The Original Nacho Mama's Mexican Grill

Some people are born with enough entrepreneurial spirit to turn lemons into lemonade; most are not. Some can shed sunlight on everything; the rest don't stand a chance. And though some may turn inability into jealousy and spite, perhaps they should instead attend to the secrets of success that enabled Shane Finkelstein, a well-seasoned entrepreneur, to change the face of the lunch break by opening Nacho Mama's Mexican Grill - a small independent Mexican restaurant - five years ago.

From those meager beginnings in the CBD, Shane and his wife Courtney opened their third restaurant and second Nacho Mama’s on Magazine Street in Uptown New Orleans. In September 2003, the new Nacho Mama’s opened to rousing success, combining the great food from the downtown eatery with more upscale fare like steak fajitas, shrimp skewers and Chicken Mole. They also concocted some of the best margaritas in the city and offered great nightly drink specials. The winning combination was an instant success.

But success had its price. Feeling that they were losing control of their initial operations, Shane and Courtney decided to sell their two downtown lunch spots in 2004 to focus on their new Uptown restaurant. This decision proved to be a smart one as Nacho Mama’s Uptown Grill grew by leaps and bounds the following year.

Nestled right next door to the famous Bulldog Pub, Nacho Mama’s has now become a popular tourist destination as well as a regular hangout for locals and even national celebrities like Jude Law, Jessica Simpson, Norah Jones and former Hornets' basketball star Baron Davis.

We hope you decide to visit Nacho Mama’s on your next trip to New Orleans or on your next venture out your front door. Till then, let’s all “Kick it Up a Nacho!”