Empellon Taqueria & Bar

Can't wait to come back again soon. LOVE the vibe here. Great food and service. Fish tacos + French Fries - it's like my idea of heaven. I will be back soon with a big group of friends - perfect place to hang out + toast with espresso coladas!!! Thanks Ross + Empellon team!

Stunned at how much this place has changed. My partner and I first came to this location back in 2016. It used to be a pretty, clean and a classy place. It’s no longer any of these. Walking in you already smell and feel that it’s now like a dive bar- but with Empellón prices! I sat at the bar and the stool was actually broken. Completely broken. I thought ok, I can look past that. Then the bartender came over and treated us exactly how they treat you at a dive bar- like they’re doing you a favor. He was a big guy, sweating and not nice. What happened to this place I asked my partner. Then we saw the paper gross menus. Maybe it’s just for the holiday? We ordered a Michelada ($15!) and a margarita ($15!) it was really cheap margarita mix. These used to be artisan margaritas. We also ordered guacamole- my god, it actually was served to us IN A TIN FOIL TO GO BOTTOM (photo below). We didn’t even get a plate. Ok what the hell happened to this place? I was so mad. Then I went to the bathroom. Dirty, sticky and surprise- NO SOAP. When I told the guy he apologized but never went to get soap?? This place should be shut down. The Hispanic bartender said in December 2023 they decided to change to cater to a younger crowd and make it like this, hmm I said is it working? This is a dive bar. Empellon is known for being upscale and classy. He just said, “I know. I’ll pass it onto the owner.” The one you three just did tequila shots together with? Awful. And so we paid $50 for really terrible service and experience. Oh and to apologize they sent us cheap tequila shots. Stunned we just looked at them. No thank you. That’s not why we came here. Every other place in the neighborhood was packed with pretty people and classy clean places, not this dive bar. What a terrible fall from grace. I hope it gets shut down.

Great food and drinks with a fun atmosphere. Highly recommend the 7 salsas as an app and the spicy cucumber marg as drink. Even if you don’t like spicy cocktails, the spice is only in the rimmed salt so you can make it as spicy as you want. Pretty small menu mostly tacos but we enjoyed the fish and shrimp tacos. Tacos are decently sized.

2 of us shared, in order of liking from most to least, the special tacos (with wrapped bacon), shrimp tacos, and lamb tacos. The special tacos were uniquely interesting, shrimp tacos good, and for the lamb tacos I wasn't a fan of the salsa boracha. Overall, the food was all good, though it's pricey for tacos.

Me and my friend had a good time at Empellon Taqueria. We tried the beans flautas, vegan chorizo, brussel sprouts and fish tempura tacos. We both had 2 virgin piña colada, the first one was soooo good the second round was meh. There are 2 dining rooms, one in the front and one in the back. Happy hours Monday-Friday 5-7pm The total came out to $130 before tips

I stumbled into this Mexican restaurant by complete accident & was lucky enough to find a table at the right time. The staff very friendly & attentive. The interior was available but the outdoor dinning was very inviting & also available. Service was great, drinks were delicious & food definitely outstanding! The carnitas were a little salty but delicious to say the least. I do have to admit, it was a little pricy but can't denied that it was money well spent. Can't wait to go back.

I’d probably give this place a 3.5 stars if I could. I dig the concept - high quality tacos in a great atmosphere - and everything I had was reasonably executed. I just guess at this price point I was expecting more in terms of creativity in their tacos. It’s a fairly short list and pretty standard - skirt steak, fish, shrimp and the like. But I couldn’t escape the feeling that what I was really paying for was the atmosphere, and the tacos, while decent, were ones I could find as good if not better for half the price elsewhere in the city. It’s a shame because they do seem to have it in them - both my starter of the seven salsas and finish of a banana tamal were excellent and what I’d expect of a restaurant at this level. It’s just the tacos at this taqueria that fell short.

My partner & I stumbled upon Empellón while in search of food + cocktails after seeing some live jazz @ Mezzrow in the West Village. The vibe inside this place is really cute (we sat at the bar). In terms of service, the bartenders were really attentive & kind. The margaritas were good, I tried the Classic (one as-made & one spicy). My boyfriend had an IPA - the bartender was knowledgeable about the logistics of their 2 offerings, which was helpful!! The food was decent - good for a quick bite if you’re looking for a bar snack. We did their nachos & guacamole. Honestly, I wouldn’t return here for the food (there are better spots to enjoy similar dishes). But, if you’re near W 4th and are in search of a decent drink & a nice atmosphere, this place is a good pick!!

