I agree on the McD cheeseburger, but my new non-local favorite is Culver’s.
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McDonald’s. I don’t go often but numerous items on their menu are pure comfort food for me. Hamburger. Cheeseburger. Filet o fish. Chicken Mcnuggets with barbecue sauce. Sausage and egg McMuffin with hash brown. Cheesy bacon flatbread. Strawberry milkshake. McFlurry. The little soft serve cone. Hot apple pie.
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Is this something you grew up with, or how did those food items become comfort food to you?
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Yes. McDonald’s was an occasional treat growing up in Kansas City in the 1980s. And now it’s an occasional treat for us in the UK. The food is served up very quickly and the quality control is pretty good so you get a consistent product. And in the UK, the items like a plain hamburger or the Filet o fish are not commonly ordered, so you get one very freshly made to your order, which is nice.
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Got it. I remember getting the very occasional Big Mac in my teens.
I actually preferred the cheeseburgers at the American Embassy Club’s casual eatery 
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I tried the Wendy’s Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger today. $7.79 CAD
I would buy it again. 2 grilled cheese sandwiches sandwiching a burger and caramelized onions with mayo.
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“Tapping into America” and backstage catering:
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Jimmy John’s is spreading. LOL.
1 location in Etobicoke , 4 more on the way
Jersey Mike’s has also been infiltrating the Canadian chain sub market. 15 locations and plans to expand to 300 locations.
As of Aug 2025, Canada had 3025 Subways, 100 Firehouse Subs, 98 Quiznos, 15 Jersey Mike’s, 226 Mr Subs, and 5 Belly Busters- small chain in Toronto
Jimmy John’s are ubiquitous down here. They can be really good or really bad. They don’t seem to have fixed the “how not to allow any variation” problem that most chain resto/franchises mostly solved long ago.
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If I can ever get my TARDIS working, I want to go to a SoCal Taco Bell in the late 1960s and have crunchy tacos and bean burritos with green sauce. As long as I’m there, I’ll probably swing by my old favorite In-N-Out for a double double, back when the patties were bigger, and fries light well, back when they got toweled off with a clean white towel pulled off a big stack. If I have time, I’ll probably hit Tommy’s, too.
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I think we’d all want to get our TARDIS working. I had to look it up.
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But it’s gotta be the original at Beverly and Rampart!
The paper towel dispensers are essential for catching the chili cheeseburger’s thin orange stream running down toward your elbow:
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I’ve had the same hot/cold relationships. Inconsistency is a death knell in fast food.
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Duh!
In SoCal, many thought Del taco was better than Taco Bell back in the day, although at midnight on Saturday there were no arguments. Del Taco didn’t stay open late. I still prefer Del Taco but mostly see them in SoCal.
In any case, here’s an article about Ed Hackbarth the founder, still kicking at 90. He still owns three of his original stands. Interestingly, he was previously partner with Ed Bell the Taco Bell guy in another taco joint. And Jack in the Box bought Del Taco.
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Well I can only imagine a lot has changed about Taco Bell. And Del Taco is not much different. Here in Sacramento we have both and I cant recommend either, even at midnight.
We also have a local chain Jimboy’s tacos. They serve food that I can imagine is closer to the fast food tacos you might have had in the 60’s and 70’s, but I can’t be sure since I’m not old enough to remember. Jimboy’s is excellent though. Maybe even better than Taco Time up in the PNW.
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I pick Del Taco for tacos, but in my heart the Bell was the overall winner because of two thing: the green burrito and the fire pit. For fast food tacos today, I love Taco Palenque, but the chain is still small, just the LRGV and up through San Antonio to Austin.
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I favor Del Taco but the only time I go is when I’m in SoCal, to the same one I went to in 8th grade. More of a memory, nostalgia things. The food has actually improved, like Baja fish tacos, tiny but okay, and carne asada tacos, again tiny but okay for fast food. Now however, there’s real and excellent Mexican food and taco stands everywhere. There’s Taco Mesa, which was started by an El Torito chef and he created an empire, with one place (Taco Maria) getting a Michelin star but they closed it. I have not been to a Taco Bell for at least 30 years. That said, a friend says they are handy for plant based meals when there’s not much around, just get rice and beans.
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I remember the fire pits out in front of the old Mission-style Bells, but I don’t recall ever seeing a fire in them. I always thought they were a decorative element.
