Vida Taco Bar

Margaritas are fresh and tasty but way over priced, even on Taco Tuesday when everything is 20% off. Tacos are always spot on and will likely go back only for tacos.

I loved it all. I loved the semi hipster vibe of the restaurant. Jerry our server was amazing. He had a large party to tend to but he still made us feel like we were his top priority and took the time to both inform us of great tips about Vida’s food and drinks as well as engage us with fun conversation. The tuna ceviche was phenomenal. I thought I’d hate the corn nuts in it but they were a great and unique addition. I really enjoyed the chicken taco with some of the most tender and flavorful pulled chicken I’ve ever had. The battered fish taco was also done very well and don’t skip the fried avocado taco. I enjoyed the options of lettuce, corn, or flour shells for my tacos which were all scrumptious. I noticed it gets pretty packed after 5 on weekends so I’d encourage getting there before then.
We were lucky to find a free parking lot on South street with a short walk to Vida. This is a pretty nice date day/​night location being in downtown Annapolis right by the water. This is in my top 2 favorite Unilocal finds for 2016.

Loved this place. Perfect spot for vegans. I had a fried avocado taco and a tempeh taco. In lettuce wraps! Awesome margaritas, great vibe. Can’t wait to come back!!!

My wife and I tried this place because it was highly recommended, we weren’t disappointed. From the time we were checked in till we left everybody was very professional. The food was fresh and delivered promptly, our waiter Ryan was great and always checking back to see if we were ok. Maybe this is why this place was so busy the whole time we were their, also the margaritas were fantastic.

Hellish expensive for the size of the taco. Now the tacos themselves are good and have good flavor. The assortment of hot sauce is limited and not spicy but do taste good. The place is small but comfortable, but a $ 5 to $ 6 dollar taco and only one taco is a bit pricey.

My favorite spot to go for a margarita — omg SO good. Usually we get chips and salsa/​guac and maybe a taco. One useful piece of advice — DO NOT come here starving. You will spend $$$$ and still be hungry, lol. The tacos are a la carte. This place is best (and it is wonderful) for a happy hour hop where you have a drink and app at each place. Or as a after dinner stop for drinks. You’ve been warned! They also have great weekly specials on Tues, Wed, Thurs and Fri :)
I can’t say it enough… I find myself craving their margs frequently :)

Totally surprised this place doesn’t have 5 stars… I have been visiting Taco Vida since the inauguration and I have yet to have a complaint other than they like to change their menu around and I miss some of their old items.
Coming from experience, I have tried almost all the items on their menu, they recently updated the menu and they constantly do because they find local seasonal and fresh ingredients. They CARE about what they put on your plate, just ask your waiter where the ingredients in your taco come from. They are super innovative even with their margaritas. Fresh squeezed lime juice make them by far my favorite.
As a Latina I have gone to some great taco places, more authentic but this place is not that, this is creativity at its finest with a fusion type menu and organic ingredients that are way healthier for you.
I have brought several friends here and they are fans now! The service is also the best around this area! Thanks to the vida owners :)

I recently moved to Annapolis with my girlfriend and have heard nothing but good things about Vida from local friends. Decided to check it out on a Thursday, which also happened to be «Sangria Thursday» and got us a pitcher of their Purple Drank for just $ 20! It’s a blend of their house sangria and house margarita, not too fruity and not too sweet either. And can I point out that they have THE BEST ICE (it’s the crunchy kind almost like you get at the hospital… anyway I love it). The pitcher was enough for both of us to have 2 glasses each which was more than enough. We also got the guacamole to start, which was fresh and made to order — excellent choice. For our meal we got the Pork Belly with collard green kimchi (tender and delicious), the Maine Redfish (pineapple salsa was awesome), the Pacifica which are grouper cheeks fried to perfection topped with their guava hot sauce (which is THE BOMB), and the Braised Lengua which is beef tongue (so tender, like pot roast… seriously!). All of the tacos we got came on corn tortillas, though they have the more familiar corn, and even a lettuce wrap for you health conscious folks! We each had 2 tacos, which doesn’t seem like that much but man were they filling and delicious.
The other thing I wanted to point out about Vida is the staff. From the minute we walked in everyone was friendly and accommodating. It was our first time so our server, Paul, took the time to go over the menu and the different options explaining everything with expertise. Being a former chef, I really appreciate the wait staff of a restaurant taking the time to master the menu and being able to answer any and all questions accurately. Big kudos to these guys for that.
So if you want fresh, never frozen, not out of a can, DELICIOUS tacos and fun drinks by all means head to Vida on Main Street… you won’t be disappointed!

