Fast Food Taco Chains That Actually Use High Quality Beef

Few things are as disappointing as needing a quick bite, and being left with a tasteless, overly chewy mess. When craving a great taco on the go, the quality of the protein is a huge factor in where you choose to eat. Recently, many taco lovers were relieved to learn that the unsavory rumors surrounding Taco Bell's beef contents appear to be mostly unfounded. The chain's taco filling is made up of about 88% ground beef. Instead, the concern behind the now infamous rumor was rooted in the potentially excessive number of auxiliary contents in its protein product. So, where should you turn if you want a high-quality beef taco? 

For something to make our top tier taco list, we made sure that the tacos were not just full of flavor but full of the highest quality version of the main component — beef. This means little to no fillers or hard to pronounce items that look like they'd be made with a chemistry set. We've sourced a list of the best options with the best beef tacos across the country.

The definitive answer to the debate on if Chipotle should be dubbed a fast food joint remains to be seen. What is clear, though, is Chipotle's use of quality beef. As you've seen from Chipotle commercials, its locations don't have freezers, so all the daily sourced ingredients need to be of a certain quality. 

Beef sourced for Chipotle restaurants are responsibly raised, adhering to high animal welfare standards with zero hormone or antibiotic use. You can rest assured that the protein packing your tacos will be free from artificial dyes, flavors, preservatives, and even freezer burn.

If we can count Chipotle as fast food despite the lack of drive-though, then Baja Fresh should be counted in the same way. A California-based brand, Baja Fresh has been delivering high quality tacos and Mexican food since 1990. Baja Fresh focuses on unprocessed items and, like Chipotle, does not have freezers in any of its locations. This taco joint is more famous for their fresh seafood tacos, but the land-food protein options are just as great. 

Baja Fresh's commitment to freshness and transparency is commendable, full ingredient lists for all its products are available for download via its company website. Beef products used contains less than 2% of anti-caking type ingredients, and those used are naturally occurring. For street-style beef tacos that exemplify the meaning of Baja-style cooking, head to Baja Fresh.

A hybrid of fast-casual and fast food like Baja Fresh and Chipotle, Qdoba is another great option for quality tacos. An increasing number of locations across the country now feature drive-thrus to help skew this brand into the fast food category. Advertising its steadfast commitment to fresh, high-quality food, Qdoba's "Clean Label Pledge" notes that the brand avoids a laundry list of ingredients you'd normally see at a fast food restaurant, including transglutaminase (aka "meat glue"). 

Qdoba even employs a James Beard Award-winning chef to lead the way in excellence and quality. You have three different beef options to choose from at this chain: ground beef, grilled steak, and brisket birria — a favorite normally only seen at taquerias.

Despite having zero affiliation with each other today, TacoTime International and Taco Time Northwest shared a brief overlap in conception during the early 60s. That's not all the companies share though, as both feature strikingly similar menus and concerns with delivering quality products. If you aren't stopping in for a side of Mexi-fries — what both companies calls their respective spins on tater tots — then you're probably stopping for the "world famous" crisp burritos that look and taste like quality flautas (also by the same name at both). 

Taco Time Northwest boasts sourcing quality product from within the state as a way to ensure freshness and quality, while TacoTime International claims to cook up the highest-quality taco meat every two hours to maintain freshness. Either brand is a great choice for quality beef tacos. 

Found across Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas, there's Taco Bueno. Combining Tex-Mex cuisine with a from-scratch preparation, this chain cooks up its 100% fresh ground beef daily. This is rather recent development, coming from a 2019 PR statement by Taco Bueno's holding company. In the new campaign, the chain claimed it was going back to its roots, making food the right way. 

Taco Bueno's signature "Muchaco" taco uses a unique tortilla. It's not a tortilla at all actually, but pita bread that's then filled with refried beans and seasoned ground beef among other toppings. This version of a soft taco is the closest version to Dolly Parton's Taco Bell order.