Taco Cabana — Restaurant in El Paso

Taco Cabana – A Military MRE Disguised as Fast Food?

I recently stopped by Taco Cabana, craving a quick bite and hoping for that classic street taco experience. Instead, I found myself puzzling over what exactly went wrong with my meal. I ordered the chicken street tacos, fully expecting something fresh and flavorful, only to receive what felt more like a military MRE than anything resembling real food.

Let’s start with the chicken—dry, overly salty, and absolutely devoid of any flavor. Despite the grill in the kitchen, it somehow managed to taste like rubbery, chewy gummy chicken. How does meat simultaneously look fresh and taste like it's been rehydrated from a survival pack? It’s a mystery I’m still trying to unravel.

Then there were the corn tortillas. Normally, they should be soft and warm, the perfect vessel for street tacos. Instead, I was handed bitter, tasteless rubber flaps that crumbled under the weight of disappointment. The cilantro, which should have been a bright, fresh note, was oddly bitter and stuck in my mouth like an unwanted guest.

But the real kicker? Washing it down with the machine-dispensed water only made things worse. The water somehow enhanced the bitterness and left a gag-inducing aftertaste that made me consider if I should just abandon the whole idea of eating for the day. If there’s a way to make water undrinkable, Taco Cabana’s figured it out.

I can’t help but wonder—how did American fast food evolve into something that feels so industrial, so far removed from real food? It’s starting to feel like dog food might be an upgrade. And for anyone dealing with hypertension or heart issues, I’d say steer clear. This meal was practically a salt lick on a plate, and definitely not fit for anyone trying to manage their health.

Taco Cabana, what happened? Fresh food is nowhere to be found in this sad, overly...

I went there last night, thru the drive thru and the lady that took my order said my $50 bill "was not going thru" whatever that means. I think what she meant was that she thought it was fake, which it wasn't, cause I used it at another Taco Cabanna location with no problem. She didn't even know enough English to communicate this with me properly. Why do they have someone, who needs to communicate with customers, speaks little English. You need to know English if you live in the US especially with English speaking customers. If I moved to Mexico I would need to lean Spanish. Also, she needs to get use to breaking larger bills, just because people usually pay with smaller bills doesnt mean that a larger bill is fake. Learn math lady. Anyway this is not the first time I had issues with this particular location on Shadow Mountain. Before this when I ordered the beyond meat nachos last year, they always charged me for the upgraded version of what I ordered without asking me, and charging me more. Most fast food restaurants ask you for clarification if you want the regular or extra super size or whatever they call it they never assume your order like these people do. It didn't just happen once it happened every time I ordered those nachos about 3 times or more till I gave up with that order. When I spoke to management he said it was my fault for not specifying. No, because I don't memorize the menu, that's their job to know the menu not mine, it's their job to ask to clarify the order. Oh one last thing this applies to all Taco Cabannas they need to update their menus, there are things they have that isn't on the...

I placed an order online and the app said that the order would be ready for pickup at 6:32 p.m. When I arrived at 6:35 p.m., the guy at the window shouted to the back to begin the order - they barely started making the order then. I waited in the drive-thru line until 6:55 p.m. when they finally handed me my order that was supposed to be ready at 6:32. So frustrating. Then, when I got my food home, naturally the order was not correct. More frustration. I asked to speak to the manager before I left and the same guy that was at the window told me he was the manager and didn't seem to care that my order wasn't ready, he just made excuses that he was short-staffed, there were about seven people in the kitchen I could see through the window, and there was nobody at the restaurant. I do not know what those seven people were doing. I do not recommend this location. Perhaps there are other locations that have better service. I hope this information gets to the owners or top management or whoever is responsible for running that location, because the the guy who said he was the manager at the drive-thru window...