Zen Taco, after only about a year in operation, has closed (thanks to Jason for the tip). The restaurant was located at 522 Columbus Avenue, between 85th and 86th Streets; before they opened, Firehouse Tavern was the tenant. Zen Taco served a blend of Latin and Asian cuisines, offering both taco and poke bowls which customers could create themselves.
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When they first opened, it seemed like the usual story: a young, hip “fusion” restaurant replaces an old landmark (Firehouse had been open for 28 years and had a devout following).
Zen Taco may have been young and hip. But as a relatively small enterprise, I guess they just couldn’t pay the rent; according to their website, they have just two other locations … one in DC and one in North Carolina.
Zen Taco was also a popular drinking spot, with brews from Goose Island, Peak Organic and Greenport Harbor, lots of cocktails, and most notably their popsicle cocktails. These frozen treats came in flavors including mojito, peach sangria, Hot Nutella with vanilla vodka, banana liquor & banana nutella.
At the end of their run, Zen Taco had a Yelp score of 4 out of 5 stars (based on 112 reviews), and a Google score of 3.8 out of 5 stars (based on 92 reviews).
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