I was a little sad to have to leave my dinner so early, but it was nice to see that Viva is still making good food and drinks on the Commons in 2025.

A G

Google

Good ambiance and decor, service was not the greatest but it was acceptable. Food was terrible. Bland, not Mexican at all and will never come back again because of that. Chips and salsa was chips with pico de gallo. Chips were lacking salt. Chilis Chips and salsa are way better and that's a lot to say. If your food is not authentic, then don't advertise as such. Seems like it's a common occurrence in Ithaca in restaurants that claim to have "mexican" food 🇲🇽

Sherryll Chester

Google

When returning to Ithaca post-graduation, Viva was the first spot my husband and I had to hit up. I feared that my memory of their nachos were better than they would be upon returning but I was wrong! The Macho Nachos were, and still are, the best nachos I have ever had. It is THE item to get here. Don't leave without ordering it. They also have vegan nachos, which I haven't tried, but they sounded delicious! I also got The Purist margarita and it was delicious. Our waiter recommended it as something less sweet and it totally hit the mark. The service was absolutely fantastic. Our waiter was helpful in guiding our choices, super friendly, and attentive to checking in on us. Viva is my favorite restaurant in Ithaca and I cannot recommend those nachos enough!

@onthegrid

On the Grid : Viva Taqueria

View Postcard for Viva Taqueria & Cantina

@onthegrid

Ithaca

View Postcard for Viva Taqueria & Cantina

Ji You Kang

Google

Viva is a great Mexican place to relax on a nice day. House Margarita with Nachos and guacamole are simple but delicious! Frozen margaritas were also good on a hot summer day.

Crystal Joy

Google

Rebecca McNellis

Google

Jason B

Google

Zach Jaeger

Google

Zachary Brown

Google

A G

Google

Sherryll Chester

Google