Can't wait to come back again soon. LOVE the vibe here. Great food and service. Fish tacos + French Fries - it's like my idea of heaven. I will be back soon with a big group of friends - perfect place to hang out + toast with espresso coladas!!! Thanks Ross + Empellon team!

Stunned at how much this place has changed. My partner and I first came to this location back in 2016. It used to be a pretty, clean and a classy place. It’s no longer any of these. Walking in you already smell and feel that it’s now like a dive bar- but with Empellón prices! I sat at the bar and the stool was actually broken. Completely broken. I thought ok, I can look past that. Then the bartender came over and treated us exactly how they treat you at a dive bar- like they’re doing you a favor. He was a big guy, sweating and not nice. What happened to this place I asked my partner. Then we saw the paper gross menus. Maybe it’s just for the holiday? We ordered a Michelada ($15!) and a margarita ($15!) it was really cheap margarita mix. These used to be artisan margaritas. We also ordered guacamole- my god, it actually was served to us IN A TIN FOIL TO GO BOTTOM (photo below). We didn’t even get a plate. Ok what the hell happened to this place? I was so mad. Then I went to the bathroom. Dirty, sticky and surprise- NO SOAP. When I told the guy he apologized but never went to get soap?? This place should be shut down. The Hispanic bartender said in December 2023 they decided to change to cater to a younger crowd and make it like this, hmm I said is it working? This is a dive bar. Empellon is known for being upscale and classy. He just said, “I know. I’ll pass it onto the owner.” The one you three just did tequila shots together with? Awful. And so we paid $50 for really terrible service and experience. Oh and to apologize they sent us cheap tequila shots. Stunned we just looked at them. No thank you. That’s not why we came here. Every other place in the neighborhood was packed with pretty people and classy clean places, not this dive bar. What a terrible fall from grace. I hope it gets shut down.

Great food and drinks with a fun atmosphere. Highly recommend the 7 salsas as an app and the spicy cucumber marg as drink. Even if you don’t like spicy cocktails, the spice is only in the rimmed salt so you can make it as spicy as you want. Pretty small menu mostly tacos but we enjoyed the fish and shrimp tacos. Tacos are decently sized.

2 of us shared, in order of liking from most to least, the special tacos (with wrapped bacon), shrimp tacos, and lamb tacos. The special tacos were uniquely interesting, shrimp tacos good, and for the lamb tacos I wasn't a fan of the salsa boracha. Overall, the food was all good, though it's pricey for tacos.

Me and my friend had a good time at Empellon Taqueria. We tried the beans flautas, vegan chorizo, brussel sprouts and fish tempura tacos. We both had 2 virgin piña colada, the first one was soooo good the second round was meh. There are 2 dining rooms, one in the front and one in the back. Happy hours Monday-Friday 5-7pm The total came out to $130 before tips

I stumbled into this Mexican restaurant by complete accident & was lucky enough to find a table at the right time. The staff very friendly & attentive. The interior was available but the outdoor dinning was very inviting & also available. Service was great, drinks were delicious & food definitely outstanding! The carnitas were a little salty but delicious to say the least. I do have to admit, it was a little pricy but can't denied that it was money well spent. Can't wait to go back.

I’d probably give this place a 3.5 stars if I could. I dig the concept - high quality tacos in a great atmosphere - and everything I had was reasonably executed. I just guess at this price point I was expecting more in terms of creativity in their tacos. It’s a fairly short list and pretty standard - skirt steak, fish, shrimp and the like. But I couldn’t escape the feeling that what I was really paying for was the atmosphere, and the tacos, while decent, were ones I could find as good if not better for half the price elsewhere in the city. It’s a shame because they do seem to have it in them - both my starter of the seven salsas and finish of a banana tamal were excellent and what I’d expect of a restaurant at this level. It’s just the tacos at this taqueria that fell short.

My partner & I stumbled upon Empellón while in search of food + cocktails after seeing some live jazz @ Mezzrow in the West Village. The vibe inside this place is really cute (we sat at the bar). In terms of service, the bartenders were really attentive & kind. The margaritas were good, I tried the Classic (one as-made & one spicy). My boyfriend had an IPA - the bartender was knowledgeable about the logistics of their 2 offerings, which was helpful!! The food was decent - good for a quick bite if you’re looking for a bar snack. We did their nachos & guacamole. Honestly, I wouldn’t return here for the food (there are better spots to enjoy similar dishes). But, if you’re near W 4th and are in search of a decent drink & a nice atmosphere, this place is a good pick!!