Taco Cabana — Restaurant in Temple

So, based on the past reviews by others I would say it is a hit or miss with this restaurant. It is not just this location. It is any Taco Cabana location so have visited since moving away from Texas for years. I have been to two locations in El Paso, Tx over the years and it too yes, was hit or miss. 20 years ago it was to die for food. Now...it's more like a hard pass. People do affect the quality of food that is fed. If they serve with love, then it will transcend into the food. If it is served with disinterest or lack of anything that is positive, again it will show up in the food. While the bubbly gentleman at the drive thru window showed immense compassion and concern for me as a person, the cooks apparently were not prepared to do the same with the food. I ordered several things from the menu for taste testing purposes. One was a special bacon ranch chicken taco, chicken nachos, chicken fajita taco meal and some chicken flautas for my kid. My kid said the flautas were good(I should have opted for them instead). The nachos tasted off with each bite and had a scoop of brown guacamole on top(there is an easy fix for that guys). The chicken didn't even taste like chicken. I'm not sure what was happening. The chicken bacon ranch taco was weird tasting. I can't even begin to describe the flavors as there was a flavor confusion in my mouth. It was as if the flavors were battling each other and the only flavor that truly came through WAS the bacon. Again the chicken fell flat. I tried adding one of the many salsas that I asked for and it made it worse. I began to smell all of the salsa and they all smelled off. Something was definitely wrong. It was not that fresh salsa smell that I am used to. The verde salsa smelled of something I've never smelled before. It was green but there was no chile nor tomatillo coming off of that salsa. Maybe it's because I had gotten used to New Mexican flavors I don't know but it was NOT the Texas authentic flavors I had become accustomed to. The potentially saving dish would have been the chicken fajitas but they were too salty to finish so I gave the food away. The beans were flavorless and the rice was very salty no seasoning could be tasted such as fresh garlic, onion etc. This last Taco Cabana experience truly left a bad taste in my mouth. I'm not sure if I want to go to any...

One star is too many. I have been to many different Taco Cabanas in the Austin and Round Rock areas and enjoyed them all. But my visit to this location in Temple was the worst I have ever experienced. We ordered our food to take out, and while waiting for our food, which took a good 20 minutes to receive even though there was only one other table of customers there, a family came in and waited a good 10 minutes at the counter to order, while the staff failed to even look their way, let alone acknowledge their presence, or take their order. It was not busy at all (now I know why!). We should never have taken our food home without checking it first. My bad for trusting the consistent good experiences at other locations would carry over here. Ordered soft beef tacos with no tomatoes, well the miniscule amount of beef, cheese and lettuce was very lacking. There was so little filling, that the folded tacos appeared to have almost nothing in them. Ordered a bean & cheese chalupa, also with no tomato. Well they decided to leave off the lettuce completely as well, and like the tacos, the beans and cheese were scant. Ordered chicken fajita plate, told them wanted lettuce and tomato and refried beans. No borrachos, no pico, no guac. Opened it at home and found no tomato, only a scant amount of chicken, lettuce, and beans, and it had the things we did NOT want: Inside that little carryout tray the chicken fajitas had pico and guac on top of them, which we had specifically said (and our receipt SHOWS that) we did NOT want. If you like a place that will not give you what you ask for, and will give you what you said you DIDN'T want, this is the place for you. Bottom line check your food order before you leave, especially if you drive all the way to and from there from the west side of Temple like we did. I will never waste any more time or...

One never knows what is special about a regional chain that is outside your normal area. I think that is what made our move to central Texas exciting. There has to be something it is successful with to replicate beyond the first store, right? So, that made Taco Cabana a suitable test subject.

The exterior stands out and the salsa bar is inviting. But, you may notice it is pretty empty in the background. We walked in and ordered as the only customer left. You would normally think this would mean quick service and personal attention.

We ordered a carne asada street taco plate, a carne asada quesadilla and bean and cheese burrito. I had to check the receipt and cell phone a few times as it literally took 15 minutes for our order to come out. I will say that they do have a drive-thru and they may have had a rush of orders there or a massive order at the window but you may also warn the customers.

Most importantly is the food. The carne asada on the tacos and quesadilla was decent. The seasoning on the refied beans contained a lot of cumin (which I kept tasting hours later.) The bean and cheese burrito was pretty small. The highlight here could be their smokey red salsa but it will not be enough to return. For the amount of money and time spent, we could have opted for a dining experience at one of our...