Holy Taco & Cantina

I just ate the lunch special. A fish taco and a pollo taco with chips and salsa. Wow great little tacos. You have your choice of tacos for lunch. I will eat here again for sure.

I can’t quite grasp the bad reviews for this place. Do people expect Cheesecake Factory-​size portions when they order tacos? It’s absolutely bonkers.
Stopped by for lunch on a Saturday and had no problems with service even though there only appeared to be one server. We had two babies in our group, which can be a bit of a handful, but our server handled them with ease.
We ordered the bean dip for an appetizer, which was pretty standard but had a nice little kick to it with chopped jalapeños mixed in.
I had a margarita, and two tacos — the pescado and the camaron. Holy Taco has a great lunch deal where two tacos (plus chips and salsa) is only $ 4.
Margarita was tasty and fresh, but I was really impressed with the tacos. The shrimp were cooked in a yummy avocado-​based sauce, and the fish came in a blue corn tortilla — a pleasant surprise!
Someone else in the group got the bill, so I can’t attest to the price, but overall the experience was great for a little hole-​in-​the-​wall Tex-​Mex place in NE Tennessee.

Hands down the best tacos and atmosphere for eating tacos in Johnson City. Yes this is more a bar then a restaurant — it used to be a bar with live music before Holy Taco arrived.
What you can expect is the best prices on tacos anywhere and really great quality. You can also expect a full bar and cheap beer.
Really not much to not like here. everyone loves tacos and they have plenty to choose from.
This is a no brainer for an inexpensive meal and a few brews. There is no better place around if that is what you are looking for. In good weather they have a patio out back to enjoy as well.
Give it a try you won’t be disappointed. I gave it 5 stars because it is exactly what it is supposed to be — no more, no less.

Great beer selection. Great, fresh food. I highly recommend the shrimp tacos, fish tacos, and the guacamole. Robbie and Lacy are the best! Popular hangout on Friday and Saturday nights. $ 4.99 lunch special throughout the week. $ 2 beer and margarita specials on certain nights. Love it!

What a cool little place! I wasn’t expecting much, we went in on a whim. The bar was comfortable, beer selection was great, service was very appropriate. Our server was Rachel if I’m remembering correctly and she was really cool. We never had to ask for anything and it was pretty quick for it being a super busy night! I’m talkin’ BUSY, this place was hoppin’. I look forward to going back!

We had excellent service during lunch considering there was only one waitress serving the entire crowd. I am not impressed with bland white rice and the beans. At least, the pintos are homemade. However, they taste sweet. I had tamales which are hard to find in these parts. Those were an excellent balance of filling to masa. There are other perks to this establishment such as drinks and location. I’m willing to give it another go. Perhaps, the nasty nachos are next?

Good beer selection. Average to corny vibe. Good Tex-​Mex. Decent patio setup. Good service. I’ll go when others are going, but not my first choice for drinks and food.

Ho-​Ho-​Holy Taco was surprisingly good. Being pretty close to the local college, ETSU, it has a very college town vibe. The bar was fully stocked with many different kinds of beer, margaritas and wine.
We ordered the chips and salsa. The green verde sauce was delicious but the red salsa kind of had a hint of barbecue sauce??? The freshly made guacamole was delicious. The guacamole was very chunky, which I personally liked but some disagreed with. The two taco plate was good, but not a lot of food. The burrito was delicious. The white rice was flavorless and the beans were kidney beans, not really Mexican style beans.
Overall, very good and nice service with a fun college vibe. Just a few unique things that aren’t typical of your everyday Mexican restaurant.

Great food, atmosphere, drinks, affordable prices, accessible and centrally located. The service was excellent and in fact a friend and I met up to watch Sunday football and it was quite busy. We still got our food/​drinks and ticket without any long waits. The owner and waiters came over to ask how things were going and checked in on our party several times even while there was a big Wedding party out on the Patio. I thought that was impressive! Not to mention later in the month Holy Taco came out to support one of our big fund raiser functions at Veterans Affairs as a part of their mission work to the community. We had a great time thanks to Holy Taco. If you are looking for a cool urban eatery with great food and affordable prices? Check out Holy Taco and Cantina. I’m going back for sure!

The best tacos I’ve had in this area! Went on a Friday eve about 7pm. Packed, full of life, fast service, and OH MY! Awesome chorizo and great tap selections. My kind of place.

Really good pork carnitas tacos, nasty nachos (we ordered chicken), and churros! Service was fast, prices/​portions were fair, & they had specials for both food and drinks. The strawberry coconut margarita was fantastic.

Ate here today for a friend’s fundraiser. Great buffet and the pork tacos were great.
The patio is an awesome spot! Definitely will be back here for an after work drink.

