Nanataco

It’s always reassuring to dine at a restaurant that already has a ton of Unilocal reviews. Nearly 300 opinions should give you a reasonable idea of what a place is about!
I saw Nanataco while dining at the neighboring Q-​shack. I love trying Mexican places so I knew I’d be back here one day. It’s a very popular restaurant (a good sign), but unfortunately there isn’t much parking. I came here on a Tuesday night to grab some tacos and we barely found a spot to park.
There is a a rather large food and drink menu written in the chalk above the cashier. There is a special offer on tacos and craft beer on Tuesday nights, so we were lucky to stumble upon it. I chose the beef tongue, fried calamari, and duck flour tacos with a milk stout Duck Rabbit beer. In less than 10 minutes, a waitress brought my tacos along with some crisp corn chips. I’ve had their margarita before, but it wasn’t to my liking.
They also have a fridge stocked with Locopops! My favorite is the Mexican chocolate flavor.
Nanataco is a great deal for your money, so if you’re looking for food that will leave you full for the rest of the day while being on a budget, come here. The cashiers and waiters are nice and the service is usually pretty fast. They have a few large TVs that are likely to be playing major football or basketball games, so it has somewhat of a sports bar vibe. Definitely popular with college kids.

My husband and I LOVE Nanataco! Their selection of «dirty meats» separates this from other Mexican restaurants in the best way possible. I actually can’t image eating an actual beef burrito or taco now :)
Great atmosphere, very eclectic interior and exterior. Their restaurant and parking lot is quite small, so that does cause problems when they are busy. However, I would park a mile away and walk to eat this food. AND we always have leftovers. Their portions are HUGE!
Keep doing your thing, Nanataco!

Awesome tacos. Everything tastes really fresh. There is a varied self serve salsa bar. I really like the unique meats they have as taco options. I recommend the beef tongue. There is a small, but good alcohol collection. My favorite is the spicy margarita.

Pretty darn good taco place. Asked what tacos to get & was suggested the braised hog jowls, smoked duck, and the beef tongue. North Carolina-​Brewer Duck-​Rabbit Milk Stout was nice with the meal.

The food here is always delicious. I usually get a garlic beef burrito, but have tried many other things on the menu. The salsa bar is awesome, and they keep it fresh. This is definitely a lot tastier than your standard burrito chain like Chipotle or Moe’s. However, parking can be a nightmare if you come when they’re busy, and it can be quite noisy inside the restaurant.

I am horribly in love with this place!!! I have yet to try all the meats. But I’ll be back soon again and again until I have tried them all.
Kind Regards,
Mr. Happy & Full

Eating here can take a bit of patience as there isn’t much parking, but it’s worth the hassle.
The service here is quick. Even when there’s a big line you don’t have to wait too long to order. Seating turns over pretty quickly so don’t worry if the restaurant seems packed.
My favorite thing here is the duck quesadilla. I’ve never had a duck quesadilla before coming to Nanataco. They’ve managed to pair it well. My husband likes the tacos. I wouldn’t recommend the salads as they’re kind of sparse and didn’t really mesh well with the meat choices. All in all the large menu has enough variety and tasty options to make everyone happy.

Nanatacos is my favorite spot to eat tacos in Durham. They have an outdoor area that is always perfect on a nice day to sit back and drink some good margartitas or mexican beers with a delicious taco. I always get the chorizo taco and if you have room, try one of their milkshakes. The mexican chocolate is my favorite! Their salsa bar is also great, definitely try their homemade coleslaw and cucumbers. I basically eat those as sides as they are so good. They always have a specials board located near the register so keep an eye out. There is always a line here but worth trying for sure!

Swung in real quick one night this week to grab a quick dinner. Like most people I had trouble finding a place to park, despite the place not being that crowded. I decided on 3 tacos; the pork belly which was diced pretty small and pretty over cooked. The pork jowl, which was also a little hammered, and the duck, which was really good. Went with flour tortillas since I prefer those over corn (I realize it’s not authentic). The y were also a little greasy. And I mean that even taking into consideration that I was eating tacos. Not a bad place, but there’s better in the area even. I’d go back to try something else for sure.

Be ready to search for parking. Allow time. Don’t park in other lots, they tow in that area.
Now that you’ve gotten in prepare for some really great food. I can’t recommend any one item over any other, because it is all great so it depends on your mood. But to set a tone, it’s stand on a line (long if a workday at noon), order and pay at the register, hit the salsa/​condiment bar and get fill up as necessary, get your drink, then take a seat and wait for your food to come out. Oh wait, did I say get a drink? That’s only if you wimped out and went for a soft drink or water. What you should have done was order the spicy chocolate milkshake. You should have done that. Go back and do that.
Enjoy.

