Why A Taco Bell Cantina Probably Isn't Coming To A Suburb Near You

If you've ever stumbled across a Taco Bell Cantina, you know it's not your average Mexican-inspired fast food joint. As the company describes this concept on its website, "A Taco Bell Cantina offers a unique menu, upscale restaurant design, and specialty alcoholic beverages." These locations serve booze-infused Baja Blasts, a Cantina chicken menu, and more of a sit-down atmosphere. Aside from the different, more hip vibe, you might've noticed they're not on every street corner — and that's an intentional choice by Taco Bell.

The standard Taco Bell can be found just about anywhere — on the side of a freeway, in a shopping center, in a mall, and within food courts and airports. This is not the case for Taco Bell Cantina locations — these have been precisely selected in order to fit the concept's intention and vision. Rather than a random suburb, you'll find Cantinas in desirable areas with high foot traffic, often near a tourist attraction or nightlife. Restaurant space is harder to come by in these highly desirable areas, so Cantina locations will often be smaller than traditional Taco Bells.

A drive-thru often makes Taco Bell a convenient meal on the go, but Cantinas do not have this feature. Original cantinas were bars in Mexico and the American Southwest that served as hangout spots with plenty of drinks, snacks, and small meals. That said, it makes sense that Taco Bell's Cantina tries to more closely follow this idea of sitting, eating, drinking, and lingering awhile longer.

The idea behind Taco Bell Cantinas is to offer more than just a cheap drive-thru meal and a quick taco fix. It's more of a casual restaurant and bar, a hangout spot before a concert, or a relaxing way to fuel up on Crunch Wrap Supremes during a night out. There are about 30 Cantina locations throughout the country, and it's a no-brainer that this concept would do well in lively cities like Las Vegas, New York, Nashville, and Chicago.

It's one of Taco Bell's not-so-secret secrets, but one of the most iconic Cantina locations is in Pacifica, California, on the Pacific Coast Highway. It sits right on the beach — literally on the sand, with a front row view of the ocean from its outdoor patio, a stark difference from the typical parking lot view. Here, you can enjoy a Cantina frozen margarita and beers while watching surfers. The building itself is even beautiful, made from sun-bleached wood that gives it a surf shack vibe.

In Las Vegas, you can find a Taco Bell Cantina right on the Strip amongst all the action. Boozy customizable beverages can be ordered from digital kiosks, a live DJ is often playing music, and this location even features a wedding chapel! There are a few locations in New York City, with one conveniently located near Times Square. In Nashville, the Cantina is set in the lively downtown amongst popular music venues and nightlife, and you can bank on there being live music almost every night here.