Nana — Restaurant in Towson

So, I want to tell you that I had THE best mole sauce in Baltimore, hands down, at Nana. A little part of me also wants to keep it a secret because, well, I’m selfish with my good finds at times so they don’t get crowded. But I want them to stay around so I need you all to go buy their food. Just save me a seat!

Seriously, do yourself a favor and try any dish they have on the menu with the mole sauce made by the talented chef and owner of this spot. It’s not that crappy heavy chocolate taste some try to pass off as mole.

We also had a burrito. The steak in that bad boy was full of flavor with a hint of smokiness. Divine! For dessert, (yes don’t judge, there was still room for dessert) we had the churros which were dropped when ordered so they may take a few minutes to come out but are so worth a short wait. Talk about heavenly sweetness but not overbearing. Only thing missing at that point was a strong coffee, a good espresso. Seriously, everything was delicious.

Everyone was welcoming and friendly, and the restaurant as a whole including the seating areas were very clean and comfortable.

Note that it’s a small eating area with tall bar style seating so be warned that they can get crowded during peak hours and isn’t a restaurant with wait service or reservations. However, there are seats outside as well and designated parking spots for carryout.

Oh, and the prices? Excellent for whet you get. Only suggestion is to allow us the option to tip more than the service fee charged, to show our appreciation. But I get it, creating a delicious meal for an affordable price is tough in this economy so the reasonable prices even with a service fee is...

Had delicious tacos here the first time. 2nd visit the tortillas weren’t quite cooked through; I thought it must be a one-off. Nopal salad fine if you like it super vinegary. We returned for tortas. Carne asada was great; huge, generous fresh avocado, perfectly cooked steak. I agree with other reviews that it could have been more flavorful overall, but adding their chipotle habanero sauce fixed that. However, the torta al pastor… we couldn’t eat it. I’ve never had al pastor like that. It was burnt all over; pieces that were nothing but black char, some just fat, mostly mush though and the only flavor was bitter. So odd. When I logged on to write this I saw another review said the same thing. Also the pineapple garnish was a lot—didn’t have the typical flavor of being marinated in pineapple but kinda felt like eating a fruit salad. The elote was tough to stomach too; came in a cup of mostly cream+died breadcrumb mush, which you had to dig through to find any (flavorless) corn. And we all love actual elote but none of the 3 of us wanted to eat this. Jamaica was good if you like it very sweet; I prefer more tart versions, and note that it comes in a plastic bottle.

I’ve only ever written one not-great review before but I want this place to stay in business—and figure its issues out—and maybe save someone else from spending $16 on an inedible sandwich. Fingers crossed… will give it...

Recently, I decided to try Nana for carryout, enticed by the buzz surrounding their menu. Among the dishes I sampled, the steak taco stood out, delivering on flavor where it mattered most and hinting at the culinary potential I was excited to uncover.

However, my anticipation quickly gave way to disappointment. The overall meal was had no flavor, with even the specially provided sauces failing to leave any memorable impression. The portions, especially the sides, were disappointingly small, making the meal feel less like a valued experience and more like a missed opportunity.

What further ruined the experience was the billing practice. Discovering a 10% gratuity automatically added to my bill without prior notice was wrong. I'm a firm believer in rewarding service excellence, but the principle of choice is paramount. Such policies, I feel, should be transparent, allowing customers the freedom to tip based on the quality of service, which in this case was not applicable to a carryout order.

In essence, while the steak taco hinted at what could have been, the overall experience fell short of expectations, compounded by pricing and service charges that didn't align with the value received. For those seeking a culinary adventure, it may be wise to explore other venues where the flavors are as generous as the portions and the service respects...