All 39 Taco Bell Menu Items, Painstakingly Ranked (2024)

All 39 Taco Bell Menu Items, Painstakingly Ranked (1)

Since October 2016, I've been subjecting my innards to the gastrointestinal equivalent of an American Ninja Warrior obstacle course. The challenge: to order and eat at least three bitesof every food item available on Taco Bell's huge -- but recently scaled back -- mainmenu.

I'm doing this for you, dear readers. And also, in remembrance of that Taco Bell Chihuahua, which, along with the cast of canines featured inHomeward Bound, Wishbone, and Beethoven, has almost certainly passed away by now. Yes, life is sad. At least we have Taco Bell.

All 39 Taco Bell Menu Items, Painstakingly Ranked (2)

I'll be updating this ranking whenever Taco Bell adds or subtracts from its official menu, which is surprisingly often. Usually, T-Bell adds more meat-cheese-topping-shell configurations to its menu than it subtracts, but in September of 2019, the chain killed off at least nine menu items, includingthe Cool Ranch and Fiery Doritos Locos tacos. On the bight side, vegetarian options are now a highlight on its menu boards across the country. Will the new Black Bean Crunchwrap Supreme fill the Doritos Locos-shaped hole in our hearts? Hell no. But it'll come close.

All 39 Taco Bell Menu Items, Painstakingly Ranked (3)

So how did I track down every Taco Bell menu item? Well, it wasn't that hard. A spokesperson for the company sent over a photo of the latest menu (shown above), which served as my guide. Just note that this ranking does not include Taco Bell's breakfast menu options (at least, not yet).

As you're about to see, eating my way through the main menu was... a journey. Grab a fistfull of Fire Sauce packets and come along with me.

39. Black Bean Burrito

It's just OK enough to be forgettable. It's like the Mexican fast-food equivalent of How I Met Your Mother. I can't imagine the kind of person who goes to a Taco Bell and orders a plain black bean-filled burrito. But also, How I Met Your Mother ran for nine seasons. So... you know.

38. Chips and Nacho Cheese Sauce

Alright, look: You might think -- being this low -- that I'm saying these aren't good. That's not true. It's just… well I mean… this is literally just some super crunchy chips and a little bIt of orange cheese. IT'S FINE.

37. Chips and Pico de Gallo

Pretty much what I said above, but instead of orange cheese you got kind of a nice little cup of surprisingly fresh pico.

36. Chips and Guacamole

This ranks highest of all the chip pairings, because unlike other fast-ish Mexican food joints, TB does not charge extra for gauc. Well, at least in this case.

All 39 Taco Bell Menu Items, Painstakingly Ranked (4)

35. Cinnabon Delights

There are malls/airports for these. You don't need them at Taco Bell.

34. Black Bean Quesarito

As you'll see, I'm pro Quesarito. This is far from the best one. This is the Stephen Baldwin of Quesarito. This is not the Quesarito you want to spend time with.

33. Bean Burrito

This is just a burrito filled with beans. It's like the "slappers only mode" (GoldenEye reference!) of the Taco Bell menu.

32. Shredded Chicken Burrito

A stab at the upscale. But... it almost seems like it's stabbing too hard, trying too desperately to be "authentic," and missing what makes Taco Bell great in the first place: loading variations of Mexican food with literally anything that would make it taste better, and openly admitting we all good with knowing this is fast food. When The Bell purposefully shows restraint, or tries to get fancy, it loses that magic.

31. Shredded Chicken Soft Taco

See above, add taco.

30. Grilled Steak Soft Taco

See above, add steak.

29. Toasted Cheddar Chalupa

For a more robust take on one of Taco Bell’s new menu items, I’d suggest this review by my uber-talented (and decidedly less cheesy) colleague, Kat Thompson. But simply put: I agree with her resounding “meh.” The shell tastes like a giant soggy Cheez-It -- but hey, maybe you’re into that?

28. Cheesy Bean & Rice Burrito

Scanning through this list, you'll notice these "basic" options are really hit or miss. This is one that -- for whatever reason -- just doesn't inspire the same type of adoration as other bare-bones entries on TB's menu. It can get a little... soggy. You don't want that.

27. Black Bean Crunchwrap Supreme

I really wish I could have ranked this higher, because it almost definitely has the best name out of any Taco Bell Menu item. It just rolls off the tongue. It sounds like a ‘70s funk band. But, this veggie option simply middles and leaves me missing the meat. To be fair, I'm usually missing the meat.

