I tested out Preston's newest food spot, Taco Bell, and it had one huge strength

If you’re at all familiar with fast food culture in the USA, you’ll be sure to have heard of Taco Bell. Stateside, there are over 8,000 locations but it’s a growing brand in the UK with 139 locations to its name, and the newest is right here in Preston as part of the brand-new Animate leisure complex. It’s the only Taco Bell in Central Lancashire, so we travelled to its unveiling to take a look and see whether it’s worth the hype.

The first thing to note was the queue. Upon arriving, there was a long line stretching onto the adjacent pavement, and there was good reason for that. The restaurant announced that the first three customers to order at the store would be rewarded with free Taco Bell for an entire year, and the victorious three camped out from 11pm to secure their spots at the head of the queue – that meant 12 long hours of waiting!

That of course begged the question whether their wait was worth it. The restaurant was adorned with balloons and ribbons in celebration of its opening, and inside the walls were covered in Mexican inspired artwork, including one reading ‘Live Más,’ or ‘Live More’ in English.

By this point, with the queue in mind and the artwork making promises of fulfilment, we were eager to get our hands on some tacos. But there was one more step before the restaurant opened its doors to the public, and it involved a very special guest.

Mayor of Preston Phil Crowe was invited to open the doors for the very first time, cutting a purple ribbon and offering a short speech to introduce the restaurant to Preston.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure this morning to officially open and welcome Taco Bell to Preston, the very first in the region,” he said.

“This is a fantastic addition to Animate, Preston’s new leisure destination, and the growing food scene in the city, bringing even more variety and choice for residents and visitors. Welcome to Preston, Taco Bell!”

With the formalities completed, it was time to try some of the food on offer. We began with a Crunchy Taco Supreme, which is something of a staple for the brand. Its construction was simple: a crunchy taco shell with ground beef, sour cream, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.

Its best element was the texture; the way the crunch of the taco shell contrasted with the ingredients inside it was really pleasing. As for the flavour, the beef itself was fairly standard. It wasn’t spicy nor particularly seasoned, but it did the job asked of it. The only issue was the fact that the beef was all situated at the bottom of the taco, meaning a bite from the top was little more than a mouthful of lettuce.

Overall the Crunchy Taco Supreme was rather basic but done relatively well and, for £2.49, it wasn’t too pricey, although if you’re looking for a taco with more seasoning and flavour, this might not be for you.

We then moved onto the Naked Chicken Taco, which is where everything changed. It’s important to bear in mind that we went into this experience blind; neither of us had ever eaten Taco Bell before, so we weren’t sure what to expect. Whatever we were expecting, it wasn’t what the Naked Chicken Taco offered.

Just looking at it, it was clear the taco shell was different to that of the Crunchy Taco Supreme, but the reason why wasn’t yet apparent to us. Looking inside the taco, we were wondering: where is the chicken? We could see the lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and Cali Ranch Sauce, but no chicken. Only when we took a bite did it become clear that the taco shell was the chicken.

It was a much more surprising first bite than either of us were expecting, but it was a pleasant surprise. It’s a unique concept, but it worked quite well. The salad and cheese interior complemented the chicken nicely, and the chicken itself had a great crisp to it. As for the flavour, it was hardly mind-blowing, but it was well within the industry standard for fast- food chicken.

This one won’t be for everyone, but a bit of reinvention of the wheel goes a long way. At £4.99, it was on the pricier side (as far as Taco Bell is concerned, that is), but if you’re after something a bit different, the Naked Chicken Taco is a great option.

Of course, we had fries alongside our mains, and they were good enough too, as they were seasoned with red salt and served with Nacho Cheese Sauce. The sauce was nothing special but complemented the chips nicely. The chips themselves could’ve done with being a little thinner and a little crispier, but the flavour added by the seasoning made up for that. These cost £1.79, which was worth it on balance.

Our final meal came in the form of the Beefy Melt Burrito. It contained rice, beef, nacho cheese sauce, crushed nachos, cheese and sour cream, all wrapped in a tortilla wrap. Again, this was a standard burrito and one which benefited more from texture than taste; the crushed nachos added a crunch which helped what was an otherwise very soft burrito.

The taste wasn’t bad, but the beef did a lot of the heavy lifting, with the rice, cheese and crushed nachos rather falling into its shadow. That said, it was more than serviceable. With a price tag of £5.19, it was perhaps a little too expensive for what it contained, but the product was good enough if you’re a fan of burritos.

We finished with some Cinnamon Twists, which were much nicer than either of us expected. The bag was full to the brim, and the flavour was sweet but far from overwhelming, with a really light texture which almost melted in the mouth. Think of them as sweet Quavers, if you will. The best part? They cost less than a quid. For 99p, these were an absolute bargain and well worth it.

So that was our order. The question now is the verdict.

The reality with Taco Bell is that, if you’re buying from a chain restaurant, you know what to expect. You’re not going to be getting the absolute best, absolute most flavourful or most authentic taste of Mexican cuisine. But that’s not the store’s big strength: the big strength is affordability.

We ordered two tacos, a burrito, fries, two bags of Cinamon Twists and two drinks, which all came together at a price of £20.42. That’s excellent value for what you’re getting, and when you factor in products like the Naked Chicken Taco which are really quite unique, visiting Taco Bell would be well worth it to get an affordable sample of a restaurant which is growing and growing in the UK.