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

Tacos weren’t the first thing that came to mind when Rosa Susinski was deciding what to do with the space next to her market in Falls Church, Virginia.

“When my mom asked me what I wanted to do in that store — she wanted to do a sandwich shop — ‘let’s just do tacos’ kind of fell out of my mouth,” says chef Victor Albisu, a James Beard Award-nominated chef who’s competed on Beat Bobby Flay and served as a guest judge on Hell’s Kitchen. “She was puzzled. I was puzzled. But we did it anyway.”

Jonathan Timmes

Eleven years later, Albisu is on the verge of opening the thirteenth location of his humble taqueria — and the first in Tennessee. Taco Bamba is slated to open within Hill Center Green Hills at 4017 Hillsboro Pike at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, March 12.

Taco Bamba initially started as a takeout taqueria, a distinct departure from Albisu’s turn as a culinary diplomat during the Obama administration and the owner and chef of Del Campo, an upscale South American grill in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of D.C.

But the gamble paid off. Within three years, the taqueria had expanded to several new locations, including many with sit-down service.

Albisu credits Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top for luring him to Nashville. After a shout-out at a concert, Gibbons and Albisu became friends, and it wasn’t long before Gibbons was courting him to open a location in Green Hills. “It’s all his fault that we’re here,” Albisu jokes. However, he emphasized his belief that the area will be a successful move for the brand. “We always say that we want to be in places where the brand could have been born. And I believe that Nashville really represents that.”

Each Taco Bamba is fashioned after the city it calls home, adopting decor, art, and ingredients that reflect the region. In Nashville’s case, that means a 2,800-square-foot space that reflects the brand’s signature black-and-red design motif but with a music-heavy influence in the form of Taco Bamba-themed record company logos emblazoned on hats and T-shirts, and a “Lucky 13” mural in a nod to Music City’s place in the Taco Bamba line up.

The fast-casual space, which features a seasonal patio and a full-service bar, will serve unique-to-Nashville items and flavors, like the Jolena, a taco with cornmeal-crusted catfish, agave lime slaw, chipotle-spiced ranch, and a pickled corn salad. Another taco, the Broken Holas, features Tennessee whiskey barbecue pork carnitas, potato salad, chipotle mustard, and tobacco onions. And the El Pimento Empanada comes stuffed with molten pimento cheese and roasted jalapeño.

Greg Powers

Greg Powers

Naturally, there’s a shout-out back to Gibbons as well, with the Sharp Dressed Hombre — a taco with slow-roasted brisket cooked in Billy Gibbons and Tim Montana’s Whisker Bomb hot sauce, which comes dressed with pepitas, sweet and spicy slaw, citrus onion, and pickled jalapeño.

Taco Bamba also has a full bar program, with agave-based cocktails like the Old Yella, a smoky blend of mezcal, bourbon, passion fruit liquor, pineapple Jarrito, and chocolate mole bitters.

Greg Powers

Greg Powers

When the restaurant opens on March 12, the first 100 customers will receive complimentary limited-edition coffee tumblers and a “golden ticket” redeemable for gifts ranging from free menu items and mezcal to T-shirts and hats. Twenty customers will receive a taco a week for a year.

But Albisu hopes they walk away with something more than that. “I hope they feel our real love for this city,” he says. “I want to be a part of the overall sound of the scene. And I’m just humble and grateful for the opportunity to do that.”