26. Chicken Quesadilla

If you are at a restaurant, and you're unsure about what to get, the rule of thumb is snagging a chicken quesadilla. Incredibly hard to mess up. Reliable. Consistently good across the board. Kind of blends into the background. That's what we got going on here: a solid, if not forgettable, Taco Bell treat.

25. Steak Quesarito

Remember what I said above about the grilled steak taco? Well, I'm going to be a little hypocritical here (look, it's my list, and I've eaten ~400,000 calories of Taco Bell to get here, so cut me some slack). Usually when Taco Bell tries to make something fancy it doesn't work quite as well. This quesadilla/burrito hybrid gives us just enough cheesy, fast food-y coverage to make the steak seem like... well, actual steak. That's a good thing.

24. Beefy Fritos Burrito

After a solid-gold partnership with Doritos, Taco Bell is taking its snack food/fast food alchemy to Fritos -- the corn-based chip-thing that you may recognize from the floor of your mom's minivan -- with this burrito loaded with (you guessed it!) Fritos. Obviously, this isn't bad. But it's certainly not a game-changer like the Doritos Locos Taco. And it seems like, overall, the Dorito's flavor just works better with what Taco Bell is putting out there. The Fritos make the burrito extremely salty, almost unpleasantly so. In fact, I need a tall glass of Baha Blast just thinking about it...

23. Beefy 5-Layer Burrito

It's like the Taco Bell lab made this specifically to cater to people who swore off vegetables because they lost a bet in middle school. It's so dense, you can hammer a nail with it.

Still, it's worth at least one order. Just don't make plans for the upcoming week.

22. Power Menu Bowl

I'll say this a few times over the course of this ranking, but Taco Bell is (bewilderingly) great at healthy-ish fast food items. The PMB isn't exactly what Tom Brady is crushing before he goes out there and cheats and also plays football at peak performance, but it will make you feel a little less bad about hitting the drive-thru on a Wednesday, if you care about that kind of stuff.

21. Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes

Ah, cheesy party potatoes. There's a version of this, wrapped in a tortilla, a little further down. This is like opting to get your ice cream in a bowl, instead of a cone. Why would you want to do that?

All 39 Taco Bell Menu Items, Painstakingly Ranked (5)

20. Spicy Tostada

The Spicy Tostada is kind of like a mini Mexican Pizza, sans meat. But good news! You can add as much meat as you like (for a small fee -- again, Taco Bell's menu is infinitely customizable). It totally nails the basic-but-great overall charm of the budget menu. If you want something with a Mexican Pizza vibe, but don't want that much food, Taco Bell has answered your fast-food prayers. At least someone is listening.

19. Quesarito

In case you don't get it: The Quesarito is half quesadilla, half burrito, and I tell you what, it's not half-bad! Actually it's not close to half-bad. It's almost full good. Half-bad is kind of high bar for crappiness, isn't it?

18. Burrito Supreme

Look, there's a seven-layer option available here.

All 39 Taco Bell Menu Items, Painstakingly Ranked (6)

17. 7-Layer Burrito

The 7-Layer Burrito is a hedonistic fast-food classic. Taco Bell describes it "... like that 7th-floor city apartment you lived in right after college."

And it's true. It's small. Comes wrapped in paper. Filled with beans and cheese. It's the second best-selling item on the Taco Bell menu. Actually... it's not like my post-college apartment at all. Except for the bean and cheese part.

16. Beefy Nacho Griller

Beef is the better Griller, but still not the bestest.

15. Cheesy Roll-Up

This really reminded me of when I used to put a bunch of cheese in a tortilla and microwave it for three minutes when I was home alone as a kid. Kevin McCallister probably made these when he finished that lovely cheese pizza, just for him.

All 39 Taco Bell Menu Items, Painstakingly Ranked (7)

14. Gordita

In Spanish, the word "gordita" translates directly to "chubby girl." I respect that decision. The only problem here is that this Gordita is remarkably similar -- but inferior -- to our next entry.

13. Chalupa

The Gordita is like a taco, except with a big, fluffy outer shell.

The Chalupa is exactly the same, except the shell is fried. Obviously, you can see why I opted for the Chalupa here.

12. Cheesy Potato Griller

I'm going to blow the surprise, but a simpler, non-cheesy potato dish ranks slightly higher. Sometimes -- maybe especially in fast food? -- simpler is better. (For the record, this is still pretty simple and very good.)

