If you’re tired of chain-restaurant Mexican food but still craving tacos, Garage Taco Bar is the way to go. The waitstaff is friendly, the atmosphere is relaxing and the restaurant is conveniently located at the corner of Henry and Washington streets in Downtown Binghamton.

This Restaurant Week, Garage Taco Bar is offering a three-course lunch or dinner menu for $12 or $20, respectively. We dined there for dinner, but the menu options were almost identical. If you’re looking for fish or pork, however, be sure to go for lunch, as the fish and carnitas tacos are only available then. Also, be aware that all three menu choices will be served on a single platter, so don’t expect three separate courses.

For the first choice, I ordered the chips and pico, aka house-made chips and salsa. The chips tasted good and were clearly made on-site, but they did not taste much different from any other tortilla chip. The salsa was mild and more sweet than spicy, which I thought was a nice change of pace, but for those who favor spice, you may want to make another choice. The photographer who dined with me ordered the street corn as her first choice. Although not on the cob, the corn came smothered in butter and chili powder. She said it was the best part of her meal.

For the main course, we sampled the house tofu tacos and the cauliflower tacos, and we were pleasantly surprised. The tofu was well-seasoned and complemented the cabbage and radish with which it was served. The chipotle and adobo made the tacos a little spicier than I may have been prepared for, but add much-needed flavor too. We were similarly impressed by the cauliflower tacos, but for those with an aversion toward spicy food, be sure to order without the jalapenos. The portions were generous, with three well-stuffed tacos per plate. It was almost difficult to finish all three, but thankfully, we were successful.

The third “course” was disappointing simply because, if you’re younger than 21, it was not much of a choice at all. Among the three options, two were alcoholic beverages: the house margarita and the house beer. The sopapilla, a fried dough-type dessert, was the only pick that was not for adults-only. We both ordered this, and though we were happy with our food — fried tortillas doused in cinnamon and honey — we were disappointed by the lack of choice.

For those with dietary restrictions, such as vegetarians and vegans, this place offered a decent selection of food. For example, the tacos we sampled, when ordered without crema, are a fun treat for a vegan palate. All of the appetizers were vegetarian as well, and most could be made vegan with some simple substitutions.

I would not recommend this venue for family dining, or for those looking for a more formal setting, but for a relaxing evening on the patio in the last of the summer heat, this is a perfect choice.