Nacho Mama’s

Go. To this restaurant. Now. Do not stop to read more reviews, good OR bad. Go immediately. It is amazing. If you insist on my opinion, obviously, I think this place is great. I am hooked on the chimichanga, and the quesadillas that my girlfriend gets are just as delicious. Seriously delicious food, awesome (kind of smokey?) salsa, free beer, live music some nights, and nice staff.
Guys, this is real tex mex (maybe just mex!). It is what it is. Don’t expect delicate high class dining here. Don’t expect some sort of gastronomic experiment (although there are some interesting features on the menu!) like liquid steak or something stupid like that. This food is real. Its got authentic hole in the wall charm. Its what places Tijuana Flats try so hard to be and fail, so go get the real thing.

I’ve been holding off from writing a review for this establishment because the two times that I’ve been to Nacho Mama’s I had totally different experiences and I thought that my third visit would determine how I really feel but I just can’t find the motivation to go back after my last visit.
The first time we went it was amazing. The food was just so flavorful and delicious! The owner and his sweet mother came out and we then learned that she had prepared the food; it was really great. The only con from that initial visit was that we tried the famous «free beer» and it just. it was bad. I’ve had bud light before and this was worse but then again it’s free so no harm done. We were so impressed with the food and service that we came back again the following week and that’s when things took a turn for the worse.
We wanted to eat the same thing we had the week before which was the taco bowl but instead we got something that resembled a taco salad which is fine, whatever; but while I was eating, my fork brought up a huge piece of soggy skin and cut up bone, as if they had cut off the end piece of a drumstick with the flap of skin still on it and threw it in there. That grossed me out so badly that I immediately pushed the plate away and didn’t eat anything else. It was probably an accident I know, but it traumatized me, and every time I think of Nacho Mama’s I think back on that huge piece of soggy skin and bone rolling around in my salad.

I can’t get enough of this place. I’ve loved it for quite some time, but it seems like the last few visits have been even more exceptional. They seem to be changing up the menu with some frequency, introducing items that might only be available for a little while. I’m always intrigued when a restaurant decides to get all experimental, and when it’s a restaurant like Nacho Mama’s, I’ll be your guinea pig any day.
One visit required that I maneuver my car around a gigantic (bigger than the car) smoker sitting out front in the parking lot. Why? «I wanted to offer some BBQ on the menu today. We can make you a smoked brisket burrito, if you like!»
Yes! I like!
Our most recent visit saw two burritos on the menu that I had not seen before — a Teriyaki Chicken burrito, and a Pork Bulgogi burrito (insert angel sounds here). I tried them both, but the real star was the bulgogi. It was truly a thing of beauty. Keeping in mind that a burrito at Nacho Mama’s is approximately 14 lbs, I still managed to eat the whole thing. I just couldn’t stop. I’ll even go so far as to say this (and if you don’t know what I’m talking about, just know it’s truly high praise): the pork bulgogi burrito is a Tako Cheena class burrito.
I know that the menu is changing often, so I’m not sure if that burrito will even be there the next time I go. Part of me hopes it will be, but part of me also hopes it won’t be – because if it’s there, I don’t know if I’d have the strength to order anything else!

Free #Beer! That’s right, the food here is so bad that they lure people in with the promise of free beer. They claim its Bud Light, but it didn’t taste quite right to me.
The food is clearly microwaved as it comes out as if it just exited the fiery inferno of hell. Good thing there is free beer to cool me down!
My server was high, and I don’t mean she just smoked a joint high. I mean, I don’t know how she was able to stay on her feet high. In fact, she barely could. She knew nothing about the menu (which consists of only a few items), she didn’t put our order in correctly, and she almost fell asleep on her way from our table to the kitchen.
If you are gonna brave this place, eat first and just order some nachos and enjoy some free beer.

