Why is everyone so excited about University City’s new Taco Bell?

It was a Christmas miracle of the fast food variety: A 24-hour Taco Bell had opened in University City.

The Mexican-ish chain opened its 16th Philly location in late December at 3901 Chestnut Street, where it replaced a Boston Market outpost that once owed nearly $220,000 in rent after defaulting on a lease. To hear some Philadelphians tell it, the opening was practically heaven-sent.

The new Taco Bell generated two separate posts from different users last month in the 95,000-member r/Philly subreddit. Other restaurants yearn for that kind of word-of-mouth marketing.

“Anyone have any info on the Taco Bell they’re putting on 39th and Chestnut?” asked user 8hivefiend8 on Dec. 17. “I have high hopes that maybe it will open soon because it looks so close to finished.”

Six days later, user rad_rascal posted pictures of the Taco Bell in all of its grand opening glory under the title “New Taco Bell in West Philly!” In the days leading up to the opening, the user wrote, they “would pass it every day and peer in like a buncha [SIC] creeps.”

Under both threads, commenters expressed the kind of jubilation normally reserved for, say, rotisserie chicken-eating stunts or Super Bowl parades. “This just made my day,” commented one Taco Bell enthusiast. Others chimed in: “This the best Christmas present yet,” wrote one user. “My new home away from home,” said another.

In a city with no shortage affordable (and excellent) Mexican food, why do people care so much about a Taco Bell that doesn’t even serve alcohol? And could this Taco Bell possibly live up to Reddit’s expectations?

Taco Bell is as a much a fast food chain as it as a borderline “cult,” according to chef Reuben Asaram, one of Philly’s most notable Taco Bell enthusiasts.

The 34-year-old found solace in his local Taco Bell after his family emigrated from India to Queens in 1993 and struggled to find vegetarian-friendly fast food options. The chain partially inspired Asaram’s Mexican and pan-Asian pop-up menus, which led Taco Bell to name him one of three chefs allowed to reimagine the brand’s iconic Crunchwrap Supreme in 2024. At one point, Asaram was so tight with the staff at the 1037 Chestnut Street Taco Bell that they would turn part of restaurant into a private space for him to take dates.

» READ MORE: Taco Bell asked Philly chef Reuben Asaram to reinvent the Crunchwrap Supreme. Here’s what he did.

True Taco Bell devotees will go out of their way to try a new location, Asaram said, because “they’re obsessed with getting the perfect bite” and need to know if there’s a reliable option nearby in case a Dorito Locos Taco emergency hits. Asaram is one of those people.

“If I have a craving and know I’m going to be in a random place, I have to know where the [nearest] good Taco Bell is,” said Asaram while sipping a Baja Blast on Zoom. Asaram’s preferred locations are the two closest to his house in Cherry Hill. He must visit the University City outpost before it can be added to his reserves.

Taco Bell has spent decades converting its Mexican food into a lifestyle brand with legions of devoted fans by pushing the boundaries of fast food marketing. There’s a Taco Bell wedding chapel in Vegas and a faux-retirement community in San Diego, plus an ultramarathon that requires stopping at nine Taco Bells. The brand occasionally rewards that devotion by letting fans contribute to the menu, at one point even bringing back the Mexican pizza based on an online petition.

In Philly, Taco Bell is best known for bait-and-switches. On April Fools’ Day 1986, the chain took out a full-page ad in The Inquirer claiming it purchased the Liberty Bell, a prank that sparked both outrage and a boost in sales. Thirty-years later, the brand announced that it would plant the region’s first booze-serving Taco Bell Cantina at 1614 Chestnut Street, only to reverse course and open a regular location after failing to obtain a liquor license.

Perhaps the University City Taco Bell is a representation of what could’ve been, four walls for Philly fans to place their shattered hopes and dreams. Or maybe people are just happy something replaced the Boston Market.

» READ MORE: That time Taco Bell said it bought the Liberty Bell

“That Boston Market was profoundly cursed,” one Philadelphian wrote on Reddit. Others claimed they got food poisoning there.

“Everyone I know that ever went into the Boston Market when it was open has a horror tale about it!” wrote user rad_rascal, who broke the Taco Bell news.

The University City Taco Bell has all the makings of what some in the Taco Bell-loving community refer to as a “Taj-Mah-Bell,” or a higher-end location.

This Taco Bell location is large, with a mix of booths, standard tables, and counter seating that isn’t sticky: When I visited on a Wednesday afternoon in early January, employees were cleaning tables within minutes of a customer leaving. There were ample napkins (necessary for taco spillage), and the soda machine dumped out pellet ice, perfect for fountain drinks. It made my medium-sized Baja Blast taste extra electric.

The only downside: Humans don’t take your order. Customers use one of several digital kiosks spread across the store. That’s a bummer for Asaram.

“What makes a good Taco Bell franchise is mainly how the workers treat their guests,” he said.

Not Taj-Mah-Bell quality, I’ll tell you that much.

I ordered a beef Crunchwrap Supreme, beef Doritos Locos Taco, cinnamon twists, and the all-important beef chalupa. The latter, Asaram said, is key for understanding the quality of a Taco Bell.

“You want to see all the components of your Taco Bell [at once]. You want to see if the fryer oil is fresh, if their vegetables and other garnishes are good,” he said.

A textbook chalupa is golden brown, Asaram said, with firm tomatoes and a layer of ground beef on the bottom that’s roughly an inch thick. If the deep-fried flatbread shell has a sheen — or worse, approaches a russet shade of brown — it means the frier is dirty.

“That’s when you know the Taco Bell [location] doesn’t give a s— and you want to dip out," said Asaram.

Despite receiving my chalupa in less than five minutes, it was cold. The fried shell was inexplicably both light brown and vaguely sparkly. Who knows what that means for the fryer oil.

They also skimped on the meat, which was not evenly distributed across the bottom. The Crunchwrap and taco had the same issues: cold and limp.

Perhaps, this was my fault. The prime time to visit a Taco Bell is between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Asaram said, when the morning and afternoon shifts switch over. I ordered closer to 2 p.m.

At that time, Taco Bell is “like an omakase. They just make everything in front of you and hand it to you to eat,” he explained.

Taco Bell, 1037 Chestnut Street, 215-925-1037. Hours: Open 24/7.