A parking snafu at our favorite restaurant around the corner led us in frustration to leave that sacred place with broken hearts and grumbling bellies. In the distance could be seen one word that rallies the hearts of man, woman, and child alike; tacos! This spot is a place that we've heard endless people mention as a great spot ever since we came to the area, but our affinity for another establishment a decent 9-iron shot away caused us to miss it up till now. After dutifully completing a masterful parallel parking maneuver (on street parking only from what I could tell) I was able to step inside with my beloved and check out the place. First impression: a clean, simple design focused on a streamlined menu of tacos, burritos and some other mexican/mexicali options. We both were drawn into the Friday Frozen special (five dollar frozen margaritas!) that were smoothly blended and packed some serious punch. We placed an order for the house made guacamole and chips (guacamole tasted fresh and clean but could have used a little brightness... lime?) and waited patiently at our table for an order of two burritos while we experimented with the assorted fun small batch hot sauces so thoughtfully provided ahead of time on our table. I ordered the Lobster Rollito Burrito ($20.50) which was generously sized and stuffed with tasty lobster, cheddar cheese, fries, butter lettuce and butter lemon aioli. While the lobster may have been frozen, it was high quality and the flavors melded well. I would personally pass on the sauce on top (I believe this was the aioli) as I think the flavors would have shone well on their own and the sauce drizzle was fairly potent. Still though, well done and very tasty. My fiancé ordered the Hawaiian chicken burrito which was delicious- shredded chicken, pineapple chipotle sauce, bacon, cheddar jack, and onion. Absolutely amazing and on this burrito the sauce was a perfect accompaniment. Staff was attentive and helpful even while training new help. Overall a restaurant that shined brightest in its cleanliness and high quality ingredients. It may just be a place the calls to us the next time we are nearing our usual favorite spot. read more

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I have visited twice and already look forward to my next visit. The first time I tried their Mexican menu and margaritas. I've never gotten into margaritas before but they are so easy to drink here and so enjoyable. The second time I tried their "Fly Bird" side of the menu. Theo sandwich was okay but the tenders were better. They are clearly not some frozen Sysco tender they are just frying up- they're too hearty for that. What really makes that side of the menu great are their sauces...super flavorful and fun! I recommend trying all of them. The fries are standouts as well! I appreciate the diverse customers and the celebratory vibe. The thing I appreciate most is the fact that they have a nightly special along with a M-F happy hour special from 4-7. I rarely find those these days. Their cocktail menu changes and you will be sure to find something enjoyable. Cheers to a great addition to the Syracuse dining scene. read more

XO Taco - Chicken tenders and fries and a bevy of sauces - Tacos Near Me - Syracuse, New York

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Food was delicious! Love the young adult scene this places attracts. Best tacos and street corn I've ever had. Will definitely be back! read more

XO Taco - Tacos and burrito - Tacos Near Me - Syracuse, New York

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Incredible tacos! I would definitely recommend it. I would go back if I am in Syracuse again.

Totally riff off $5.00 side of beans seriously Dark can't see Small margaritas Didn't honor special read more

They have THE tacos you need to try. That's all. Just kidding! Their drinks are tastey and get ya where you need to be. Great spot for chill vibes with friends or a meeting. I've done both here. Make reservations if you can, because it gets busy. The college kids love this place. It's a bit pricey, so bring your wallet but maybe not be starving lol. read more

Personally speaking and discounting their fish Taco, the tacos at XO Taco are solid tacos. The service was spot on, the price points were reasonable and the 3 table top hot sauces were all tasty and not over the top with heat. Over all I was pleased and I am willing to pay XO Taco a repeat visit in order to try a wider sample of their menu offerings. And I must say that I really did enjoy their nachos. They dust them with a spice blend that makes them really unique and tasty. Although theses tacos weren't spectacular nor would they warrant a drive from Marcellus if I was craving tacos, which for me is often, they are a pretty solid taco (minus their fish taco). I will say that if I was in the area craving a taco I would visit XO Taco for my fix. Sorry, not a Friends and Family recommendation, but. I would not discourage my friends from trying them. They are but worth a try for yourself. You never know, you might enjoy them more than I did . After all, I'm no food critic, I'm just some Dude with an opinion. :) read more

