Taco Cabana, a San Antonio-based 24-hour fast-food joint, does a surprising number of things right. The ingredients are fresh and simple, the flavors spicy and limey, and the salsa bar seals the deal: this place takes Taco Bell’s beef-ish fare and stuffs it right up its bell.

This food is cheap, fast, and sorta good—what more do you need? For something impressive, try this: flour tortillas are freshly pressed on-site at each restaurant, all day long. What’s more, nothing is reconstituted or defrosted, and along with the variety of salsas (pico de gallo, verde, mild, and en fuego), there are plenty of pickled jalapeños, fresh cilantro, and lime and lemon wedges on offer. At 3am, we like to get some queso (a very respectable version, and the only respectable fast-food version) and roasted chicken “flameante”—it has a spicy, tangy skin and juicy, smoky meat. With borracho beans and fresh tortillas, that’s some tasty fast food. Otherwise, lightly crisp quesadillas and chicken fajitas are pretty good (beef can be tough). Skip the oily burritos, enchiladas, and horrific pupusas entirely.

The branches are generally clean and bright, with hand-painted Mexican tiles and metal tables made out of bent beer signs adding that faux-old-Mexico touch. Avoid the sticky-sweet frozen margaritas. But a fast-food joint that serves cold beer? Respect.