Have you ever heard of a French taco?
No, that's not a euphemism for anything. It's actually just food. And it's now available at Disneyland, of all places. No, not the one in Paris. The one in California.
A French taco, for those not in the know, is a kind of wrapped sandwich. Typically, it's made with kebab or some ground meat wrapped in a flour tortilla stuffed with French fries, cheese, and sauces, then grilled. It looks like a Taco Bell Crunchwrap, but without the crunch inside. And it tastes like a chopped cheese burrito.
French tacos appeared in France about 20 years ago - thus the first part of the name. As for the second part, how anyone decided this should be called a "taco" is up for debate. The most popular chain in France selling these things is called "O'Tacos," so somehow we've got the Irish dragged into the cultural melange as well.
Anyway, it's on the dinner menu now at Disneyland's Red Rose Taverne. That's the "Beauty and the Beast"-themed counter service restaurant in Fantasyland, so Disneyland has the setting for this food item spot on. It's just off by about 200 years or so.
Disneyland also is not calling this item a "French taco." Instead, it is on the menu as the "Fantasyland Faire Fold," which is probably a smart move to head off complaints from Southern Californians who would be confused to see a flattened burrito on the tray when they went to claim their order.
I got the Burger Fantasyland Faire Fold for $14.49. It comes with seasoned ground beef and hash browns instead of the customary fries. Disneyland also listed "Cheese, White Cheese Sauce ?and Burger Sauce" as ingredients.
Swapping hash browns for the fries not only makes this easier to assemble, but also adds some extra crispiness to a bite that needs some texture. Without any salad or pickles in here to cut the fattiness of all that meat and cheese, any crisp in the bite is welcomed. Otherwise, the flavors all play well, with some zippy tanginess from the burger sauce complementing the richness of the white cheese (Emmental?) sauce. It's just all... a lot.
Having tried Disneyland's version, I understand why French tacos became popular as a late-night, post-club snack. These gut busters could soak up a night's worth of drinking in just a few bites. But sober at the end of a day at Disneyland? You might consider splitting this to avoid the inevitable food hangover if you tried to down the whole thing yourself. I barely got through half and needed a nap. Still, it's tasty, and I liked it better than any of the burgers I have had at Disneyland in recent memory.
Fantasyland Faire Folds are available after 4pm only. In addition to the burger version, a chicken and a veggie version are available.
Disneyland has plenty of ticket deals going at the moment, including a three-day ticket for local residents starting at $64 a day. You can find that and other deals on our partner's Disneyland tickets page.
To keep up to date with more theme park news, please sign up for Theme Park Insider's weekly newsletter.
This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
Very interesting that DL is trying this! There's a long New Yorker article from a few years ago with the history and contemporary cultural implications of the French tacos (note that it ends with an s even in the singular), a street food from immigrants and popular with working people for a quick, cheap lunch. O'Tacos is really good - we made a point of going a couple of times when in Paris last year. We also encountered an O'Tacos knockoff in Quebec City a couple of years ago. It does not sound like DL was going for total authenticity (hash browns! no) but absolutely the vibe is heavy and filling.