More like nacho your first choice.
…it’s like, I knew that would be terrible, but I typed it anyway? That sentiment is also true for Nacho Daddy. This little chain started in my hometown (Las Vegas), and it arrived with some fanfare back home. I am usually the biggest Vegas hype man, but I cannot get on the Nacho Daddy train.
I’ve been a handful of times now, so I feel like I’ve got a pretty good handle on their offerings. “But Cate, why have you been so many times if you don’t think it’s good?” The answer is that while it isn’t great food, it’s got a great vibe. The atmosphere at the downtown Salt Lake location feels like a cool garage party from the early 2000s: music videos playing on TVs, open windows when the weather is nice, polished concrete floors, and a chain-link cage for all their booze.
Here’s what I think is delicious:
The Queso Dip – The cheese has a hint of spice to it, which sets it apart from the cheese sauce that arrives on the nachos. The chips are light, crunchy, and not overly salty. And, the dip is topped with spicy, sauteed peppers that add a really great texture to the creamy queso.
The Grilled Mexican Corn Off the Cobb – This is great because I get all the benefits of Mexican corn, without looking like an animal while I try to eat corn on the cobb. Also, it won’t get stuck in your front teeth. The corn is lightly sweet and is a great vessel for the garlic mayo and cotija; while you could eat it with a fork, the textural contrast is better from a chip.
The Chicken Quesadilla – This thing had the perfect ratio of meat to cheese, no small feat for an americanized mexican restaurant. The chicken was also surprisingly moist and flavorful; no dry overcooked meat here.
Literally Any Margarita – Seriously, they are all delicious and you can’t go wrong.
Dishes I could do without:
Any of the Nachos – This is a nacho place, but the nachos are the worst thing on the menu. Every time I’ve ordered them, they’ve been fairly bland, overly large, and soggy. I can make soggy nachos at my house. The fancier they sound on the menu, the worse they get. If you’re going to try to go with flavor fusions, you’ve got to absolutely nail your ratios to balance the components. A perfect example of this failure is their Caramel Apple Nachos; the ratio of crispy/fried to soft/soggy is way off, and there’s way too much whipped cream compared to the ‘sprinkling’ of caramel.
As you can see, I mostly go here for the apps and margs. As a light-lunch or post-event snack spot, it’s great; if you’re hungry for a meal, you’re gonna be dissapointed.
Nacho Daddy gets 2 out of 5 forks, and $$.
