Taco Bell and craft beers? Hillsborough Street’s boozy Taco Bell Cantina is now open.

Raleigh’s Taco Bell Cantina on Hillsborough Street will open today for lunch, ushering in a new era of fast food in the region, one where a cheesy gordita crunch finally gets the pairing it deserves, a Baja Blast Mountain Dew with tequila in it.

Yes, Raleigh is one of the very few cities in United States with a booze-serving Taco Bell Cantina, the giant chain’s new offshoot of restaurants marketed to urban eaters. There is no drive-through. There will be words like “shareable” and “small plates” right next to time-honored standbys like the Crunchwrap Supreme.

The new Taco Bell Cantina will open at 10:30 a.m., according to the brand’s local franchisee, Luihn Companies.

Located next to Hillsborough Street’s Smashed Waffles, the Cantina will have outdoor seating, communal tables and an indoor mural painted by local artist Clark Hipolito. The menu has six draft beers, including three from Fayetteville’s Mash House Brewing Co., which made a beer specifically for the Cantina, the Bell Tower Cerveza, named after NC State’s famous bell tower.

There will also be slush drinks diners can spike with tequila, rum or vodka, as well as frose, the frozen version of rose wine.

It was revealed in January that the Taco Bell Cantina would open in Raleigh when local owners submitted plans to city hall. There’s seating for around 30 in the dining room, plus three outdoor tables.

This story was originally published August 13, 2018 at 11:00 AM.