Plans are moving full steam ahead for the DC area's first Taco Bell Cantina, to be located in a prime location in the middle of Old Town Alexandria.
Taco Bell Cantina differs from your average Taco Bell because you can order beer and wine with your tacos and burritos. The company has said it plans to build about 300 such eateries across the country in the next few years.
Tavern Square LLC has filed building permits with the City that show the location, at 417 King St., is getting a $450,000 renovation by Ohio-based Restaurant Specialties Inc. (also known as RSI). Asbestos removal is also taking place, the permits show.
The location is the former home of a Pendleton store, a wool blanket and clothing retailer which closed in 2017 after being open there for 33 years.
TB Cantina LLC has also filed an application with the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority to sell beer and wine; the application is currently pending.
Hours at the new Taco Bell Cantina are expected to be from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily (although City staff recommended that the outdoor dining area be closed by 1 a.m. and all customers must be out by 3 a.m.); the restaurant expects to serve about 300 customers a day. The eatery will have seating for 52 inside and 20 outside.
Rendering courtesy of City of Alexandria
Rendering of Taco Bell Cantina
Rendering of Taco Bell Cantina coming to 417 King St.
City Council members voted unanimously March 17 to approve the new eatery. Some residents have expressed concerns about the new restaurant, worried about alcohol sales and late hours. Some also brought up concerns about the signage for the eatery, worried that it might be too colorful and bright and not in keeping with the surrounding businesses, but were assured that the City's Board of Architectural Review will guard against that.
Last year, a West End neighborhood complained loudly about a proposed Taco Bell (a regular Taco Bell, not a Taco Bell Cantina), worried mainly about traffic problems. The plan for that restaurant was quashed.
Others have embraced the Taco Bell Cantina idea in Old Town as an affordable alternative, especially for families and tourists. City Council members said to give it a chance and if any problems arise, they can be reviewed in a year.
Here's what one reviewer, Mark G., had to say about one of the eateries in Austin, Texas:
"By keeping the same, exact menu as offered at a regular Taco Bell but adding in a full bar, it creates a weird sense of dissonance, like 'something's just a little wrong here.' You can understand and put your finger on exactly what it is, but you can't quite account for the odd way it makes you feel. Like pinball machines in a church. Or a salad bar at a funeral home. I dunno."
Stay tuned.
