Nachos began as fried chips with cheddar and jalapenos, served to diners who walked in after the other restaurants had closed. Since then, nachos have moved into stadium concourses and kitchens abroad, and the toppings keep changing. National Nachos Day on Nov. 6 is a good time to see what is on them now and what diners say they want to try next.
Ignacio Anaya, known as “Nacho,” was a maitre d’ or chef, depending on the account, at a restaurant in Piedras Negras in 1943 when about a dozen military wives from nearby Fort Duncan came in after the other restaurants had closed. He fried tortilla chips, covered them with cheddar and jalapenos, and put the plate in the oven for a couple of minutes. He called it Nachos Especiales.
Diners want flavors they haven’t tried
A recent survey found that 75% of consumers say they are looking forward to new food and beverage trends. It did not single out nachos. It did describe Mexican cuisine as one of the most-loved global cuisines among U.S. consumers and said widespread menu concepts can find new life when operators use them in new ways, citing banana, anchovy, mango, the old fashioned and deli salads as comebacks.
A border-town snack became stadium food
The stadium version arrived in 1976, 33 years after Anaya’s first plate, when concessionaire Frank Liberto introduced nachos at Arlington Stadium, then home to the Texas Rangers, with a liquid, shelf-stable cheese sauce. The city first refused his proposal, according to his granddaughter, so he built his own kiosks and sold the nachos himself. The nachos were served from red-and-white-striped carts.
By 1978, the nachos had moved from Arlington Stadium to Texas Stadium in Irving. As the story goes, the dish became widely known that year, when announcer Howard Cosell mentioned nachos repeatedly during a Monday Night Football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Colts.
Piedras Negras celebrated nachos in October
The border town where nachos began held a festival for them in October. The 31st Nacho Fest opened Oct. 23 at Paseo del Rio with a Senorita Turismo contest and ran through Oct. 25, when organizers closed it with a giant nacho measuring 6 meters or 20 feet per side, made with Wisconsin cheese and jalapenos. The festival held contests for traditional and exotic nachos, and its program also listed a competition to see who could eat the most jalapenos.
Nachos take new forms abroad
In India, a new Doritos Loaded Nachos Kit lets shoppers assemble nachos at home. It pairs nacho cheese chips with a cheese sauce and two salsas, one black bean and tomato and one pineapple, and suggests adding jalapenos, bell peppers, sweet corn and fresh coriander. In the United Kingdom, a September menu guide for pubs and restaurants pitches nachos with Korean kimchi and gochujang, and with Kerala-spiced chicken curry and mango chutney.
In Ireland, a newspaper recipe from chef Mark Moriarty tops tortilla chips with beef cheeks cooked in beer and finishes them with a mayonnaise-based taco sauce and grated Parmesan. In Australia, a chain’s new BBQ Beef Rib filling can go on nachos, and the company says it is the first new filling in five years.
The Cowboys’ nachos now come with butter chicken
At AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the same city where ballpark nachos debuted in 1976, the Dallas Cowboys have added a new nacho lineup for the 2026 season. The lineup includes nachos topped with house-made butter chicken in butter sauce with spiced yogurt, and others topped with jerk chicken and mango salsa and finished with a cilantro and lime crema. Fans at World Cup matches in Arlington had already sampled the new nachos, and a peri-peri chicken version proved popular.
Pittsburgh builds a nacho around mojo pork
At Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, the Fourth and Flav Nacho is among the new items for the Steelers’ 2026 season. It is built on smoked cheese sauce and topped with mojo pulled pork and avocado-lime crema, along with roasted corn, bean salsa, pickled jalapenos and blackened red onions.
The nacho is sold at select stands on the main and upper concourses and in two club areas. It arrives alongside Pierogies N’at, a comfort-food dish with unexpected toppings, and a Pittsburgh-style take on a pig in a blanket.
Mexico City dishes diners have yet to try
The same survey names Mexico City dishes many diners have not tried. The survey also notes that Mexico City cuisine is increasingly appearing at U.S. operators. Pambazos are rolls dipped in mild red chile sauce and griddled, and 49% of consumers say they are interested in trying them but have not. Huaraches, oblong corn tortillas topped with beans, meat, salsa and cheese, draw the same interest from diners who haven’t tried them.
Interest runs highest among millennials
Interest in Mexico City cooking is broad, with 58% of U.S. consumers saying they want to try it. It is highest among millennials, more than any other generation, which the survey called notable as younger generations gain more purchasing power. Nacho fans can test that interest at home on National Nachos Day by setting a tray of chips next to one of those dishes.
Jennifer Allen is a retired professional chef and long-time writer. Her work appears in dozens of publications, including MSN, Yahoo, The Washington Post and The Seattle Times. These days, she’s busy in the kitchen developing recipes and traveling the world, and you can find all her best creations at Cook What You Love.