Take your favorite local Mexican spot and then combine it with a trendy new cocktail lounge – you get Nada.
Nada is a relatively newer taco and cocktail joint downtown that opened in 2016. It is located at 11 W. Maryland St., just steps away from the Circle Centre Mall. I am never one to turn down a taco night, so I was ecstatic to try this place out for dinner last week.
As always we started with drinks, and Nada’s cocktail menu definitely delivered. I typically crave tequila with Mexican food, and they offer a variety of margarita choices including the Nadarita, Suprema, Chile Mango and a Paloma. I also noticed some other authentic spirits on the list such as mezcal and cachaca.
I tried out the Suprema Margarita, which is made up of maestro dobel, house curacao, fresh lime, agave and a salted rim. I’m typically picky about margaritas because of how sweet they can be, but this one was the perfect balance!
We also tried the Ol’ Formado, which is essentially their take on an old fashioned and it includes anejo, rye, luxardo syrup, bitters and mezcal.
As far as appetizers go, Nada reaches beyond your typical chips and salsa option. They include a variety of salsa choices in a trio, along with guacamole, chicken tortilla soup, Mexican poutine, and their famous mac & cheese. The real game changer here though is the “Build-Your-Own-Queso.” You heard that right.
You can choose from toppings like avocado, salsa, braised pork, grilled chicken, peppers, and more. We customized ours with braised chorizo and chicken, avocado and peppers, and let me tell you it was the BEST queso I have ever had. Definitely do not leave Nada without building your own.
For dinner we obviously had to go with tacos since they’re Nada’s specialty. We tried the Al Pastor (chile-marinated pork, onion, cilantro and pickled pineapple) and the Crispy Pork Belly (pork, guacamole, pepper, onion, salsa and cilantro). You can also add an egg to any taco, which I highly recommend on the Crispy Pork Belly ones!
The service from start to finish was phenomenal, so much that our waiter even brought over some brand new menu items for us to try out. The new “Tiki Tempest” cocktail literally tastes like a gummy bear, and it is DELICIOUS.
We also tried their new “Hot Chicken Sliders” that just launched, and these may have actually been my favorite part of the meal!
Nada’s upscale atmosphere combined with it’s Mexican influence has quickly made it one of my favorite spots for dinner downtown, and it’s definitely my top choice for tacos, hands down. Overall our dining experience here was fantastic, and we’ll definitely be back!
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