Del Taco

In May (or June) of 1964, this store was opened due to the explosive success of the location nearby Yermo. Since then, the Yermo location has closed. In 2016, I decided to check it out for myself. After all, much like the first In-​n-​Out location in Baldwin Park, this is a bit of California history. Not to mention one of my favorite fast food chains. While in Barstow with my mom, I decided to stop in and go for dinner.
We parked outside the place, and crossed the short distance to enter the store. The store looked as if it had been renovated recently. It was new and hip. Inside, it was clean and spacious as we walked up to the menu board. Looking up at the signs, I noticed items like the «Barstow Taco» and then began to notice other items with «Barstow» in the title.
Curious, I decided to go with some official «Barstow» items. I took my usual Del Taco order and went with their variants. A Barstow chicken burrito, and a pair of Barstow chicken tacos. My mother got a taco salad and an epic fish taco. The cute girl behind the counter took our orders with a smile, and gave us a number on a stick. After some time, another girl behind the counter yelled out the number we had on our stick. Oh. They’re not going to deliver it, we’re just supposed to exchange the number on a stick for our food. Got it.
I went up to collect my tray. As I carried it back to the table, I felt that it was heavy with it’s weight. I placed the tray down, and opened it up. My Barstow items were larger in comparison to my regular Canyon Country items. The tacos were large and their contents spilled out, creating a mini-​salad of their own. Several times I had pause my eating to scoop the items back into their tortilla containers. My mother said that she really enjoyed her items as well.
After I ate, I sat to enjoy where I was, and revel in the ambiance of where I was. I was curious to know more about the history of where I was, so I decided to go up to the counter and ask the crew. I asked them when they first opened, and what made Barstow items the items they were. They all thought very carefully on their answers. They all nailed the year of 64, but they were all kinda fuzzy on the opening month. As for the second question, I felt the best answer given was; «We have bigger and better ingredients.»
I’d like to agree with that thought. Good job Barstow Del Taco. Good job. I’m happy I could have visited your location.
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They were fast, polite, had my order done without errors (no onions and no beans). Quick drive-​thru service and worth swinging through when you need a two and quesadilla. The strawberry milkshake was yummy too!

Hmm is this a Del Taco?! Honestly it felt like I was at a restaurant and not a fast food place. Their employees are super polite and they’re eager to help by taking your tray to your table or help take your tray after being done to the trash. I was amazed by their service since it’s a Del Taco! I love Del Taco but this one is so different! The tacos have more meat, cheese and it even had a fresh slice of tomato. Lol Oh and their bathrooms are the cleanest ones I’ve ever seen for at a fast food place. This Del Taco is worthy a review!

I decided to cap off my vacation in Cali with a stop at the oldest operating Del Taco for my last Cali meal before hitting that state line and getting back to reality. Plenty of reviews with history on this place so I will not even bother. I will say that if you have not been to this location before then come inside at least once to see the timeline pictures and history they have up on the walls. There is a drive thru. The Barstow Taco is a taco loaded with meat, cheese, lettuce, and a sliced tomato. I took the tomato off because it didn’t make any sense other than decoration. The taco not only looked good but tasted bomb AF. I also had a cheese quesadilla, soft taco, and tostada. The food was all very hot and the flour tortillas were nice and soft. Fast food chain I know but when it comes to Del Taco I sometimes forget I’m eating fast food and love it. It’s really convenient given that I travel a lot for work and only have time to stop for something quick. This location is also a nice stop when driving back and forth from Vegas to Cali.

