50 Best Mexican Restaurants in Nashville

“It's small, usually busy, and absolutely worth the wait. The tacos are simple, fresh, and consistently great. I've probably recommended Mas Tacos to more people than any other taco spot in Nashville. Don't leave without trying the fried avocado taco.“

“Such good food at good prices. Staff was amazing, so friendly and quick. If you’re in Nashville looking for a good dinner that won’t make you completely broke, come here!“

“Once every week or two, I take a sacred day off, work out for approximately 4 hours, burn approximately 47,000 calories, and then come here.

Why, you ask?

The food is good. The blackened salmon, chicken, steak, asada, all delicious. Honestly, that’s maybe 25% of the reason I come here.

The other 75%?

THE QUESO.

I LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. THAT. QUESO.

I take that little bowl home with me like it’s a super hot date. I cherish it. I respect it. I lick that tiny bowl clean with absolutely zero shame. That queso has seen things.

BUT TODAY,
Today, the woman responsible for QUESO betrayed me.

She filled my bowl to approximately 17% capacity. Maybe 1/5. I’m being generous. This was not queso. This was a queso sample.

I have never seen this woman before. She is new. I don’t know her. She doesn’t know me. Clearly, she does not understand the history between me and this queso.

I only discovered the crime after I got home.

And honestly? This hurt worse than when I lost my friend in middle school during the war in Syria. I am devastated. Broken. Emotionally unavailable.

Am I going to drive back?
No.

Am I going to call?
Absolutely not.

I will simply sit here, staring into this pathetic, empty queso bowl, wondering where it all went wrong.

Three stars because the food is good.
Zero stars for the emotional terrorism.

(Sad queso empty bowl pic is included as evidence)

Update: i didn’t email the restaurant, i love this place too much to not give it 5 stars.
Frankly, if they give me less cheese every visit i go, i ll still go back. I love you Baja burrito ❤“

“We went to the pop-up dinner tonight, La Luna. Absolutely excellent food, drinks. and service. The skirt steak and banana empanadas were my favorite. Loved it all.“

“Had an awesome meal tonight (tacos) with friends! Our server Sarah was terrific! I highly recommend it!“

“The server was top notch and the food was unbelievable. Fresh and delicious! This is a restaurant that will change people's idea of authentic Mexican food.“

“Amazing food and service!“

“Nice place !! Food so good 🤤🤤🤤😍“

“These guys are the best. The food is fantastic, but even better are the attitudes of everyone who works there. Super customer focused. Attentive. Helpful. Positive. Optimistic. Happy to be alive. Would highly recommend to anyone. Wishing them many years of success.“

“I absolutely love this place! We get dinner once a week! It’s the only truly affordable option left in East Nashville! Their food is so good and they don’t serve the to go food in plastic! 10/10 all the way!“

“Yes.. You must try this food. Had the Birria grilled cheese.. I just woke up from food coma It was so good.“

“Totally enjoyed our experience at Blanco’s. Food and service were excellent. Even manager Brandon stopped by the table and refilled my empty spicy margarita. The street corn is a must. Allison our server was amazing.“

“Best burrito I have had in Nashville. By far. Highly recommend.“

“The service was fantastic. The food was so delicious. We had a variety of food and not one thing disappointed. It is hard to go any where that every bite is delicious but that is what happened here.If you get a chance you should check it out.“

“BEST MARGARITAS AND SALSA EVER!!!!“

“SUPERB FOOD!!!!! Savory tender birria beef!!!!! Tasty elote!!!“

“So delicious. We’re from out of state and we’re looking for a dinner away from the center of Nashville, that wasn’t a chain. We literally saw it on Google maps right before we passed it and decided to stop. SO glad we did. I’ve been missing the good pupusas I used to get in NW Arkansas, and was so happy when I saw them on the menu. We also had a sope al pastor, chorizo tacos and a new-to-us dish called pollo con tajadas. I recommend ALL of them.“

“Loved Casa Rosa - we had a delicious lunch & cocktails. The 196 peach is my new favorite! Crispy shrimp tacos ❤️. Our server Rachel was the best - adding to our go to’s when in Nashville!!“

“Went to Mercado just to try something new and I was very impressed. It was during the afternoon so it was too hot to be outside, but the inside was great and comfortable to be in.

Food: I had the queso and chips for the appetizer. 5/5
I also had the oak-smoked brisket with the fries. 4/5 (the fries weren’t that good, but the brisket was GREAT)
The +1 had the Fajitas with rice and beans. 5/5.
The food was fresh and hot.

Service: We had the benefit of going when there was a lot going on, so our server was very attentive, professional, and friendly. The food came out quickly.

Atmosphere: Really vibrant and relaxing. Great place for an afternoon meal or dinner date for sure.

What really stole the show, was the bartender the drinks were PERFECT. It didn’t taste watered down, it was definitely a drink drink. Cheers to the bartender!

