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

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

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.

KEEP THE OBSERVER FREE... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.