Friday Foodie: Nada

So, we finally made it to Nada.

When I hear about a trendy new taco place opening in town, I quickly make it my #1 life goal to make it there ASAP. But…this spring has been a little hectic. We had two rounds of finals (both Husband and I came through with flying colors) (Side note: It’s still a little weird to be talking to friends about the stress of finals…again, since I apparently keep having them even after college and my first round of graduate school), multiple graduations, and even a wedding! Yay! It has been a very celebratory season of life, with so many weekend road trips that it almost seems like a vacation to just stay at my own house for a single Saturday.

All this to say: It took a while, but we finally made it to Nada.

And it was nice. “Just nice?”, you might ask. Well, I’ll get to that.

I tried to get reservations several weeks in advance with only super late options available, so I expected our Friday evening @ 5:30pm slot to be crazy packed, but it wasn’t! We beat the dinner crowd and are officially becoming old people. First impressions? Awesome decor. Nada is a Cincinnati transplant connected to Circle Centre mall downtown Indianapolis. It’s inside boasts an explosion of cheerful color and intentional details. A little too replicated for my taste, but definitely bright and funky. The fun doesn’t end there as their menu displays an exciting variety of Tex-Mex fusion options.

Husband and I started with the Guacamole. Of course. Solid, but a little bland. Their chips have a unique flavor, as well. More like chunky crisps than chips. I moved on to the Braised Chicken Enchiladas with a side of Sweet Chili Glazed Nada Fries (really just soft chunks of cooked potatoes). Pretty good stuff here, but I couldn’t resist sampling Husband’s Truffled Mashed Potatoes (although I did manage to avoid his Pork Belly Tacos, so success was had). I should have stopped there, but I knew it would be a while till we went out to eat again, so I stuffed my already full belly with some Warm Chocolate Torte. SO GOOD!!

All in all, Nada brought a strong showing. Attentive service, fun flavors, cool modern vibe, and slick downtown presence. And here’s where I break it down to the nitty-gritty. You have to really present to impress me with your Mexican fare and I must say that the authentic offerings of nearby Adobo Grill have this place beat with a little more warmth and charm. Nada is still great, but the competition is pretty fierce. Is there room in downtown Indianapolis for multiple upscale Mexican dining rooms? I guess we’ll find out.

Has anyone else tried the Indy or original Cincinnati Nada?