When is a Taco Bell location not a Taco Bell? When it’s a Live Más Café.
The popular fast-food chain is branching out with a new type of restaurant, the Live Más Café, which will offer a wide variety of customizable beverages including specialty coffees and the newly launched Refrescas – some of which are caffeinated – along with Taco Bell food dishes.
The first new Live Más Café is scheduled to open early next month in Orange, California, the company said in a recent news release. It comes after the success of the first test location, which opened in Chula Vista, California, in November 2024 under the operation of franchise partner Diversified Restaurant Group, which owns about 300 Taco Bells and 28 Arby’s locations across the U.S.
By the end of the year, Taco Bell is planning to add 30 more Live Más Cafés, all part of the chain’s attempt to respond to Generation Z’s thirst for beverages – and grow its drink revenue to $5 billion by 2030.
“We’re seeing today that people, especially younger consumers, are reaching for refreshing drinks as part of their lifestyle, whether it’s for energy or a sweet treat throughout the day,” said Liz Matthews, Taco Bell’s global chief food innovation officer. “So, we’re making big investments to become the ultimate beverage stop where our fans can expect to see the same bold, unexpected creativity in their cups as they do on their plates.”
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What is a Live Más Café?
The Live Más Café is an “innovative beverage concept,” an extension of existing restaurants giving customers the option of a “craveable lineup of signature drinks as well as Taco Bell favorites” on the food menu, the company said in a statement to USA TODAY.
Customers can expect “an elevated in-restaurant experience, featuring modern interiors and standout hospitality” from the cafe’s specialty drink mixers, called “Bellristas.”
Where is Taco Bell opening Live Más Cafés?
Taco Bell plans to open 30 new Live Más Cafés within existing Taco Bell restaurants by the end of 2025. Beyond that, not all 8,000-plus Taco Bells will add Live Más Cafés.In addition to opening a Live Más Café early in August in Orange, California (468 S Main St.), Taco Bell has said these other areas will soon be getting them, too (no addresses or opening dates released):
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San Diego (coming soon)
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Irvine (coming soon)
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Los Angeles County (coming soon)
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Dallas (later this year)
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Houston (later this year)
What type of drinks can I get at Taco Bell’s Live Más Cafés?
The menu will boast more than 30 signature beverages, including frozen blended Churro Chillers (limited availability), Dirty Mountain Dew Baja Blast Dream Sodas, specialty coffees and the newly-launched Refrescas.The Refrescas include the Agua Refrescas (caffeinated and available in strawberry passionfruit, dragonfruit berry, and mango peach flavors), Rockstar Energy Refrescas (caffeinated, pineapple lime or tropical punch flavors), and the Refresca Freeze, a frozen strawberry lime flavor drink with real freeze-dried fruit pieces.
Contributing: Gabe Hauari.
Mike Snider is a reporter on USA TODAY’s Trending team. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Taco Bell’s Live Más Café is expanding to more US locations
