I would have never thought when I started this blog that I’d walk into a Mexican restaurant to rate a whiskey selection, but this new place in downtown Iowa City piqued my interest because of its name. I wanted to try a new spot out on my way home from work and saw the sign for the Taco Depot and Bar. I hadn’t noticed the restaurant before and assumed it was fairly new, but attaching the word “bar” to the name made me wonder if they had a decent whiskey selection.

Well, I was at least right about one aspect of the restaurant: it is a very new restaurant to the Iowa City scene. The old tenant, Tiki Tacos ‘n Burgers ‘n Wings, had closed for remodeling in the fall of 2022 but would never open again. The owner of the building had approached the owners of The Taco Bar and Depot, Jimmy and Ally Ramirez, years back about the possibility of opening a location of their Cedar Rapids based restaurant in Iowa City. Things finally came together once Tiki Tacos left, and the fourth location of the Taco Depot and Bar opened in the summer of 2023.

The other aspect I had wondered about, their whiskey selection, I was mostly wrong about. When you take a seat at the bar at Taco Depot, what you first notice is the large amount of tequila displayed behind the bar, rather than vodka or whiskey. They do have a couple of vodka and gin bottles on the shelf, but it is dominated by tequila. There’s no whiskey in sight. Then why a whiskey review? It turns out that they do have whiskey, it’s just not displayed or advertised to the customer. Here’s what they have.

WHISKEY SELECTION

Variety: Bourbon, Canadian

Range: Poor. 3 bottles. The bottles are Jim Beam, Jack Daniel’s, and Black Velvet. The bottles are hidden behind the bar and so you have to order a whiskey to find out what they have. While disappointing for those looking for whiskey, it’s understandable from a bar focused on tequila. They have over two dozen bottles of tequila of varying type and rarity as well as a couple bottles of Mezcal.

Price Point: $7.50 or $8 for a whiskey shot depending on the bottle.

Wells: They don’t have a true well whiskey. The bartender told me that if asked for a well shot, he would probably use Jim Beam, which is a $7.50 pour.

Top Shelf Selection: None. Their best bottle would be Jack Daniels of the three on hand.

Grade: F

Overall Thoughts: It’s easy to determine that The Taco Depot and Bar is not a place you visit if you want a whiskey, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad spot for a drink or some really good tacos. The service has been good any time I’ve been there, the food comes out fast, and I like the sporty feel they’ve created, with TVs lining the bar wall, as well. And if you want a great deal, their biggest attraction by far is Taco Tuesday when they sell street tacos for $1. As far as liquor, they have several tequilas that are good to sip on neat, and you can make a banger margarita with what they have on hand. They also have a couple of premixed margs that they keep barreled that are both excellent as well. With their almost complete focus on tequila, I appreciate that they at least have a couple bottles so that you can order a whiskey if that’s what you really want, but it’s certainly not the option I’d take when ordering a drink there.