Stopped by one to get a quick burrito the other day. I couldn’t belive the crap they served. Beef burrito out of a caulking gun. Couldn’t eat it, it was almost soup. Put that on my list of places not to eat.

i went to taco bell until i had the whole collection of stuffed talking chihuahuas. as a "purchase" was required, i bought a big soda.

Since Del Taco opened stores in our area years ago I stopped going to Taco Bell. I think Del Taco tastes better. My only complaint with Del Taco is their ever-rising prices. Used to go regularly but now only once in a while when I have coupons. They used to have a dollar menu but now most of those things on the dollar menu are close to if not $2 each.

You went to a fast food place and couldn't believe you got garbage food?

I was hungry for something different so I went to a Bobs Subs for the first time since it’s been here. (8 years at least). I was checking over the wall menu and placed my to go order. I asked if she had a take out menu and she said they don’t hand them out because the prices are going up so quickly.

If I'm not too bothered, I can eat Taco Bell. Bless the iron stomach. But their quality has dropped over the years. It's American stoner food that is trying to be Mexi-ish. Glad that I have a couple good legit Mexican food shops local to me...Not like when I lived in Arizona, but for Kentucky, pretty good!

Like everything else, their prices have gone up, and portions have gotten smaller. Went to taco bell not too long ago because I was constipated, hadn't been since before covid. Ordered my usual combo meal and thought they had given me the wrong order it was so much smaller. It was about $3.00 more too......

Garbage in, garbage out.

1st off, John's "colon cleanse" nearly caused coffee stains on my monitor

I can do the Taco Bell original hard-shell basic tacos, but that's a fairly rare occurrence.
Never had side-effects, fortunately.
We have legit taco places even in north Idaho, and for a couple bucks more I prefer better food intake.

I haven't had a good chain store burrito since Naugle's closed.

Taco Del Mar here is good.

our local chain is Taco Johns .. its not terrible

1st off, John's "colon cleanse" nearly caused coffee stains on my monitor

You're welcome!


Strange but true, the ONLY time I got violently sick from 'fast food' wasn't Taco Bell, it was Kentucky Fried Chicken. It happened almost 40 yrs ago and I still refuse to eat anything from that place.

Taco Bell

Eliminate the middle man and throw it straight in the toilet.


Naugles was great, I think Del Taco bought them out back in the late 80's

There are a couple of new Naugles places in orange county again.

Hey John - you bet, if they don't keep their fryers clean, you're eating some nasty bacteria.
I always found KFC good for a colon cleanse in about 30 minutes, often enough that I learned to time my consumption vs availability of a porcelain throne.
Haven't had that experience with other fried chicken - and never got sick - but I don't eat fried foods very often.
Naugles - I remember them from decades ago, at the time they seemed pretty good.

Any restaurant is only as good as its employees.

And right now almost every restaurant is so desperate to find staff that they are taking whoever they can get.

That's why I typically go to a family owned restaurant, they have a captive workforce, lol.

We've never been sick from eating Taco Bell - ever. I loved the old enchritos, but they have been gone for years.

Back in the 70's we had Picos Tacos - one location in the Detroit area as far as I know. They were fast food only & were GREAT. (Telegraph & Joy - Detroit area folks may remember it)

That TB meme is awesome.
I tied it into one jpg for easier distribution

I loved enchiritos and was sad when they quit em.

There's a taco chain in Western New York called the Mighty Taco. They started around 1970 and are still going strong. I try to stop in whenever we're in the area.

'Powerflow' screen name seems rather appropriate for a thread about Taco Bell.....................

Use to be a Taco Joes in the north Bay Area. Really good tacos
.
Back in the day you could get a bag for five bucks.

There is a Bay Area in Arizona?

I miss the Double Decker Taco.

Never had a problem at TB now Wendy’s or Arby’s yes

They say Mauna Loa might erupt soon and of course my first thought was someone tossed some Taco Bell into it, lol

Now I'll eat Taco Bell but their ads should say, "Taco Bell, are you up for the adventure"

Agree 100%!!! The most disgusting "food" on the planet!

I used to eat at the local Taco Bell on a regular basis. There are a few things on the menu that were a decent value but lately I've stopped going there. I prefer Wendy's, especially if I have a coupon. Burger King is okay if you find a good one and stick with the better choices on the menu.

It seems to be getting harder and harder to find good food at a decent price. About the only place with decent prices anymore are a couple of local Chinese food places. I can still get a big heaping combo plate for around $10.

Our local Taco Bell is actually pretty good. Nothing really to compare it too but we eat there frequently and no "blow"

Taco Bell is no longer a ‘kid friendly’ menu restaurant in my area. They eliminated my favorite thing ‘ tostadas.

What the hell were you thinking? You live in Arizona and you went to Taco Bell? And you posted and admitted to it?

Down here in Tucson we have many real deal family owned and run Mexican restaurants that have been operating in the same location for decades. There is a reason for their longevity and success. If you are looking for quick Mexican eats there are many drive through authentic taco/burrito drive throughs, not to mention the food trucks.

Yeah, Tempe

Wel, I was in a hurry. I don’t do the local Mexican roach coaches, they aren’t all that great, everything deep fat fried. We do have Filiberto’s here in the valley but was kinda out of my way. As far as sit down we have South of the Border and Nandos.

I’ve been told that the further south the more traditional Mexican food can be found.

There are a lot of little "hole in the wall" type places serving excellent Mexican food but you have to do your research and find them. Once you find a really good one you'll keep going back. When the food it done right it is wonderful. And very different from what Taco Bell serves.

One thing to try is to look up any Mexican places that have been featured on DDD. Those are usually good. They've filmed a bunch of shows in the Tempe area.

