Down n' Dirty Tacos and Tequila Bar Opens on Ocean Drive

The company behind celebrity-driven Sugar Factory has graduated from sugary treats to sugar skulls with the opening of Down N' Dirty Tacos and Tequila Bar. The Hotel Victor on Ocean Drive (1144 Ocean Dr.) is the location of Sugar Factory's new concept, a colorful tourist-friendly restaurant that offers classic Mexican...

By Laine Doss

August 25, 2016

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The company behind celebrity-driven Sugar Factory has graduated from sugary treats to sugar skulls with the opening of Down n' Dirty Tacos and Tequila Bar.

South Beach's Hotel Victor is the location of the new concept, a colorful tourist-friendly restaurant that offers classic Mexican fare and cheeky cocktails. Like its sister Sugar Factory, Down n’ Dirty Tacos and Tequila Bar plans to expand, adding other locations in Miami as well as Las Vegas and New York in 2017.

Bryan O’Shields, regional director of both concepts, says of Down n' Dirty: “Whether young or old, a tourist or local, a fun Mexican taqueria appeals to all types of guests.”
The 2,500-square-foot space offers indoor seating filled with Mexican folk-art designs and a 50-seat patio on Ocean Drive for people-watching.

Keith Levesque, regional executive chef for both brands, offers a menu of favorite fare such as Mexican pizza ($19), tequila-marinated Gulf shrimp ($23), and Down n' Dirty quesadillas ($15). Tacos come three per order and are filled with Gulf shrimp ($16), chicken al pastor ($13), Southwest skirt steak ($15), or Baja grilled fish ($15).
The cocktail menu is where things get interesting. A strawberry daiquiri turns into a "Panty Dropper" that will "make you hold onto your panties," and a habanero-lime margarita is so spicy it would "make Chuck Norris blink." In all, the bar serves more than 30 kinds of tequila.

Beachgoers on a budget will also like the restaurant's all-day happy, hour which features 99-cent tacos with the purchase of a drink or two 36-ounce monster cocktails — the kind found only on Ocean Drive — for $40.

Down n' Dirty Tacos and Tequila Bar is open daily for lunch and dinner from noon to midnight.

Laine Doss is the former food editor of Miami New Times. She has been featured on Cooking Channel's Eat Street and Food Network's Great Food Truck Race. She won an Alternative Weekly award for her feature about what it's like to wait tables.

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