I Am Nacho Mama opens in Port Washington
Nachos with ground beef at I Am Nacho Mama in Port Washington. Credit: Newsday/Marie Elena Martinez
Run by chef-owner Carlos Juarez and his family, I Am Nacho Mama originally began as a food truck in East Meadow before expanding to a Hicksville storefront in 2019. Last month, the restaurant’s second location opened on Port Washington's Main Street, serving a menu full of Latin fare inspired by countries such as Mexico, Guatemala (where Juarez is originally from), Puerto Rico (where his wife, Yvette, is from) and Spain (where both of their grandparents are from).
“The heart of our cooking comes from our home kitchen. We have all these wonderful cuisines that we mix and match, so our restaurants are an extension of that fusion,” says Juarez of Nacho Mama’s cuisine.
While food truck favorites like the sloppy dog ($13) — two beef hot dogs, butterflied and grilled, topped with slaw, guacamole, grated cheese and queso — and Mama’s pork ribs ($15), which can be prepared with a salt and lime rub or barbecue sauce, grace Port Washington’s menu, it’s the restaurant’s customizable nachos (starting at $13) that are the real draw. The chips are no joke — thick, crunchy totopos that don’t wilt under the weight of toppings. Choose from grilled or barbecued chicken, a tender, beer-marinated, slow-roasted pernil (pork), Portuguese steak (picanha), even salmon and the aforementioned Mama’s ribs. Vegetarians (and meat-eaters) will be pleased with the cauliflower option, as well as many vegan offerings. All nachos are layered with queso and black beans and then topped “Mama’s Way” — lettuce, pico de gallo, cilantro and crema.
Tacos ($17.50 and up, three per order) are also popular, griddled to crispy, cheesy perfection on tasty corn tortillas that you can easily eat on their own. Bowls, burritos, quesadillas and empanadas round out the menu. Like everything else, the sauces, which range from a milky crema to smoky chipotle to hot chiltepe, and even a vegan chimichurri, are made in-house, as is the chunky guacamole.
Currently, Nacho Mama does not serve alcohol, but offers fresh juices (starting at $5) in typical Latin flavors such as hibiscus, horchata, mango and tamarind that beg tasting. A liquor license is pending, “however, we plan to remain a family spot,” says Juarez, “We made our name on our food, without the distraction of alcohol; we don’t want to become a bar.” A curated cocktail menu and centuries-old family sangria recipes are on tap.
The room feels more styled than Nacho Mama’s Hicksville location, full of wood accents like shelving and an L-shaped bar with rust-colored leather stools. A sleek, tiled wall serves as the backdrop to three gray leather booths, and exposed, weathered wood beams line the ceilings. A retractable yellow garage door, left over from the Bareburger the restaurant replaced, slides open to let in Main Street’s evening breeze.
I Am Nacho Mama, 42 Main St., Port Washington, 516-516-893-4446, iamnachomama.com. Open Monday-Saturday 5-9 p.m. Closed Sunday.
A global freelancer who has checked her suitcase to raise her young daughter on her native Long Island, Marie Elena will always make time for good mezcal, even better tacos and killer conversation. Preferably, in a corner bar seat. She can be found on Instagram at @mariesworldeats.