A few minutes of hunting just about anywhere in AZ found great Mexican food. Really missing Anita's Cochina in Wickenburg and Alfonso's in Prescott.

You guys got restaurants?

The old Horseshoe Cafe in Benson, AZ. used to have a really GREAT burrito! As far as Phoenix,, Bill Johnson's used to have a Mexican-only location that was EXCELLENT. Too bad though, the whole Bill Johnson's chain is history now. Probably the kids didn't want the hard work involved in running a great restaurant, so they sold & bailed. Typical.

I go there once in awhile for a Nacho Bell Grande. I still like those.

Maybe I'm a homer, but I truly believe Tucson's Mexican food scene is as good as it gets. Probably a couple of hundred authentic Mexican food venues. I've lived here probably 50 years and I still find amazing family run places, just discovered another a couple of weeks ago; my grandson's football team had a fundraiser there. A few years ago, the "best 23 miles of Mexican food" tour was established and had an event in which folks were transported to local eateries via bus to sample the cuisine. I think they are doing it again next week. The list on the attached tour link is just a few of the really great places to be found, there are plenty more.

https://thisistucson.com/eat/city-c...8d86c6c-5e77-11e6-bec3-977e982d3c43.html

Went for lunch today, Mexican pizza and Nacho fries, two reg soft tacos. Stomach fine an dandy, I pity you fellows with finicky bellies. A good meal would set you on the toilet for days. I guess we had good upbringing, we eat what was on the plate or go hungry. As little kids we ate worms, dirt, bugs, grass, most anything we could put in our mouths, and that made an iron belly, imo

I don't have a finicky belly. I was also brought up to eat what was put in front of me. I am FAR from a picky eater. I just prefer to eat food....Taco Bell ain't food....by any stretch of the imagination! It's disgusting!

Do I dare repeat myself…

Not all of us eat out of the dumpster behind Walmart.

Wait a year or two, you might get your wish

All I know is if your gut is causing you issues, eat TB and use plenty of sauce. Not only will the sauce clean a penny and make it shiny, but if it doesn't reset your gut and kill whatever was causing you problem, well, get yourself to a hospital because major intervention shall be required.

Not my wish, but apparently your lifestyle

I had a burrito at Buc-ee's yesterday and it was pretty good. I have had authentic Mexican food in Elgin, Illinois (little Mexico) and couldn't stomach it. Mostly rabbit food and tough meat. My authentic Mexican buddy said it was exactly what he got in Mexico when he lived there...

Sort of like Chinese food, what we get here isn't much like what they served in Hong Kong, at least when I was there. Or Thai food.for that matter.

Why is it my lifestyle, you mentioned the dumpster? Do you eat there?

Maybe you should go reread what you posted, dumpster dining would be a step up for you.

I know what I wrote and nothing about dumpster until you dove in, wishful thinking on your part?

On the Taco Bell menu
what is closest to “normal food”
and safer to order?

Nothing

Fast food is trash. Poor quality, unhealthy.

Their ground beef (yes I used that term loosely) gives me heartburn like nothing else. Something about the seasoning.

I stick to the steak and chicken items. I don't have any real problems. Flavor is pretty good for what it is, drive thru food.

That is as close as it gets to "normal" in my opinion.

I eat there for on the run calories. If I have a job to do and don't have time to cook or dine in I will hit a drive thru. I often have days jumping from job to job and a drive thru is my only option to keep my energy up.

I haven't found a drive thru that has good or great food, just edible in a pinch.

Arby's is the one that give me gut trouble.

I am about to have to stop eating from drive thru for a few months.

I have found if I catch a winter cold it is after I eat at a drive thru. I can tell you from experience if you are sick and in the restaurant business they will still allow you to work. You don't get paid if you don't show up and they end up short staffed if you call out so everybody looks the other way.

"Arby's is the one that give me gut trouble."

The meat quality is poor ever since they changed their sign logo. Very fatty. Maybe they were bought out by another company?

A co worker left me some Taco Bell the other day. I nuked it for dinner. I did not die. I was impressed by that.

The radiation killed all the bugs in it, lol

Yet. There's still time...

I repeat myself plenty after I eat Taco Bell, just not out my mouth end...

I can get a nice fresh burger, or steak and cheese sub, and big pile of fries at a local place for the same money, or less, than a pile of garbage from some fast food joint costs.

Guess which one I avoid.

this right here !
people forget about local places that have better quality eats, nicer staff, and [usually] equal or cheaper prices.

I have to support Rhino on this one. I know on paper that seems preposterous but I go out of my way to find the best, and then the most authentic, Mexican food joints pretty much everywhere I travel. Phoenix, Flagstaff, all over Colorado, everywhere in Texas, New Mexico, Milwaukee, Illinois, Florida, California... you name it. And I spent time in Hermosillo, Mexico for work. The real Mexican food I had in Mexico, from multiple locations, was good, but quite plain. It was on par with what I've had from food trucks that used to visit us on jobsites outside of Joliet, Illinois.

Seconded. The local Mexican joints in Bowling Green, Kentucky are family-ran and have flavor on-par with anything I've had in Texas, New Mexico or Arizona. Meat on the roaster, corn tortillas off of the skillet when you order, fresh cilantro and limes at the ready. Good stuff. Just have to know where to look.

Wait a year or two, you might get your wish [/quote]

I catch your drift - spot-on.

Yeah, something (not good) is going on with Arbys. I used to love their roast turkey & swiss sammich - it was great. For the past year or so, I'm noticing the bread is not the same (it used to be sweet), & the turkey is WAAAAY lesser quality - WHEN you can get it. One of the Arbys near me has been out of turkey all summer. How the hell do they run out & stay out of something like that? If they are not selling, PULL IT OFF THE MENU!

All of the Arby's out here are drive thru only. They refuse to open the dining room.