The Gallatin Mexican Restaurant Tour

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Mi Nopal
134 West Eastland
Gallatin
615-206-0848



El Amigo Taqueria
East Eastland just off North Water and Broadway
Gallatin

Taqueria la Herradura
321 W. Main Street
Gallatin
615-452-2905

The growing Hispanic population in Sumner County is providing new eating adventures. I usually don’t review Gallatin restaurants because it’s 30 minutes northeast of Nashville, but if you’re up in the area there are some really good Mexican food options. So here is a brief tour of Gallatin Mexican restaurants.

La Herradura used to be a taco stand at the West Main and East Main split. It looked like they closed up shop, but really they just moved into a building next to the old taco truck location. That’s good news because the tortas here rock. Creamy frijoles, fresh avocado, thick slices of Mexican cheese, grilled onions, lettuce and tomato are the accompaniment to whatever meat you choose. The Al Pastor is rich and well seasoned. The whole thing is put on a flat wide bun and then thrown on the grill where it all melts together. This is a damn fine sandwich. It’s probably one of the best tortas in Middle Tennessee. They serve up a variety of versions, including a Torta Loca with ham, queso, salsa and egg. They all come served with a thick pickled pepper that adds a little bite when you want it. La Herradura also has huaraches, which I believe are stuffed cactus petals or nopales, something I’ll have to sample soon. On previous visits I’ve sampled tacos, which were okay, but a little dry. You can wash it all down with bottles of cold Mexican Coke. Mexican coke is made with sugar rather than corn sweetener. The result is a smoother and sweeter treat, with less bite than traditional American Coke.

The new store location for La Herradura is just coming together. They’ve only been in there for three weeks. It’s a family run place where the kids giggle as they help to wipe down the tables and end up chasing each other around the restaurant. It’s certainly feels like a visit to someone’s home, and well worth the visit for those tortas.

Veggie Eater: Since the beginning of this permanent restaurant location is a taco truck, the menu is limited in keeping with street food tradition. The folks were able to understand “vegetarian” and after a few moments of negotiations, we settled on the huaraches. I’ve never had one before and was happy with my choice. It consists of a homemade masa base; it is somewhat thick and appears to be pan fried so that crispiness envelops a moist interior. It then is spread with a thin paste of beans, topped generously with lettuce, tomatoes, and queso fresco. It would appear their salsas are fresh; the green sauce seemed to be tomatillo based; tangy and a bit of heat. The red sauce had some smokiness to it and also subtle heat. Both were wonderful and made great toppings to the huaraches. Going to mom and pop places forces me to deviate from my standard fare (enchiladas, rellenos) and I was pleased with this deviation.

Meat Eater: El Amigo Taqueria is a taco truck that sits on a side street just off Broadway in Gallatin. They have a limited but interesting menu that includes various tripe varieties and Tacos Vampiros, which are supposed to be tacos fried to total crunchiness and shaped like a bat wing (thus the name) and then filled with meat and cheese. At least that’s what they are in Arizona, where they have become quite popular. The El Amigo version is really more of a mini-taco. I ordered up a carnitas vampiros and found succulent pork on steamed corn tortillas with cilantro, lime and a slice of turnip. They were great, but not that different from a normal taco. There’s not much English spoken at Rico’s so you never know exactly what you will get. I ordered an al pastor burrito that was great. I also sampled a chorizo taco that was quite good. The total for that order was $5. Heck, you can’t even eat at Taco Bell that cheaply and this food is about a million times better.

Our other find is Mi Nopal. It’s a full dining restaurant just off Broadway on West Eastland. They have a happy hour from 5pm to 8pm with $1.85 Negro Modelos and 85 cent drafts. Another steal is 2 for 1 margaritas all the time. It’s a nice bright interior with Soccer playing on the TVs.

The guacamole seems to have fresh mayonesa in the base. The salsa is tangy and the chips are average but warm. It’s the main courses that really stand out. Tortas are not listed on the menu, however if you ask they will appear. I ordered up a carnitas, basically a Mexican style pulled pork, and it proved to be full of flavor. Thick slices of ripe avocado top the sandwich which is big and perfectly grilled. The frijoles are creamy and come with Mexican cheese. Crema comes as a side. How did I taste these? Well, I was eating off the Veggie Eater’s plate and she was gracious enough not to stick a fork in my hand.

Veggie Eater: I ordered the chile poblano dinner. I assumed that this was a chile relleno and the waitress tried to correct me. She was able to confirm that I could order it without any meat. I’m glad I did it. The chili was not fried, thus the difference between a relleno and this. The chili pepper was stuffed with queso blanco and roasted making for a wonderfully soothing, earthy flavor. The rice, beans, and guacamole salad made a delightful accompaniment. More than enough left over for lunch the next day.

Meat Eater: It’s always good to ask what else might be available at a Mexican place. Often they cook things up for the regulars that don’t make the menu. I didn’t get the total on the bill this time out but it’s quite reasonably priced and a fun stop for lunch. Gallatin is a good weekend road trip. You can stop by the Sumner County Historical Museum at 183 West Main Street (did you know Gallatin had one of the first race tracks in Tennessee and Andrew Jackson used to race horses there?) visit the quaint downtown square and tour Rosemont, a beautiful old 18030’s plantation house at 810 S. Water. If tourists want to get out of Nashville you could combine this trip with a stop in Hendersonville to visit Johnny Cash places. Okay, I’ll stop being all Visitors and Convention Bureau. But here is their website: http://www.sumnercountytourism.com/