All 39 Taco Bell Menu Items, Painstakingly Ranked (8)

11. Spicy Potato Soft Taco

Aside from a certain crunchy dessert (ranked higher), the spicy soft taco is the best vegetarian thing on the menu. There are no fries at Taco Bell (anymore, at least) but the humble potato still finds a way to soar. Soar, humble potato.

10. Crunchwrap

The Crunchwrap has quickly risen up the Taco Bell totem pole to become a modern day fast-Mexican classic. It's like a burrito, in Frisbee form. It's sauce-tight construction makes it the perfect Taco Bell meal on the go. It's a portable burrito. Well, I guess a more portable burrito.

All 39 Taco Bell Menu Items, Painstakingly Ranked (9)

9. Hard Tacos

Generally, I believe the hard taco (in general) to be severely underrated in almost all regards.

However. The Taco Bell hard taco has a propensity to get soggy super fast (if you are getting these to-go, you should eat them in your car). And, when they are not soggy they are super sharp. Like, carve-out-the-roof-of-your-mouth sharp. Like thumbtacks spiked with Captain Crunch. And no one expects pain with their Taco Bell. Well, at least not at first. Bottom line: if you want a hard taco, opt for the Doritos shell. It's more worthy of your mouth pain.

8. Fiesta Taco Salad

Scoff, if you must, but Taco Bell sneakily has some of the best, "healthier" fast food dishes in America. No, that's not an oxymoron. Yes this is like a party in my salad, and everyone's invited. No, I'm not kidding: the Fiesta Taco salad -- exactly what it sounds like -- is truly a good thing to order at Taco Bell.

All 39 Taco Bell Menu Items, Painstakingly Ranked (10)

7. Nachos Supreme/BellGrande/Grande Nachos Box

The Nachos Supreme and Nachos BellGrande (basically, the Supreme soaked in melted cheese) are two of Taco Bell's big hitters.

Is there really any more Taco Bell-ish dish than the nachos? It's just a big old pile of everything you want to sloppily fill your face with. A fast food burrito, de-constructed.

The Grande Nachos Box is just about the same thing, but with twice the meat -- seasoned beef or shredded chicken -- than Nachos BellGrande, plus a dollop of guac. That's the only difference. For that reason, and the fact that they're only a limited-time menu item, we decided not to rank them separately. Make no mistake, though. They're good. And filling.

6. Cheesy Gordita Crunch

The Cheesy Gordita Crunch is the ideal amount of culinary ridiculousness -- the kind of sideshow hodgepodge that made Taco Bell the rare fast-food chain that is still doing experiments that people care about for more than a news cycle.

All 39 Taco Bell Menu Items, Painstakingly Ranked (11)

5. Cinnamon Twists

When I was 6 years-old, I did not like Taco Bell... for some reason. Who knows? I guess I didn't like a lot of things back then. The basement. Clowns. Wearing underwear.

But what I did like were these Cinnamon Twists, which have been around basically as long as The Bell has. I love a light dessert. And these are like ping pong balls filled with helium. They're stale little churros. And I mean that as a massive compliment.

All 39 Taco Bell Menu Items, Painstakingly Ranked (12)

4. Shredded Chicken Mini Quesadilla

I know this looks bad, but it's actually disturbingly good. I could have said that about most things on this list. I saved it for a reason.

All 39 Taco Bell Menu Items, Painstakingly Ranked (13)

3. Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco Supreme

Witness: the taco that launched at least 1,000 stony bologna trips to the Taco Bell drive-thru. This is fast-food experimentation at its absolute peak -- a stunt food that paved the way for every "look-this-bun-is-made-of-Cronuts-and-it's-also-stuffed-with-hot-dogs" feat of food food alchemy.

After the gimmick wore off, the truth shone through; Doritos and Taco Bell are just made for each other.

All 39 Taco Bell Menu Items, Painstakingly Ranked (14)

2. Mexican Pizza

This is the goddamn wildcard. A dark horse soaked in fuego sauce. It's not very pizza-like, to be honest. It is round, sure. That's about it.

But it's a direct display of Taco Bell's strengths. It's serving up a massive plate of cheese, meat, crunchy stuff (?), and liberally drizzled sauces in such a convincing fashion, you don't even bother to question what it is, or why you are eating it. The Mexican Pizza is Taco Bell, encapsulated in one little disc of pure fast-food bliss. And only one item could possibly top it.

