INDIANAPOLIS — A brand new restaurant has opened its doors in downtown Indianapolis.
The city's first Taco Bell Cantina held its grand opening on Saturday, Dec. 23 at 24 W. Washington St., near Monument Circle.
The new restaurant replaces Sugarfire Smokehouse, which closed in 2020 following a rent dispute with the building's landlord.
Toni Perkins, an area coach for Taco Bell, told 13News that guests to the new restaurant can expect a similar menu to the standard Taco Bell locations, but will be able to order alcoholic drinks such as freezes with liquor, as well as a selection of beer including Sun King on tap.
The restaurant will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. daily.
Jon Aiello, Taco Bell's market president, said the new alcoholic beverage options are called "Twisted Freezes" and can be made with rum, vodka or tequila.
In order to provide a quick and efficient ordering process, the restaurant will feature six ordering kiosks. There are also plans to bring live music and entertainment to the restaurant in the near future.
Taco Bell says the Indianapolis location was chosen to help bolster the brand's portfolio in the downtown area. Taco Bell also said they wanted to be a part of the city's rejuvenation efforts and felt like now was the best time to do so with the NBA All-Star Game just a couple months away.
The company says they hope this location will help people looking for a late night bite to eat as they plan to be one of the few restaurants open after midnight downtown.
As the restaurant celebrates its grand opening, it comes on the heels of a lawsuit from the Taco Bell franchise owner inside Circle Centre Mall accusing the new Cantina of "unfairly competing" with the mall's location.
The location will close at 2 a.m. Christmas Eve and then be closed Christmas Day before reopening with regular hours.