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Nashville is brimming with tasty options for Mexican cuisine.
Maiz de la Vida / Facebook

A Guide to Nashville’s Exceptional Mexican Restaurants

Where to find delicious Mexican food from Oaxacan mole and paletas to Mexico City-style tacos on house-made tortillas

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Nashville is brimming with tasty options for Mexican cuisine.
| Maiz de la Vida / Facebook

Nashville has a flourishing Mexican community and dining scene, which means you can enjoy traditional or playful regional Mexican food ranging from Oaxacan mole and Mexico City-style carnitas tacos on house-made corn tortillas to paletas and freshly baked pan dulce.

Whether you’re looking for margaritas and vegan nachos on Cincod de Mayo or just a delicious meal on a random weeknight, here are some of Nashville’s best Mexican restaurants. (And if Taco Tuesday’s your favorite day of the week, there’s also a guide specifically covering Nashville’s top tacos.)

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Mar & Tierra Mexican Grill and Mariscos

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Sea and land are indeed on display at Mar & Tierra, a bustling little restaurant decorated in colors as vibrant as its seafood. On the surf side, this East Nashville restaurant offers a robust mix of fresh shrimp quesadillas, Mexican shrimp cocktails, grilled octopus, and scallop aguachile; as far as turf, try fajitas, fried pork tips, and breaded steak or chicken milanesa.

Taqueria Sope Express

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Blink and you’ll miss this unassuming little Clarksville Pike spot that gets overshadowed by an adjacent gas station. But once you’re in, fill up on Taqueria Sope Express’ mouthwatering tacos on house-made corn tortillas and plates of shrimp and fish alongside nachos, wings, fries, fajitas, and quesabirria. The chicharrones tacos are especially crispy and light.

Maiz De La Vida

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Chef Julio Hernandez’s Maiz de la Vida food truck is one of the few places in town that nixtamalizes heirloom corn in-house for its tortillas. It’s permanently parked outside of East Nashville bar Chopper Tiki, whose gorgeous tropical cocktails are the perfect foil for tacos filled with crispy wagyu beef or chicken birria with a side of beef consomé for dipping. You can also take home this rich bone marrow broth by the quart. On Clarksville Pike, the small Maiz de la Vida Tortilla Shop is Hernandez’s brick-and-mortar addition for limited dine-in and retail items like tortillas, masa, and salsas.

Taco Mamacita

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You’ll find Taco Mamacita’s stellar margaritas and vegan tortilla soup here in Germantown as well as in Chattanooga, where the restaurant started (it’s a sibling to that city’s essential Community Pie pizzeria). Along with enchiladas suiza and a selection of slow-cooked meats for carnivores, the busy restaurant offers trendy decor and an exclusively vegan menu upon request.

Alebrije

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Named after fantastical Mexican folk creatures, the Alebrije food truck offers street food like tacos and churros with an emphasis on quality ingredients — chef Edgar Victoria sources the masa for his corn tortillas directly from a small family of farmers in Oaxaca, Mexico. Highlights include an al pastor tlayuda (an iconic Oaxacan dish served on a large tostada) and Mexico City-style carnitas tacos that melt in your mouth. Alebrije has locations at Honeytree Meadery in East Nashville; Bar Sovereign downtown; and in Wedgewood-Houston’s Geodis Park, the home of Major League Soccer team Nashville SC.

Birrieria y Taqueria Arandas

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Hungover? Have a hearty breakfast of huevos rancheros or a gargantuan pambazo sandwich stuffed with potatoes, chorizos, cheese, and refried beans in a homey setting reminiscent of Abuelita’s house right off Highway 70 in Donelson. At Birrieria y Taqueria Arandas, you can even get a three-taco quesitaco birria combo with flavorful consomé for dipping or a torta stuffed with beef tripe.

La Juquilita

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Owners Jose and Maria Cepeda cook up fabulous tacos, pupusas, and tlayudas out of a bright orange building in the Nations. It’s a saucy spot; check out La Juquilita’s rich Oaxacan mole and spicy chile and verde salsas.

Frida’s Oaxacan Cuisine

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Per the name, Frida’s Oaxacan Cuisine celebrates regional specialties like tamales de mole, chapulines (snackable fried grasshoppers), and a variety of deep, complex moles. Don’t miss the memelitas, featuring house-made masa cakes topped with light, fresh Oaxacan cheese and refried beans. Frida’s is looking for its own space but currently shares with owner Katy Rodriguez’s other business, the Bee Ice Cream Shop on Nolensville Pike, which means you can also get Oaxacan ice cream, popsicles, agua frescas, and other sweet treats while you’re here.

Burritos La Mina

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This bright yellow food truck is known for doling out Chihuahua-style dishes including montados, llomo, and chile rellenos along with crowd-pleasing varieties of burritos (specifically the chili Colorado version), tortas, tacos, and quesadillas.

Plaza Mariachi

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A gathering place for live music, dancing, games, and yes, mariachi shows, Plaza Mariachi is also ground zero for great Mexican eats. You’ll find tortas ahogadas (a torta sandwich “drowned” in spicy red salsa), pozole, pupusas, and huaraches at eateries like Chisme Cafe and Taqueria Hidalgo. Don’t forget to swing by Agav for high-end margaritas.

El Cubilete

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El Cubilete’s hearty down-home soups, stews, fresh tamales, breakfasts, and combo platters are so popular the restaurant has Nolensville Pike and Harding Place locations as well as one in Madison and another in Murfreesboro. Portions are generous — consider sharing one plate of enchiladas or pork ribs (costillas) in salsa verde between two people.

