Located behind Shell gas station…read more
This food truck provides the best Mexican food in greater Nashville area. When I moved here from soCal 3 years ago, I constantly craved quality Mexican food that was plentiful back home. My two Mexican classmates (one from East LA and other from Fullerton) and I spent so much time and money looking for decent Mexican food in Nashville.
After 6-8 months, we gave up on actual restaurant establishments throughout Nashville. They all catered to non-Hispanic clientele, substituted quality by slabbing beans and/or cheese, or were regularly devoid of customers overall (for good reason). Instead, the three of us tried EVERY Mexican food truck that we came across over the last three years. We were very religious about this. If one of us spot a Mexican food truck, we'd take note of the intersection and made sure we'd try it before the end of the week. I've eaten well over a dozen or two Mexican food trucks in Nashville over the years. One truck(s) came out consistently on top: Taqueria Express. I have two soCal Mexican friends to back that up (one of them surprisingly cooks very well).
Even if several of these trucks populate the same block or two on Harding, Taqueria Express always had considerably more Hispanic customers. Even while waiting for my order, at least two or three cars would drive up, park, and place orders. This does not happen at other Mexican food trucks and I don't blame them: they're not as good as Taqueria Express.
I'll be honest in stating that I've been disappointed by the rave reviews that a number of Mexican restaurant establishments have received on Yelp. That's why when it comes to ethnic foods in Nashville, I trust the crowding of ethnic customers more so than high scores on Yelp (ie Seoul Garden). Taqueria Express is another great example.
Don't get me wrong, a few other Mexican food trucks will provide an item or two that will top Taqueria Express. Some tacos will be better found elsewhere, depending on your personal preference on the ratio and balance of various ingredients. But as a whole, the meats are more flavorful, more juicy, and remind me of the food I've eaten within 1 hour from the Mexican border.
My personal favorite meats at Taqueria Express, in this exact order: 1 pollo (chicken), 2 pastor (spicy pork), and 3 beef (carne asada). I personally like the quesadillas, mulitas, sopes, and burritos.
This is where my confusion lies. There are a small number of food trucks in Nashville called "Taqueria Express". With my limited Spanish (and their limited English), the employees have stated that these "Taqueria Express" trucks are from the same company. I'm not sure if they're all owned by one person who licenses out these trucks, if they're distributed as a franchise, or are jointly operated by the Mexican Mafia. If you look at the city licenses taped on each of these trucks, they're all registered with a slightly different name, address, or person. Yet the menu items are identical, the menu pictures are identical, the prices are similar, and if you ask the people who work there, they say they share the same recipes and ownership.
I've asked each truck how many trucks are under the "Taqueria Express" company (my classmates have asked them in Spanish as well). Each truck has given a different number, whether it's 5, 6, 7, or 8, all in the greater Nashville area. My classmates and I have located, pinpointed, and eaten at exactly four of these Taqueria Express trucks. We have searched high and low for the remaining 1, 2, 3, or 4 trucks (your guess is good as mine). I'll post reviews of the three remaining Taqueria Express trucks (that I've found) on Yelp as well... I hope the Yelp gods and goddesses don't mind me copying and pasting since their food items are almost identical. ;-)
I'm so happy to post this review--now I can finally check-in at Taqueria Express several times per week. I love the chicken quesadilla. Be warned though: a number of the non-English speaking customers will hand you their odd business cards for who knows what. I've collected a stack of business cards from other Mexican customers over the last 3 years. I have no idea what these businesses do. I don't speak enough Spanish and they don't speak enough English to explain to me what that's all about.
