Yelpers Find Worst Restaurant Bathroom in City

By Robert Sietsema Mon., Apr. 13 2009 at 9:18 AM

The bathroom at the Taco Bell on 14th Street between University and Fifth Avenue (click to examine more closely)

Rummaging through Yelp the other day, Fork in the Road discovered some of the worst reviews we'd seen in a long while, and they focused on the bathroom at a local Taco Bell. Here are some examples:

"Aside from being a cheap place to get a quick lunch fix, this Taco Bell is scary! You aren't allowed to open the door by yourself, there is a homeless man who does it for you. He is accompanied by a family/entourage of sorts that sits by him by the door and talks loudly in the restaurant. The food is prepared quickly by what resembles an assembly line of workers who look miserable making your food. The place is dirty, and the bathroom is a nightmare! I mean, really. SCARY AS HELL. Poop is everywhere, the toilet doesn't even function." -- from Fred K., in Brooklyn, NY

more scary stuff, after the jump

And another Yelp review, from Matt J. in Manhattan:

"This place is full of degenerates, annoying homeless people, and emo kids as far as the eye can see. Seriously. When did emo kids start hanging out in Taco Bell? Bad food, although I had a nice cashier. Unfortunately I had to pee after my meal. The bathroom looked like someone really sick had awful diarrhea and didn't care to get it in the toilet, but instead all over the wall and floor and sink probably. I feel bad for the people who work here."

So, Fork in the Road sent an investigative reporter to the location. We discovered that the bathroom, metal door ajar, sits right inside the front door of the place, making it possible for anyone on the street to dart in for any purpose. Inside, the bathoom must have been designed by the same person who did the cells at Rykers, because it's clad all in stainless steel, and there are curious streaks all over the walls. Here's another view, showing the dodgy toilet. We haven't seen such a bathroom since we visited the one in Tompkins Square recently.