TacoBell in Riyadh!!

Ever get that midnight craving? That gut girrgling (is that even a word?) craving? For me it is TacoBell! And I have been deprived from this unhealthy goodness for  5 years. Yea, even I admit TacoBell back home wasn’t exactly quality food, but it definitely hit the spot. It was our hangout spot in high school and our goto place at 2 am for food.

When news started circulating online about the potential opening of TacoBell and Wendy’s in the Kingdom, I could not contain my excitement, that was a year ago. It was not till last week when my friend sent me a message,

Bro! We just saw a TacoBell Truck!

Turns out, TacoBell opened two branches inRiyadh. One is located in the Kingdom Tower’s new basement Food Court, the other is set to open it doors in January, a stand alone branch on King Fahad road. I might be exaggerating a bit, but Riyadh lacks in Mexican food and TacoBell came in to save the day.

Interestingly, TacoBell had actually opened in the Kingdom many years ago, but closed its doors after poor sales. I would assume American products were not very popular at that time. However, this time around they have the formula right. Surprisingly clean store for a TacoBell, friendly staff, and great food.

The menu is 90% the same as back home, there is even a value meal section. Not quiet the .89 & .99 cents and $2 meals but close enough. A standard burrito is about 4 riyals and the cinnamon twists for 3 riyals.  An average meal is between 15 and 23 riyals which is about the average for fast food in the Kingdom. The menu included chalupas, tacos, burritos, salads, nachos,pizzas and a few other things.

I personally had the grilled stuffed burritos meals(chicken and steak) and they were delicious! The meal consists of a coke, nachos n dip or fries (instead of Doritos). The burrito was big and well stuffed with meat, salad, sour cream, and sauces! Speaking of sauces, all the flavors that you know and love are available (mild, hot, and fire). Instead of the typical catch phrases, they have incorporated pretty catchy middle eastern phrases. A welcoming touch.

As of right now there is no drive thru or open late plans, but I assume that will come when the stand alone branch opens in January. I am aslo hoping for some of the missing menu items to make it this side of the ocean in upcoming months.

If you happen to be an Alfaisal student or SDC member, mention it in your next visit. You might just receive something extra