I went to the 85-year-old restaurant that taught Taco Bell's creator how to make its iconic taco — and it shows just how much the chain has evolved in 5 decades

Ben GilbertMar 11, 2022, 12:58 IST

The hard shell ground beef taco from Mitla Cafe that launched Taco Bell.Ben Gilbert/Insider

In 1951, Taco Bell founder Glen Bell opened his first taco stand in California.
Bell went on to create Taco Bell, which popularized hard-shelled ground beef taco across the US.

You'd never know it from looking, but an unassuming little restaurant in sleepy San Bernardino, California was the birthplace of an American fast food icon: The hard-shelled ground beef taco.

Taco Bell, of course, is directly associated with the most American of taco choices: lightly-spiced ground beef, shredded iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes, topped with neon-orange cheddar and served in a hard-shelled tortilla.

But it was Mitla Cafe, which opened decades before Taco Bell in 1937, that created and popularized it.

85 years later, and Mitla Cafe is still standing. Better yet: It's still churning out incredible hard-shelled tacos that I tried last week.

From the outside, Mitla Cafe offers no indication of its historical relevance.

Every day is beautiful in Southern California, even in early March.Ben Gilbert/Insider

Upon entering Mitla Cafe, it's immediately clear that this is a local spot with deep roots.

Ben Gilbert/Insider

There's just one piece of paper detailing the restaurant's impact on American culture, and you have to look to find it.

A well-used cork board adorned with local happenings, as well as a brief history lesson.Ben Gilbert/Insider

So the story goes: In the early 1950s, Taco Bell founder Glen Bell began eating at Mitla Cafe. He liked the restaurant's hard-shelled ground beef tacos so much that he sought to re-create them.

Ben Gilbert/Insider

So the story goes: In the early 1950s, Taco Bell founder Glen Bell began eating at Mitla Cafe. He liked the restaurant's hard-shelled ground beef tacos so much that he sought to re-create them.

Notably, none of this history is on Taco Bell's history website.

Taco Bell/Yum! Brands

Don't worry: On the day I stopped in last week — a random Wednesday afternoon — Mitla Cafe was downright thriving. There was even a wait, albeit brief, to get a table.

Ben Gilbert/Insider

Don't worry: On the day I stopped in last week — a random Wednesday afternoon — Mitla Cafe was downright thriving. There was even a wait, albeit brief, to get a table.

Mitla Cafe's menu is pulled from another time, and features Cottage Cheese Fruit Salad next to Guacamole "Dip."

Ben Gilbert/Insider

I ordered a taco, of course, and a beef enchilada. My partner ordered the number one, which included a tostada, a taco, and a cheese enchilada. As we waited, a freshly-fried basket of tortilla chips arrived with salsa.

Ben Gilbert/Insider

I ordered a taco, of course, and a beef enchilada. My partner ordered the number one, which included a tostada, a taco, and a cheese enchilada. As we waited, a freshly-fried basket of tortilla chips arrived with salsa.

Though visually similar, and made from the same ingredients, it's hard to overstate how different Mitla Cafe's hard-shelled taco is from Taco Bell.

Ben Gilbert/Insider

How different is Mitla Cafe's hard-shelled ground beef taco from Taco Bell's hard-shelled ground beef taco? Let us count the ways! For starters, Mitla Cafe fries each tortilla to order.

Ben Gilbert/Insider

How different is Mitla Cafe's hard-shelled ground beef taco from Taco Bell's hard-shelled ground beef taco? Let us count the ways! For starters, Mitla Cafe fries each tortilla to order.

Inside the tortilla, Mitla Cafe uses a heavily-spiced ground beef patty rather than loose ground beef.

Ben Gilbert/Insider

The rest of the ingredients — shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and grated cheddar cheese — were improved simply by not coming from a fast-food kitchen.

Ben Gilbert/Insider

Beyond the taco, everything we got at Mitla Cafe was tremendous. It's easy to understand why it's been a community staple for over 80 years.

The combination plate my partner got featured a cheese enchilada, a bean tostada, and a hard-shelled ground beef taco. It was glorious.Ben Gilbert/Insider

For more on the history of Mitla Cafe and the popularization of tacos across America, check out this CBS Sunday Morning segment:

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I went to the 85-year-old restaurant that taught Taco Bell's creator how to make its iconic taco &mdash; and it shows just how much the chain has evolved in 5 decades

From the outside, Mitla Cafe offers no indication of its historical relevance.

Upon entering Mitla Cafe, it's immediately clear that this is a local spot with deep roots.

There's just one piece of paper detailing the restaurant's impact on American culture, and you have to look to find it.

So the story goes: In the early 1950s, Taco Bell founder Glen Bell began eating at Mitla Cafe. He liked the restaurant's hard-shelled ground beef tacos so much that he sought to re-create them.

Notably, none of this history is on Taco Bell's history website.

Don't worry: On the day I stopped in last week — a random Wednesday afternoon — Mitla Cafe was downright thriving. There was even a wait, albeit brief, to get a table.

Mitla Cafe's menu is pulled from another time, and features Cottage Cheese Fruit Salad next to Guacamole "Dip."

I ordered a taco, of course, and a beef enchilada. My partner ordered the number one, which included a tostada, a taco, and a cheese enchilada. As we waited, a freshly-fried basket of tortilla chips arrived with salsa.

Though visually similar, and made from the same ingredients, it's hard to overstate how different Mitla Cafe's hard-shelled taco is from Taco Bell.

How different is Mitla Cafe's hard-shelled ground beef taco from Taco Bell's hard-shelled ground beef taco? Let us count the ways! For starters, Mitla Cafe fries each tortilla to order.

Inside the tortilla, Mitla Cafe uses a heavily-spiced ground beef patty rather than loose ground beef.

The rest of the ingredients — shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and grated cheddar cheese — were improved simply by not coming from a fast-food kitchen.

Beyond the taco, everything we got at Mitla Cafe was tremendous. It's easy to understand why it's been a community staple for over 80 years.

For more on the history of Mitla Cafe and the popularization of tacos across America, check out this CBS Sunday Morning segment:

I went to the 85-year-old restaurant that taught Taco Bell's creator how to make its iconic taco — and it shows just how much the chain has evolved in 5 decades