Federales Tacos & Tequila - Nashville — Restaurant in Nashville-Davidson

As a Texan, I was very excited to see a place that I'd been to so many times in Texas coming to Nashville, especially given the lack of solid, high end Tex-Mex options. I've got several friends who work at this location too, so it really disappoints me to see how poorly managed this spot has become. I've been in twice now, but both experiences have been bad. Being someone who works in the service industry too, its an even bigger disappointment. I want to like this place really bad, but what's happened the few times I've been in has not been promising. Let's start at the beginning:

Right after they opened, I ordered food from there on Uber Eats. The food is absolutely fantastic. Hands down some of the best tacos in Nashville, I can't diss them on that at all. They do it right in terms of taste. That being said, half of our order was missing. To spend almost $60-70 on tacos and appetizers and find out that half the order didn't even come is an absolute disappointment, but they were new so whatever! Things happen and Uber was nice enough to refund us for the missing items. No big deal.

The next time I went in was an even bigger disappointment. I went with one other person for happy hour and we bought two rounds of the ice shots to find out they were $13 each. Pricey, but nowadays, everything in Nashville is. When we walked in, we were sat in a small section with maybe four tables and boy did I feel bad for that waitress. Again, I've run bars around Nashville for many years, so I completely get it when a bar has a fly infestation. If I was sitting by their well, end of the bar, etc. I'd get it and wouldn't even bring this up, but I was sitting at a table smack dab in the middle of the restaurant. When I tell you I watched every table around get up and walk away from the section... The fruit flies were ridiculous to be nowhere near a drain or trash. That's an absolute lack of accountability on the managers. We didn't move because our server was actually very nice, but even she had made a comment about how bad they were harrassing us. You would think they were breeding flies under the tables there.

This is a clear cleanliness issue. There's a million things you can do to cut down on a fly problem, but this tends to build up and happen when little things are overlooked and management doesn't hold staff accountable.

Our bill between two people for happy hour was over $100 for two drinks, two shots, and two tacos, all while fighting flies the whole time.

My next time going in was around 10pm on a Friday. I popped in with my girlfriend wanting to get a few tacos and apps and pregame a fun night out. Late Night menu starts at 11pm-1am, so I knew the kitchen was still open. The first bartender greeted us and gave us menu QR codes. We went to order with the next bartender and he tells us "No, late night only." Sir, its 10:15pm on a Friday and all we asked for is guac. I asked him when late night starts and he says 11pm. I say, its only 10, but apparently their kitchen started their flip and can't work anymore. Crazy to do late night early on a Friday as well unless ordering was screwed up and you're out of most of your menu. I wonder if corporate knows. We ended up getting one round and leaving to go anywhere else, our experience ruined.

This place is poorly managed for how quality the food and potential could be. If I was corporate, I'd fire their management entirely. They either don't know what their doing, or don't hold staff accountable enough to where they've set any rules or SOPs in place. Don't go here unless you're getting food to go. Hopefully, things improve and this becomes a fun spot, but to walk in and see a dead bar on a Friday and be told rudely that they can't serve us guacamole...

1 star — I’m genuinely shocked this place has good reviews. Easily one of the worst taco meals I’ve ever had.

It started off strange when we were carded just to eat dinner. Should’ve taken that as the first sign this was going to be a weird experience.

Our server was terrible—constantly calling us “babe,” which got annoying fast. Water was served in plastic cups, which just added to the odd vibe.

We ordered the “spicy mango” guacamole—except there was no spice. I asked for jalapeños to add some heat, and what followed was honestly laughable. First, they brought out pickled jalapeños (not what I asked for). Then some kind of pepper relish with random red peppers. On the third try, after spelling it out—“just fresh jalapeños”—the server said they had them “behind the bar.” Why that mattered, I have no idea. When they finally arrived—in a large rock glass with a side of attitude—it became clear that at this restaurant, fresh jalapeños are treated like truffles or Taylor Swift concert tickets: rare, elusive, and apparently very hard to come by.

And the kicker, they charged me $1 for those jalapeños. When I asked why, the server looked confused and said she “meant to take it off but forgot.” Honestly, why would anyone be charged for jalapeños in the first place… especially when ordering a dish that’s supposed to be spicy?

As for the rest of the food: • The brussels sprouts were soggy and left two people in our group sick. • The corn tortillas were so soggy they fell apart. • The steak taco was overcooked and chewy.

The only redeeming part of the night was Chef Chad, who came out and seemed great—probably the one saving grace here.

We were visiting and excited to try this place because of the good reviews, but this was hands down one of the worst taco meals I’ve ever had. Won’t be back. Go...

1 star — Would give zero if I could

Wow. Just… wow. I don’t usually write reviews, but this was that bad.

We had a reservation. We arrived on time. We were polite, hungry, and excited. That excitement slowly turned into confusion, and then into straight-up disbelief.

We waited. And waited. Watched as people who walked in after us got seated. We asked the host politely—twice—about our table. He just gave us a tight smile and said, “The manager will take care of it.”

Enter: the manager. Or should I say, the myth, the ghost, the legend? Because he never actually showed up. We stood near the front for nearly 45 minutes while staff avoided eye contact like we were plague-ridden.

Eventually, we just left. Not a single apology. Not even an acknowledgment that we’d been completely ignored. I could’ve cooked dinner at home, burned it, dropped it on the floor, and still had a better experience.

Don’t waste your time—or your...