The Local Taco

The food was wonderful however our server wasn’t very friendly. We felt like we were being pushed through our dinner. We had a family member in from Atlanta and hoped to spend some time over dinner. We continued to order drinks but our glasses were cleared quickly and nothing additional offered.

I don’t know what has happened here as of late, but the past two times we have went we left with no food and another time sending the food back due to it being uncooked. This place used to be great and we loved going. This last trip really was the deciding factor for writing this review.
Our server payed no attention to us other than getting our drinks and then our food order. Other than that I stopped random workers and asked for their assistance with things like refills on our drinks. Two nice girls delivered our food and were really great about apologizing for the wait.
This is where it gets to the real disappointment. My nephews kids chicken strips were still cold. My younger sisters food was well over cooked. So much so the chicken was not fit for consumption. The rice was still hardened in the middle, and not once did our waiter come to check on our orders quality.
This brings me to explaining to the manager why we were not going to pay for the two items that were untouched. I didn’t ask for the manager but I guess I had to plead my case to her due to why I wasn’t going to eat poorly cooked food. Our waiter was finally sent over and he said in a mocking tone. «So I hear there was issues with food, sorry but I wasn’t here when they delivered it so I just had no idea.» Granted the whole time he was five feet from us trying to hangout behind the bar while eating and drinking water.
I know this seems like an over the top rant, truly I have never wrote anything to this extent on here, but this being a family dinner I had people drive up from another city for, it was embarrassing and a real let down of service and quality. It’s safe to say though we won’t be back.

Local Taco is a great little restaurant with good food. The atmosphere is fun and the price is decent. The portion sizes aren’t huge, but they’re enough to fill you up. Plus they have great queso. I had to take off a couple of stars for service, especially on my most recent visit. Plus, parking is a gigantic pain in the tush.
Three coworkers and I went in for lunch a couple of days ago. We were able to sit outside which is what we had wanted and the patio was great. There was a nice breeze and it was completely shaded. We were far enough away from other tables that we weren’t having to listen to other conversations and no one had to hear our conversations.
However, the service was very disappointing. We were seated right away, but had to wait far longer than we should have to order drinks. Three of us ordered water and the fourth member of our party ordered sweet tea. It was just about the simplest drink order a server could ask for. We waited for almost 5 minutes to get our drinks (I had looked at my watch right after we ordered drinks and checked it again after the drinks came). When our server came back with the drinks, he left them and turned away, not asking if we were ready to order food. After close to 10 more minutes, he came back to take our meal order. Three of us ordered the «2 taco + 1 side» lunch special and one person ordered an enchilada. Again it was a very easy order. Other than different tacos in our taco meal, three of the meals were nearly identical.
Our queso came quickly, but it took over 30 minutes for our food to arrive (I looked at my watch after we ordered since everything was taking so long). This is a small restaurant and there were only 5 tables on the patio. It just can’t be possible for it to take that long to make a few tacos. Someone (not our server) brought the taco plates for the three of us who ordered tacos. The enchilada did not come to the fourth person in our group. We assumed she was coming back with it, but after two or three minutes it didn’t show up, so we started wondering what happened. Finally another server emerged onto the patio so we asked her to check on the enchilada. She never came back either and finally our regular server came back onto the patio (though not to check on us or bring the enchilada) and we asked him where the enchilada was. He said he would check on it. He never came back either. A fourth person finally came out onto the patio with the enchilada (more than 10 minutes later) and the enchilada itself and the plate were so hot it was glaringly obvious the dish had just been made and plated moments earlier.
The food was good, but overall my most recent trip to Local Taco was a huge disappointment. I wish I could have given it a better rating because the food and atmosphere are always good, but the service was just too lousy.

The food was awesome and the service was great! I ordered the buffalo chicken taco and the spicy shrimp taco, I can’t decide which was better. My husband ordered the philly taco and fish taco, he loved the fish taco. Our server Kelsey was so friendly and helpful for us out of towners. We plan on returning in the future.

I really wish I had more positive things to say about this place, but unfortunately it’s been a pretty consistent letdown the last several times we’ve visited.
I’ll make no reservations about saying that, at one point, this was hands down my favorite restaurant in Brentwood and one of the best in all of Nashville. I say that mostly because their margaritas are fantastic. The food has never been particularly amazing, though certainly not bad either. During the summer, we’d go nearly once a week. The bartenders were generally friendly and the margaritas always hit the spot.
Over the last year, unfortunately, the service has gotten absurdly bad. Twice in the past month or two we waited 10 minutes without being greeted by a server before finally leaving. The last time, we did so only to find the entire staff out back smoking/​laughing/​etc. Nobody, management included, was even in the restaurant (and the hostess that seated us was back there with them, so somebody should’ve known we were there). After that last visit, we left and went straight to Bar Taco, which is where we will go from now on.
The margaritas are still decent, but the food is nothing to get excited about, they’ve cut the portions on the queso dip in half, and the service is a joke. With better margaritas just a few more minutes away at Bar Taco, I’m sad to say I can’t find many good reasons to go back to Local.

