James Beard Award-Nominated Chef to Open Taco Bamba in Green Hills | Eater Nashville

"I learned that chef Victor Albisu, a James Beard Award–nominated chef who competed on Beat Bobby Flay and served as a guest judge on Hell's Kitchen, is opening the thirteenth location of his humble taqueria, Taco Bamba, in Hill Center Green Hills at 4017 Hillsboro Pike — the brand’s first in Tennessee. What began when Rosa Susinski’s mom suggested a sandwich shop and Albisu blurted 'let's just do tacos' has grown from a takeout taqueria in Falls Church into a 2,800-square-foot, fast-casual space in Nashville with a seasonal patio and full-service bar. The Nashville outpost keeps Taco Bamba’s signature black-and-red motif but leans into music-city touches with Taco Bamba–themed record-company logos, a 'Lucky 13' mural, and merch, and it will serve Nashville-only items like the Jolena (cornmeal-crusted catfish, agave lime slaw, chipotle-spiced ranch, and pickled corn salad), the Broken Holas (Tennessee whiskey barbecue pork carnitas, potato salad, chipotle mustard, and tobacco onions), and the El Pimento Empanada (molten pimento cheese and roasted jalapeño), plus the Sharp Dressed Hombre (slow-roasted brisket cooked in Billy Gibbons and Tim Montana’s Whisker Bomb hot sauce, topped with pepitas, sweet-and-spicy slaw, citrus onion, and pickled jalapeño) as a nod to Billy Gibbons. There’s a full bar program with agave-forward cocktails such as the Old Yella (mezcal, bourbon, passion fruit liqueur, pineapple Jarrito, and chocolate mole bitters), and to celebrate the March 12 opening the first 100 customers will get limited-edition coffee tumblers and 'golden tickets' redeemable for prizes while 20 customers will win a taco a week for a year; Albisu says he hopes guests 'feel our real love for this city' and that Taco Bamba becomes part of Nashville’s overall sound." - Jackie Gutierrez-Jones