Las Fiestas, Eagleville's longest-running restaurant, still serving up amazing flavor

Nancy DeGennaro, Murfreesboro Daily News Journal
·4 min read

Las Fiestas is Eagleville's longest-running restaurant. And for a long time, it was the town's only restaurant, which is located at 158 S. Main St.

Juan Nada and his brother, Umberto Nada, opened Las Fiestas Mexican Restaurant in 2003. Since then they've built a loyal following of fans that come to dine there from all over Middle Tennessee. There's a sister location in Chapel Hill at 317 N. Horton Parkway, too.

On the menu at Las Fiestas, 158 S. Main St. in Eagleville: Combo plate with taco, cheese enchilada, chili relleno, rice and beans.
On the menu at Las Fiestas, 158 S. Main St. in Eagleville: Combo plate with taco, cheese enchilada, chili relleno, rice and beans.

This little lone ranger of a restaurant didn't even have to be good to make a go of it. But Las Fiestas is great, from the friendly faces to the flavorful food. Yes, another Eagleville restaurant that's worth the short drive from neighboring municipalities.

Nada is purveyor of the plates — in other words, he's head chef and makes certain the food is good for customers. He grew up working with his mother in the kitchen and his recipes are crafted from his experience in the restaurant industry along with his own culinary preferences.

"I love to cook," Nada said.

But first, Las Fiestas is a feast for the eyes. There is one thing you're sure to notice before you even open a menu — brilliantly beautiful artwork. The murals cover the entirety of the restaurant, front to back, featuring artwork by Nashville artist Jose Vera. It's almost like a mini art museum and worth a gander before your meal. I took lots of photos.

You'll get good service, too. I was assured by a couple of the diners that friendliness was the norm, not just because I was there to review the restaurant. Nada was pretty proud of his staff, too.

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On the menu

We started the meal off with guacamole dip, something different than the queso I order everywhere else. This was a bit different than a typical creamy guac. The avocado was in big chunks and blended with pico de gallo and lots of garlic. By far, it was the best guacamole dip I've ever eaten. It was almost a meal in itself. And I'm glad we ordered it because the salsa was pretty basic, but maybe it was an off day.

On the menu at Las Fiestas, 158 S. Main St. in Eagleville: poly fajitas made with chicken, steak, shrimp, carnitas, sausage and Mexican chorizo.
On the menu at Las Fiestas, 158 S. Main St. in Eagleville: poly fajitas made with chicken, steak, shrimp, carnitas, sausage and Mexican chorizo.

First entree we dug into was the fajita nachos that featured shrimp, chicken, steak strips and sauteed onions, peppers and tomatoes smothered in queso. The blend of flavors was good, but I think next time I might order the queso on the side.

Next on our culinary journey at Las Fiestas was Poly Fajitas — poly, from the Greek word for much or many. So we had fajitas with all the meats: shrimp, steak strips, chicken, Mexican chorizo and sausage blended with sauteed onions, peppers and tomatoes.

My lunch date said this was the best fajitas he's ever had, with a perfect blend of spices to pair with the plethora of meats. The chorizo was especially tasty, with a very mild kick on the back end of each bite.

Last on the list was a combo platter of ground beef hard-shell taco, chili relleno, cheese enchilada, rice and beans. The ground beef in the chili relleno was good and greasy, full of flavor with very little heat. The enchilada was pretty good, too, and heated up well as leftovers. But I was disappointed with the taco's bland ground beef. However, that being said, my picky daughter loved it. So you know Las Fiestas has something for even the pickiest of palates.

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In recent months, Las Fiestas built a bar onto the restaurant with additional seating and lots of liquor, wine and beer. Nada is pretty happy about creating new concoctions and fancy drinks.

What else to know

There's a kids menu that will suit any picky eater, all less than $5. Vegetarians will also find a menu geared to their dietary needs.

Don't miss the dessert menu, which features flan, sopapillas and fried ice cream.

Hours for Las Fiestas are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Lunch specials are served 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Las Fiestas restaurant, 158 S. Main St. in Eagleville, now has a full bar and serves up mixed drinks, cocktails, wine and brews.
Las Fiestas restaurant, 158 S. Main St. in Eagleville, now has a full bar and serves up mixed drinks, cocktails, wine and brews.

The prices are easy on the wallet.

At lunch, the most expensive thing on the menu is the fajitas at $9.49. Most other lunch items are around $8. A quick lunch is $6.25. At dinnertime, nothing costs more than $13. The Poly Fajitas with all the meats, including shrimp, were $11.35 at lunchtime. Our tab was $55, with tax, and included three entrees, two drinks and an large appetizer.

Call 615-274-3322 for to-go orders.

Reach reporter Nancy DeGennaro at degennaro@dnj.com. Keep up with restaurant news by joining Good Eats in the 'Boro (and beyond) on Facebook and follow Murfreesboro Eats on TikTok.

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Las Fiestas Mexican restaurant worth the drive to Eagleville