Great tacos and cool atmosphere. We sat on the patio, which was build round two existing trees. They provided perfect shade. Tacos were great. Reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because they grease from on taco got all over the other. Still tasty.

This used to be one of my favorite places, but they have really gone downhill the past few months; everything from service, to food, to the shrinking menu.
My go to used to be the Cocinero Salad. Since I am a vegetarian, I ask for them to replace the meat with the side of grilled veggies. They add an additional $ 3.75 to the price. This does not make sense, since veggies cost less than meat. There have been several times where the rice on the salad has not been thoroughly cooked and I have had to send it back. The portion of ingredients in the tacos is getting smaller and smaller, to the point you are basically ordering a tortilla. I have also been told they are out of ingredients for certain tacos. The spinach and mushroom enchilada has been removed from the menu, and it was one of the few vegetarian options.
My fiancé and I attempted to place an order over the phone for pick up and were told three times, on three separate calls over 40 min, that they were not taking any orders at the time. They claimed their kitchen was too backed up for any orders. How can you refuse orders during business hours?
Not taking our order was the final straw. We will not be back.

The food was good and service was good but it is extremely loud and not a good place for conversation.

I can’t believe some of these reviews that are bashing The Local Taco! Hands down my favorite taco joint in the area, and the mexi tater tots are to die for. My favorite taco that I’ve had is probably the Korean style barbecue… I would also recommend their brunch on Saturday or Sunday. $ 3 mimosas with breakfast style tacos — I don’t know about you, but they had me hooked at $ 3 mimosa.

Spicy shrimp tacos are fantastic! Decent guac and red salsa. Cuban corn is great. Spinach & mushroom enchiladas are interesting since the inside ingredients are more blended. Korean BBQ taco is pretty good.

Horrible service and just sent back our food after it was brought to us by a so called manager. We had no plates and the service was completely unprofessional. Having been in this industry I thought I was being a little critical. However, when we asked them to take the food away we were told that the kitchen would not take the items off our check. Really? A little over ten dollars is too much to take off for horrid service? A so called manager was informed and her response to us was «you should have asked for plates.» I told her that I hadn’t seen the server since the manager dropped off the food to even ask for plates. She obviously has no professional experience and when I told her that plates should come out before the food, she said well some people just eat them. (That’s not really the point, dear.)
Stay away from this place. Unprofessional and lack luster service.

We returned on a Friday night at dinner to eat again – perfect food/​service again. This time we were caught off guard by a different menu from the lunch visit (we were wanting to order the same thing again – Quesadillas but they were not on the dinner menu. The waitress was very helpful and we easily selected something else yummy.

The food here is hit or miss. The meat is dry sometimes and perfect on other days.. It’s not the best tacos but when good it’s tasty. The chips and dip seem a bit small of a portion for price. The service has always good and a cool atmosphere. Nice selection of alcohol and great for spring and summer dining. The Cuban corn and mexi tater tots are awesome! Tacos are decent and queso is sub par.

One of my favorite places, not sure why the rating is low! My personal favorite is the Southern Fried Chicken taco. The Mexican Tater Tots are to die for!
The atmosphere is great! The staff is so friendly and helpful. The wait is usually not long, even if you come at a busy time. It’s not really loud so it’s a great place to catch up with someone. It’s all very clean (including bathrooms).
I never fail to love this place. Will definitely keep coming back!

I have been here four times. One meal was «good». They over-​season and overcook EVERYTHING.
The «mexican rice» is abysmal. Not fully cooked rice that was, apparently, sprinkled with seasoning until the rice turns red.
My wife said the fish tacos were alright but my «piping hot plate» of 2 cheese enchiladas was piping hot on the edges and still cold in the middle. And it looked like they stuffed more of this terrible «mexican rice» into that as well.
You pay for all chips and salsas. Huh?
The guacamole was pretty good. The waitress was nice enough but another was passing by our table with a handful of napkins at the very moment I was spilling a soft drink. She smiled and kept walking. Nice.
TOO LOUD FOR ANY KIND OF QUIET LUNCH!!! We were there around 2 pm and it was too noisy. Imagine a lunch or dinner rush!!!
As I said, 3 out of 4 visits all all I need. Three strikes and they’re out!

