The Most Beautiful Taco Bell in the World

This episode of Bay Curious explores the iconic Taco Bell in Pacifica, California—a fast-food restaurant built on stilts directly on the beach, surrounded by natural beauty and steeped in local history. Reporter Gabriela Glick and host Olivia Allen Price journey to the site, tracing its origins back to the 1972 opening of an A&W root beer restaurant, which was the first commercial structure on the beach and sparked community debate over public access and coastal development. The A&W’s legacy paved the way for the Taco Bell, which replaced it in 1985 and later evolved into a beachside cantina serving margaritas and soft tacos. The story unfolds against the backdrop of California’s landmark Proposition 20, which established the California Coastal Commission to protect public access and regulate development. The episode examines the tension between preserving unique cultural landmarks and the looming threat of sea level rise, with experts warning that the building may eventually be unsustainable. Despite its precarious location, the Taco Bell remains a beloved local institution and a symbol of California’s complex relationship with its coastline.