Taco John’s (Michigan City)
10157 N. Love’s AvenueI wasn’t planning on going home last week but sometimes life happens.
One of my aunts has been in an assisted living home for well over a decade. She hasn’t been well for a while but her passing last weekend was still somewhat unexpected.
My company doesn’t give bereavement time off for family outside of immediate family. I worked out a schedule with my boss so I could work what was essentially a half day on Wednesday then make the time up with my usual Friday overtime shift.
I left work about 12:45 PM, headed home to swap out cars, then got on the road. I had a three hour and fifteen minute drive back to Illinois where my mom grew up.
I had filled up my gas tank the night before so I knew I could make it all the way back. I had a plan for lunch though. I didn’t leave before I left Kalamazoo nor did I stop at a gas station and grab a Pepsi or two for the car ride.
My plan was to stop for tacos along the way.
I stopped at Taco John’s in Michigan City, IN. The taco chain out of Minnesota opened up a location inside the Love’s Truck Stop on Love’s Avenue and US Highway 421 just to the of the interchange with I-94. The truck stop is south of Michigan City proper in Coolsprings Township. Taco John’s has been a part of the Love’s since it opened in early 2024.
I have blogged about my nostalgia for Taco John’s several times. There have been Michigan locations of the chain recently but they’ve all closed. We used to stop at the Stevensville location on trips home. After that one closed, I was able to get to the locations in Wyoming and Caledonia before they didn’t make it either. I really don’t understand what Michigan has against Taco John’s. The tacos are way better than Taco Bell.
Like most truck stop restaurants, you can enter the Taco John’s from the parking or you can go in the convenience store and enter through there. There is a Godfather’s Pizza between the Love’s and the Taco John’s so you have to walk by delicious smelling pizza on your way if you’re coming through the gas station.
No surprises when you get inside. It looks like a typical fast food place but much a much cleaner design than the Taco John’s I grew up with. The design used to go really heavy on the yellow and it had kind of an American Southwest theme. Those days are gone and it’s a much more generic white and red tile scheme. The menu boards are above the counter on monitors but I didn’t even look at them. I knew all I wanted tacos.
I put in my order for six tacos then went to find a seat in the dining room. It’s fairly big for a modern fast food restaurant but this is a truck stop so I’m sure there are a lot of people like me who don’t want to eat tacos in the car. Sitting down to eat is the best option. Again, a very clean, very boring design to the place which is accented with uncomfortable metal chairs designed to get you in and get you out.
I don’t know why but the tacos are just so much better at Taco John’s. They have a lot more flavor than Taco Bell and there is a lot more meat. The crispy taco shell’s are filled almost all of the way up with seasoned beef, lettuce, and cheese. There is clearly more cumin used in Taco John’s seasoning and it gives the tacos a much richer flavor. I ordered six crispy tacos but could have eaten 100 of them. I really don’t get why Taco John’s can’t make it in Michigan. The tacos are so much better and I crave these. Yes, part of it is nostalgia….Taco John’s used to give away Tacos for A’s on report cards so that was always an incentive for me, but they’re also just better tacos than Taco Bell…by a long shot.
I know people love Taco John’s for the Potato Ole’s but for me, it’s just the simple Crispy Taco so that’s all I ordered. The cost for five was about $13. I didn’t get a drink because I was planning on walking in to the Love’s and grabbing a couple of Pepsi’s.
Taco John’s has tried and failed in Michigan and that’s so disappointing. It means we’ll likely never get one here in Kalamazoo. This is by far my preferred fast food taco place and now this one in Michigan City is the closest one to us. I’ve been eyeing it for the last couple of years when we’ve gone home or to Chicago but never stopped. I had a little bit of time and an appetite for tacos on this trip.
SW Michigan Dining 
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