So friendly, clean, awesome old school mtv on the screens with 80s and 90s music. We don't know anything about the Mexican Inn, but we really enjoyed our lunch and the prices were fair and we left full. Slight preference for the beef over the chicken, but we'd happily eat it all again. read more

The Taco Dive - Tacos Near Me - Whiting, Indiana

Before this restaurant opened, this place sent out people to go around Northwest Indiana, in check out aisles in stores, just about anywhere possible where they could casually come into contact with people to spread the word of this new restaurant about to open in Whiting Indiana. It's going to be just like Mexican Inn from 95th and Ewing in Chicago, I was told. They were going to bring it back. According to the story, Dive Taco was somehow related to the Mexican Inn restaurant owners and had their authentic recipes that were such a success back in the day. The last time I can recall eating at Mexican Inn was 1982, some 37 years before Dive Taco came on the scene. I been around a while, you can't fool me. I know what know what a Mexican Inn taco and their other specialties tasted and looked like. They were to die for! Tacos were only four (4) for a dollar back then and their Mexican plates with enchiladas and tamales, beans and rice was like 2 to $3 tops. Of course I know we can't match those prices today. Mexican Inn was the first place I ever had Mexican food and I ate their regularly since the middle 1960's. The food was fresh, authentic and tasted so so delicious. Mexican Inn was so special and unique and the very best in town. Mexican restaurants were rare back then and not a dime a dozen like they are today. I can remember the short little Mexican lady cooking as the steam ascended towards the ceiling. God rest her soul, she's probably passed away long ago. If you're going to bone pick on a restaurants past fame and glory rather than being a prime example of yourself, you best do it right. Dive Tacos corn taco shells look are like conch (seashells), heavy and flavorless. Mexican Inn was light, crispy like a potato chip almost, two shells together as I recall. Generous covering of grated Mexican cheese on top with tomato slices and shredded lettuce. The meat was flavored correctly seasoned with cumin and was super fresh. Oh do I miss Mexican Inn. Dive Taco is awful and expensive for what it is. I wouldn't eat their ever again. I did not like my tacos. You might want to consider reinventing yourself or finding a new cook. By the way, look like a restaurant and not like a gift store selling a bunch of marine junk and cluttering up your windows. Happy customers dining is your best advertisement. Good Luck! read more

The food was great, tacos are some of the best if ever had. The service was great the people here are really nice and the food came fast. The ambiance was cool a tropical theme to it. read more

Crispy tacos real good. Came thru whiting on my bike on a Sunday. Not alot was open. This place saved my day.

We ordered carry out taco dinners. The little tub of red sauce tasted like ketchup mixed with ragu. Our tacos had hardly any chicken on them and we got a plain empty tortilla rolled up covered in bland tasteless cheese sauce.. flavorless rice and beans.. inedible. Extremely disappointed. I don't know how the Taco Dive stays open. read more

I absolutelyyyy love the crispy tacos here! Highly recommend and the inside is so cute. Super decorated and gives off great vibes. Staff is so sweet. Love this place for lunch. read more

The Taco Dive - Special - 6 beef tacos & half/half plus two pops - Tacos Near Me - Whiting, Indiana

Was good, The offspring should never change things from the original Mexican Inn! Ordering and serving food properly is the ut most importance! Size of tacos are rather small compared to Latin Lounge in Roxanne, East Chicago. Michigan Ave. Check it out! We live and learn but most family never due! Sorry! read more

Overpriced for what you get! Crispy tacos are 4 bites max. One small cup of bland hot sauce for the whole meal. Food is served in styrofoam containers even if you eat in. I foolishly left a tip even though the server did nothing except push the credit card machine in front of my face when I wasn't even finished eating. Save your money! read more

Love love love the tacos and rice! I recommend this place to anyone who enjoys a good real crispy taco! The soft cheese is also good.

Great spot. I loved the tacos. Rice is amazing. Actually best I've had in awhile. People mention price. I thought prices were fair. Staff were very nice. Checked on us and couldn't be more pleasant. We take the trip down here every couple months. Definitely recom read more

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We used to love this place. The hard shelled tacos were pre cooked and when warmed up the meat was so overdone that it was almost black in color. Gross Will think twice about returning read more

My stomach was growling for days that hard taco shell couldn't even go down my stomach my stomach never had something like that it couldn't even handle that to be honest it was horrible but I had a water it tasted like batteries I didn't like that either but that place is coo. read more

If I could give this establishment zero stars I would. I have never felt so violated. Came in to eat and have a few drinks. Set my stuff down with my group at a table then got up to use the bathroom before ordering. The lady slammed the bathroom door on me, forcing the handle out of my hand and denied me entrance into the bathroom until I ordered. Never again will I patronize this place and I highly encourage you do not either. Forget decency and respect at this establishment. read more

