Nanataco

4 out of 5 stars

Nanataco (@nanatacodurham), brought to us by the owner of Nana’s, Scott Howell, has recently opened in Durham on University Drive by Q-Shack. I stopped in with some colleagues to check it out and we were very glad we did.


The lunch special is $6.50, and you get two tacos along with beans and rice. It’s a reasonable price for super-fresh tacos (corn or flour) with a toppings bar to go along with it. I couldn’t pass up trying three different tacos for $6.50 and then adding a side of pinto beans. I tried the beef, house-made chorizo, and dry-rubbed pork. All were delicious but I have to say the chorizo really wowed me the most. Great savory flavor, not too spicy but delicious. Both the pinto and the black beans were underwhelming, a little undercooked and bland. Salsas were tasty but none of them were particularly spicy, which was a little let down for the chile heads of the bunch. Also be warned that these tacos don’t come with cheese on top. They don’t need it but if you’re expecting it you may want to order a side of sour cream to go with your order.
[portfolio_slideshow include=”1840,1841,1842,1843″]
Nanataco has a great selection of meats to choose from: chili rubbed pork butt, rotisserie chicken, chorizo, garlic slow cooked beef, braised beef tongue, grilled veggies, fish. And then there are the “dirty meats” as they call them which cost $2 more: braised hog jowls, duck confit, lamb cheeks, crispy pork belly. I had flour tortillas but I hear that the corn are amazing and taste homemade.

Nanataco also has $5 margaritas all day every day. It sounds like a great happy hour plan to come here for some margaritas and a little queso fundido and sit out on the sunny patio.