Remember When Tacos Were Just a Simple
Fast Food?

Street food purists reviled Taco Bell's "cantina tacos," but the tenor of their response hasn't dissuaded a Texas-based chain from trying out the same shtick. Taco Cabana today announced it will launch street-style tacos on Monday. According to an e-mail from a publicist for the 150-outlet Tex-Mex chain, the grilled...

By Hanna Raskin

September 28, 2010

Audio By Carbonatix

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Street food purists reviled Taco Bell's "cantina tacos," but the tenor of their response hasn't dissuaded a Texas-based chain from trying out the same shtick.

Taco Cabana today announced it will launch street-style tacos on Monday. According to an e-mail from a publicist for the 150-outlet Tex-Mex chain, the grilled beef tacos were "inspired by an actual trip to Guadalajara."

Meredith Rooney describes the tacos, served three at a time, as "mixed with fresh-cut cilantro and onions, and laid in two 100-percent corn tortillas."

Taco Cabana is no doubt hoping for a warmer reception than Taco Bell received when it rolled out its "authentic-style Mexican street tacos" in August.

"I'll stick with my neighborhood taqueria," a reviewer for the San Francisco Chronicle's online site fumed.

Hanna Raskin

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