La Conchita

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Located next door to K&S World Market on Nolensville Pike, La Conchita is a true neighborhood panaderia with a huge selection of bread, cookies, and cakes that you can grab yourself out of the tray-lined walls. From celebratory tres leches cakes and the Mexican baguette called bolillo for tortas to elephant-ear orejas cookies (aka palmiers) and pan dulce for eating with your coffee, this place is a one-stop shop for baked delights.

Mar & Tierra Mexican Grill and Mariscos

Sea and land are indeed on display at Mar & Tierra, a bustling little restaurant decorated in colors as vibrant as its seafood. On the surf side, this East Nashville restaurant offers a robust mix of fresh shrimp quesadillas, Mexican shrimp cocktails, grilled octopus, and scallop aguachile; as far as turf, try fajitas, fried pork tips, and breaded steak or chicken milanesa.

Taqueria Sope Express

Blink and you’ll miss this unassuming little Clarksville Pike spot that gets overshadowed by an adjacent gas station. But once you’re in, fill up on Taqueria Sope Express’ mouthwatering tacos on house-made corn tortillas and plates of shrimp and fish alongside nachos, wings, fries, fajitas, and quesabirria. The chicharrones tacos are especially crispy and light.

Maiz De La Vida

Chef Julio Hernandez’s Maiz de la Vida food truck is one of the few places in town that nixtamalizes heirloom corn in-house for its tortillas. It’s permanently parked outside of East Nashville bar Chopper Tiki, whose gorgeous tropical cocktails are the perfect foil for tacos filled with crispy wagyu beef or chicken birria with a side of beef consomé for dipping. You can also take home this rich bone marrow broth by the quart. On Clarksville Pike, the small Maiz de la Vida Tortilla Shop is Hernandez’s brick-and-mortar addition for limited dine-in and retail items like tortillas, masa, and salsas.

Taco Mamacita

You’ll find Taco Mamacita’s stellar margaritas and vegan tortilla soup here in Germantown as well as in Chattanooga, where the restaurant started (it’s a sibling to that city’s essential Community Pie pizzeria). Along with enchiladas suiza and a selection of slow-cooked meats for carnivores, the busy restaurant offers trendy decor and an exclusively vegan menu upon request.

Alebrije

Named after fantastical Mexican folk creatures, the Alebrije food truck offers street food like tacos and churros with an emphasis on quality ingredients — chef Edgar Victoria sources the masa for his corn tortillas directly from a small family of farmers in Oaxaca, Mexico. Highlights include an al pastor tlayuda (an iconic Oaxacan dish served on a large tostada) and Mexico City-style carnitas tacos that melt in your mouth. Alebrije has locations at Honeytree Meadery in East Nashville; Bar Sovereign downtown; and in Wedgewood-Houston’s Geodis Park, the home of Major League Soccer team Nashville SC.

Birrieria y Taqueria Arandas

Hungover? Have a hearty breakfast of huevos rancheros or a gargantuan pambazo sandwich stuffed with potatoes, chorizos, cheese, and refried beans in a homey setting reminiscent of Abuelita’s house right off Highway 70 in Donelson. At Birrieria y Taqueria Arandas, you can even get a three-taco quesitaco birria combo with flavorful consomé for dipping or a torta stuffed with beef tripe.

La Juquilita

Owners Jose and Maria Cepeda cook up fabulous tacos, pupusas, and tlayudas out of a bright orange building in the Nations. It’s a saucy spot; check out La Juquilita’s rich Oaxacan mole and spicy chile and verde salsas.

Frida’s Oaxacan Cuisine

Per the name, Frida’s Oaxacan Cuisine celebrates regional specialties like tamales de mole, chapulines (snackable fried grasshoppers), and a variety of deep, complex moles. Don’t miss the memelitas, featuring house-made masa cakes topped with light, fresh Oaxacan cheese and refried beans. Frida’s is looking for its own space but currently shares with owner Katy Rodriguez’s other business, the Bee Ice Cream Shop on Nolensville Pike, which means you can also get Oaxacan ice cream, popsicles, agua frescas, and other sweet treats while you’re here.

Burritos La Mina

This bright yellow food truck is known for doling out Chihuahua-style dishes including montados, llomo, and chile rellenos along with crowd-pleasing varieties of burritos (specifically the chili Colorado version), tortas, tacos, and quesadillas.

Plaza Mariachi

A gathering place for live music, dancing, games, and yes, mariachi shows, Plaza Mariachi is also ground zero for great Mexican eats. You’ll find tortas ahogadas (a torta sandwich “drowned” in spicy red salsa), pozole, pupusas, and huaraches at eateries like Chisme Cafe and Taqueria Hidalgo. Don’t forget to swing by Agav for high-end margaritas.

El Cubilete

El Cubilete’s hearty down-home soups, stews, fresh tamales, breakfasts, and combo platters are so popular the restaurant has Nolensville Pike and Harding Place locations as well as one in Madison and another in Murfreesboro. Portions are generous — consider sharing one plate of enchiladas or pork ribs (costillas) in salsa verde between two people.

La Conchita

Located next door to K&S World Market on Nolensville Pike, La Conchita is a true neighborhood panaderia with a huge selection of bread, cookies, and cakes that you can grab yourself out of the tray-lined walls. From celebratory tres leches cakes and the Mexican baguette called bolillo for tortas to elephant-ear orejas cookies (aka palmiers) and pan dulce for eating with your coffee, this place is a one-stop shop for baked delights.

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