It was my coworkers last day at the office so we all came to Nanataco for one last lunch with her. We got there around 11:35AM which is perfect since there were only 3 people in front of us.
I decided to try the burrito bowl (I got the lunch taco special last time) and asked if I can substitute meat for more rice and beans. The guy at the counter said they can replace meat with grilled veggies, which I was perfectly fine with.
The burrito bowl came out relatively fast. For a burrito bowl, it was pretty good! The only down side is that compared to Chipotle, they don’t put as much rice in there. They do have a separate rolling cart-​like thing which holds different types of salsa from mild to really spicy. My favorite things form that cart has to be the fresh cilantro and diced onions. I took 2 of those little plastic cups of cilantro and 1 plastic cup of diced onions and generously applied them on my burrito bowl.
Worth noting that they do also provide a small side of tortilla chips with the burrito bowl. For me, the dark red salsa paired best with the tortilla chips. It wasn’t that spicy but it had a really nice smokey flavor.
The portions for my burrito bowl was definitely generous. So much that I took half of it in a to-​go box for another meal.
The restaurant has several large picnic like tables (at least 4 of them) which makes it great for large parties. Pro-​tip: definitely come early (before 11:40AM) if you want to avoid long lines.

One of my favorite Mexican restaurants in the area. Super casual. Lunch special is awesome — 2 tacos, rice, beans, chips, and a drink all for less than $ 8. Also can’t go wrong with their guacamole or margaritas!

Good pleasant seating area with lots of window. free unlimited tasty salsa. tasty food.
We go there frequently. I usually order nacho with quesso. with pork butt.

I love tacos in genera, and am a huge fan of nantacos!
They promote local food and beers and have obviously fresh ingredients. Laid back atmosphere… if only they had a bar id easily drink a few more beers. Great service and food comes out quick.
Not so impressed with their calamari… would recommend sticking to the porks.
Portions are large, overall pretty decently priced. Apps definitely don’t needed as the entrees are plenty of food.

Feeling hungry and having an hour to kill before a night event at my school, I headed to Nanataco on a weekday for an early dinner.
As others have noted, the parking situation here is interesting. There are not many places to park so I’m not sure what happens when it’s crowded. Luckily, on the day I was here I had no trouble finding a spot and I headed inside to check out the menu.
They had a variety of Mexican dishes including tacos, quesadillas, tortas and burritos. I had tried Nanataco at a friend’s party before, but this was my first time actually going to the place, so I decided to go with the taco plate so I could try three different types. They have a section of their regular meats as well as «dirty» meats (duck, lamb, beef tongue, etc). I went with two regular meats — chicken and garlic beef, as well as the pork belly (upcharge of $ 1 per taco for «dirty» meats). The plate was also served with rice, beans (pinto for me) and chips.
They have a nice salsa bar with several salsas to choose from as well as jalapenos, radishes, pickled veggies and a few other toppings. I tried three of the salsas. I wasn’t particularly crazy about any of them but I think the darker, smoky one was my favorite.
I liked all three of the tacos, my favorite was actually the garlic beef — nice, garlicky flavor and tender meat. All of the tacos came with lettuce and pico de gallo, you could add guacamole, cheese or sour cream at a small additional place.
Overall a pretty cool place with good food. I’d call this good food that seems like a good spot for kids and adults who want reasonably priced, fresh Mexican food. I’ll be back.

Here’s a tough one, Nanataco. This place has been here for ages in a little triangle shaped wedge of land at the intersection of 501 and University Drive. Beware, this place is popular and parking is tight!
Inside Nanataco you’ll find a big chalked menu with an array of tacos and Tex-​Mex favorites. There’s a ton of options when you order from proteins, tortilla, add-​ons and sides. I do a basic mix of pork and chicken. Grab a number and then go find a seat in Nanataco’s sprawling dining room
They’ve got a salsa bar which is pretty small for the space and basic. The food comes out pretty quickly along with some nacho chips and it’s time to eat. Everything I tried at Nanataco was well-​cooked and decent spiced but I felt, a bit Americanized. I wouldn’t call the food here froofy but certainly spun up a bit more gourmet. We self-​bus our trays and we’re outta here but I enjoyed my first visit to Nanataco. Besides the parking, it was a worthwhile visit…

