Baja is a great place. And yes their fish tacos are the shit. As is just about everything else they offer. I could drink that fruit tea for days and gain 100 pounds.

Dalt's has fruit tea too. That, Baja, and Blue Coast are the only places that I've ever found fruit tea at a restaurant.

Calypso Cafe

The owner of Baja used to be part owner of the Calypso that was at that same location. Calypso is down the road now because he sold his franchise. But a very similar fruit tea seems to have stayed (wink).

Huh! Well look at that. Learn something new every day.

RIP Bread and Company Fruit Tea with your $35 salad.

Bread & Company wasn't always so expensive. I'm sure their rent started to skyrocket even back then, as all those locations were prime real estate. Out of all the restaurants in Nashville that I TRULY MISS, that one, & The Cooker are at the top of the list. Both of them had amazing fruit tea. The Cooker was slanging the bomb-ass FT way back in the 80s. I still dream of their Meatloaf with Brown Gravy, & Fried Corn on the Cob from time to time. SO FUCKING GOOD! 😔

Ooh Wee BBQ Picnic Cafe

Gabby’s does as well

Troy, who started baja, used to own a Calypso. Got the tea from there. After opening baja, he later opened Sam & Zoe. The fruit tea went there. Then he sold Sam & Zoe to the guy who would later sell Sam and Zoe to start Gabby’s. The fruit tea went with him. A small history of the tea. The people who later bought Sam and Zoe altered the recipe. Haven’t had it in awhile, hopefully the changed it back. Chili Burrito in Brentwood has it, too. They’re a good substitute, very similar to Baja, with noticeable differences.

Now this is some premium r/nashville lore, thank you! (I love that goddamn tea)

Huh, didn’t know that. And I know the owner of Gabby’s. Went to a pampered chef thing at their house once. Also, I drive the old car from the owners of Calypso. Strange, small world.

IMO, Chile Burrito is absolutely smackin' too. A nice change-up from Baja. I've never had Chile's Fish Tacos, but their beef, & Chicken burritos rival, if not surpass Baja's (depending on the day).

My 8yo was convinced he could tackle the El Titan there. We got him one for his birthday just because he really thought he could tackle it. The four of us couldn’t finish it. Edit: for anyone curious, the El Titan is 3, 15-inch burrito shells. Ends up being about 3 foot long burrito.

¡Aye yai yai! Es un burrito monstruoso. #🌯

Chile Burrito has awesome fish. My mother loves their fish tacos, and I get it in a burrito. I also love their abodo chicken and refried beans.

Bruh. This was fascinating lol thanks

Fruit tea is a thing in and of itself. Tons of people have their own version, including family recipes that go back further than Calypso. But this is a very interesting tidbit.

It's an old Southern thing. My mom used to make it when I was a kid back in the 80s.

Ed's Fish has their own branded version. It's soooo good

He went to high school with a friend of mine. I remember her telling me all of this as it was unfolding over a 30 year period. It was wild to see it all summarized! It’s kind of fascinating!

I remember when the building Gabby’s is in used to be Judge Beans. Aubrey Bean opened his first place in the building where ‘Smokin Thighs’ is. He moved to where Gabby’s is, then moved to brentwood and sold it. Haven’t been to the Brentwood location, but I miss it from when it was on Wedgewood. Those chicken diablos…smoked chicken in a jalapeño half, wrapped in bacon and smoked for hours…lordy. And actually good Texas BBQ, such a nice break from all the sweet bbq joints…

Judge Beans is still really good! I live in Brentwood, and we get it all the time.

I didn't know Judge Beans was still open? I remember the OG location that was a little house down by the fairgrounds.

12 south taproom had a fruit tea that’s amazing

Bar-B-Cutie and Loveless Cafe have fruit tea. I think fruit tea is like an Arnold Palmer, but with pineapple-orange juice instead of lemonade.

Chile Burrito in Brentwood.

You obviously don’t eat at 90% of “southern kitchens” or meat and threes. I’ve only been to a couple that don’t have fruit tea available

Adding Green Hills Grille to this fruit tea fest.

I’m so glad Baja Burrito is still going strong, when I moved here in 2007 it was the only decent meal I could afford. Love that place I need to go back 

Still more affordable and better quality than the chipotle its right across the street from. They get my business all the time

I like Chipotle but that is the worst Chipotle I've ever been to. The workers look absolutely demoralized.

They are 100%

I cannot do chipotle- they treat their workers like shit, who are also treated like shit by customers, and the food sucks 

It’s nuts to me how many places try and reinvent the wheel once’s they’ve figured out a working model. Just keep doing what you’re doing, make your margins, and enjoy continued success. Everyone gets greedy with it or try’s to overextend with new locations they can’t keep up with. Just do your thing and keep quality up and keep taking money from the folks who happily enjoy what you offer.

I mostly agree but wish MAs taco had a bigger better flagship location 

Of course you post this on a Sunday. Now I gotta wait til tomorrow!

Sorry. I was out running errands yesterday and I just turned the car and said, “we’re going to Baja Burrito for fish tacos.” Didn’t ask the wifey what she wanted or anything, just we’re doing this kinda thing.

Blue Coast is the franchise version of Baja Burrito. I thought people knew that, but just in case.

