The Local Taco

I found the food here decent, but the headache of weaving through the ever-​expansive line stretching out the front door is not quite worth the heady taco experience.
The main issue lies within the compact entrance which leaves little to no room for people to migrate into a manageable clump. Instead, we piled up like herded sheep around the register, then piled out the front door. Luckily, it was a mildly warm, sunny day so most of the crowd felt rather patient. However, I do NOT recommend coming here at peak brunch hours or evening dinner hours near weekends. My friends and I arrived at 12:30pm Saturday prime time lunch. We were able to sit with a lovely individual, but our food took app. 45 minutes before it came out. When I asked a staff member, she told me they were backed up from the whole lunch crowd. So, definitely order an appetizer (I recommend the queso) if you’re waiting.
The outdoor seating is quite sidewalk-​chic, if you know what I mean. Lots of large picnic tables and plenty of room for pets. They even provide dog bowls if Fido needs a drink of water. The picnic tables, I would say, are also their greatest downfall. Unless you’re ok with sharing room family style (which we were), you might prefer indoor seating or taking it to-​go.
Food was… less stellar than expected. I had the Korean BBQ and Brisket tacos. The meat was quite tender for the brisket, and I found the pickled red onions added just the right amount of sourness. I was disappointed by the Korean BBQ, a decent but lackluster mixture of chopped cabbage, carrots, and a slightly marinated bulgogi-​ish meat. The star of my meal was the fried green chile mac n’ cheese. Absolute cholesterol-​inducing perfection. This made the meal worth the crazy line.
I would say, if you haven’t had Tex-​Mex in Texas, give it a shot. If you have, this might not be the best wait.

I heard a number of good things about this place, but I was very disappointed. Parking is terrible which isn’t a huge deal but be prepared to spend a few minutes looking for a parking spot. We ordered 5 tacos total and it took about 30 minutes to get them. It seemed a little ridiculous for a few tacos, plus they weren’t even hot. Slightly warm at best. Taste was ok, but wasn’t anything special at all. Buffalo chicken wasn’t great, the Bbq and Korean were decent and the shrimp was mediocre. Overall, I gave it a shot and it wasn’t worth the wait and effort parking so I don’t see us going back.

Not bad for tacos in Tennessee! I’ve enjoyed the queso dip and my favorite taco is the fried shrimp! Tequila lime chicken and the southern bbq pork were okay… It’s also reasonably priced considering there are some places here in Nashville that will charge five dollars a taco! Being a native Texan and my fair share of tacos, this place gets a solid three stars!
Ambiance of this place is pretty relaxed and the customer service is pretty good, nothing amazing, but enough to make me want to come back for those fried shrimp tacos! Ohh, AND they have mango margaritas (not sure if they are seasonal) but they are quite tasty and not watered down) — mango flavor is always a plus with me!

Okay. Second try. First try I checked in because I was here but we didn’t order anything cause it was bumping on a Friday night and we needed to get somewhere for that night. Saturday night. Still bumping. This has to be good… It has to live up to its hype.
So the question you’re all wondering. Was it worth the hype? In all honesty, it was okay. Walking in, the line situation was something that’s really noticeable. At first you think it’s because this place is amazing, then once you pass those second pair of doors, you know why it goes out the door. The counter where you order is right next to the door. I think they could have planned that out a little better, or at least place the register somewhere else so it doesn’t get in the way of just people waiting in line or people going in and out to serve people.
Anyways, enough about the hype-​ness. What’s up with the food? I ordered I believe 4 or 5 tacos. The ones that stood out in my mouth was the Southern Fried Taco.
Which tacos did I order?
Southern Fried Taco
Korean BBQ Taco
Smoked Brisket
I believe the Local BBQ
I want to say the Tequila Lime Chicken Taco, but I can’t be positive.
I know, I know. You’re probably wondering why I’m even writing this if I don’t even remember exactly what I ate. It’s because they weren’t all that great… Nothing really stood out in my mind except the Southern Fried Taco. So, my advice: If you’re going to order any taco, get that one. The other ones weren’t that amazing. The Korean BBQ taco, I ate about half of it before I got the taste of the BBQ part. Also, I don’t think there was just enough meat in the taco itself.
There’s a lot of seating. Indoor and outdoor. Well, indoor during winter is going to be limited, however, the seating outside is under a canopy. So it’s not the best place to sit as far as insulation wise, but it’s still a place to sit if it’s needed.
All in all, it’s alright. I enjoyed the food, mostly. But the one piece of advice from me if you do come here to eat, get the Southern Fried Taco. You won’t be disappointed.

