Taco Cabana — Restaurant in Pearland

This location used to be quick and friendly. Management and staffing have declined since my last visit here. Midday Sun, 3 cars were in the drive thru so I came inside to bypass the line. Soon as it was my turn at the register, the cashier headed to the grill to cook, no acknowledgement whatsoever. I waited 8 minutes before a guy came back to take my order, no greetings/explanation. While waiting, an elderly lady came to the counter in anger and exasperation due to her 16 minutes wait. Many cars have come and left while I'm still here near the counter writing this review. Condiments and sauce bar are neglected and need refills. They need more staff or to courteously let patrons know of the wait time; there were only 2 parties inside waiting on their order before me, so there was no reason for a 25+ minutes wait...unless they bumped our orders for the drive thru orders. It's a shame that greed takes precedence in their hustle to quickly fill all drive thru orders at the expense of onsite, in person orders.

Edit: my order "conveniently" was being put together at 28 minutes just as i approached the presumed manager to express my desire for a refund due the ridiculous wait while being passed over by those who ordered drive thru after me. Manager didn't even apologize as he handed me the food at nearly 30 minutes later. So much for "fast food".

TLDR; SUMMARY: decent food if you don't mind the poor service, long wait from unfair priority for drive thru over in-person order, and neglected...

My family has lived in Pearland about 50 years. So been coming here at long as they've been open. At times it's been hit or miss. Today, it was A BIG miss. I don't know if they've changed food supplies for cheaper products or tried to extend older food by mixing with newer. Guac was sour and rancid tasting. Ordered a large chili con queso dip, which IMO always used to beat anyone's hands down for fast food, only to find it thick, lumpy, and tasted like a dollar store, concession stand quality, out of a can. Heck the chips are different. Cheap, thick and low quality, cold. Like they opened a bad and grabbed a handful and threw it on a tray. They did serve me another fajita bowl, without quac, but with mostly ends of the head of lettuce. We couldn't even take what we didn't eat home. We left it for the huge amount of flies buzzing inside of the restaurant. OH YEAH! CAN YOU BELIEVE, NO FORKS? That's says a lot. When you don't think of your customers enough to go down to Sam's or Costco, and buy FORKS. 😐You've finally lowered your quality to what others are always asking me "how can I eat there?" Well, now I can tell them,"you were right, I can't...

Oh, Taco Cabana in Pearland, the rollercoaster of Tex-Mex emotions! Back in the day, it was a flavor fiesta, but now it's like a sad mariachi band playing out of tune.

The workers seem to have a unique interpretation of "fast food" – it's more like slow-motion ballet. If you don't time your visit like a military operation, you'll age faster waiting for your order than a tortilla on a hot griddle.

Let's talk about the drive-through – the mystical portal of disappointment. Most days, it feels like they're playing a game of "Guess the Order" because what you end up with rarely resembles what you thought you ordered. It's like a Tex-Mex surprise party, but no one's celebrating.

The Taco Cabana chain, as a whole, feels like it needs a serious intervention. Maybe a crash course in customer service or a motivational speech from a salsa dancer. If you're just looking for a random, mediocre Mexican plate, this might be your joint. But if you're seeking culinary satisfaction, my friend, keep on driving – the Tex-Mex promised land...