Another great Mexican place to add to my list! I can’t believe I’ve never been here before. They serve burritos the size of my first born child. Huge! The burrito, which I had them pour queso cheese all over, was excellent, plenty of flavor with a little bit of a kick to it.
The beer is free along with your meal, think it was a Budweiser product, or you can bring in your own. A group of us went and all the food that was served looked delicious. I didn’t hear any complaints about at all.
Arrangements were made ahead of time for the group we were bringing in, so there was plenty of wait staff to take care of us.
It’s a great little place that you will miss if not paying attention while driving. Especially at night (don’t ask how I know this) .
Definitely a place worth trying, I will be going back.

Nacho Mama’s is awesome– I’m so glad I came here!
I went with a couple of my friends during our weekly dinner. It was all our first time being at Nacho Mama. The restaraunt itself had various cowboy’isque décor and honestly it was pretty odd. But man, the food was great!
I had a couple of different street tacos; Pork, white fish, shrimp, and one that had a bunch of different stuff in it. All very delicious. My sig other had a giant burrito. When I said giant, that is no exageration. That thing was huge!
Service was excellent also. The lady who served (I think was the owner?) was awesome and always checked up on us. She was wearing a Gator’s shirt and one of my friends mentioned it. She then told us her nephew played on the Gators. She went out to the back room and returned to show us pictures of her nephew and her family. You can definitely tell she was proud. it was definitely sweet and it personalized our visit more.
I’m sure everyone already knows, but Nacho Mama’s has complimentary beer with your meal. They only have Bud Light, but regardless, it’s still free :) *thumbs up*

After reading the positive reviews on Unilocal,I figured I would give this place a try for dinner. We pulled into the parking lot at 6:30 on a Friday night and this place was empty. Besides the waitress and a guy playing guitar, my husband and I were the only people inside. This made me a little nervous, but I remember reading some other reviews that mentioned this. I am so glad we gave it a try though because the food was excellent!
We started off with the chips and salsa, and the salsa was probably the best salsa I have had at any of the Mexican restaurants around here. My husband ordered the beef enchiladas while I searched for some vegetarian friendly options on the menu. There were two. taco or burrito. I was kinda disappointed there wasn’t a larger selection. I ended up ordering the fajitas without the meat. The fajitas came with onions, peppers, and zucchini. They also came with rice and re fried beans. Usually I am not a huge fan of the rice that comes with the beans, but this stuff I couldn’t get enough of! It was seasoned so well. The beans were also delicious. I also forget to mention they have free beer. As much free beer as you want. Did I know what I was drinking? No. Was it the coldest beer I ever had? No. (They keep it in pitchers on the counters) Did I really care though since it was free? No.
This review would have been five stars. but there were just two things that held me back from that. I am use to having the chips and salsa for free. When the server came and brought us some I wasn’t expecting to see a $ 3.00 charge on the bill. Also, my meatless fajitas ended up being the same price as the ones with meat. Even so, the meal was worth every penny!

Want a cheap Mexican place to eat and that has FREE BUD LIGHT ALL DAY!!? This is that place!
$ 2-​$ 3 dollars for a street taco. I can usually not eat more than 2 to 3 max.
(((Tuesdays are half off tacos!!)))
I always tend to go around 2 – 3 in the afternoons and the place is empty which is great because the service is on point and the chef comes out to say hi and brought us a sample of the special. Last time it was tamales! Unlike any I’ve ever had. They had enchilada sauce infused and stuffed with pork! Delicious!
All the portions are large and have a lot of flavor! My friends had the burrito and seafood fajita and they loved them as well.
The place looks like a dive bar. I guess you have to like that. I do. :)

It was a tough night for this place. It was the waitress’ first night and she was thrown to the wolves. Poor thing. The place was full (or almost0. She was the only waitress, while the guy was in the back cooking. I think it must have been her first serving job too because she was drowning.
We were patient. In no rush but asking for anything seemed to through her off. So we went without a lot of things because we didn’t want to add to her distress.
I got the street tacos. They are small on a corn tortilla. I got a chicken, a fish and a pork one. The fish was the best one. The other two were not the best. The pork was bland and the chicken a little dried out.
I hear good things about this place but it wasn’t up to snuff that night.

