Vibey Taco Tuesday in Port Chester
The location is Port Chester, the vibe is Meat Packing…for 16 years Bartaco has been adding a little spice to this small lower Westchester town.
Recently we took a trip to the lively taqueria along the banks of the Byram River, and it was clear from parking lot that this isn’t Albula's taco shop.
Known for its uniquely efficient serving style and party atmosphere, bartaco has become a fixture of Westchester’s social scene. The vibes were immaculate as we entered the dimly lit, club-like main room and snaked our way through swarms of ‘cool kids’ toward the outdoor seating area. The laid-back patio, covered by a clear canopy and filled with low, communal, sectioned seating, gives off serious Barcelona beach-club energy and immediately transports you somewhere far removed from suburban Westchester.
And that, really, is the trick.
Bartaco has never felt like it belongs entirely in Port Chester. The restaurant was conceived around the idea of bringing together the relaxed energy of a beach resort with the fast, flavorful sensibility of Mexican street food. Its waterfront location only amplifies the illusion.
Once seated, the experience becomes almost its own little ritual. Rather than settling into a traditional appetizer-entrée-dessert rhythm, you order tacos individually and let the food arrive in waves. It encourages grazing, sharing, and, inevitably, ordering one more taco than you probably intended. The menu moves easily between familiar favorites and more adventurous combinations, from Baja fish and carne asada to pork belly, sesame ribeye, duck and ahi tuna.
The food is designed for exactly this kind of environment: casual enough to eat with your hands, interesting enough to keep you reaching across the table for someone else’s order.
The ATCL definitely had some favorites. The pork belly taco brings the sweet-and-spicy combination that makes Bartaco so easy to like, while the Baja fish delivers that crisp, fresh contrast you want from a waterfront taco joint. The sesame ribeye, meanwhile, takes a decidedly less traditional route with sweet sesame-soy flavors and kimchi. And then there is the street corn — creamy, salty, tangy and just spicy enough to keep you coming back for another bite.
But Bartaco is about more than the tacos.
The drinks are very much part of the equation. Margaritas, tequila and freshly squeezed juices fit naturally into the restaurant's coastal, vacation-without-leaving-Westchester identity. That ability to make you feel somewhere else is probably Bartaco’s greatest trick.
The drinks are very much part of the equation. Margaritas, tequila and freshly squeezed juices fit naturally into the restaurant's coastal, vacation-without-leaving-Westchester identity. That ability to make you feel somewhere else is probably Bartaco’s greatest trick.
Port Chester has changed considerably since bartaco opened its doors in 2011. The restaurant was there early, helping establish the waterfront as a destination for food, drinks and nightlife. Even years later, its patio can still feel like one of the town’s unofficial gathering places — particularly when the weather is right and the music is turned up, as it always is!
On a summer night in Port Chester, with the lights reflecting off the Byram and a margarita sweating on the table, this is not a bad place to be.
ATCL Verdict: Come for the tacos. Stay for the atmosphere. Pretend you're in Barcelona
Distance ATCL: 56mins from Grand Central via the Metro-North
Hours: 11am - 12am Daily
ATCL Crew Rating: 8.5/10
