Update: Welp, the soft target of a September 2016 opening for the Taco Bell Cantina on Public Square came and went. Here we are in the summer of 2017 all wondering — we assume — when oh when we’ll be able to eat Taco Bell while drinking instead of drinking and then eating Taco Bell.

Taco Bell finally has an answer.

The Cantina will open on June 14 at 11 a.m. The first 100 people in line will get some Taco Bell t-shirt swag, which sounds dumb but bet your ass there will be at least 100 people who line up for that shit.

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(Original story 8/30/16): Back in June, we shared the news that Cleveland would be on the receiving end of a Taco Bell Cantina, a new concept from the “Mexican” themed fast-food mega-chain. In 2015, Taco Bell opened up its first two Cantina restaurants in San Francisco and Chicago, promising future spots in urban settings like Cleveland.

“Expansion into urban markets is a key focus for us both this year and over the course of the next several years,” Brian Niccol, Chief Executive Officer at Taco Bell Corp. said in a release.

According to Taco Bell, these urban concept restaurants have five things in common that differentiate them from standard Taco Bells: décor, localized artwork, open kitchen layout, open plating and shareable menus. Additionally, Cantina restaurants serve alcoholic beverages, which can include beer, wine and sangria.

Yes, you can soon get loaded at the place where you go to eat after getting loaded (though we recommend still getting loaded before because, well, Taco Bell).

The Cleveland spot is earmarked for the old Cadillac Ranch space on Euclid by Public Square. The rustic/modern style features reclaimed wood, corrugated metal, brick and glassy, open kitchens.

While corporate has been vague as to opening dates, a recent Craigslist ad in search of employees for the new spot is pegging the opening at mid-September.

This article appears in Aug 24-30, 2016.

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.

8 replies on “Taco Bell Cantina on Public Square to Open June 14”

  4. You guys will publish an article about a Taco Bell opening up but won’t post an article about the country’s first gym for diabetics by diabetics opening up in The Flats??? This is what’s wrong with the world :/

  5. A seven -layer burrito and a glass of sangria…hey, lets blow off work and blow our lunch, too.

    Chuckles the Clown

  6. Anyone else find it odd that a Fortune 500 company would post a job listing on Craigslist? If I was a writer, I don’t think I’d use that as a source.

  8. Nothing wrong with Taco Hell…I’ve liked it ever since I had my first burrito at a walk-up window in Albuquerque in ’68. Cost a whole quarter. There were no outlets back East then..

    The main problem now is that they keep changing the f’king menu about every two weeks. Never really thought of their stuff as food to snarf on after drinking. That was what White Castle was all about. But Millennials won’t go there, and hate those great sliders, so now they are hurting nationally.,

    Can’t go wrong with Taco Hell’s burritos or tacos. Used to walk over and eat one…or both…about three times a week when I lived in Florida, and had a younger stomach. Didn’t hurt me none…I’m still here…

    Chuckles the Clown

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