A celebrated Nashville Mexican restaurant has just been named one of the country's best by The New York Times.
Alebrije, led by Chef Edgar Victoria, was the only Tennessee restaurant named to the41-restaurant list and one of only a handful of restaurants from the South.
Despite its fairly recent opening in 2025, the brick-and-mortar has already drawn state and national attention.
In September 2025, it was named one of Nashville's 25 Best Restaurants by The New York Times, and earlier this year, Victoria was recognized as a StarChefs 2026 Nashville Rising Star, an honor that highlights emerging talent in the city's hospitality industry.
The recognition came as a surprise to Victoria.
"Truthfully…we just try to do the best we can. If we're given recognition,
it's a surprise because we don't cook with the goal of winning something," he told The Tennessean by phone Aug. 18. "We simply do the best we can and if were awarded for what we do, it's a good thing."
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"We enjoy cooking, we enjoy what we do," Victoria continued. "Thank you to everyone who comes and eats with us and gives us an opportunity to share our history and culture with them."
The list is not intended to rank the country's best Mexican restaurants. Instead, it highlights a wide range of standout dining destinations. For over a year, New York Times reporters, editors and photographers traveled the country in search of their favorites.
Here's what they said about the East Nashville hole-in-the-wall.
New York Times names Alebrije one of the greatest Mexican restaurants in the U.S.
Tucked along Gallatin Avenue in East Nashville, Alebrije specializes in Mexico City-inspired street food with an emphasis on preserving traditional Mexican cooking techniques, ingredients and culture.
Through Alebrije, Victoria aims to reshape perceptions of Mexican cuisine in Nashville, challenging stereotypes and misconceptions about a gastronomy he described as both "vast" and "complex" in a2025 interview with The Tennessean.
Victoria believes the distinction is a positive thing for Nashville, as the city is not known for its Mexican cuisine.
"To have Nashville included among the 41 cities with the best Mexican restaurants is a good change for the community, I hope it's a change for everyone," he said.
He said the acknowledgment is not the achievement of a single person, but rather a major accomplishment shared by everyone involved. He added that he hopes the honor will help create opportunities for other concepts, including more Mexican-inspired projects.
"It's not a win-win for Alebrije, it's a win-win for everyone"
The Times praised Alebrije's use of heirloom corn in its housemade tamales, tostadas, sopes and tortillas, calling the dishes "foundational" to the street food traditions of Victoria's native Mexico City.
"His unassuming restaurant on the second floor of an East Nashville strip mall is one of the Southeast’s best taquerías," wrote Brett Anderson regarding Alebrije.
The New York Times' 41 best Mexican restaurants in the U.S.
- Acamaya, New Orleans
- La Aguascalientes Mercado de Carnes, Oklahoma City
- Alebrije, Nashville
- Alma Fonda Fina, Denver
- Amá, Philadelphia
- Amano, Caldwell, Idaho
- Amparo Fondita, Washington, D.C.
- Bacanora, Phoenix
- Barbacoa Mejía, Richmond, Calif.
- Birrieria Ocotlan, Chicago
- BK Carne Asada & Hot Dogs, Tucson, Arizona
- Burnt Bean Company, Seguin, Texas
- Californios, San Francisco
- Carnitas Los Cuatro Hermanos, Springdale, Arkansas
- Carnitas Ramirez, New York City
- Chalupas Poblanas El Tlecuile, New York City
- El Chile Toreado, Santa Fe, New Mexico
- La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal, Denver
- Food Truck Paradise, New Haven, Connecticut
- Garcia’s Mexican Food, San Antonio
- Gorditas Santiago, Chicago
- Hugo's, Houston
- Ki’ikibáa, Portland, Oregon
- Lugya’h, Los Angeles
- Mariscos El Profe, Phoenix
- Mariscos Jalisco, Los Angeles
- Mary and Tito’s Cafe, Albuquerque
- Mercado La Paloma, Los Angeles
- Mi Tocaya Antojería, Chicago
- Mis Tacones, Portland, Oregon
- Nixta Taqueria, Austin, Texas
- Oro by Nixta, Minneapolis
- El Pollo Rey, Kansas City, Kansas
- La Sirena, Ephraim, Wisconsin
- Sunset Park Plaza, New York City
- Tacos El Volcancito, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Taquería Elemi, El Paso
- Tuxpan Taqueria, Central Falls, Rhode Island
- Valle, Oceanside, California
- Vecino, Detroit
- El Yaquesito, Las Vegas
Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: The New York Times named this Nashville restaurant among America's best Mexican eateries
