Assembly Food Hall adds Mexican-style taqueria, Chilangos

Assembly Food Hall, the massive dining destination at the downtown Fifth + Broadway development, just added a new-to-Tennessee Mexican taqueria. Chilangos, a Texas-based concept from chef Joel Mendoza, opens Friday.

Chilangos first opened in Texas but has its roots in Mexico City — the word “chilango” is itself slang for a Mexico City resident. Mendoza worked in acclaimed restaurants there, including Pujol and L’Olivier, before opening his own taqueria stateside in 2020.

The menu brings a wide selection of street-style tacos, including the Birria taco made with a Mendoza family recipe. In it, tortillas are drenched in birria — a hearty Mexican stew — piled with meat and cheese and finally drenched in the birria a final time before serving.

Other offerings include barbacoa tacos, spit-grilled meat and scratch-made salsas.