Fresh and delicious.
Had a variety of tacos. All were tasty and unique.
Margaritas were good, but a little on the weak side.
Get the lobster tacos!

Can’t say enough about this place… magnificő!
Over the top great service. Fresh ingredients, heavennly margaritas. Top notch staff– bar none

I really liked this place when it first opened. Good tacos, good margaritas (especially the Bang Bang). But last night my friend and I went up there for tacos and a couple of pitchers of drinks. My friend picked the Purple Drank, which was all right but a little sweet for my taste. It’s their house margarita mixed with sangria. Their website says it’s $ 30. Rational thought says that a pitcher of house marg mixed with sangria in Annapolis would be $ 30. We were charged $ 40 each — and when they brought us our second pitcher, we were immediately told it was last call, so we had to chug our drinks. It was before 11, and their website says they close at 11/​12, so how could we know? And on what planet is a mediocre sangria mixed drink worth $ 40??? In Annapolis???
This was certainly my last time going here. The second to last time, similar problems — website says they close 11/​12, but I went there at 9:30 on a Wednesday and they weren’t open. Until last night, I actually had avoided the place for several months after that experience. Not cool, Vida. Not cool.

Tacos here are more like contemporary fusion concepts or something. Definitely not your traditional taco.
I tried the tuna, waygu beef, and the chicken. The combined ingredients used to make each taco was unique, and they seemed to pair well. All of them could’ve benefited from a bit more of salt or pepper because they all lacked seasoning. Also, all of the ingredients didn’t hold well on the tortilla; everything just sort of fell apart in a messy heap.
Honestly, they’re overpriced (my guess is the justification for it all are the cuts of meats used), and the tacos aren’t that stellar, in my opinion, especially to cost at the very least &5 a pop. I’d rather have a well flavored and seasoned, straight-​to-​the-​point taco with «lower» cuts of meat.
Expensive doesn’t always mean better or the best. Just saying.

Very good taco bar.
Cool layout with a small bar right when you walk in. High top tables near the bar along with some low top tables and low top tables in the main dining room area. The restaurant is very nicely decorated in a kind of a hipster Mexican style. The staff is very friendly, helpful and are very knowledgable about the menu.
We started out with what I think is the best thing on the menu, the guacamole! Fresh made to order and served with nice thick and crispy chips. I also had a delicious margarita with the guacamole. Also fresh made to order. For my entrée I had three different types of tacos. They have a different assortment of tacos here than what you’d typically find. On example is the scallops taco that my girl had. It looked ok but a little too much for me in a taco lol My favorite was their carnesada taco. I know it’s their simplest taco but I believe it’s their best.
The restaurant is very clean but definitely a bit pricy for tacos. Great place for guacamole and margarita’s. Give them a try.

Well, I was going to give them a 4, but the Bartender John pushed me over the edge. The guacamole was really tasty, I saved some of it to put on my tacos. I liked the variations but I felt the corn tortillias were nothing special. The bah mi shrimp was good along with the Carolina bbq. The beef and pork tacos weren’t the best thing I ever had but were decent. The Margarita tasted fresh and you can get about two glasses a person (2ppl) if you order a pitcher. John came over and told us about the program they have if you tag the restaurant with their hashtag and he introduced us to the bird. .ask about it and try it. I will be back if not to just snack on the guacamole and have a couple of margaritas. Our server was a little slow but we were quick to be seated on a Saturday afternoon, parking if a little difficult on main st.

My friends and I came here on a whim one Saturday midday. We didn’t really know what to expect so we were kind of disappointed. For drinks we got the classic margaritas and the sangria pitchers. Both of these were very tasty and pretty strong for a pitcher. No complaints there. We also ordered the guacamole and chips which we enjoyed.
The complaints start when we ordered almost one of each of the tacos. Honestly, they were nothing special. Most were pretty flavorless and I can say that I’ve had better tacos at chain restaurants like Paladar. The other disappointment was the service. We only saw our waitress at the beginning, when we ordered, and at the end, when we asked for the check. When we needed things we had to ask other employees to get them. I really wanted to like this place but I think that I wouldn’t come back for anything other than drinks and starters.

Our first restaurant in Maryland was at Vida’s!
My BF and I were nearby today and we decided to Unilocal some place to eat. Ofc in a nice town like downtown Annapolis, we were surrounded with a ton of restaurants. My BF enjoys tacos/​Mexican food/​things similar to chipotle so we decided to walk in here.
We had guac to start and it was delicious! It was the right amount of guac even if it seems a small amount. Chips were in abundance.
My BF ordered the Baja mahi taco and the carne Asada. He enjoyed both. The Baja mahi was a slice of the mahi fish in taco with cilantro, hot sauce and cabbage. The carne Asada was steak with cabbage and salsa. I ordered the fried calamari which is fried calamari in cilantro and queso.