This Del Taco on 1^st St., but it’s not the first Del Taco Location. A lot of people confuse this location as being the very first Del Taco to open however the very first DT was in Yermo, CA (original location is long closed) and the first DT with a drive-​thru was in Corona, CA. What you can be assured of is that this is the oldest operating DT and you can find some of the original menu items here. Inside they have some old pictures and history on the wall that are neat to see.
Barstow Taco ($ 1.50) — I’m not going to complain about the price. Reason? Because it was overflowing with meat, lettuce and cheese. It was topped with a slice of tomato that was red and tasted fresh. It seems like it’s triple the meat you’d get with a regular taco and filling.
Tostada ($ 1.49) — Had beans, lettuce, cheese and a tomato slice. Simple yet tasty.
I grew up in Vegas and when I was younger we had Naugles, not Del Taco. While Naugles merged with DT in the late 80’s, none of the locations in Vegas changed until the mid 90’s. I wasn’t so into trying this «new» place called Del Taco. At the time DT was only in California and apparently very popular. I soon learned that Dick Naugle was originally a co-​partner along with Ed Hackbarth and David Jameson at DT and left to open Naugles and when the companies ended up merging years later they put the «Taco Sandwich» (aka Bun Taco at DT) and «Macho» items from Naugles on the DT menu meaning I was able to still enjoy some of my favorite Naugles items while trying a new stuff. Some of these menu items including DT originals could only be found at this Barstow location, but now some of it is on the menu at most DT locations. There are still a few original DT items as well the Barstow Taco on the menu here in Barstow that are worth stopping for if you are in the area.

Let’s get the logistics out of the way. First and foremost, this is NOT the first Del Taco. The original (first) Del Taco opened in Yermo (just up the freeway from this location) and has since been decommissioned and has no ties what so ever with Del Taco corp of today. This location however, is now the OLDEST Del Taco in existence and you can tell just by the old styling of the order counter and the entrance to the place. The other perks I liked were the sauces were nicely lined in their own baskets at each table and the «off menu» that you can’t get at other locations. It is a bit off the freeway, but is worth it if you haven’t eaten yet and are big on road side nostalgia.
Ordered a couple of the Barstow tacos which looked like their regular beef tacos, but «beefed up» (more beef than they regularly put) with the nicely shredded cheese.
I also believe one of the owners still actually takes orders (though he wasn’t here on my visit) and still works among his employees. Great for nostalgia seeing that Del Taco has stepped up their offerings for a while now. Would come back especially since the prices are really good and you get a full complete meal for what it is. It isn’t gourmet, nor is it «authentic» Mexican, but it’ll make your tummy happy if you’re a fan of fast food.

Best fast food in Barstow! Del Taco was created here in town so the food is almost double in size, totally different than the chain stores.
There are 3, local Barstow locally owned Del Tacos … You will be amazed at the difference!

I don’t normally write reviews for fast food chains, but this one is a real gem! My bf told me that his coworker had mentioned that the very first Del Taco location tastes the best of all the other chain locations. Why? Because apparently they use fresh ingredients and the food is packed with deliciousness.
So on our way home from Vegas, we ventured out here for a quick bite to eat. Let me just tell you that this place looks very nice and clean for a place that’s been operating since 1964. Don’t believe me? Check out this site for proof! (
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The workers there are super nice and they even bring the food to you! We got 2 beef tacos, fries, and a strawberry lemonade (which they make fresh with real big strawberries). The beef tacos were the most beef-​packed fast food tacos we have ever had! The ingredients tasted very fresh. The fries were also good too. None of that «cheap small portions of ingredients» that you get from other locations!

Del Taco offers good food. The only issue for the 3 Barstow locations is the prices. None of these locations offer any special deals or value meals. It can get expensive for locals.

I didn’t believe it at first, but the First Del Taco is the BEST Del Taco. The food was hot, made fresh to order, and the employees were awesome. Asked about our day and told us they looked forward to seeing us again. Delightful stop on the way home from Vegas!

Full disclosure, I’ve never eaten at a Del Taco before, but I had heard that this Del Taco was the best and only uses the freshest ingredients (it’s the original Del Taco apparently). We were headed home from Vegas and thought Barstow would be a great place to take a rest and have some lunch. So we googled the original Del Taco and ended up here. It’s in a ‘hood that looks run down and you wouldn’t expect to find a restaurant here.
They have plenty of parking, restrooms (located on the outside of the building, but clean), and several tables. It looked like they are adding on or doing some remodeling.
I got the two grilled chicken tacos and they were so good! Not too filling and they tasted so fresh. My +1 had the chicken burrito and he said it was tasty too. Both of our meals came with crinkle fries (who doesn’t love a crinkle fry?) and a drink. They did an excellent job of keeping all the condiments full (our table had a basket filled with the different hot sauces and ketchup packets). And the service… impeccable! They even brought our food to our table.
Now that I’ve had the «best» Del Taco, I’m curious to try one in my ‘hood to see how they compare. Well done, Del Taco. I didn’t feel like I was eating fast food at all. This will be our go to spot on the way into and out of Vegas.

