26 Vintage Taco Bell Menus, Ads & Photos That Take You Back to 19-Cent Burritos and Retro Vibes

Before Baja Blast.
Before Doritos Locos Tacos.
Before the wild creations like Nacho Fries and Crunchwrap Supremes… there was a humble little walk-up taco stand in Downey, California, selling tacos for 19 cents.

These vintage Taco Bell photos, menus, and ads aren't just a trip down memory lane - they're a full-on time machine to a deliciously simpler era. Back when the only combo meal was "whatever you could afford," and the branding was all bells, sombreros, and slightly problematic cartoon mascots.

We're talking OG chalupas, retro fonts, psychedelic 70s menus, and drive-thru architecture that looked more like a desert mission than a fast-food joint. Some of these ads are gloriously outdated, some are weirdly charming, and some make you wish prices never left the 60s.

This is Taco Bell before it became the late-night icon of stoners, gamers, and broke college students everywhere. A tribute to the golden age of tostadas and chili burgers. When the bell actually meant dinner time. 🔔🌮

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01
Taco Bell’s original menu, with its first franchisee, Kermit Becky, 1962

via Rare Historical Photos

Why does "burritos" appear twice?
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02
The very first Taco Bell restaurant.

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04
By the late 1960s, Taco Bell’s menu had gotten slightly more adventurous.

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05
In 1970, Taco Bell went public with a total of 325 restaurants

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06
Vintage Ad from 1970s.

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07
Advertisement for Florida’s first Taco Bell, 1967.

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08
The Taco Bell Five. (The late 1960s).

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The chain began selling its famous “enchiritos,” a cross between a burrito and an enchilada, in the late 1960s.

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12
Vintage 1970s Taco Bell sign from 1972.

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15
This vintage Taco Bell ad shows the old dining-in experience, 1980s.

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Yeah... don't do that...

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18
Dating in Taco Bell restaurant.

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19
Food testing and preparation, 1981.

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Taco Bell with an old logo from 1983.

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21
Taco Bell, September 1972.

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22
Dine-in Taco Bell, 1990s. (Photo by Phil Donohue)

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Dine-in Taco Bell, 1990s. (Photo by Phil Donohue)

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25
Gidget the Chihuahua. 1999

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1990s 90s memes retro nostalgia 80s music Nostalgia Overload 80s 90s kids 90s memory lane nostalgia memes millennial-nostalgia 1980s

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