Real Mexican spot that has a lot of love to give. However, on my visit this week it was a bit lack luster. With so many people loving it and all my friends telling me to go, I had high hopes.
There were a few things working against them this evening I believe though so let me get them out of the way. We had a large group of 9. There was only one waitress for the entire place and it was her first night. Their process of ordering isn’t that great, the waitress has to use pen/​paper and then when cashing out, she has to look up the prices on the menu. Hmmmmm. There has got to be a better way. They do accept cards on Square tho. It’s a bit hard to find as well as it’s at 436 under the 50 pass so it’s not very clear when you are driving on 50.
Free Bud Light. Yes, if you are a beer fan and like bud light (heck even if you don’t, it’s free) this is a great incentive to stop in.
For my meal I went with the guac to start, can’t hit up a Mexican spot and not get guac, am I right? It actually came out after my first dish so that was a little weird, and I had to request chips because our basket was gone before the guac arrived. It was very smooth but the overall flavor was lacking. Also, the complimentary salsa is very watery. I am more of a chunky girl. (insert weight joke here)
Cheese quesadilla with ground beef. LOVED! It is huge. It took up the entire plate. It was full of beef and cheese, no skimping here and it was full of flavor. I would def order this again.
Went with a corn taco too. Chose the pastor however, just like Keith H reports, it was overcooked, and completely dried out and over charred. I was disappointed. The added pineapple was a nice addition and added the only thing that I liked to it. In the future I may give this another try on a more smooth night.
I have heard nothing but good things about the owner so I will def be back to give you guys more tries. Just sad it didn’t pan out on this visit.

Last night we held our weekly Taco Tuesday gathering at Nacho Mama’s. It had been months since our last visit and had promised the owner a return.
Its a hidden little place on the north side of Colonial, just west of 436. If you’re on colonial, you’ll pass it if you take the new over pass they did for that intersection. At night we had a hard time finding it from the lack of a lit sign. The owner has recently added outdoor seating and spruced up the décor, compared to what it was. I strongly suggest checking your seat cushion before sitting down. several were loose and mine was to the point I could easily slip off the metal frame if I turned the wrong way.
I see a review about the temperature of the establishment being hotter than desired, i would have to agree. Last night the place was busy, full, but the number of bodies vs air space should not have resulted in those higher temps.
It was our waitress’ first night, so i’m reluctant to give her bad points for the slow service, mixed up orders and over all excessive wait times. However, the manner in which she took the orders should be a better process that is controlled and taught by management. Just blank sheets of paper is tough for anyone to keep track of, especially when you have a party of more than 2 couples.
With the chef helping to deliver food and drinks, they gave it their best and were working as fast as they could.
On to the food. I see so many reviews of awesome dishes, friends have raved about this place and on my second visit i’m saddened. I can’t seem to find this hidden pot of gold that so many of you have found! For Taco Tuesday, I’m showing up for one type of food (mainly), TACOS! While I prefer the authentic, which are labelled «street tacos» on the menu, my son can’t get away from his love for «american style» tacos.
After talking with the friends that joined us, looking over the food, I have a few opinions. The veggie selection, with grilled squash looked really tasty! I heard the fish was decent and the shrimp taco was ok. My son loved the american style beef taco. The word on the chicken enchiladas was, «they were good».
I ordered the shredded pork, pastor, beef and brisket tacos on corn tortillas. As they came out, I immediately noticed how small the corn tortillas were. First off, this isn’t my first rodeo, i know corn tortillas are smaller than flour. Second, these are the smallest corn tortillas ive seen served at any restaurant that i’ve been to for Taco Tuesday. Roughly the size of your palm. So, when they come out covered in meat you think you’ve got plenty, but the tortilla size is misleading.
The pastor was overcooked, dried out and quite over charred. The added pineapple was tasty though. The shredded pork looked moist, but lacked flavor. The beef was ok… just ok. The brisket had flavor and was pretty good, but the addition of queso on it threw me off. I think it would be better with just onions and cilantro. let the meat be meat and have its flavor. Which leads me to the queso.
White in color, white in flavor. meaning bland. throw some spices and flavors in the there, pepper, something. Just give it something more than just a cheese flavor.
The chef did bring out some fried tortillas, sprinkled with cinnamon/​sugar with a cream cheese icing on top. It looked and smelled good, I did not have any but others said it was good.
The free budlight seems watered down even for budlight. Its in pitchers and I noticed left out in a warm room for a while.
The owner is a good guy and it seems like bad waitresses plague his business. My review is nothing personal, all focused on the business. I know owners pour a lot of time/​effort, sweat and tears into a business. I hope he can make a few adjustments to bring in the customers.

