A Tex-Mex Chain You’ve Never Heard Of Was Just Named Best In The Country

If you had to take a stab at naming America’s favorite Mexican chain restaurant, what would you pick? Taco Bell, maybe? How about Chipotle? Everyone loves Chipotle even in spite of all the recent negative press, right?

Keep guessing, friend. You’re bound to give up sooner or later. Because the title belongs to a Texas-born chain with only 175 locations in seven states: Taco Bueno. This, according to Market Force Research’s newly-released study of America’s favorite quick-service restaurants.

If you’re in Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, or Louisiana, you might be saying, “Duh. Taco Bueno is the greatest.” The rest of the U.S., though, will need some convincing. And who better to do it than an eight-year-old? This kid’s review of the chain says everything you need to know about how good Taco Bueno is:

Melty cheese, crunchy chips, and spicy chili, served in an atmosphere with friendly service and good music? Sounds like a winner. And indeed, Taco Bueno does emphasize the freshness of its food, making its salsa, guacamole, tortilla chips, and refried beans in-house.

Compare Taco Bueno’s 175 locations to Chipotle’s 1,500-odd franchises and Taco Bell’s 6,500+, and you can see for yourself that its reach pretty darn small. It’s not a newcomer to Tex-Mex, though: its first location opened in Abilene, Texas in 1967, five years after Taco Bell’s birth in California. In 2005, it began franchising, and was picked up by TPG Growth last year.

All this is to say that, in spite of its tiny footprint, Taco Bueno has managed to garner a huge amount of customer loyalty. Just check out some of these Twitter responses from happy fans:

https://twitter.com/okiepatricia/status/712696911807909888

https://twitter.com/TheCharybdis/status/707999693566042112

Over on Instagram, fans of the chain seem to be able to find any excuse to pop in for a meal, from doctor’s appointments to prom dress shopping to weddings.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCbuhCbRpoj/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BCL1zq6AW8H/

Heck, this kid even fell asleep with a taco in his mouth. That’s how good this place is, apparently.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCD1xb8QYx9/

Another thing about Taco Bueno that seems to endear the chain to customers is the way it engages with them through social media. Just check out its response to the post below:

And that’s no exception—nearly all of the Instagram shots that tag Taco Bueno have received a witty comment from the chain. Definitely not something the big-name Mexican chains out there do on a regular basis.

Finally, if there’s one single reason to love Taco Bueno, it’s this:

Can you get any more perfect, Taco Bueno? Now we just have to try your food and let our bellies decide whether the hype is worth it.