The Venue

Created by a WWII Marine Corps veteran, Taco Bell serves Mexican food adapted for the tastes of the country it’s located in (the US, India, etc.). It was founded in 1946 in the United States. For the time, it was a pretty bold move to make a fast food restaurant, especially one that offered a food still considered exotic by most of the country…but then again, he was in WWII and a Marine, so it made sense that he had balls. Today, Taco Bell is found in many countries, including Mexico, which confuses the hell out of everyone I’ve met.

Vegan Eats

Taco Bell has limited already-vegan foods on the menu, like a side of rice, side of chips (tortilla chips) or French fries (though French fries are not located in all locations). That doesn’t mean vegan eats cannot be had, though! Unlike most other refried beans, Taco Bell’s do not come with lard so they are vegan-friendly, as are their tortillas. This means that you can order pretty much anything on the menu, make a couple substitutions, and you’re golden. All you need to do is order an item, remove the meat and any dairy products and sauces…then just substitute them for rice, beans, guacamole, potato bites, whatever you’d like. My stand-by is the 7-Layer Burrito, minus sour cream and cheese, add extra rice and beans. I also like the Pintos & Cheese (minus cheese) combined with a side of rice. You can easily veganize tacos, burritos, crunchwraps, grilled stuft burritos, taco salads and chalupas. Even their special drinks, like their To read it for yourself, here are the ingredient lists:

-Canada (click the Food Allergies/Sensitivities tab)

-United Kingdom (under construction as of the date of this post, but their FAQ says anything can be made vegetarian without meat, implying that none of the shells or tortillas contain meat products)

-United States (everything is listed, even regional offerings)

You’ll notice many locations are missing. If you’re from Cyprus, Greece, Iceland, India, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, South Korea or the United Arab Emirates, you’ll have to ask for an ingredient list in person as I could find no information on their websites…if they even had a website. Considering fast food chains make minor variations based on country but their basic stuff is the same, I would imagine the tortillas would still be the same vegan-friendly ones. I was able to email folks in Cyprus so when I get that back, I’ll post it :)

The Review

Okay, Taco Bell isn’t “real” Mexican food, but so what? While I hear jokes about how their food gives people a hard time in the bathroom, I’ve never actually experienced this nor has anyone I know. They offer a wider variety of sauces now (used to only be mild, medium and hot, now they also have fire roasted and salsa verde), which can definitely add a lot of flavour. Considering Taco Bell is found around other fast food restaurants, it’s nice to be able to go to a restaurant area with friends and they can grab food somewhere and so can you. 

The food itself is also pretty tasty, I’m going to go ahead and say it. Have I had better? Of course. Have I had better fast food Mexican food? Yes, I sure have. Will I eat at Taco Bell again? Absolutely. I think some people are far too picky. Just because it’s not authentic doesn’t mean it’s automatically bad. I think it’s a fine, easy-to-find (depending on the country you live in) fast food. 

Price: 5/5…I would love to give it a 6/5, actually. Taco Bell has to be the cheapest fast food available!

Food Quality: 3/5…as I said, I’ve had better and you can definitely tell that this stuff is pretty damn processed. I’m giving it a three instead of less because I’ve never had stuff that was rotten, wilted or low-quality. 

Taste: 3.5/5…I personally like it but like I said, I’ve had better. That just means if I’m in the mood for Mexican, I won’t go to Taco Bell but I definitely do sometimes get in the mood for Taco Bell!

Ease of Acquisition: 5/5…depending on where you live, it may be a 1/5. 

Note: This review is for people looking to eat food sans animal products and does not guarantee that the company or its parent company/companies employ environmentally-friendly or animal-friendly practices.