This Distinctive Chain Is Bringing A Taste Of The Northwest To Mexican Food

Nearly every part of the country has a regional fast food chain that locals enjoy or recall fondly, which people outside that culinary geographic bubble just don't understand. Midwesterners may have a soft spot for White Castle's little square steamed hunks of meat. Texans wax poetic about Whataburger's pillowy buns and barely-seasoned burgers. In the Pacific Northwest, and in Seattle in particular, that distinction might go to Taco Time Northwest, aka Taco Time NW.

The "NW" at the end is important. There are two distinct Taco Time chains (the split happened in 1979). If you've ventured into a Taco Time in Wyoming, Canada, or Kuwait, you've entered a large chain now owned by Kahala Brands, which owns several other restaurant chains. It's similar but different, with Taco Time "International" featuring additional items, smaller portions on some dishes, and a kids' menu. 

The food at Taco Time NW isn't authentic Mexican, nor even particularly Tex-Mex. You'll find tacos and burritos, but the soft tacos look like burritos, and the grilled crisp burritos look like large taquitos or flautas. There are tostada salads and these things called Crustos. Some dishes feature ranch dressing or whole wheat tortillas. For Northwesterners, these idiosyncrasies, along with the fact the company is family-owned, and that nearly everything you're handed is compostable (and has been for years), is part of the mystique. It's the sort of place that births superfans, intent on trying every location and reporting back. There's even a dedicated podcast called Talkin' Taco Time. 

Just as a number of popular fast food chains got their start in California in the 1950s and '60s, the same entrepreneurial spirit was happening in the Pacific Northwest. In 1960, Ron Fraedrick opened the first Taco Time, a walk-up in Eugene, Oregon, feeding hungry University of Oregon students. Two years later, Frank Tonkin Sr. opened the brand's first franchise store in White Center, south of Seattle, opening more franchises throughout the greater Seattle area. 1962 is important, because down in southern California, Taco Bell opened its doors, evolving out of a different fast food store. By the 1970s, the Taco Time restaurant chain had expanded to seven states in the West.

Tonkin's mini-empire now numbers over 75 stores, located mostly in western Washington. A hard-shell taco (which Taco Bell was busily laying claim to) originally cost 34 cents, and was one of seven items available. These days, Taco Time NW offers over 90 items. The restaurant — though under the radar nationally — continued innovating, introducing an early drive-through in 1978 (McDonald's first drive through appeared in 1975).

In 1979, Taco Time Northwest was born when the Tonkin family received licensing rights in western Washington and nearby Wenatchee. Today, the chain operates over 75 locations, although an iconic, wonderfully strange store in the Wallingford neighborhood closed in 2024 after 50 years. The original White Center location is still open, celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2022.

The fondness for, or nostalgia of, the distinctive Taco Time NW flavors stems (at least in part) from its regional identity. The current co-presidents, Robby and Chris Tonkin, are fourth-generation owners, and are credited with the store's low-key marketing and consistently friendly service. And the restaurant takes a decidedly PNW approach to ingredients and dishes.

Many ingredients, like the pinto beans, are sourced locally, and most everything is prepped and cooked in-house at each store daily, including a house-made hot sauce with such a distinctive flavor profile it immediately returns a Northwest native to their childhood. The company started an extensive composting program in 2012. Tortilla chips are cut and fried daily, and seasoned chicken is cooked up in small batches on a stove top throughout the day. 

Then there are the unusual ingredients. Most dishes feature flour tortillas, save for the (gluten free) regular and crisp tacos. Tater Fries, once called "Mexi-Fries," have been on the menu forever (tater tots were invented in Oregon). And those Crustos! Strips of fried, cinnamon-sugared flour tortilla dough date back to before churros were common in the Northwest. The result of all these delicious factors is a unique fan base of repatriated PNW natives embracing nostalgia, lifelong diners, and transplants, including food editors and restaurant chefs.