At Long Last, Taco Bell Comes to Satisfy Cravings in the Capital

No longer will Beijingers seethe with envy at Shanghai’s access to the distinctly flavored beef and beans that line the hard shells and grilled tortillas of every drunk American’s favorite Mexican(-ish) restaurant. Today marks the day that the much-awaited Taco Bell lands in the capital.

While some global chains may put up a menu that heavily diverges from the original when coming to China, the Beijinger had a chance to try the restaurant’s selection, and we can confirm that it is indeed the very same Taco Bell taste you would find in the US, albeit without a few notable items like the Doritos Locos Tacos and Baja Blast Mountain Dew that simply aren’t a good fit for the Chinese palate.

On the other hand, the drink menu is full of options that you won’t find outside of China, such as the Yang Berry Freeze (RMB 28), Avocado Oolong Tea (RMB 22) – not to mention, you guessed it, corn juice (RMB 20). The store is only open from 10am to 10pm, so it won’t be a place for a late-night snack, but with tequila sunrises and mojitos (both RMB 32) and Asahi on draft (RMB 28), it might be a spot to start a late-night off.

Most food items will be familiar to the taco-bell initiated – Beefy Quesadillas, the Chicken Double Decker Taco, Double Cheese Beefy Burrito (combos between RMB 39-42), and of course, the tacos, which are buy-one-get-one from Monday to Thursday – but there are a couple of localized dishes, namely the Chicken with Sesame Sauce Burrito (RMB 39), as well as a couple of brown rice dishes served with chips and dip.

If you plan on making it in the early days, you might consider the limited-time Taco Pizza (RMB 32), which comes in a hard- and pita-like soft-shell version. Also, a special treat just for the opening period are the fries with a unique combination of spices sprinkled on top, the ingredients of which we couldn’t even pretend to guess.

Unfortunately, it opened just too late to join in on the fun of the Beijinger’s Hot & Spicy Fest, but, with a nice enough location and decent eats at a reasonable price, Beijing’s first Bell promises to grow a decent following – and indeed, it may not be the last to open in the city.

Taco Bell
48 Liangmaqiao Lu, Hello Mart building 3, 1001-1, Chaoyang District
朝阳区亮马桥路48好远3号楼Hello Mart城市市集1001-1

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Images: John Nuega, Joey Knotts