Tucked away from the bustling atmosphere of Downtown Binghamton lies Garage Taco Bar, a restaurant serving Mexican-inspired street food dishes.
As my photographer, Ella, and I made our way out of the chilly night and into the restaurant, we were immediately met with its vibrant charm. Multicolored lights were hung throughout the restaurant’s interior and a stream of lo-fi music could be heard in the background.
For this fall’s Restaurant Week, Garage Taco Bar offers a $18 three-course lunch and a $25 three-course dinner. Both menus are almost identical. With the lunch menu, you are served two tacos and for the dinner menu, you are served three tacos and have a fourth entree option — their Smoke Show smothered burrito.
We were quickly seated and proceeded to place our orders with our server, Nicole.
While Ella did not opt for a drink, I chose to have a Jarritos — a soft drink originating from Mexico made with fruit flavors and cane sugar. Flavors to choose from included guava, pineapple, tamarind, mango, watermelon, strawberry and more. I went for the mango-flavored Jarritos and it was a great choice. I tend not to particularly enjoy carbonated drinks, but this was surprisingly pleasant as it was not too sweet or too tangy — making for a perfect interlude for the savory dishes to come. The restaurant also offers two other drink options — their Broke Margarita, a house-made margarita complete with their fresh sour mix, and Modelo — a house-favorite beer served with a lime.
For appetizers, I got the street corn, which was topped with butter, queso fresco and chili seasoning served with a sizable amount of tortilla chips. I appreciated that the seasonings did not take away from the natural sweetness of the corn, but worked to elevate the dish. The corn was nicely buttered and acted as a perfect dip. Ella got the Garage fries and found them well-seasoned and not overly salty. If you’re in the mood for something slightly lighter, Garage also offers a lime citrus salad that includes pico de gallo, queso blanco and their house dressing.
Lastly, for entrees, I chose the OG cauliflower tacos which came with fried cauliflower, cajun seasoning, pickled onions, chipotle crema, fresh jalapenos and cilantro. The crispy texture of the cauliflowers acted as a good balance between the acidity of the pickled onions and the sharpness of the jalapenos. The chipotle crema coated the contents of the tacos nicely and was not overdone while the cilantro added a slightly refreshing taste.
I also found myself reaching for the Jarritos between bites, as it was a good cut between the prominent savoriness of the dish. Ella got the Smoke Show chicken tacos which included shredded chicken, pickled onions, homemade Smoke Show hot sauce, lime crema and cilantro. While she chose to exclude the cilantro from her dish, she found the shredded chicken tender and served as a good base for the flavors of the hot sauce and lime crema. Other entrees you can choose from include the Green Machine barbacoa tacos which include beef barbacoa, house-made Green Machine hot sauce, lime crema and cilantro, and their Smoke Show smothered burrito, which comes with shredded chicken, rice, beans, pickled onions, pico, cheese, sour cream, lime crema, house-made Smoke Show hot sauce and topped with queso.
It is safe to say that by the end of the night, Ella and I were thoroughly satisfied. Garage Taco Bar continues to solidify itself as a casual, yet elevated dining experience in Binghamton.