Nice little place tucked away at the almost corner of E Colonial Dr and 436, in the shadow of the new flyover. The small space inside offers room for a larger group when you put the front tables together. Our Taco Tuesday group had plenty of space. There was also seating outside on the new porch/​deck area.
Taco Tuesday had Hubby ordering the brisket tacos, which he thought were good. Next time, he’d omit the queso cheese and ask for some of the fresh pico. The meat was tender and the platter was filling for him. Black beans were much tastier than the regular refried beans. I tried the Mexican street tacos (ala carte) in Shrimp, fish and also a veggie taco. The fish was seasoned nicely and cooked well. The shrimp taco was good, nice portion of shrimp on the tacos ($ 3) but the flavors didn’t pop. The veggie taco was the stand out– grilled and smokey, great fresh veggies on a flour tortilla. Add some cheese and you have a perfect veg taco!
The queso app was meh. The cheese was processed so not what I was expecting. The chips and salsa were good, both made in house which was a nice touch. They offer free Bud Light, which was refilled. Service was spotty, but the server we had was overwhelmed as it was her first night and we were a party of 9. The owner did a fly by with complimentary cinnamon chips, which were very tasty and much appreciated by all who sampled.

Today was my first time in Nacho Mama’s and it won’t be the last! It is under the 436 overpass, so easy to miss… and don’t let the appearance fool you. Wonderful, homemade everything. I had the smothered and rolled beef brisket tacos. My man had the chicken burrito. Oh, and the homemade guac, chips and salsa. It was all so flavorful and fresh. Oh yeah, and the FREE BEER… duh! The owner is really nice too.
All in all, this place is a serious score and I can’t wait to go back and bring my friends.

Out of the way place that requires a bit of trickery if you’re coming from downtown — basically, take the colonial drive overpass (over 436) then make a U-​turn, stay in the lane that says SR 50 West. Nacho Mamas is on the right, and parking is minimal, but I have only been on weekdays so it shouldn’t be a problem. (I hear that weekends is very popular).
The food is very good Mexican style, and the portions are plentiful. I ordered the X-​tra Big Chicken Burrito, which was big enough to share between two people. I was very satisfied with it. My friends order stuff that’s not even on the menu, and they cook it up, no problems. The chips and salsa are tasty, too.
The bonus, of course, is that this little out of the way joint serves up free beer with your meal. Hey, it’s not the greatest beer in the world but it won’t cost you a dime. Nacho Mama’s is worth checking out.

Free Beer all day everyday was the first thing our server said.
This place was amazing! The server recommended any menu item with brisket which proved to be awesome. I got the rolled tacos (smothered) which was delicious! Loved the fresh toppings too. My only complaint is it looks kind of scary on the outside and the indoor décor is a little off. The important thing is that everything at least seemed clean.
We will be back soon to try out the Mexican style breakfast.

Best Mexican in Orlando, hands down. There’s nothing particularly out of the ordinary about it– just great ingredients prepared well. Sometimes, you don’t have to break what isn’t broken.
The food is ridiculously cheap for how good it is, and there is an option on the menu for everyone. If it isn’t on the menu, odds are they’ll find a way to make it for you.
Largest drawback is it’s a tiny little place that’s very easy to just drive by and never notice. I’ve passed it for over a year almost every day and was blown away that this gem had been right under my nose.