I like the fireplaces in February when it’s chilly outside. I wish they served salsa with chips without charging. The guac was great. Their tacos are tasty — sometimes a little too sweet for me but everything tastes fresh and I’ve eaten there a couple times. If you like unique tacos I think you might enjoy these.

I love this place! I was shocked to see such a low rating. The portobello tacos are my favorite thing ever! The queso is delicious, and I’ve never had a bad drink here. I always sit at the bar and it’s usually very quick service.
Brunch here is also fun. The breakfast tacos are very yummy. I’ve never had a bite of anything that I didn’t like. I’m sad that it hasn’t always been great for others.

This place doesn’t deserve the low ratings. If you want something fancy then hit up one of the overpriced restaurants downtown. But if you’re just a normal person then definitely try it out! I recommend the tequila lime tacos and definitely the Philly cheesesteak tacos. Happy hour is a plus too! You absolutely cannot pass up the Mexican tots either. Yum! Margarita list is awesome too.

Great tacos (especially the Spicy Shrimp tacos), delicious tots, perfect margaritas, and swift friendly service. Could hardly ask for a better place to go out to eat any day of the week!

I wanted to love this trendy little place, but it fell very short of my expectations. The food is simply mediocre and lacks that special punch. Service staff is far from friendly and service is slow. Now I know why there was no wait for a table at high noon on a Sunday.

I’m a fan of this place, I don’t understand why the ratings were so low. I enjoyed my meal here. I had the two taco special with a side and I decided to get the portabella mushroom and spicy shrimp tacos with a side of Cuban corn. The portabella mushroom has fresh elements like the zucchini slaw and tomatoes and it had the crunch element from the fried onions and it also had a surprising creamy texture from the goat cheese. I think everything in this taco was a homerun. The spicy shrimp taco was also delicious. I would have liked a little bit more heat to the taco and less of the sweetness. It is named a spicy shrimp taco for a reason. The corn was good too, liked the charred side with the cojita cheese. There are a lot of tacos on the list that caught my eye that may be calling my name back for a second meal.
Came back a second time and ordered the smoked brisket and Philly cheesesteak. Incredible food!!! Third meal this week maybe?

Stingiest Mexican restaurant I have ever been to. Awful. Fajitas had (I counted) six small pieces of steak. Enough for one fajita. Incredibly disappointing. Not going to make it in Brentwood. And I’ve traveled many times to Mexico… this place wouldn’t make it there either. Rice is dry and meat has too much grease.
The wife said the customer service and attitude was on par with the meat allocation philosophy… very little warmth with a dash of «you’re lucky we are giving you anything you spoiled annoying Brentwood people.» Even if you’re right, your fajitas are awful… I actually think even taking into consideration all the additives and crackers, I get more steak at a Taco Bell.
Next…

Old tortillas, dry rice, bad queso, and really low grade fish… What’s not to love?
PASS

Food is delicious.
Food is quick.
Food is healthy.
Service is pleasant.
Service is prompt.
Restaurant is clean.
Restaurant is lively and fun.
This is truly a great dining experience.

I love this place! INCREDIBLE specialty tacos (the southern fried is my fave!). And it’s not expensive! Make sure you get here a little before lunch and you can beat the rush!

Unique taco creations fill this place! I always go back for the buffalo chicken and Mexican influenced tator tots though. Great outdoor patio equipped with heat lamps to keep you toasty when the cocktails don’t during the cooler months too.

Wonderful food and atmosphere… the tequila lime chicken was yummo! The patio was refreshing and service was quick considering it was made to order!

Stopped in to this place night for a light dinner. The tacos offered are varied and were very good. We ordered 4 different tacos and had the guacamole with chips. All were excellent. The people were very friendly and helpful.
We will most definitely be stopping in again when we get the chance.

GOOD FOOD, LACKING CUSTOMER SERVICE
Great food (we’re regulars), but it appears they have hired Immature, inexperienced, and lacking waiting staff. We were told we should squeeze into a small two top side table at 3:45 PM when virtually all the booths and four top tables were available because there were people «flying through the doors.» Two new people entered the restaurant while we were there, and our entire section remained empty. Not the biggest deal, it’s just odd because we were never told we could not sit at a booth when we asked, even at the busiest of restaurants.