Came in with a group of 4 total on a Saturday night. Place was fairy busy but not crazy. Gave our name to the bartender and waited about 10 minutes for a table. Not terrible especially for a Saturday night but there was no where to wait so we awkwardly stood around. And there seemed to be no one in charge as servers and patrons walked around us.
When we were sat we immediately got an order of guac and a pitcher of margaritas per our servers recommendation.
The guac was mixed with onions and something else I can’t put my finger on. Very creamy but somewhat flavor less. Also chips served with where mediocre and over all the portion was small. So then we ordered a queso. The queso was delicious. The right amount of heat, very melty and hot. Would totally get it again. We still had queso and guac left so the server brought us more lack luster chips. The queso was finished off but the guac was not. The margarita pitcher was enough to serve each of 1 drink. 1 person hated it and didn’t drink theirs. I thought it was ok but have totally had better and for $ 30 a pitcher I thought it expensive and forgettable.
I got 2 chicken tacos on flour tortillas. Tacos range from $ 4 – 9 per taco on corn or flour tortillas or Bibb lettuce and are about the size of a small ladies hand. The chicken has a great jalapeño sauce with it but DANG does it have a kick. Like my nose was dripping and I drank 3 glasses of water to finish it. How sexy. Also too much green lettuce crap on it. But over all very tasty just too hot and I like spicy! We also got carne asada and some pan grilled fish taco (those on corn tortillas). I didn’t have either but was told the carne asada was perfect. The pan grilled fish had a stinky fishy smell and was left untouched.
The server was very nice, attentive and the food all came out quick despite it being on the busier side on a Saturday night. So 1 star for the server, 1 for the chicken taco and 1 for the flow of service. I might return just for the chicken taco/​queso but I’d be sure to nix the green stuff on it and ask for lots of water.

Went downtown to soak up some holiday atmosphere this weekend and popped into Vida Taco Bar on a whim. Delightful surprise. The wait staff and bartenders are fun and clearly enjoy what they do and the restaurant.
Everything is a bit kitschy and has a simple vibe that makes it fun. My Margarita came with a fresh flower and a kick.
The tacos served ala carte on a tray. The only thing I might have wished for was a fork and none was forthcoming. We had the guacamole and it was fresh and the chips were perfect house made.
We each tried two tacos and loved the recommendations for corn or flour by the waiter and the fact that you can have any on bibb lettuce is a huge plus.
Local, seasonal and fresh ingredients and top shelf tequilas for their drinks with house made mixes that are clean and fresh not overly sweet and cloying.
We’ll be back to finish taste testing the winter menu and drinks!

Four, very deserved, stars for this restaurant.
On the way to Washington, DC, my friends and I made a quick stop in the city of Annapolis. Warm weather draw us along the Main Street. We saw this Taco Bar and decided that’s the place. Personally, I fall in love with any place that supports local farms/​businesses and uses fresh ingredients.
We were greeted at the entrance and waited just a little bit for a table to get cleaned so they would accommodate us. Form the entrance, I could smell the fresh lime scent. Once we got the seat, our server came quickly to go over the menu. Do not remember his name but boy, he was really, really kind. He mentioned that we could get tacos in lettuce wraps too beside the corn tortilla. My inner self was like: YES! I try to avoid corn whenever possible. Also, he suggested that we tried their Margaritas out of the drinks menu, which were all made off fresh ingredients as well.
I ordered the Soft shell crab (a whole crab is in your taco), lamb and carne asada. All of them were very tasty. I would have preferred a little more saltiness on them. Anyways, I enjoyed them. The three tacos were paired with the Vida Margarita. One of the very best margaritas I’ve had. Not overly sweet while containing the right amount of booze.
P. S. More good reviews should be added for this restaurant. :)

I happened to end up here by chance, as we passed through the gorgeous city of Annapolis. I couldn’t have been happier with our choice of lunch venue.
The menu is filled with tasty and colorful tacos, bursting with flavor, made of good quality, natural ingredients. There are plenty of vegetarian, seafood, and meat options. A taco even consisted of a whole soft-​shell crab — appropriate, I guess, for Maryland. Low carb diet followers can also elect to substitute corn tortilla shells for lettuce wraps. The tacos are sold individually, ranging from $ 3-​$ 6, but the portions are pretty generous.
Our server was very friendly, and the venue is casual, yet classy, with nice interior design and large windows letting in plenty of natural light. I highly recommend the window seats and complementing a meal with their house-​mixed margaritas.