Puesto Brings 380 Seats and Blue Corn Tortillas to Nashville Yards
Two days after Nashville spent a night celebrating its best restaurants, a new one quietly turned on the lights downtown. On Friday, Oct. 23, Puesto opened at 991 Exchange Lane in Nashville Yards, and it carries a small piece of restaurant history with it: this is the family-run brand's first location outside California.
A California taco stand with a Nashville connection
Puesto began in 2012 as a taco stand in San Diego and has since grown to eight California locations plus several stadium outposts. It is run by brothers Alex, Eric and Alan Adler and cousins Isidoro and Moy Lombrozo, and Nashville is not a random pick. Isidoro Lombrozo is a Vanderbilt alum who spent his formative years in the city, and he has described bringing Puesto here with his family as a full-circle moment. Alex Adler has said family drives the business and that Nashville's hospitality scene and sense of community made it a natural next step. Eric Adler put the goal simply: bring people together and give Nashville a taste of Mexico City.
What the room offers
The Nashville restaurant seats up to 380 guests across multiple dining areas, booths, family-style tables and an outdoor patio. The bar measures 362 square feet and leans on tequila, with signature margaritas that include the Puesto Perfect and the ultra-premium Pink Cadillac. Anyone skipping alcohol gets a dedicated menu of seasonal aguas frescas and zero-proof cocktails. The interior was designed by Powell, a Nashville firm.
On the menu:
- Shareables: made-to-order guacamole, fresh ceviche and esquite.
- Tortillas: handmade blue corn tortillas pressed to order from organic fresh masa.
- Tacos: filet mignon, chicken al pastor and Baja seafood.
- Entrees: enchiladas suizas, carne asada, mole colorado, branzino zarandeado and lava stone tablitas.
- Dessert: churros, a cookies-and-cream tres leches cake and a banana cream sundae.
Hours, deals and the small print
Puesto serves lunch and dinner daily: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. Happy hour runs daily from 3 to 6 p.m., with a late-night version from 9 p.m. to close on the front patio and at the bar. On Tuesdays, select taco plates are half price. To-go beverages are allowed under Nashville Yards' open container policy. Reservations are available online, and private dining is offered. Delivery, takeout and catering are listed as coming soon after opening.
Where it fits
The opening lands in the same week Nashville's dining scene was in the national spotlight, which we covered in our look at the city's Michelin stars. A 380-seat taco-and-tequila spot is a very different proposition from a tasting-menu counter, and that is the point: Nashville's table now stretches from fine dining to family-style. If you are mapping out a downtown dinner, our guide to the best restaurants in Nashville is a good companion for the evening.
Image: illustrative, AI-generated – not the actual location.
