Some of the best Mexican food in the world is sold out of the back of food trucks and taco stands, so it’s safe to say that Mexican cuisine is as accessible as it is popular. There’s no denying that taco- or burrito-themed restaurant chains are a dime a dozen stateside, which is a testament to how much folks across America love Mexican food. To figure out which brand is the best, we taste-tested 11 different Mexican restaurant chains, and while it makes sense, you may be surprised to hear that Taco Bell was by far the worst.
Among various fun facts you might not know about Taco Bell is that there are no locations in Mexico. Taco Bell execs had to know that hard-shelled tacos and Crunchwrap Supremes would be an abomination to Mexican palates. But despite the creative riffs on authentic Mexican food, the taste and ingredients were also an abomination to our taste testers. Intriguingly creative menu items like waffle tacos and the Cheetos burrito were foods we wished we hadn’t tried. Even the traditional fast food classics were subpar; Taco Bell’s nachos landed at the bottom of our ranking of 11 different restaurant chain nachos, for example.
Most disconcerting of all, however, is the quality of the ingredients. Of course, plenty of fast food restaurants use frozen food, but Taco Bell’s meat and beans are unrecognizable when they show up at each location. The beans come in what can only be described as akin to dried-out rabbit food pellets, while Taco Bell’s controversial beef secretes a slimy gel on top of it if you don’t eat it right out of the wrapping.
Read more: 11 Mexican Restaurant Chains, Ranked Worst To Best
Taco Bell haters unite on Reddit
Various Taco Bell menu items on a table – The Image Party/Shutterstock
Taco Bell may have a cult following of college- and high school-aged kids, as well as bar-goers looking to soak up a night of drinking at 2 a.m., but there are plenty of haters that echo our own grievances. One Reddit thread questioning why people hate Taco Bell got tons of responses. As one Redditor wrote, “The food quality is pretty much garbage; the prices are often bad despite being cheap.” Customers deemed the ground beef “greasy mystery meat” and complained about all the food being overly salty. The condiments were also condemned, with one Reddit user saying that “their sour cream tastes more like chemicals than food.”
These experiences speak to the general poor quality of Taco Bell ingredients. However, nothing quite speaks to the quality of ingredients (or lack thereof) more than the majority of disgruntled customers who note that Taco Bell gives them diarrhea, heartburn, and even food poisoning. To add insult to injury, says one Redditor, “They get orders wrong at a far higher rate than anywhere else in my experience.”
If you’re looking for a better option than Taco Bell, they aren’t hard to find. Baja Fresh takes the opposite approach to food preparation with a motto that claims, “No microwaves. No freezers. No can openers.” Our top spot, however, goes to Moe’s Southwest Grill, a chain with friendly customer service, scratch-made tacos, burritos, and nachos, and bottomless chips and salsa to hold you over while your meal is prepared.
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Read the original article on Tasting Table.
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