[Music] although tacos have been a staple down in Mexico since ancient Aztec times they didn't appear in America until around the 20th century it took years before fast food eateries caught on and they're not all created equal let's see which you should skip and which you should definitely visit its risky ranking chipotle at the bottom of a Mexican American food roundup considering the sheer size and ferocity of the chain's die-hard fan club these are fans who didn't think twice after chipotle was hit by a series of foodborne
illnesses over the last handful of years even after making headlines chipotle fans need their fix and are willing to risk anything to get it still the truth must be told we're not one to hold a grudge when it comes to burritos but even after chipotle closed its locations to talk about food safety it's continued to be hit by foodborne illness nightmare after foodborne illness nightmare including an outbreak in which hundreds of people were hit with food poisoning after eating at one chipotle location in Ohio and that's just not cool you shouldn't
feel like your lunch is a gamble with your health if gastrointestinal diseases aren't enough to keep you away the annoying charges chipotle taxon probably won't keep you out either but we're just saying in addition to making you cough up for queso and chips the chain notoriously charges an additional 195 for guacamole first the good as food historian Jeffrey Pilcher explained to NPR taco bell was largely responsible for kicking off the obsession with Mexican food in America a country that had until then regarded it as weird spicy and
potentially contaminated had there not been a taco bell would our love of tacos have blossomed as fast as it did if at all now bad America's first so-called Mexican chain is debatably the least Mexican joint out there sure there are variations of tacos and burritos that at least resemble their Mexican counterparts albeit covered in weird bright yellow fake-looking cheese and then there are things like Doritos locos tacos which are definitely not authentic so on Mexican as the menu of taco bell it baffled Mexicans and had to be rebranded when the chain attempted to open a location in Mexico in 1992.
taco bell was chased out of Mexico within two years of opening and was chased out a second time when it attempted to open again in 2007. to end our compliment taco with the positive there may not be any taco bells in Mexico but here in the good old USA the chain has taken honors as America's favorite Mexican restaurant though this may constitute more of a shame on Americans as it does a compliment for taco bell I'll have a cheesy chicken burrito, as well as one of everything else on the menu, please only six years after Glenn bell opened the first taco bell Korean war veteran john turner, opened the first taco john's originally called taco house turner had
been inspired to open the chain after working as a McDonald's manager if that tells you anything about the authenticity of the cooking you can expect at taco john's but authenticity didn't matter much at early taco john's locations which tended to pop up in rural areas of the midwest where there were few or zero Mexican restaurants now the chain locations are concentrated in the midwest there's over 50 in Minnesota alone taco john's is perhaps best known for its signature potato plays deep-fried potatoes you can order topped with nacho toppings so they're like nachos but extra unhealthy beyond that it's
hard to mess up taco shells beef and cheese our biggest gripe with taco john's is that their crispy tacos are often served quite soggy also since 1989 the taco john has held tyrannical rain over their trademark term taco Tuesday occasionally delivering cease and desist letters to Mexican eateries that use the phrase taco cabana was founded in san Antonio texas which is at least geographically close to Mexico in the 1970s maybe that's why taco cabana does deliver a number of attractive perks first it's open 24 7.