Stopped into Nanataco last night for a quick dinner before heading to DPAC. It’s a fast casual joint offering tacos, burritos, tortas etc. What make it stand out from other similar Mexican places in town is the selection of fillings including dirty meats, tuna, and fried oysters to name a few.
I ordered the tuna tacos and fish tacos with my BF, both were served with chips, beans and rice. I loved the selection on the salsa bar there were some unique finds like radishes, and spicy cucumbers. However I have to say Chubby’s definitely beats them when it comes to salsa.
We were able to grab a sweet table out on the patio which was really nice. They had $ 1 off craft beers on Tuesdays with a nice selection of bottles. The food came out quickly and we dived right in.
The food was ok but nothing special, both of the tacos were pretty tasteless and needed some seasoning. The salsa bar definitely comes in handy for seasoning but if I needed all that I would have just ordered a veggie taco. I like my tuna rare to med rare and this was well done so it wasn’t very good. The beans were the highlight of the meal to be honest. The staff was friendly and I liked the environment. If I was in the area and needed a quick meal I’d stop by again and try something new.

Lunch special is 11am-​3pm. 2 tacos that include lettuce, salsa, rice, choice of beans (I went with black beans), meat (I had chili rubbed pork butt and slow cooked garlic beef), plus choice of soft drink or iced tea. Should have been $ 7 for the entire meal (it even says so on the giant menu next to the cashier), but I was overcharged, AND I didn’t even upgrade my meat — what gives??! That’s strike one already.
Strike two: It has the fast food ambience, but the food doesn’t come out fast.
The food itself is good. Meat is juicy and tender. Tons of filling. Great portion overall. Unexpectedly comes with guacamole (and no, this shouldn’t be the reason I was overcharged because 1) I didn’t ask for it and 2) my friends didn’t get charged extra for the guac).
Came here at opening (11am) on a weekday, and a line began to form very quickly. It’s located right next to Q Shack, so if you don’t want to wait, you can always walk over next door. Limited parking. There’s a restaurant called Nana’s located nearby, but these 2 are NOT to be confused. Nana’s is far more fancy and extravagant. You’ll receive quality, pricy food there. Nanataco is similar to Chipotle, except Chipotle is far better, hands down.

Hi there Nanataco, you have a wide variety of meats here that can be incorporated in your tacos and that is great! I was able to come here with a few friends from the area and I was not disappointed one bit.
The interior is nice and has a little Mexican feel to it and once you come in you can see the large menu and order at the registers. If you choose to customize you are offered to pick whether it is a taco (you get three), burrito, quesadilla, or torta. Then, you are able to choose your meat, and this place has a wide variety of their regular means, which include port, beef, chicken and chicken liver, along with fish and fried calamari, and even vegetarian options of just veggies or sauteed Spinach and Mushrooms. What is a nice touch is that you can also choose «Dirty Meats» for an extra 75 cents, Meats that are included in this menu include Beef Tongue, Hog Jowels (Cheek), Lamb Cheeks, Spicy Chorizo, Duck, and Fried Pork Belly.
I decided to get the taco special so I can choose different meats and I chose all «Dirty Meats» which included Beef Tongue, Spicy Chorizo, and Fried Pork Belly. My favorite one was the Beef Tongue, and I still thoroughly enjoyed my other choices. What is also nice is that they have a little salsa bar to get some complementary salsa and condiments. I got some of the hot salsas which were a nice touch to my tacos.
This place also offers beer, margaritas, and milk shakes to choose from to ensure you have a good complement to your meal.
I will definitely come back to try more of their «Dirty Meats»!!

Before I get into my review, there is one thing you MUST do when you come here. And that is, you MUSTTT eat their spicy jicama coleslaw from the salsa bar. I am obsessed and it is just delicious! What a smart way to use jicama. It goes great topped on to a burrito or taco. What’s even better is that since it’s in the salsa bar, go ahead and spoon heapfuls of that on to your plate ;) (jk not heapfuls, leave some for the others).
I got the chicken rotisserie burrito and it was only 50 cents to add on guacamole. unheard of! Of course I added it. The burrito was giant and the size of my forearm and weighed a few pounds. It was stuffed with rice, chicken, cheese, beans, guac. Adding some jicama ‘slaw to each bite just seals the deal… deeelicious!
The guy at the counter taking orders was super friendly, it’s super clean inside, and the salsa bar is awesome. You definitely get your $$ worth and I love that they have something different at their salsa bar (can you tell I’m really into the salsa bar). Definitely one of my go to spots for some good Mexican food. I also appreciated that they had legitimate vegetarian options like spinach/​mushroom or grilled veggies. Jicama slaw, I’ll be back for you!