I frequently visit Syracuse and had a chance to try XO Taco with another out of towner and a local. Staff was friendly, great background music and the food did not disappoint. As a taco lover I was excited to see options on tortillas (corn, flower and lettuce). You order on paper by filling in your taco option, and there are 9 of them) under choice of shell. The menu itself was well laid out and their names for the options were fun and explained. Other items on the menu included 6 kinds of burritos, sides and extras, as well as great drink options that all sounded so good. It was hard to choose but we had to try some of their margaritas and they were so good. We also chose their XO Sweet Corn on the cob which is a game changer (see my pic)! Looking forward to the next time I'm in town! read more

XO Taco - XO Sweet Corn- delish! - Tacos Near Me - Syracuse, New York

Tacos were banging and my other half had the bang boom shrimp barreto, let me tell you it was one of the tastiest barretos I ever had. Spot on!! Service was great. My only (minor) complaint would be the parking. read more

Great food, great drinks, great customer service! The whole restaurant is an experience that is fun, and hip!

I love XO taco! The tacos are unique and always tasty. The drinks are excellent as well. The atmosphere is super fun and they usually have some sort of happy hour special going on. I like how they put allergens on the menu! My one complaint is that there is cilantro in basically every taco and a lot of people really can't stand cilantro. read more

XO Taco - Tacos Near Me - Syracuse, New York

First time here and everything was delicious. We had carne asada taco and fish taco. The Mexican street corn was very tasty. Margaritas were awesome! They do have daily happy hours in certain items daily. Overall food was delicious, drinks were great and atmosphere was nice too. I would totally come back to try more food and drinks. read more

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Our favorite taco place in Syracuse. Amazing tacos. Great margs and that dessert was so good. Don't forget to try some so fly tenders bc they are delicious too! read more

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Let me start by saying it is Cinco de Mayo and add that speed of service and friendliness are definitely not an issue and very good. I ordered over the phone for pickup a few minutes before they opened as I knew they would be busy. Told half hour took 45 so very good on that count. Order of 5 tacos and chips with queso was missing one of the tacos but they pleasantly refunded so no issue there either. On to the food itself, large amount of chips are okay, not fresh made, and queso was different but lacked something. Carne Asado taco was on a 4" taco shell with a dab of steak, more like a child's order and definitely not worth $4. First time ordering there and the business I work for has 33 employees on location with large orders when food is good. All agreed food nothing spectacular and value is lacking. Drink specials are frequent and sound good so I may give them another shot when that is what I'm looking for. Not returning for the food tho. read more

Xo is one of my fav spots for a night out with friends! Fun atmosphere, great food and drink deals (3$ Margs during happy hour are a MUST!) and love the cafeteria/tray serving style. I have had a lot of things on the menu, but my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE ARE THE MACHO FRIES! Fries dusted with a spice and served with queso on the side. Need I say more? The street carrots can be skipped in my opinion, but the chips and guac are also a great option. As you can see from the pictures, they serve everything on trays and it comes out when ready, making it great for groups and sharing! All their tacos are good, but my favorites are the shrimp (the old one!) and chicken. (I have heard great things from me vegetarian friends too!) Overall, a fun great spot with a great aesthetic! Head down during happy hour (I believe 5-7 though it is NOT advertised on their website so try calling) for some cheap margaritas with a side of macho fries and I can guarantee you will leave full and happy! read more

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First time there and definitely won't be my last. I wish I took pictures but I was having such a great experience that it slipped my mind...we went on Tuesday with 1/2 off margs and $1 off tacos. We got there at 6:30 and it was packed, yet we were seated and served immediately. I tried the hot lips margarita and the passion fruit, both strong & delicious. The hot lips was my favorite with the strawberry & jalapeño. I got 3 tacos: fish, shrimp and lobster. Oh my god were they good. They all were perfect in their own way and I would get them all again in a heart beat. But I've been dreaming about that lobster taco ever since... 10/10 for service, ambiance, quality, flavor and presentation. Will be back again for sure! read more

Imagine being a Mexican spot and not having barrio tacos...I would imagine a spot like this would have all kinds of tacos including barrio tacos but no sadly they don't..maybe it's just me being too picky but if your trying to be authentic put the barrio taco on the menu...give this place a 4/10 just for that...it's sad thin read more

XO Taco - No barrio tacos ????!!!! - Tacos Near Me - Syracuse, New York

The Hot Chix is there best taco in my opinion. I was suprised that this chicken taco was actually the best. I had also tried carnitas, achiote asada, shrimp, and chorizo. All very good! Chorizo has a suprising sweet spiced flavor. Have gotten the chips in the past, they are fried whol tortillas you break yourself. My house margarita was decent but not the best around...but at $4 on Taco Tuesday, I was happy! Raco Tuesday 1 dollar off tacos and half priced margs is a great deal. Ambiance is of course very cute and chic...nice to see this sort of scene coming to syracuse. read more