Second taco cabana actually serves beer margaritas and sangria which as we all know make even the driest tacos go down smoother third the chain has a whole menu devoted to breakfast tacos a distinctly taxing creation involving soft flour tortillas and various combinations of eggs cheese and meats and finally there's taco cabana's self-serve salsa bar which empowers you to shower your dishes with different salsas pico de gallo sliced jalapeno and cilantro to your heart's content so why doesn't taco cabana rank higher aside from their delicious breakfast tacos their dishes tend to lack the
authenticity and flavor of the real deal and is increased focus on fresh ingredients of many competitor chains the aptly named Baja fresh places great focus on fresh ingredients opened in 1990 the California-based chain was started around the same time as competitors chipotle and Qdoba but is pretty far ahead in terms of clean eating chipotle made a pledge to serve naturally raised meat back in 2008 and has since made certain everyone understand its commitment to real ingredients through its food with integrity campaign but long before chipotle launched their campaign Baja
fresh was already serving grass-fed beef handmade salsas and farm-fresh ingredients whole foods are folded into a menu of diverse burritos tacos quesadillas and salads and it shows founded around the same time and place as chipotle kudoba managed to develop a cult following even in the shadow of its more high-grossing competitor fans know Qdoba is superior to chipotle in several ways perhaps most notably Qdoba doesn't charge extra for guac or queso like chipotle does and while chipotle's version of queso was widely deemed a big fat flop kudoba's classic queso, by comparison, has long been lauded for its velvety texture and smoky taste and as
chipotle deals with menu fatigue Qdoba keeps it fresh with a more diverse menu of tacos taco salads burrito bowls nachos soups and even breakfast at participating locations Qdoba vs chipotle is a debate as old as time inspiring many a Reddit thread blind taste test and nutrition analysis, in the end, Qdoba wins because it doesn't charge for extras and gives us way more choices speaking of debates as old as time the del taco vs taco bell is another one like many great rivalries del taco and taco bells were born from a friendship del taco's foundered Hackbarth worked as a manager at bell's hot dog alongside owner and future talk about founder Glenn bell after the two went their separate ways Hackbarth opened the first el taco in irmo california in 1964.
del taco sets itself apart from taco bell and the rest of the Mexican chains on this list by not shying away from other types of food this includes not just Americanized tacos but full-blown burgers and crisp crinkle-cut fries you want a taco but your friend wants a burger del taco it is the word on the street is you can order any menu item bold and they'll serve it to you stuffed with fries and showered in their secret sauce that means unofficially del taco serves fried stuffed milkshakes so like enough said apoyoloko is one of the few Mexican fast-food restaurants on this list actually founded by a Mexican family to be specific it was founded by Francisco Pancho Ochoa who
immigrated from Mexico with nothing but a dream and his mother's secret chicken recipe when the restaurant first opened in 1980 el Pollo loco exclusively sold grilled chicken and red salsa that drew long lines of hungry customers today the tiny storefront has expanded to more than 480 locations nationwide at poyo loco restaurants poultry is marinated in citrus and fire-grilled over an open flame behind the counter the staff hand prepares freshly grilled chicken into a fairly authentic selection of dishes including tacos quesadillas and chicken dinners their focus on grilled chicken makes el Pollo loco one of the healthiest chain restaurants in all of us and arguably the healthiest choice on this list taco getting more kick-butt than this oh they're about to all right another Texas-born taco chain torchy's tacos was held as the king in Austin for years before expanding to locations throughout texas colorado and
Oklahoma it's hard to even look at torchy's menu without getting excited as it focuses almost exclusively on breakfast and traditional tacos with creative responsibly sourced fillings like hand-battered fried avocado portobello mushroom slow-roasted green chili pork and cornmeal-crusted catfish aside from tacos torches offer street corn with queso fresco made from scratch brownies and deep-fried chocolate chip cookies you can wash it back with frozen or on the rocks margaritas artisanal cocktails and craft beer with its thoughtful ever-evolving selection of secret and not-so-secret offerings it comes as no surprise that torches is routinely heaped with awards and attracts fans like former president Barack Obama founded in Atlanta Georgia in 2000 Moses is a relative newcomer in the fast-casual Mexican chain game the newbie grew quickly expanding to 700 locations by late 2017.
so what makes most southwest grills so popular even though it's almost seven times bigger than Baja fresh moes manages to offer the same if not superior caliber freshness we're talking grain-fed pork grass-fed steak and organic tofu at moe's there are no freezers or microwaves and grilled veggies are cooked on a separate grill for vegetarians walk into any location in the country and you'll be greeted with you'll also be treated to free freshly fried tortilla chips which you can pair with natural salsas from their salsa bar don't expect such a warm greeting or generous freebies from certain other tex-mex chains and it's all of this that secures moe's our top spot check out one of our newest videos right here plus even more match videos about your favorite restaurant chains are coming soon subscribe to our youtube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one
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