Mitla Cafe, San Bernardino California

Mitla Cafe stands as a culinary icon, serving up Mexican comfort food with a side of history since 1937. Founded by Lucia Rodriguez and Vicente Montaño, the Cafe has been dishing out plates of tradition for nearly nine decades. Mitla’s crunchy tacos are the stuff of legend, reportedly inspiring Glen Bell to create Taco Bell after he dined here in the 1940s. That’s right, those late-night Taco Bell runs owe their existence to Mitla’s crispy, beefy brilliance. If you happen to be cruising through San Bernardino, skip the drive-thru and pull into Mitla Cafe, the birthplace of the original crunchy taco, on North Mount Vernon Avenue in San Bernardino, CA