You Can Still Eat From The Original Restaurant Taco Bell Got Its Crunchy Taco Shell From In 1951

In San Bernardino, California, there's a restaurant with a storied history located across the street from where the idea for Taco Bell first sprang up. Opened in 1937 by Lucia Rodriguez, Mitla Cafe was a meeting place for the Mexican community in a neighborhood they were allowed to occupy in segregated Southern California. Local businessmen and politicians frequented the restaurant's brown leather booths, and eventually, the Mexican Chamber of Commerce formed and met here. Even Cesar Chavez came to eat whenever he could; it was a place known for Mexican comfort food. Dishes like chile rellenos and tacos dorados were cheese-covered staples.

As popular as the staples were, it's the tacos dorados that would go down in history. They're a traditional Mexican dish of a tortilla fried and stuffed with shredded chicken, beef, or potatoes. The fried tortilla is folded, making it a taco with a hard shell. Rodriguez made hers a little differently by adding cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and iceberg lettuce. Do these types of shells and toppings sound familiar?

The restaurant still serves its original tacos dorados to this day. The next time you drive along Route 66, it's a visit that should be on your list. If you can't make it out west for a visit, don't worry, because tacos dorados are easy to make at home if you want to add some variety to your taco night!

Across the street from Mitla Cafe, Glen Bell opened up a hot dog and burger stand called Bell's Drive-In in 1948. The story goes that he saw the crowds of eaters at Mitla Cafe and was curious to learn what they were doing well. He had large ambitions of getting into the growing fast food market that had recently blown up in Southern California with the opening and expansion of McDonald's. He began befriending the staff at Mitla and learned their recipes.

In 1951, he added tacos to his menu using what he learned from the staff across the street. For much of his white customer base, it was their first time trying the food. Unlike what happened with the burrito stand in Portland that learned recipes in Mexico, Glen Bell's tacos became a hit. He went on to open a small chain of restaurants called Taco Tia, a precursor to Taco Bell. While Mexican entrepreneurs had already patented various machines to make hard-shell tacos, Bell claimed he invented the modern version of the dish.

If you're in the San Bernardino area and want to try the OG inspiration for one of Taco Bell's popular dishes, stop in for a bite at Mitla Cafe. If you're nowhere near the generations-old staple, a quick trip to Taco Bell will have to do.