Stopped in for an early dinner on a Friday (Oct. 23) and the joint was empty. While the drill is apparently that you order at the counter and then sit down, we noticed that there was a small bar and asked if we could sit there; the bartender seemed annoyed but indicated that we could. We sat down and two worn-​out menus (the laminate was peeling off and the menus were creased and wrinkled to the point that they were difficult to read) were thrown down in front of us.
We decided to start with a cocktail. The drink menu included red and white sangria. I asked the bartender which she thought was better. She responded tersely that they were out of sangria but then added that even if they weren’t out, they both were good and it just depended upon individual taste. Okay then.
My wife then ordered a margarita and I ordered the Lojito cocktail. My wife liked the margarita but the Lojito was too sweet for my taste and I suspect they use something other than the hand squeezed lime juice listed on the menu.
We ordered queso dip and it was quite good. Chips were light and crispy and the dip was the perfect consistency.
Not enjoying the Lojito, I handed it off to my wife and selected one of the beers on the menu and tried to order it. Bartender then informs me that they don’t have that beer and that the menu was really out of date. Rather then telling me the handful of beer options that were available, she told me I should walk back up to the front and look at the bottles behind the front counter to see what they had. Okay then.
Selected a beer (all bottles — no drafts) and returned to my seat to order. Asked for a glass with the beer and when it was given to me I was told not to break it because they only had 3 for those people that wanted a glass with their beer. Okay then.
From there we ordered a trio of tacos and a couple of enchiladas. Food was served über-​quickly by someone from the kitchen. Bartender eventually threw down a couple of sets of silverware in front of us and turned her attention back to a couple of regulars that had joined us at the bar.
Enchiladas were very good but not really unique. The tacos were a bit more creative and feature locally made, soft flour tortillas. The tortillas were definitely better than store-​bought, but not as good as made-​to-​order or a good corn tortilla. Southern fried taco was my favorite. Local BBQ taco was good but the BBQ sauce was too strong and overpowered everything else.
While finishing up our meal, we witnessed multiple interactions between the bartender and customers and it was clear that unless you are a regular that essentially kisses up to her, the bartender has no interest in you or your dining experience. Maybe the food otherwise could have merited more stars, our overall dining experience was «meh» at best.

It was a gorgeous day so my friend and I decided to meet at Local Taco for lunch since they have such a great patio. The patio is the best thing about this place in my opinion.
First of all, it bugs me that I have to pay for chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant. I realize that is common at a taco shop but it still bugs me. Secondly, I asked our server for hot sauce when she delivered our food but, even though they were not very busy, I ended up having to go inside and get it myself because she forgot.
Other than that the food was ok, not great, but ok. I had a fish taco, chicken taco and street corn. The tacos were good but the corn was cold.
I’ll probably go back for the patio but it’s not my first choice.

Love local taco! Went here with friends to catch a football game. Got the salsa, queso and guac for the entire table and tacos all around. I would totally recommend the mexi tater tots (side menu item) they are so good!

This place is nothing special. food portions are very small and not filling. Drinks are really good tho. The food actually tastes great and they have some unique taco combinations but the small portions just don’t do it for me and require me to dub the 3 stars.

We walked in and said «HI» to some random employee that we sorta ran into and he just looked like he was off in space and annoyed with life. It had to have taken a minute for anyone to even acknowledge us and about 7 minutes for us to get served a glass of ice water. Before that even happened the bartender walked half way to us and ask if we needed help. I repeat «half way». lol pretty ridiculous when you consider the place was dead with only 3 people sitting at the bar. Even more amazing was watching the bartender AND the server (who by the way didn’t have a word to say to us) grab our food with their bare hands. So freakin disgusting! Especially after handing food, cleaning, dirty trays and cups…
Our tacos had a piece of meat with some sauce. Didn’t taste like much.
Chips were not fresh and after seeing two workers throw them in our tray with no gloves it really turned my stomach. Top of all that drama, we are still hungry.
Anyways, You all get the point.
$ 10. Bucks. You get what you pay for.

I’ve heard people rave about this place, but I honestly don’t understand why.
So, tacos auténticos are small and simple to highlight the individual flavors of the ingredients. The quality of the produce is fresh at Local Taco, but somehow the overall flavor of the tacos are a let down. The sauces are bland and the taste of lime is overwhelming, probably because the flavor is absent.
I usually don’t equate hipster places with undue hype (there are a lot of great, hipster locales in Nashville, after all), but I would have to make an exception for The Local Taco. It really is overpriced and over hyped.

