News

Taco Bell opens 1st freestanding cantina to 'wave reviews,' dude!

July 9, 2019

Taco Bell said it's going full-steam ahead with its cantina concept restaurants, with plans to open the alcohol-serving renditions of the brand in Boston, Fort Lauderdale and Sacramento this year alone, among other cities, including its newest location at the site of the brand's traditional QSR location in Pacifica, California. The latest store follows a line of about 43 cantinas the brand started building, along with in-line restaurants in 2015, a news release said. 

Notably, the Pacifica location is Taco Bell's first free-standing cantina at the well-attended site of the brand has operated along the shores of Linda Mar that has been a favorite for for surfers and other "dudes" since the 1980s. Updates to the previous straight QSR include a new interior with a mural created by local San Francisco street artist, Nora Bruhn, an indoor/outdoor fireplace and walk-up window on the deck for those aforementioned surfers and other sandy-footed patrons. 

Like the other cantinas, this one also features twisted freezes, local beer and shareable menu items. The restaurant will also be one of Taco Bell's first cantinas to have recycling and compost bins as it sits astride one of the many oceans the world is working hard to protect from trash these days. 

Photo: Provided