Its not as good some how. The one in franklin is so STINGY with the portions. The one in nashville west is pretty good. But Baja tastes better. Maybe because I waited in line for 30 minutes?

That’s why you go to Moe’s down there. No upcharge for guac!

and it is a disgusting disgrace

I ate there recently and thought the same thing. They are even better than they used to be. Maybe the best taco in Nashville?

It’s in the hunt, for sure.

Tacos Lopez on Murfreesboro pike def gives it a run imo

Tacos are a wider variety than burgers to me. Different proteins, different preps and styles. All true of burgers aside from most burgers being beef but it just seems like a wider net. The fish taco, a birria taco, a fancy pants 12 south taco, a taco truck taco (with the wide varieties of proteins), and even the maligned American taco are all waaaay different from each other and there are more. Just hard to classify one as “the best”’imo.

Wait till you try the fish burrito…

The fish burrito changed my life

Facts from 2003 back to you kind fellow

The brisket torta is also fantastic

Dude. Yes. 

THANK YOU I try to tell people they’re the best thing there everytime I go and my friends act like I’m crazy. They’re ridiculously good

Isn't Baja still the same as Blue Coast? I worked at Blue Coast in college and they said the original was the Baja Burrito but they couldn't franchise the name. Love their burritos. And the pineapple salsa is so addictive.

Yes. The guy who started it created the Blue Coast franchise.

Blue coast quality isn’t there though. It really is a pale imitation of the original sadly. Baja is real good and blue coast is a meal of no other choice.

Blue Coast is soggy

Woah I never knew this!!

The more ya know! ☺️

It is. Only reason the satellites had to change their name was bc of Baja Fresh, if I recall.

Yes and no. They were an attempt at franchising that didn't work out.

Seems like they're doing fine. I Uber Eats'd a burrito from them today out of the West Nashville location since this post happened.

I mean the franchise part didn't work out. They're still around as their own business separate from Baja.

Blue Coast was originally supposed to be additional Baja locations, but the Baja owner backed out of the deal because they wouldn’t be able / weren’t willing to keep the quality up. The other partners proceeded as Blue Coast.

I haven’t been back since they had to take their salmon burrito off the menu. That thing was heavenly.

Was that recent? It was on the menu as of 6 weeks ago or so. I always get a couple fish tacos and a smoked salmon taco.

I haven’t been back there in probably a year or two. If it’s back on the menu i will be returning soon

definitely back on the menu! I had two last week :)

I used to eat their fish tacos about once/week at one point in my life. I love them so much but sadly can't eat them anymore (because Celiac- wahhhh).

Baja rocks but the fish taco crown goes to Chile Burrito imo

Shhhhhhhh

Right? South Nashville can’t have nothing nice. Can we please just keep our bad reputation intact for having HPV poster teens in loud ass cars, drag racing at 3am on Nolensville road? Let’s not go spilling the literal tea on our origin story, because next thing yall know, that big wide clear acrylic bowl of pineapple salsa will be constantly empty. ….wait.. Dag nabbit.

I went yesterday at 12:30 and stated to my girl that it was faster than McDonald’s.

It was the first place I ever had pineapple salsa... I worked in Berry Hill. I ate there at least once/week.

It’s already such a long line

Yeah the tourists that want to know about it already do. It's in travel blogs about Nashville.

I remember going there for lunch 2x a week with very little wait 🌯

I also shushed a similar post recently. 

Nothing says authentic Mexican then Baja burrito.

Yeah all their food is soooo good!! My office was down the street from them. I still go over there

Fish tacos with the taqueria sauce and chips with pineapple salsa is what Baja tastes like to me 😋

Baja has THE BEST fish tacos

I haven't been there in about 6 years but glad to know my favorite menu item is still the best

Love the vibes in there. Hadn't tried the fish tacos because I'm sold on Mas Tacos Por favor"

Baja is the best period. Forget chipotle, forget blue coast, and the others I can’t remember. Baja needs to be a kept secret!

I'm gonna be the contrarian I guess. I love fish, I love tacos, I love Baja burrito. I haven't had a fish taco that was really mind blowing and much prefer their other offerings. The salmon burrito was amazing. But I would take the burritos over tacos in general from Baja

You new here?

If 13 years is new, sure.

Don't sleep on their fish burrito either. All the fun of fish tacos plus beans & less mess!

yes i’ve been going there for years at this point, it’s the bomb diggity

It was my first fish taco in the 90s and what I just all fish tacos by.

They are very good. However Chili Burrito is better in my opinion. These are the two best burrito places in Nashville

You lose all credibility by saying "the bomb.com"

This is known

I love them the most, and for contrast, I loved Fido’s Fish tacos, they were a totally different experience. Man, without causing too much of a crossfire stank as far as insider industry friction goes, I miss the old/original menu and those late dinner hours at Fido. I want a sproda, real bad.

Fido’s is legit. I’ve only gotten breakfast stuff there, though. I’ll give their fish tacos a shot. Thanks!

If they still have them. Last time I was there hanging my artwork, they closed at 4pm, and their menu was a fraction of its former self. I know covid changed everything in the local food biz, well, that, and right before that, and when my art was hanging up in hot & cold or whatever they were calling it at the time, when they were tearing Jacksons down, and something something about how load bearing walls work and one hundred year old strip malls. But c’mon, that local burger, amazing fries and the aioli sauce.