Seriously one of the slowest experiences I’ve had in a restaurant in a Coon’s age. Granted, they were busy; but ten minutes for a greet, twenty five minutes for simple food, then ten more to get check is bad bad bad. Small portions, which explained the price. Would give one star, if not for decent beer selection.

I have been eating at Holy Taco over a year and nowhere else has the food been consistently fresh and delicious! It’s perfect for lunch and so fun during dinner! I recommend this place to everyone I know and the service is always impeccable

Probably THE best patio in Johnson City! The patio is a very cool old city lot with partially exposed bricks, ivy climbing the wall, and these great ladies that bring you a cold beer or cocktail whenever you want one. David Lee Roth must’ve had a premonition of the Holy Taco & Cantina patio when he penned the lyrical masterpiece, «Thiiiiiis Must Be Juuuuust Like Livin’ in Par-​a-​diiiiiise!» There are tables with sun umbrellas, which you might need for the occasionally sly Tri Cities Pigeon, a local species that has evolved to have precise military grade weaponry guidance systems in their crap. I shit you not. Well, OK maybe a little bit. The food has always been good and sometimes great. 10 years ago they would’ve had the best Mexican food in town, but it’s just too competitive now for me to say that. They do cater and I totally recommend HT&C catering for an event. We’ve had them a couple times and really, WHO DOESN’T LOVE A TACO BAR? I’ll tell you one thing, Mister, I don’t want to know that person. They must’ve struggled when they opened based on these reviews here. My advice is to give it a chance, drink a margarita or a shot of tequila, have a cerveza and put off your troubles ’til mañana.

Holy Taco is awesome. I see some negative comments and I guess these folks can’t be pleased. Let’s begin with the tacos… Absolutely banging. Carnitas… Carne Asada… It will knock your socks off. The beer selection is great if you actually appreciate fine beers and not swill. Guacamole is good and the service is outstanding. Ariana, the manager and number one bar tender is a fire cracker and will definitely help you with some laughs and an overall wonderful experience.

Can’t say too much bout the food here other than (just ok). A better place to hang out & drink a beer.

I don’t understand the terrible reviews for this place. Yes, it is a dive place, but their food is very, very good. They have a great $ 6 lunch special (2 tacos, chips, and a drink). People bring kids in during lunch. It is a non-​smoking establishment, but they have a great patio in the back with its own bar. The staff is also really nice. Helpful hint: if they are super busy sit at the bar. Overall, I love the atmosphere of this place. Their skinny margarita is also very good. They offer a tequila shot with cinnamon and an orange slice that I am now obsessed with. They generally have a very good selection of beers on tap. Give it a chance!

Food was good, although small portions for the money. Seems inexpensive until you get the small amount that comes with your order. I got tacos, ate them in less then three minutes but had to wait 45 minutes for them to come out. Manager was the one that finally brought them to me. Won’t go back, too damn slow.

I would give them LESS than a ONE if I could. I am very UNHAPPY with their service. My husband and I stopped in today, Saturday Sept 7^th after attending the «TREE DISTRICT» Community Yard Sale.
So, we decided to stop and walk around downtown Johnson City and we were displeased with three locations… But by far this was the worst one of the three…
Tony and I went into the Catina and we were really excited about trying it out. It had a great atmosphere!
The girl behind the bar was extremely busy and she shouted across the room, I will be with you in a second… so we sat down and looked at the menu. She never did take our drink orders. But she was busy!!!
Then another couple came in and sit behind us. and she yelled the same to them! Both of our tables continued to set there about 10 minutes. then this guy came out of the kitchen. and apparently knew the other couple. Immediately took their order for the drinks and then brought them over to them, took their food order and went back to the kitchen. NEVER even looking our way!!!
The lady behind the bar continued to laugh and talk to the men at the bar she was making drinks for. she was swamped but she could have at least yelled to us. what do you want to drink??? she was yelling everything else!!!
So we sit for another 5 minutes, the guy brought out the shrimp taco and the other tacos that the guy ordered… and then went back to the kitchen… AGAIN. never even making any notice as if we were there!!!
I looked at my husband and said… ARE we INVISIBLE? so we walked out… I yelled at the lady «Thanks for nothing»…and no remark back!!!
If this is how they are going to do business on SATURDAYS during FOOTBALL season… GOOD LUCK!!!
I am relocating to Johnson City soon, and I will give them ONE MORE CHANCE… but if it is another BAD experience… I will Unilocal IT ALL OVER TOWN!!! and the INTERNET… if its much better. then I will cancel out this review!!!
I know everyone should have a second chance, and every one has busy and bad days… but the guy taking care of his friends and NOT us… UNACCEPTABLE !!!