Got lost and ended up here. Ordered the beefiest tacos I’ve ever bought from Del Taco. Twice as big as the ones near me, in Ontario, CA. And the tortillas are so good.

If you are heading for Vegas, an absolute stop for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You must stop on your way to Vegas and on the way back home! VERY-​VERY good Del Taco menu, not like the other Del Tacos. Plenty of parking, even for RVs. You can also park your RV way in the back for overnight sleeping. Service is excellent. Try the Orange Shake. You will not be disappointed.
Steve White, Lake Mathews, California

Sayyyy whattttt!!!
The original Del Taco? So original that it has a different menu and uses different ingredients? YES. Look at some of the photos.
Barstow taco: $ 1.50. This is like their regular .89 hard shell taco except they put a heaping amount of cheese on it, and a super fresh slice of tomato on top. The shell was crispy and fresh. The meat amount was more than double your typical del taco taco. It was just — different. And delicious.
Service was top notch. YES TOP NOTCH AT DEL TACO. They bring the food out to you and are very eager to accommodate any needs you may have.
They are currently expanding and are open during the remodel so don’t let that fool you.
I will go back here every single time I am going through Barstow. Mad greek? Pfffftttt! This is where it’s AT!

This is the oldest standing Del Taco. It has a few things on the menu that are only available here like, a flat tostada and a bun taco.
A bun taco is a taco that uses a hamburger bun instead of a taco shell.

Ohhh Del Taco. I haven’t had you in so long. So long, in fact, that I forgot how awful you are.
This location is meh — the staff isn’t all that friendly, it’s quite run down, bathrooms are on the outside.
Our food came up quick but was just awful. Look, I don’t expect quality, of course, but the chicken itself was just disgusting. Rubbery, fatty, just… ugh. That texture will leave me with nightmares for the forseeable future. The beef has little flavor. The fries, however, are awesome, but I love crinkle fries.
Nope, I don’t need to return to this or any other Del Taco. Ever.

Well Here it is, a review of a fast food location. I know I say I won’t do the fast food locations or chains as it is a bit ridiculous to have Unilocal reviews of such places. Oh well, You need to have a bit of Nostalgia here. This is the second Del Taco in the universe. The First was in Yermo west of here and has been demolished. That leaves this as the oldest operating Del Taco. Who would start a chain that ends up being nationwide in a town like Yermo, then Barstow? Who knows, I just enjoy the trivia. The people were very nice and my order of fries was perfect. Hot, crisp, and Yum.
You can stop here just before the bridge over the tracks, leading to the Harvey House, route 66 museum and the Western Train museum (Friday and Saturday for the museums and every day for the Harvey House). Enjoy your history!

Since 1964 this place has been serving wanna be Mexican food to the masses. We hadn’t eaten all day and we arrived around 130pm for a late breakfast/​lunch. My three passengers which included my finicky teen daughter were not happy that we stopped here. I told everyone lets try it out if we don’t like it we will go elsewhere to eat. After their first bite all I heard was «this is delicious, oh wow so good», there was no need to go elsewhere to eat. Hands down this is the «best» Del Taco out there.

Not impressed by the service at all.
Went through the drive through ordered eight tacos and a chili cheese fries. I continued to wait 15 plus minutes for my order. Unfortunately realized ten minutes later while driving home I was missing four tacos. In addition there was no fork or napkins. Turned back around and went inside had to wait ten minutes for my order to be corrected. I asked for a small fry for my wait and Shawnie denied my request. The service was awful and Shawnie was extremely rude.
P.S the food was delicious and though!
From
Blake Curran

Although this is the original first location of Del Taco and it does serve up the larger sized Classic style taco and 99 cent burrito, I’m not as fond of this location as their #2 location down the street.
This restaurant is really small and the seating areas can get crowded. Not sure why, but the drunks, tweakers and assorted other creepy people seem to like this location better than the #2 location, which is usually filled with nice families when we go.
In my few experiences coming here, I’ve noticed that the food feels a bit rushed. My burrito will be cold with unmelted cheese, or my taco will be light on ingredients. Of course I’m not going to knock them simply for being busy, but I can’t help but again compare them with the #2 location, who although always busy, also always churns out fantastically hot burritos and tacos chock full of lovely ground beef.