Music City loves Mexican food
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Davidson County has the most Mexican restaurants in Tennessee, but they have become increasingly popular pretty much everywhere.
Driving the news: About 99% of Americans live near at least one Mexican restaurant, a Pew Research Center analysis of data from SafeGraph has found.
Why it matters: The proliferation of Mexican restaurants — once staples only of the Southwest and parts of the Midwest — highlights the growing influence of Mexican Americans on U.S. culture and the effects of increased migration from Mexico over the last 30 years, Axios' Russell Contreras reports.
By the numbers: There were 281 Mexican restaurants in Davidson County as of March 2023, per the analysis. That's a higher total than in any other county and amounts to four for every 10,000 Nashvillians.
- Sevier County had the highest rate of Mexican restaurants per capita, with more than four restaurants for every 10,000 residents.
Of note: Tex-Mex restaurants counted as Mexican restaurants in the study, as did eateries, food trucks and restaurants serving multiple types of cuisine along with Mexican food.
- The analysis found that 22% of Mexican restaurants nationwide are fast-food restaurants, 12% serve tacos as their specialty, 8% are categorized as food trucks or carts, and 6% dish up Tex-Mex food.
The latest: New additions continue to arrive at a rapid clip.
- Pie Town Tacos opened an East Nashville location in Five Points earlier this month.
- Tio Fun! brought "Mexican munchies" to North Nashville in December.
- Last fall, Mercado brought tacos and oysters to Wedgewood Houston.