In my ongoing series on “Mexican” food in foreign lands, I cannot help but to add a Tokyo installment. This one’s a stretch, though.
It was my business partner’s first time in Tokyo and I wanted to show him the famous Shibuya Crossing.
The taxi driver dropped us off nearby the famous intersection…right next to a Taco Bell.
Taco Bell in Japan? Seriously? I do try to avoid fast food in the USA, but make a few exceptions…once in a while…for Taco Bell (as well as In-N-Out, Five Guys, and Shake Shack). I wasn’t even all that hungry, but had to try it.
The menu has some overlap, but is notably different. You start by picking out the meat you want: beef, pork, or chicken, then you choose what you want around it.
My favorite item is a quesadilla, so I chose that. The cashier did not speak much English, but I used a pictorial menu card to point to what I wanted. It was about $4.
The quesadilla was wrapped just like in the USA and looked the same. But it tasted different…no jalapeño sauce and the chicken had a more spices. It wasn’t bad at all.
Do I recommend it? I recommend it about as much as I recommend Taco Bell here. It’s not healthy, but it’s a nice dose of comfort food if needed.
We had already eaten a full meal earlier that evening at a Persian restaurant called Bol Bol.
The owner emigrated from Iran over 20 years ago and displayed warm hospitality that reminded me of my trip to Iran. This was a nice treat.
Why not Japanese food in Japan? Because we wanted to take our client to a Persian restaurant and I could not resist the low-quality fast-food “Mexican” food…
Read my other international Mexican food reviews:
Live near Shibuya. Best thing about Tokyo Bell in Japan is they server BEER!
Right across from the Taco Bell is a great divey sushi joint and very cheap.
Actually the alleyway that the Taco Bell is on is pretty awesome.
I would laugh at you for going to Taco Bell, but I have to confess, it is also a guilty pleasure of mine when I travel, stateside at least.
It’s comfort food. I’m not going to deny it.
There’s a new(?) Mexican chain popping up in Japan, too: Guzman & Gomez. It’s far better than T-Bell if you’re looking for fast Mexican food. Funny thing is, for the longest time, the only Taco Bells in Japan existed on the military bases and a lot of Japanese locals considered it quite the treat to be able to go there if they had the opportunity.
G&G is an Aussie chain. As an exiled Californian, I absolutely approve of their burritos.
Going by your receipt, we were in Tokyo at the same time and Taco Bell on the same day! I didn’t get to stay at the Park Hyatt (beautiful hotel), but did fly Emirates First Class there and back thanks to the tips of travel websites like yours.
I was quite happy about the melon margaritas there. If you want to add more to your Mexican food adventures, Seoul has two wonderful Taco Bell locations with kimchi available and hot sauce packets that are twice the size of those in the US.
Being a Mexican native, I smile at your gastronomic adventures, and we have to admit you mostly get a “hybrid” Mexican-American cuisine overseas. Very good , nonetheless. Mexican cuisine has evolved into a true joy, which we love when we travel in Mexico. Rick Bayless illustrates a lot of this in his books and shows.
We had paella in Prague. It was the restaurant on the square directly across from the Orloi clock. The best shwarma we have had was in Barcelona.
We always check out most American franchise food outlets, KFC, McDonalds, Burger King. Just checked out a Burger King in Hanoi. Meh.
At McDonalds in Finland, at the menu on the wall, the ONE WORD for a cheeseburger occupies 3 lines.
Japanese do a lot of foods well, but Mexican isn’t one of them (French and Italian are though) lol. My Japanese-American godfather relocated his family to Japan for work about a decade ago, and his first stop when he comes back is Mexican in Los Angeles. I was in Berlin for a party weekend a few years ago, and my hangover really needed some Vietnamese food to bring me back to life. I got so excited when I found a place that was relatively well liked (at least on Yelp). Worst food I’ve ever had hahaha…for some reason they put vinegar in the Pho and the spring rolls were more aligned with a brat 😛