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Setting: Very cute aesthetics! The mood and setting is perfect for a date, a girls night out, and/or even a big party. The walls are very modern trendy and represent the name of the restaurant very well Food: I went for the brunch with my friends and they actually don't serve any tacos for the brunch that goes until 3 pm. So, I had the Huevos Rancheros which I actually had no idea what it really was. It was good, but my friend who ordered the Breakfast bowl definitely had a better meal. If you're 21, you get a cute complimentary mimosa with a gummy bear! Price is decent, ordered 3 meals and with free mimosas, it was $40. BUT--- bottomless mimosas are $25 per person... and I feel like that's a lot. Haven't had many bottomless mimosas, and maybe that's normal, but I don't know why I expected it to be cheaper than $25!! read more

Kind of a typical overpriced Instagram-y taco place, lots of fun margarita options and such, one of those places you'd go to once or twice and then never again read more

My wife and I happened to be in this area and heard good things about this place. On Thursdays they have half price margaritas and draft beers. We just happen to be there on a Thursday so that was cool. We started with chips and queso and it was delicious. My wife ordered 2 tacos. One carne asada and the other a lobster. She loved them both. I ordered the boom bang shrimp burrito. It was excellent. I am not a spicy food fan and this burrito had a little bit of heat. It was perfect amount of spice for me. This place is open late so you can go for a late dinner if need be. Service was good and I want to go back and try more. read more

Food was good, enjoyed tacos. Chips and salsa was good as well. Lobster tacos were great.

Great food, environment and service! Danielle was the most amazing server ever...ask for her section!!!

Woo buddy! We finally have our self's a legit taco joint dedicated to one of the most beautiful foods on the planet...tacos. Built in the former Flame locations, they are really lighting up that particular area of Fayette St. as a matter of fact with the new student housing and food joints popping up, that entire area is so much nicer than it used to be. So don't worry one bit about safety! When it comes to food, they have a really unique line up of different tacos that comes out family style. My only issue is that almost every one of them has cilantro and I can't stand cilantro. I'm one of those people who genetically taste soap. The good news is that you can pretty much doctor the tacos up anyway that you want to. That meant for me, taking off most of the fancy stuff and strictly going meat and tons of cheese. That way I could truly enjoy the flavor of their different meat cooking styles. I also highly recommend the queso sauce as it is fantastic! My only issue is that it's pretty expensive for what your getting. I don't want to knock a star for that, but five tacos, queso, and guac for me and my wife was near 50 bucks. That was a bit rough because I probably could have eaten all 5 of those myself. That should tell you how tasty they are! read more

I have to be honest here I really wanted to like the food! I wanted so badly for hubby and I to be able to return for happy hour and date night but it was a big disappointment. The food is over priced and just not good! I paid over $50 online for two burritos and some churros. The burritos were stuffed with over cooked rice and someone put what tasted like actual red hot in the bottom so the last 1/4 of the burritos were gross! Bang bang shrimp burrito didn't taste like the shrimp was even grilled it was so bland and I didn't taste any bang whatsoever! Huge disappointment sincerely!!! read more

Food was amazing and staff were VERY friendly! They interacted with my son from the time we walked through the door even gave him a little toy he loved it. We will definitely be back! read more

So good, don't know where to start. In town on business, stopped here for late lunch. Perfect margaritas -- rocks glass, quality tequila, small amount of agave, water and splash of lime -- proof there IS a God and She loves us. XO Lobster tacos and a General Tso shrimp tacos covered in a cilantro-based pesto will be my final meal request when I am executed by the state of NY. Great friendly service. Clean restaurant. Stylish but low-key atmosphere and music. This one's a keeper. read more

I've heard a lot about this place since moving here and finally checked it out tonight. Definitely pricey for tacos, but they're pretty good! I got the chicken, carnitas, and fish. Chicken and carnitas were very flavorful, fish taco was okay. My friend got the steak burrito which was massive and she said it was delish. We both got the house margs since it was half off during happy hour and they were nice and strong! The one downfall about this place (tonight at least) was the service- it was very slow when we came, took a while for someone to come take our order and bring us the check. read more

