Charlie Zelaya’s head is on a swivel. We are sitting on barstools at his East Nashville location of Cheap Charlies Taco Shop in 5 Points on a very windy first of May. The lunch rush has slowed from a deluge to a steady trickle now that it’s a little after 1 p.m.
It’s been a busy few months for Zelaya. A proud new dad to a baby girl, overseeing the launch of Cheap Charlie’s Taco Shop West, his latest location in the Nations, and gearing up for what is likely his team’s busiest day of the year, Cinco de Mayo. “You’ve got no choice but to get ready, stock up, and prepare more. Learning from last year, we handled it really well.”
Cheap Charlie’s opened in East Nashville as Five Points Tacos in 2017 in a nondescript red trailer parked next to the Marathon gas station, tucked between 5 Points Animal Hospital and Todd Snider’s Purple Building. A self-described underdog beloved immediately by the neighborhood for his economical yet delicious and filling offerings of tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas, nachos, and more, Zelaya rebranded to Cheap Charlies once his East Nashville customer base was solid because he was starting to dream about opening another location on the other side of town.
The secret to Cheap Charlie’s flavorful tacos
“I wanted to create something where, when people hear that name, they instantly realize who we are,” says Zelaya. “But you can call it Charlie’s, the bald guy here in East Nashville, whatever you want to call it, but we are here.”
What he’s talking about has happened in that it’s instantly recognizable when people bite into a taco from Charlie’s. The tacos feature double corn tortillas filled with tender, seasoned meat or seafood of one’s choosing, topped with the trinity of white onion, cilantro, and lime, with griddled onions on the side. It’s quick, affordable, simple food exemplified.
But don’t mistake simple for bland or basic. There are decades of Central American wisdom marinating in his proteins, including asada, pastor, pollo, barbacoa, carnitas, chorizo, fish, and shrimp. Zelaya is most known for tacos, but you can order any protein in a burrito (Cali-style with French fries or regular), nachos, tortas, crunch wraps, quesadillas, and mulitas, or as toppings on a taco salad. You can also customize any item to be vegan, gluten-free, or pescatarian.
Family roots: A culinary tribute to his mother
A native of El Salvador who moved to Nashville from California in 1995, he comes from his love of feeding people honestly as his mother owns and operates Taqueria Andrea on Dickerson Pike, the restaurant and ice cream shop most known for their pupusas and homemade paletas. Zelaya carefully prepares all the food today with guidance and blessing from his mother, Candy, whose name he proudly tattooed on his right wrist.
Candy’s influence appears in various ways on the menu, “from the seasoning levels to the cook times and techniques, menu development and flavor development. The real credit goes to her.” She’s also the one to thank for his hot sauces, a family recipe served as a side on every item ordered. The red sauce, a vinegar and dehydrated pepper blend, is akin to what soaks Carolina-style barbeque in the eastern parts of the states. The creamy green sauce heats and cools the tongue, and the seafood offerings on the menu are its best complement.
“I have a lot of pride for my mom’s recipes. I’ll take these to the grave. She tells me all the time she is proud of me,” he says.
Signature sauces: A taste of tradition
Zelaya plans to bottle and sell the sauces to supermarkets in the future but will dole out eight-ounce containers to grateful customers. During the interview, a woman picking up a prepaid order pulled out her wallet to add a Styrofoam of green sauce to her to-go tacos as if to illustrate the point. A pro move.
Candy also inspired his most popular menu item, the Mexican hotdog, something she made for the family at home. A bacon-wrapped frank topped with sour cream, onions, jalapenos, ketchup, and mustard.
Cheap Charlie’s late-night crowd loves the simple-yet-upgraded street-food classic; apparently, it’s equally popular at lunch, as a gentleman sitting a few stools down from us interjected to express his love. I think he was waiting for two of them to go.
Flavor meets efficiency: Lessons from Taco Bell
He learned flavor basics from his mother. While overseeing daily operations at a Nashville Taco Bell, he leaned efficiency and customer engagement. Zelaya admired how quickly the food went from kitchen to customer, something he prides himself on at both Cheap Charlie’s locations.
“All we need is a pot and a pan, three in the truck during the day and two at night,” says Zelaya. The variety of menu items, from a few steam tables to a fryer and griddle, is impressive. The same small team that takes orders and payments also prepares everything on-site. The team moves in choreographed chaos, ensuring the food arrives hot.
“I learn as I go. I’m like a sponge; I come up with new ideas every day. This is year six for us, and we are still doing things differently. I want to keep people engaged,” he says. Customer engagement through limited edition items, off-menu items, and good branding is also something he got a master class on from Taco Bell.
He opens his phone to show me a mockup of what is soon to be his new color scheme, both East and West trucks getting a fresh wrap in the coming weeks. Blue and yellow will be the primary color pools, colors he feels are synonymous with Nashville.
“I’m a sports guy. The Predators, our new soccer team, the Titans, all blue,” he says. The design is sharp, and his oldest dog, Chico, makes an appearance. “Because who doesn’t love dogs? I have three of ’em.”
Off-menu delights: The Quesataco and other hidden gems
On this visit, at his urging, I ventured from my usual order and tried the Quesataco, which is exactly as it sounds: cheese griddled between two tortillas wrapped around your choice of meat and topped with onions, cilantro, and lime. I tried one with his pineapple-soaked pastor and can attest it perfectly represented Zelaya’s food: gooey, salty, citrusy, greased with flavor that only comes from a slow cooker, and damn good.
It’s off-menu, but those in the know can now order it at both locations. This is how he tests out many of his now-staples. The crunch wrap was first an at-home TikTok video. His friends and customers saw it and demanded he add it to the menu, and now it’s available in two sizes—a slider, which one could comfortably pair with a taco or two on the side, or the regular size, which requires two hands and an empty stomach.
When first planning to open in 5 Points, advice-givers told him that he had to stay open until 3 a.m. to get the bar-closing rush. But what he found, instead, is that those who live in the neighborhood would support him enough to close at a decent hour. His current priority for the new West location is to “win that neighborhood: gain locals, regulars.”
Winning over the neighborhood: A focus on local support
“What I care most about is the locals, my regulars, the people who come and support,” Zelaya continues. “That’s what I can control and care about, the loyal supporters.” As someone who sometimes feels like Nashville cares more about taking care of tourists than those who live here, it’s refreshing to hear this alignment of priorities from Zelaya. It shows, too.
He recently began accepting to-go orders through third-party delivery apps and is adjusting to ensure foot traffic customers remain the priority.
As someone who eats at Cheap Charlie’s regularly, I can attest to his locals-first mission being a success. On any day, rain or shine, when sitting on the barstools that overlook the intersections of Woodland Street, South 11th Street, Clearview Avenue, and North 11th Street, I see someone I know without fail. A friend, a neighbor, a colleague. It’s the ideal place for spontaneous meetups.
The Cheers of East Nashville. I like to say that these are the best bar stools in the East, which is ironic because Zelaya’s permit doesn’t cover alcohol. Please place your order, walk into the Marathon, and pick from their A+ selection of small-batch colas and sparkling water varieties. Then sit and people-watch while waiting for your food, knowing you’re on the way to becoming one of Zelaya’s favorite customers … a regular.
Cheap Charlie’s Taco Shop
1101 Woodland St, Nashville, TN 37206
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. | Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.