In less than two weeks, Taco Bell will be removing almost a dozen items from their menu. Being the junk food whore that I am, I decided that I had to pay them a visit and enjoy some of these items for what will probably be the last time. In fairness to the chain, this is also the first time I'll be trying some of them, so I can't really fault them too much for cutting them out of the menu. There's no way I could eat all of this in one sitting without regretting it, so I cut everything in half and saved the other half for lunch the next day. That way, I could accurately experience the food while it was still hot while avoiding an evening food coma.
TacoBell.com:
It seems like Taco Bell is eliminating all of the foods that make use of potatoes, so it stands to reason that the Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes are among the items on the chopping block. It's really a shame because they're really very good and they're sold at an affordable price. If you compare these to french fries from places like McDonald's and Burger King, it's no contest. These taste much better, and you're getting more food for less money. Personally, I prefer them without the sour cream, but I'd absolutely take a dish of cheesy potatoes over a carton of greasy fries.
TacoBell.com:
This is another bargain that I'm disappointed to see go. I guess it's not too big of a deal because it's a pretty easy thing to make at home. Just fill a dish with a good sized handful of tortilla chips and top it with nacho cheese, red sauce and refried beans. Still, it's was pretty awesome to know that if you had a dollar in your wallet, you could stop by a Taco Bell and have a tasty, filling snack that's not too unhealthy.
TacoBell.com:
This has been on the Taco Bell menu for as long as I can remember, so I'm surprised to see it go. It's not bad, but it's also not something I ever order because I don't like sour cream. However, I am going to miss its description on the company website. It's not everyday that a fast food chain compares its food to an elderly baker, an irritable landlord, an untalented bassoon musician and a pretty cool guy from Maine named Jeff.
TacoBell.com:
I'm going to miss this. It's a big burrito stuffed with seasoned beef and rice, Frito chips and nacho cheese. It's delicious and filling, and it's only a dollar. If you're on a budget and you don't want to cook, you could get a whole bag of these for under ten bucks and have plenty for a group of people with leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
If I get back before the 13th, the Beefy Frito Burritos are my go-to item to stock up on.
TacoBell.com:
It's difficult to know what to think of these because they're nothing like the photo. I don't know if they're supposed to be that way or if my local Taco Bell just make them wrong, but they're not nice and round and stuffed like they're advertised to be. Instead, they're almost completely flat and not terribly filling. Why anyone would pay twice the price for the Beefy Nacho Griller instead of just buying two Beefy Fritos Burritos is beyond me. It's not a debate that will last too long since both will be gone by the end of the month.
TacoBell.com:
Everything I said about the Beefy Nacho Griller is true of the Cheesy Potato Griller, except it has no meat and it's loaded with globs of sour cream. It's actually pretty terrible. Even if you like lots of sour cream with your cheese and potatoes, look at how flat this is compared to the photo from their website. I can't even see any potatoes in there. It looks like they filled with with half as much cheese and potatoes, twice as much sour cream, and then they backed over it with the delivery truck. Hard pass.
TacoBell.com:
This is another tasty and affordable item that's disappearing. It's not quite as filling as the Beefy Frito Burrito, but the chipotle sauce, seasoned potatoes and cheese are a very pleasant combination, and you can't go wrong for a dollar. I'm sad to see this one go.
TacoBell.com:
I've seen this (or something like it) on the menu at Taco Bell for as long as I can remember, but I never ordered one. It always seemed too messy in comparison to the burritos and soft tacos, especially if you're picking up food at the drive thru to eat in the car. I regret not trying it sooner because this was absolutely delicious, especially for a dollar. Are you sensing a trend here with the fact that so many inexpensive items are being discontinued?
The Mexican Pizza is still on the menu, and it appears to be pretty similar. From what I can tell, the only difference is that the pizza also has seasoned beef and a second hard tortilla shell on top. It's also replaces the red sauce and chipotle sauce with something called Mexican Pizza Sauce. I'm sure you could probably customize it to have the same sauces, but it'll cost you. At $3.89, the Mexican Pizza is 289% more expensive than the Spicy Tostada for a buck. That's quite a markup for a few ounces of ground meat and an extra shell.
Enjoy the classics while you still can. I'm sure that there will be some new menu items from the Food Innovation Team, but I'm also pretty sure they won't cost a dollar. It seems like they're purging the less profitable menu items and ingredients in favor of whatever ingredients are the most cost-effective during the pandemic. I'm not sure what those ingredients are, but it appears that potatoes aren't one of them. I suppose we'll find out soon.