My husband absolutely Loves these tacos & soft cheese. I enjoyed my crunchy chicken tacos. Great flavor & the chicken was shredded. The service was like you were in someone's home. The cook came out & checked on us Truly sweet. read more

Going back to the OLD SCHOOL!!!! This Mexican staple that's now in Whiting was first on 9510 Ewing in Chicago. Back then at the last years of their business to the public they were getting expensive.. Don't get me wrong, their food is one of a kind, delicious, flavorful and easily put.. very good. They are just WAY OVERPRICED!!!! Too expensive and even though their tacos are delicious they are very, very small. It's ALMOST SHAMEFUL that they charge so much. So if you want delicious food and want to pay way too much for it then enjoy. read more

We live down the street from this place but we would not patronize him again if this was the only restaurant in The Region! The first two times we went they had run out of food early and the owner promised us that he would "take care of us" by buying a round of drinks the next time. Needless to say, that never happened. The third time we went for dinner, my S.O. asked for a glass of ice water (after we had paid $30 for our meals), and the owner told us that they do not give out glasses of ice water, and that we would need to buy bottled water. The owner is dirpy and ungracious. He's still sporting the early 80's Loverboy bandana around his head. Clearly his business sense is about as on-point as his fashion sense! I wholeheartedly agree with another reviewer and I, too, predict this place will fold in no time. read more

DO NOT EAT HERE. The decor is cool. However, it is extremely overpriced for food that is not even good. I'd seriously go as far as comparing this place to Taco Bell. Also, I asked for sour cream on the side as my BF and I were sharing and he does not like sour cream. The response I got from who I later found out was owner, "We don't even put a lot on there." The amount has nothing to do with the fact that I wanted it on the side.... What if he was allergic? Owner has zero manners and thinks he has the best food around. 10/10 Do NOT recommend. read more

Blast from the past. Tacos are pretty darn close the Mexican Inn tacos from the Eastside from back in the 80s and 90s. Fresh cut fries are delicious, too. Looking forward to eating there soon. read more

I did not like the food. I cook better tacos at home. The nacho cheese taco...lawd why!!! Disgusting. Long wait time for food that's already prepared. read more

The Taco Dive - Chicken tacos with cheese taco - Tacos Near Me - Whiting, Indiana

This restaurant is distended from the Mexican Inn And topical trader. We often drive there from another part of town to enjoy the same tacos a family has enjoyed for decades. read more

Don't waste your time or your money the food is tasteless unworthy of being called Mexican food

Great food. Friendly staff. Quick service. Mexican Inn is back!!!!! Tried both crispy beef and soft chicken tacos and they were great. The soft cheese is also great with a ton of cheese. Will go back and try their burrito soon. Great relaxed atmosphere. Makes you feel like you're at the beach. Everyone should go. read more

We will NOT be returning. We travel 30 miles on a pretty regular basis for the food. A simple request to turn the music down a notch was met with a refusal. We could not hear each other speak and we were the ONLY customers in the place. The owner claims that this LOUD music is part of their business model. Time to update that business model. Losing customers because of LOUD music is probably not part of a sound business model. Good luck to you. read more

Food is NOT good!!! Horrible slow service even though it was dead. Over charged for our meal and was told they didn't know how to do a refund. ‍ read more

It's a toss up, really... I grew up, as many East Siders of Chicago did, eating and loving the fantastic, unbelievably good tacos, soft cheese, enchiladas and simple side salads at the original Mexican Inn at the acutely angled corner building at 95th and Ewing Ave. So, years later, I discovered through mutual fans that a nephew of the Cornejo family opened "Taco Trader" in Dyer, IN, which featured a very closely, similarly tasting menu as the original Mexican Inn, using many of the original taco and "Soft Cheese" recipes with very tasty results. The big standout was their sauce ("salsa"), which, while decent, IMO was close in flavor, but simply not the same as the beloved original. After "Taco Trader" closed a few years ago, it was rumored amongst the Mexican Inn "super fans" that another incarnation would be appearing somewhere in NW Indiana eventually... flash forward to the third version, "Taco Dive", in Whiting, IN, on the main business street. The same can be said about their food and sauce as I said about "Taco Trader" above. As noted in previous reviews posted here, the decor is fun, location acceptable; however, the music inside is WAY TOO LOUD for indoor dining to be pleasant. My sister, brother in law, and Mom were dining inside on a weekend afternoon, and the music was BLARING SO LOUDLY, that it was exceptionally hard to focus on and truly enjoy the food, which was nostalgic for us, having enjoyed Mexican Inn tacos and "Special Dinner" platters from the late 1960's until they closed. I've ordered carry out a few times since our initial "musically unpleasant" inside dining experience, and the taco quality has not always been up to par every time. It's also WAY MORE EXPENSIVE than Mexican Inn ever was (which I understand to a degree, but still seems "too high" for what you get), so you'd honestly have to just give it a try for yourself and see what you think. I won't return for indoor dining again at this point, simply because the MUSIC WAS WAY TOOOOOOO LOUD for us to enjoy our food. And the higher prices will limit how often I order carry out, even though I still quite enjoy the nostalgic flavor of the tacos, soft cheese and sides. Please post what you think if you patronize Taco Dive; I hope that your feedback will be constructively helpful to the owner, and help improve his success with attracting Mexican Inn devotees for a "food blast from the past", as I hope. read more

Terrible. If I could give no stars I would. Do not waste your money or time. Go get Taco Bell if imitation Mexican food is what you want.