I normally don't give 3 stars too often but I was just really unimpressed with XO Taco. Maybe I just had too high of expectations. Anyway, we ordered guacamole, which came in a pretty small container for the price. Sure, it was delicious, but two people could barely share it and really get their guac on. The tacos themselves seemed overpriced and just weren't all that good. XO Taco has a variety of hot sauces, which are somewhat redeeming, but weren't all that interesting. Cocktails looked like they might be cool but I was turned off again by the price. I'll pay for $12 drinks in New York City because there's no other option, but not in Syracuse. I think maybe their target market is trendy college kids for whom prices aren't too important. I would go back if a friend asked me to give it another go but probably not of my own volition. read more

XO Taco - Tacos Near Me - Syracuse, New York

The only reason this didn't get 5 stars is because the service wasn't stellar and the desserts didn't wow me. The place itself is trendy and has a cool hip vibe with both indoor and outdoor seating. The tacos were the star and I will def go back and be trying the nachos (which are huge btw) . read more

Great little hipster style taco place. Fresh ingredients, decent portions and a nice selection of both regular and frozen margaritas along with Mexican beers. We got the barbacoa tacos, lobster tacos, Howlito burrito and a frozen margarita to go (plenty for four drinks!) Located near SU and Syracuse Stage, it is easy to miss, but worth the visit. read more

Half off all margs on Tuesday doesn't include large margaritas. Was not advised until after we got the check and were told the large size wasn't included although we assumed "all margs" meant all sizes as well. read more

I did not have a good experience. I came with friends for dinner and we waited an hour for our food (tacos and chips & dip). I ordered an order of churros, after being there for two hours I never received my food. They "made up" for it by paying for two of my drinks, but in the end I couldn't fully enjoy my experience here. I don't know if I caught them on a bad day, but I don't know if I would recommend this place to anyone. read more

Highly Recommend!!! Very aesthetically pleasing and amazing cheap food! Definitely try the Queso and Guac as an app! read more

XO Taco - Chips & Guac , Chips & Queso , Hot Chix - Tacos Near Me - Syracuse, New York

I recommend XO Taco. I especially loved the lobster tacos, chips and salsa and great margarita. This place is a must try if you're visiting Syracuse or live in Syracuse. It can get a little pricey if you're a big eater. The tacos are priced individual so it adds up. The staff is nice as well so that was a plus. read more

I have been to xo taco many times, and most of the times I have been there it has been great, one time a hostess was very rude to a pregnant friend of mine and I when we asked for a table that was not a high top. But the times I have stayed and ate there the food was great. I consistently get the hot chix taco and it is also good. I have gotten the carne asada taco as well and it has never failed to disappoint. I had a frozen margarita and wow it was delicious, super limey and very strong. Overall the food is always good and consistent. And the place always looks amazing and bathrooms are clean. read more

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Super cute place for Syracuse. Lots of students and noise level is medium. We had the nachos which we loved!! I had the Carne asada taco and the chimi chimi cauli. The carne asada was too chewy and the pieces were too big for a small taco. The cauliflower taco was pretty good but super oily. Lots of flavor in that taco which made it good. They can make your tacos in lettuce which is pretty awesome. Overall the food is average. read more

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We were lucky enough to come here when it was empty. Usually this place fills up really quick and is the goto spot for many of the college students. They have special deals on different days which you can see from one of the pictures I posted. They have their own hot sauce that they sell and out of all of them I really enjoyed the taste of the holla-peno sauce. The prices for each of the tacos were quite pricey but super delicious. The carnita tacos were my favorite. The carne asada taco's steak bits were a bit tough to eat. I wasn't a huge fan of the general Tso shrimp and the red curry fish. For the tacos you have the option of having masa tortilla which is gluten free and is made of corn, the leaf lettuce, and the flour tortilla. The XO street corn is sweet and has a spicy touch to it. We also got a coke which the server kept refilling for us and was free too for the refills!!! The service was amazing and our server made sure we were satisfied with everything. read more

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Wife wanted to get take out as we are staying the night in Syracuse during our road trip. We asked a few people we met what they thought before going and they all said it was great, so we were excited to give it a try. Unfortunately though, I've got those taste buds that make cilantro ruin the flavor of everything it touches, so we asked for no cilantro on mine. Got to our hotel, opened the bag, and cilantro on everything. Looked good, but I couldn't eat any. read more

Awesome food and service! Our server was very nice and knowledgeable about the menu, very helpful with suggestions. The tacos and margaritas were the best in Syracuse! read more

XO Taco - Tacos - Tacos Near Me - Syracuse, New York

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