Local Taco is delicious they have a pretty creative menu and the staff is mostly very friendly. Ordering your food however is a humongous beat-​down. It’s a long line usually and there’s one person at one register that has to both take your order and get your drinks. Honestly these folks are always pleasant and patient.
The problem is that every person in line has at least 2 questions about «how hot is that salsa?» and whether or not those onions are organic. It’s really a downer — it’s enough to make me choose another restaurant when we’re discussing where to go. Please local taco, have mercy on us and switch to table service. 4 Star food. 1 Star system.

Just kind of average mexican food, not the worst but you do a lot better with other choices around. Service was rather disorganized, and the meats were bland in flavor.

Consistently delicious! And that’s about the best review you can give any establishment.
I’ve been here so many times, so I don’t feel like gushing over how amazing it is… I think I have a bit jazzier review for the east side location.
You can’t go wrong with a margarita and their brisket enchilada with mole sauce. Mmmmmm mole sauce.
Could have more seating and the parking is a pain, but overall always a great experience.

I loved it so much i went back for my very next meal. They have an awesome variety of tacos at just 2.75 each. So far I’ve tried the Southern Fried, the Local BBQ, the Fish, the Smoked Brisket and the Korean BBQ.
The Southern Fried and Smoked Brisket were my favorites. They crushed the brisket, perfectly smoked. The southern fried is an awesome mix of buttermilk fried chicken strips with honey lime mayo. YUM.
The fish is awesome because it’s lightly fried, not too much. I also loved the pickled jalapenos on them. Korean BBQ was great and I’d just say the Local BBQ was okay… had a little too much sauce for me.
You need to get the chips and salsa, it’s just too good of a deal not too. A whole lunch bag full of chips and a cup of pico de gallo for $ 2! Definitely enough for two.
It’s an aweome hole in the wall type place that I will continue to go back to over and over again. Just be aware that parking can be a mess, but it’s worth it. Trust me!

Ok second review on local taco, and that’s because I finally got to try their breakfast. One word, exceptional. They offer about 9 breakfast taco options. We had 4 of the 9 and thought they were all very good. Blended with a number of ingredients, you can really taste all the favors working together. The mimosa prices are extremely high, compared to other «brunch places.» We consumed their original margarita and it never disappoints. I’m not sure what my previous rating was, but if Unilocal allowed 6’s, this establishment would be pretty darn close

I have only been here twice. The first time was great. The tacos are really good, and they have many varieties to choose from. The cheese dip is awesome!
The second time I went, I ordered a single enchilada. I can never eat both enchiladas when I go to other Mexican restaurants, but this enchilada was not a normal enchilada. It was TINY. The tortilla was dry and so was the chicken and they forgot to put the sauce on it.
My first experience tells me to go back, but my last experience says never again…

i met a client here for lunch the other day and was underwhelmed. While they have have a lot of gluten free and veggie friendly options, which is great, they epitomize why people think this kind of food tastes like cardboard.
To make matters worse the service seemed determined to make me feel unwanted. I know I lack tattoos or sarcastic facial hair, but I could do without the attitude.
And did I mention that its pretty pricey considering the food you get?
So lets sum it up — Poor food and poor service with high prices. Whats not to love?

Review of two people with 3 tacos each:
Tequila lime– «it taste like someone was smoking a cigarette while they were making it»
Other reviewer– green sauce. YUM.
Brisket– un chewable. Don’t even do it.
Fish– the best of 3 I had. Simple. Did I think it was only so good cause the rest sucked so bad?
Shrimp– more shrimp please.
Avocado– ehhh. Needs more spice to be called a spicy avocado taco.

Was the perfect place to grab a quick lunch while running around on a Saturday afternoon, but have had better tacos elsewhere in Nashville. Good customer service and pretty good food.

Overall: Go-​to restaurant for quick, tasty and to-​go
Food: My favorite is the local BBQ. Savory, really tasty. Tacos aren’t too big, I usually get 2 BBQ and then one wild card. The fish taco was pretty good.
— Queso is ok.
— Guac is a decent
Service: not great. You order at a counter and then they bring you your food. Sometimes, if you need a refill or a 2^nd item, it can be tough to grab a server to accommodate the request. Depends on how busy they are.
Atmosphere: large screened in outdoor patio. relaxed place. We live in Sylvan Park, so it’s a nice option to do pick-​up.