Just like the other reviews say. this place is good, but a bit hard to find if you have not been before. It is basically located right past the overpass on the right hand side on E Colonial. the problem is you can’t get to it, unless you bear left where the sign says 436. Bottom line, DO NOT go over the overpass.
Now to the restaurant itself. I am not sure why this place is not slammed… They have great, friendly service, pretty unique different décor, and unbelievable huge portions of food.
I really enjoyed my rolled shredded chicken tacos and plentiful basket of chips and salsa. I was stuffed. For $ 9 you get 5 rolled tacos (think taquito, but awesome and fresh). i also got the hot salsa for my chips. Oh mama, this is way better than most places that just add hot sauce to the existing salsa. This has an entirely different taste, and is actually hot.
The one thing I would suggest is some background music…

Free as in beer! Yep, free beer. As the menu says, ALWAYS free beer. Free beer in the morning, free beer in the evening, free beer at suppertime. They open early in the morning and you can get breakfast tacos and free beer. (Early start to a Sunday Funday anyone?) What kind of free beer was it? I’m not sure. Domestic something. Beggars can’t be choosers especially when it was 90+ degrees out and any frosty beverage would have been heaven.
Aside from the free beer, it’s some pretty good food too. Chips and salsa arrived almost immediately upon sitting down, so we nommed on those (with some free beer… did I mention the free beer yet?) while perusing the menu, and decided on tacos and a quesadilla. The tacos are piled high with fresh veggie action (see photo) and the quesadilla was a big pile of cheesy goodness. I do think you have to like taco seasoning if you like this place as the salsa and tacos both had a lot of it going on.
For the overall vibe, the décor is cute but sparse, they are set up for live music, and the location is somewhat hidden, which — on the up side — adds to the hole in the wall vibe but also makes it a bit difficult to find the place (prob easiest to get into if you are coming south on 436 toward Colonial and then take the right onto Colonial). Worth dropping in!

I noticed a friend has been going here quite a bit and I live 5 minutes away so I decided to stop in with my husband for mexican breakfast. The restaurant was a little delayed in opening but we had an errand we needed to run anyway so we came back about a half and hour later.
The place is kind of hidden off of 50 due to the new overpass on 436. You will need to take the on ramp from 436 to highway 50 west to get here.
The décor is kid of funky and we were the only ones in the restaurant at the time. The staff was very attentive. I ordered the chorizo, egg and cheese tacos with a side of hash browns. My husband ordered the Mexican omelet. Both items were very tasty. For breakfast dessert we had the Sopapillas. They were good also, tasted similar to churros. I hope business picks up here, we would love to keep going back.

I happened to be driving by the corner of 436 and 50 where the new flyover highway is and I noticed a sign «Nacho Mama’s». The colors really stood out and I knew that it wasn’t there before. It’s in the old location of Mr. Mofongo on the Northwest corner of that intersection. Pulled up to the front about 9 am on a Thursday and was greeted by a nice lady waving me in and saying «come in, try our food!» I’m always scoping out new restaurants and this one looked to be good.
The lady was super nice and excited that I came in. She gave me a menu and started telling me all about the place. I wasn’t super hungry so I ordered the Chorizo, Egg and Cheese taco $ 2. Quickly she brought me my taco and a side of green chili sauce. The friendly owner came out and we chatted for a bit about his vision for the place and then he brought me a sample of his homemade red salsa and some nacho chips with a delicious tangy cheese sauce.
The server kept offering me more and more water which I love, some places are pretty stingy with tap water and I drink a lot of it when I eat.
Nacho Mamas is a Mexican restaurant that serves all the standard Mexican fare, Enchiladas, Tacos, Burritos, Chili Rellenos, but they also have Mexican breakfast which seems unique for restaurants in the area. They are open early in the morning (7am) until very late at night on weekends.
They also sell Latin pastries like elephant ears and guava Pasteles. Also they make their own Horchata rice drink with real spices and a Watermelon Sangria.
They don’t have a website or twitter yet.
Former location of El Palmar & Mr. Mofongo
5643 East Colonial Drive Orlando, FL 32 807
Monday — Closed
Tues-​Thurs 7am-​11pm
Fri-​Sun 7am-​3am