Chicago's Second Boozy Taco Bell Coming to the Loop

If 2016 deserves further scorn, it’s because Taco Bell failed to open another Chicago restaurant that serves alcohol. Fret not, because it’s 2017 and a second boozy bell appears on its way to the city, this time in the Loop. Taco Bell Cantina has applied for a liquor license for 407 S. Dearborn St., according to city records.

When news first spread in May 2015 that a Boozy Bell was headed to Chicago, national media went berserk and locals flipped at the notion of a late-night chalupa chased by a cheap beer. The new restaurant would go inside the Old Colony Building, which is a student housing tower. The Bell opened its first U.S. restaurant to serve booze in Wicker Park back in September 2015, featuring spiked Mountain Dew slushies, beer and wine. Outside the U.S., including in Spain, The Bell had served booze to customers for years.

Taco Bell has since opened Boozy Bells in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Austin, Texas, and Cleveland. Like Chicago, none of those cities have burned down due to hysteria from inebriated fans. Besides the Twisted Freezes and beer, the cantina model also includes an open kitchen to show millennials that the fast-food giant is not hiding anything. There’s also one planned for Boston, reportedly.

An email to Taco Bell wasn’t immediately returned, so there’s no info when this new restaurant would open. Although Wicker Parkers worried about security before it opened, this new Taco Bell Cantina will likely find less resistance than the regular Taco Bell planned for Pilsen. Come back later for more info.

UPDATE: Taco Bell PR confirmed the opening with a succinct reply: “Yes. We have a Cantina Taco Bell scheduled to open on Dearborn in Chicago.”