If you’re a Taco Bell fan, this is a fine time to make a pilgrimage to California. Not only can you visit the 50-year-old Taco Bell in Laguna Beach that was once the unofficial center of the psychedelics trade around the time that the Brotherhood of Eternal Love was located across the street, but you can also see the Bell of the future in the form of the newly opened Taco Bell Cantina in Newport Beach.
The vintage Taco Bell in Laguna Beach.
Although the Cantina doesn’t yet have a liquor license for frozen margaritas, it’s serving up exclusive items like tortilla-wrapped cheese-and-bacon jalapeño poppers, which can be had with 7-layer dip. It’s the most civilized Taco Bell you’ll ever be in, complete with windows that open onto the street.
The NYU area was supposed to get one of these Taco Bell Cantinas sometime early this year, but the good folks at the Bell can’t give us an update on when exactly it might happen (a spokesperson said “by the end of 2018”).
In the meantime, you’ll be able to enjoy your Bell with booze for two days only, when the Bell previews its new Nacho Fries before they hit the dollar menu on Thursday. Snag a table at the pop-up and you’ll get a complimentary serving of the new Mexican-spiced fries and nacho sauce, plus a cocktail. They’ll also be showing this “trailer” for a mock movie, Web of Fries, starring Josh Duhamel:
The address of the Nolita pop-up hasn’t been announced, but it’ll be open Jan. 24 and 25, and you can make a reservation via Opentable.