The food was nothing to rave about — I ordered the smoked salmon tacos and found them to be somewhat bland. The chips/​salsa could have used some attention as well. On the plus side, our server was very personable and kept the drinks coming. However, at about 9:00 PM they were giving us subtle hints to leave (maybe they wanted to close). The Local Taco was highly rated by my colleagues in our Nashville office, so it didn’t quite meet expectations.
I would perhaps give them another shot… maybe it was a bad night.

We were really craving mojitos and thought this place would hit the spot. It did not.
First, we sat down and ordered our drinks and an app… As we were ordering a second waitress interrupted our first waitress, claiming our table as hers. It was uncomfortable.
The second waitress took us over and did not seem pleased that we weren’t ordering a full meal.
Then the «localitos» came out. ! It tasted like they used sour mix instead of lime juice and simple syrup. It was terrible. Hard to drink.
The app we got was really good… I think it was some kind of shrimp dish. Might return to the sylvan park location but will be skipping this one.

I really wanted to like Local Taco. We stopped in on a Saturday around noon to eat on the patio. It was sunny & 85 degrees & perfect patio weather. We walked in and didn’t have to wait for a table very long. We sat out on the patio off the bar area. They’ve got two patio areas.
We ordered the corn and black bean dip with some chips. It’s two dollars for chips & a salsa. The dip was corn & black beans with some minced up onions, tomatoes & a little cilantro. It was pretty good. I skimmed the menu and decided on the buffalo chicken taco and the spicy shrimp taco. For 11 bucks you get two tacos and two sides. For my sides I picked the Mexican tots and the pinto beans.
It didn’t take but 5 minutes for our tacos to arrive after we ordered. This place must have all the food cooked ahead of time and then just plate the food. The Mexican tots are deep fried mashed potatoes with panko crumbs and chives. The chives I think burned a little when they fried them because it had a charred taste. They were also room temperature, I would’ve liked them a little warmer. The pinto beans were hot, temperature and taste. I liked them. My boyfriend got the Cuban corn which is a dollar extra over the other sides. I’m surprised they charge more for them because they literally taste like corn from a can with a little seasoning and some queso cheese on top. The corn was also room temperature.
Onto the tacos. My buffalo chicken taco was good, I wished the chicken was a little warmer but I liked the flavor and the celery inside was a good touch. The spicy shrimp itself was okay, I would’ve liked it warmer as well. The slaw was made with really BITTER cabbage. I couldn’t eat it after one bite. I ate the shrimp without it.
Overall I thought the concepts of the tacos and sides were good, but not well executed. I wished that the food tasted a little fresher. I realize these are Americanized tacos, but Taco Mamacita does it a lot better.

Decent tacos!
$ 1 off Margarita specials.

So yes… the food tastes good overall and I’m a big fan of the selection options. However presentation wise it is rather sloppy. However, the real reason why this places gets only 3 stars in my book is the utterly horrendous service and parking. If you don’t have an SUV your car runs the risk of bottoming out in its absolutely horrid parking lot. Also, good luck finding a parking spot.
The service comes and goes ALL the time — as in you can have a great day or bad day — no evenness what so ever. I have waited 30 minutes to get served before and been kindly greeted within 30 seconds.

I took a quick trip to Nashville to see Fleming & John, the greatest band ever to grace our humble biosphere and, thanks to the Music City Marathon, ended up staying in Brentwood.
After checking into my hotel, I pulled out my phone and fired up Unilocal and typed in «dinner.» One of the first things I saw was The Local Taco. It’s on!
I’m a huge fan of creative, fresh, Mexican, especially when it’s features a Baja influence. I’m also a huge fan of modern Southern cooking. The Local Taco was a no-​brainer.
It was late one beautiful Friday afternoon, and I was thrilled to see the open-​air seating and the garage doors flung open wide. I was quickly seated and decided ton three tacos with their queso cauliflower as my side – and I added chips and pico de gallo. Chips, of course, are almost mandatory.
The chips and pico were great, as one would expect. The cauliflower wasn’t my favorite, and I wished I’d tried the turnip greens or beets instead. It wasn’t bad, but it was just steamed cauliflower with queso. Maybe oven roasted, the cauliflower would have been better.
My tacos: Local BBQ, Buffalo Chicken, and Fish. Each was good. The chicken was my favorite. If the portion had been larger, the fish might have taken the title. I would have loved to have had more time and money to try more. Maybe next time I’m in town.
Oh, the cocktails looked and sounded divine. If I had been accompanied by a driver, I might have had one. Or three. Four?
The Local Taco was a nice discovery. I like it when it happens that way.