If you liked the Mexican inn on the east side or the taco trader in Dyer you will love the Dive. All the food that they sold at the Mexican in is here and tastes as it always has. Plus he has added other dishes. Tuesday is taco Tuesday and you can get taco's for a $1 less but be aware they close at 5pm. Fast friendly service. read more

This place brought me back to the awesome memories of my childhood dining at the Mexican Inn. Decor is truly second to none.

When I was younger my family would eat at Mexican Inn, loved it. When they decided to do the pop up thing, it was good. Now as a full on restaurant I don't think it works. They are very expensive, I recognize a man there named David barking orders at the elder lady, total disrespect. I then realized he's the same man who was my pops insurance agent about 10 years ago, the guy wouldn't answer a calls, never call back, totally unreliable and unprofessional. If he's the boss man here and it seemed he was I don't see them doing very well. Expensive, rude to elder employees, not my thing. They don't seem to fit with the Whiting business atmosphere. Go across the street to get a real taco experience with terrific customer service. read more

Mexican Inn resurecated! Prompt and friendly service,reasonably priced,bright and clean space and the identical, iconic taste of Mexican Inn food. They've nailed it! The crispy beef are my favorite. Rice and beans are excellent as well. Big plus that they serve beer and wine as well. If you liked Mexican Inn,you'll love the Taco Dive. read more

This is the cleanest, cutest little restaurant in Whiting, with a California vibe. They are serving some of the original food from the infamous Mexican Inn restaurant that was on 95th and Ewing in Chicago. I was a teenager when I worked as a waitress at the Mexican Inn. People lined up on weekends just to get in, sometimes. They created the best crispy chicken tacos. The chicken is so flavorful and juicy and the shell is uber crispy. It's a must order. The other amazing taco to order is the " melt in your mouth" pork taco. This taco has chunks of tender, slow cooked pork in a red sauce, called chile Colorado. I believe they only serve this taco on the weekends. The most famous Tex-Mex style taco is the original "soft cheese" taco. This order of tacos (not sure if you could order just one) is served with a simple but refreshing apple cider vinegar and oil salad. It's amazing when you mix it with the flavorful, fluffy Spanish rice. This is also a must order. Taco Dive uses very fresh, quality ingredients and is worth every penny they charge. I'm so glad I connected with them, again. I really miss The Mexican Inn food and memories. Taco Dive also has the best drinks, beer and spirits! Don't let a few bad reviews fool you. This is not your typical taco restaurant. If you don't like loud 80's rock music, take your food to go. The owner likes his music. I had the pleasure of meeting the owner. He was very sweet, especially after reminiscing about the Mexican Inn. Rock on! Note: They are closed on Mondays. read more

Location ... check! Decor ... check! Clean ... check! Good, memorable food .... check! Everything I'd expect ... except the prices are just a tad high IMHO. Other than that, a good dining experience. read more

Went twice, both times the man at the counter was rude. First time, he couldnt be bothered to finish taking my order before he started a conversation with someone else and second time he would not lower the volume of the insanely loud music when we asked and we were the ONLY customers in the place. Food isnt good enough to off set the terrible customer service and I'm told he is the owner. read more

gives me very much , racist vibes. gave me, a brown girl , less rice than my white grandparents. very weird vibes from this place. i can make better tacos than this and i don't even make tacos ... would give it no stars if i could read more

Extremely disappointed - owner is the rudest, non customer serviced based principal I have ever met. We asked for a cup of ice (large ice machine and glasses behind the drink station) for our WARM cans of soda and his response 'we don't do cups of ice'. I spent just under $60 here for only 3 people to eat and you cannot even provide me with a cup of ice for our drinks (not even 10 minutes later 2 other patrons that sat behind me had a cup of ice for their drinks).......not to mention after spending that amount of money we weren't even full from the portions served. Overpriced and definitely not welcomed by the OWNER to even think about wanting to patronize this location again. Honestly wasn't thinking I would spend $3.50 for one taco. This place won't be here long - originals from the East Side location should be disgraced at this behavior of their now ignorant owner. I make better tacos at home. read more