9/10 overall would recommend and tell a friend“

“I absolutely love this place! We get dinner once a week! It’s the only truly affordable option left in East Nashville! Their food is so good and they don’t serve the to go food in plastic! 10/10 all the way!“

“This is my favorite Mexican restaurant in Nashville TN!
There are many other Cinco de Mayo restaurants, but I travel across town to go here every week. My favorote diahes are Pollo Enquesado and the Mixed Vegetable Plate with Chicken. Their fries and Jalapenos are excellent too! Cheese dip everytime. Tomas and Pablo are excellent bar tenders as well. Saturday - Tuesday they have a Margarita special as well.“

“SUPERB FOOD!!!!! Savory tender birria beef!!!!! Tasty elote!!!“

“The grill chicken is good. The cheesecake is my favorite item.“

“Really diverse menu and well organized! Vegan and vegetarian options clearly labeled if that’s your thing! Such quality and good ingredients. Guac is the best around. Everything cooked well. Elote falls off the Cobb!! Only nit pick I have is could use more seasoning, but that may just be a personal preference! Will 100% be back :)“

“My fave place! Food and service is always great and I always bring people here when they visit!“

“The picadillo lives in my dreams. I crave it every day.“

“ambiente familiar, comida sabrosa.“

“My wife ate there tonight 10/08/2025. The food was delicious as always. The manger was great answering my many questions I had. The server was friendly and the atmosphere was great. Love the smell of peppers and onions cooking. Always a great choice to dine South of the Border.“

“How did i not even know about this place until aux months ago?!!!? This is hands down, thee best Mexican in the city!!! I wake up craving their shrimp fajitas and that jumbo avocado salad. Don’t get me started on their salsa!!! CHEFS. KISS. Never change a thing.“

“We had a great experience at Casa Calixto! The shrimp fajitas were amazing, full of flavor and cooked perfectly. The skinny margarita was also really good and paired perfectly with our meal.

The service was great from start to finish. The staff was friendly and attentive, and the manager even stopped by to check on us, which was a really nice touch. The restaurant was clean, beautifully decorated, and had a great atmosphere.

We really enjoyed our visit and will definitely be coming back. Highly recommend Casa Calixto for great food, drinks, and excellent service!“

“I grew up going to a different location, but the same Cinco De Mayo! This location is super convenient being so close to downtown, and every location is consistent, serving quality food and providing friendly and professional service! Cinco De Mayo will always have a special place in my heart! No other Mexican restaurant can compare!“

“Came here after seeing the picture in the article on The Infatuation Nashville… the photographer and model made the pistachio ice cream cone look so good and it was as good as it looked! 💯“

“From the first bite to the last, everything was perfect. Joy was professional, personable, and made the whole experience enjoyable. Highly recommend!“

“We are at BarTaco Nashville in 12South and while I’ve been there many many times, tonight was my husbands first time. He has a lemon&lime allergy. When we alerted the waiter of this to make sure we weren’t ordering something with them in it, he confirmed a couple items we planned to order would need to be mine since they had lime. Then 2 separate managers came to our table to double check the allergy and need. Primarily to confirm tacos ordered where some ingredients also had lime. They were so attentive and made sure that his food came out on a separate plate with no lime or lime garnish. So incredibly impressive how much they cared his experience was healthy and positive. Much thanks to the staff at 12South for superb customer service and care!!“

“Went there yesterday. Very friendly, lively place. Food was fantastic. Above average TexMex. (Got the Colorado Chilie sauce instead of the standard red--wow.) Not expensive either. It's a drive for us, but we're going back next week.“

“The food was great and the margaritas were fantastic!!!“

“Everything was excellent. Great service! The restaurant is located at the corner of 12th Ave S and Paris, look up, it’s on the upper level. There is a parking garage behind it. Parking is paid but they have a QR code for the first hour. You can enter from the Paris side or there is an elevator in the middle of the parking garage. Sorry I decided to take a picture after I began eating. It’s great for birthdays! The cinco leche cake was delicious. I had the Miguelito. The brisket tacos just need a little more flavor. I’ll definitely return. I do want to try their brunch.“

“So happy that I found this hidden gem! I don’t normally leave reviews but after multiple visits I had to give a shoutout to Family Tacos for the best tacos I’ve ever had. Located on Charlotte Ave in Sylvan Park! Great staff, great atmosphere, and even greater tacos!“

“Tacos are the real deal! Meat is grilled super well, with great flavor. The pastor, chicken, and asada were all great. Tacos come with a healthy portion of garnishes - onion & cilantro, pickled carrot, limes, and their homemade green & red sauces. This is going into the rotation.“

“This is place was great our first time here and very impressed we have been going to a restaurant in Atwater and we will no longer be giving them out business“

“Great experience and friendly environment“

“I woke up starving and there was nothing to eat in the fridge.

I hit Google maps for the nearest open place to eat within walking distance and this place pops up.

Don't let the Shell station fool you, this place is legit Mexican taco stand type food. Trust me, I know, I live in MX part time and this place makes it right. Fresh ingredients, home salsas, simply amazing.

If you're looking for real MX cafe style food at a great price this is it.“

“I had been visiting Nashville for the weekend and as I was leaving I came across this place. I was driving past when I saw the smoke billowing from the grills and I had to come back. I brought it home for the ride. When I got home a few hours later, it was still a great experience after some reheating.“

“My bash grew went to the market and discover taco chela we had the best shots ever bartender is a pro.“

“the Jim Nachos are chicken nachos, which is what I wanted when I worked there many years ago. I asked the cooks if they could use chicken instead of beef. The management at the time thought it would be a good idea To have both. So they named the chicken nachos after me; thus "Jim Nachos" They are still on the menu today, some 30 years later.“

“I've had dinner twice at the Paducah, KY location and it has been great. The food is fresh and delicious, portions are generous, and prices are fair. The complimentary chips and salsa bar is also a nice touch. The restaurant is also clean, and staff are friendly. I'm looking forward to eating here again.“

“Great food & great service. Staff is very friendly and demonstrate a good amount of team work. You can tell they enjoy working with each other. My chips were thin and crunchy which I really liked. My seafood specialty entree was seasoned perfectly. Margaritas were pretty good, too! Great job, everybody!“

“Stayed in Nashville a week and this was our favorite restaurant ! Our waiter was amazing! Highly recommend eating here!!!“

“The service was top notch, the food was divine, and I can’t wait to come back the next time I visit Nashville!“

“la birria de chivo y. el menudo. todo esta buenisimo“