All 39 Taco Bell Menu Items, Painstakingly Ranked (15)

1. Soft Taco

It's not Gordita Bell. Or Burrito Bell. And it's definitely not Mexican Pizza Bell (wouldn't totally hate that, though).

It's Taco Bell. And anything else in the No. 1 slot would be a disservice to legacy. This is simple. It's uncomplicated. The soft taco will be devoured by the time you leave the drive-thru. It's not even an order, it's an unspoken certainty. Small enough to snack on, but when multiplied three-fold, worthy of an entire meal. It's like the girl next door of the Taco Bell menu -- like, everything you've ever wanted in fast-food Mexican, and it's been sitting right in front of your eyes this whole time. It's the Topanga of tacos. And the Topanga of anything deserves respect. Especially Topanga, herself. I wonder what she's up to now? Anyway, the soft taco is still the best thing on the Taco Bell menu.


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Wil Fulton is a staff writer for Thrillist. He actually blames Gwyneth Paltrow for most of the world's problems. Follow him @wilfulton.

All 39 Taco Bell Menu Items, Painstakingly Ranked (2024)

FAQs

What is Taco Bell apologizing for? ›

Taco Bell hires Pete Davidson to help apologize. Taco Bell is apologizing for its breakfast menu. In recent years, it has been littered with questionable foods, such as the Naked Egg Taco or even the Waffle Taco, that have since been discontinued.

What is the oldest item on Taco Bell menu? ›

The earliest official Taco Bell menu offered frijoles, tostados, chili burgers, burritos (red or green) and tacos, all for 19 cents apiece. Each of these items stuck around well into the '70s, while Bell and his franchisees went about expanding the chain throughout California and beyond.

What is the least ordered thing at Taco Bell? ›

Caleb Lennon created the Taco Bell item in a video while admitting that other restaurant employees 'forget it exists. ' According to the TikTok user, Pintos N Cheese is the Taco Bell item that customers hardly order at the restaurant where he works.

Why are we boycotting Taco Bell? ›

In 2001, the CIW launched the boycott of Taco Bell, calling on the fast-food giant to take responsibility for human rights violations in their supply chain, to improve wages and working conditions by passing on a penny-per-pound pay increase to the workers, and to buy only from Florida growers who passed this penny per ...

What is the Taco Bell lettuce scandal? ›

Taco Bell restaurants were the source of an outbreak of the dangerous E. coli O157:H7 during the final weeks of 2006, which was traced to contaminated lettuce. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Dec. 13, 2006 that 71 people were ill with E.

What does purple Taco Bell mean? ›

These design trends inspired Taco Bell to adopt bright purple and hot pink as their main colors. Not only did these colors portray youthful energy and excitement, but they would also stand out among the other restaurant signs as you drove down the highway looking for a place to eat. Image source.

What does the V mean at Taco Bell? ›

Taco Bell takes pride in its ability to adapt its dishes to vegetarian tastes and maintains a page on its website called Veggie Cravings, currently featuring 18 items marked with a green diamond with the letter “V,” meaning vegetarian. Nacho Fries do not carry the symbol.

What is the most popular item on Taco Bell's menu? ›

1. Chalupa Supreme. The Chalupa Supreme emerged on the scene in 1999 and has since become one of the most popular Taco Bell items around the world. The slightly crispy deep-fried shell is stuffed with spicy ground beef or chicken and topped with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and a cool dollop of sour cream.

What item did Taco Bell remove from the menu? ›

Here are some menu items no longer offered that fans hope the chain will bring back soon.
  • 7-Layer Burrito. The meatless wrap was a favorite for vegetarian customers when it was introduced in 1993. ...
  • Loaded Griller. ...
  • Enchirito. ...
  • Double Decker Taco. ...
  • Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos. ...
  • Beefy Crunch Burrito with Flamin' Hot Fritos.
Jun 3, 2024

What old item is Taco Bell bringing back? ›

The Double Decker Taco Is Back at Taco Bell

The two-layer treat—a beef, lettuce, and cheese hard corn taco tucked inside a bean-schmeared flour tortilla—is set to have a second life on the menu after fans raised their voices online.

Is Taco Bell owned by Pepsi? ›

PepsiCo purchased Taco Bell in 1978, and later spun off its restaurants division as Tricon Global Restaurants, which later changed its name to Yum! Brands.

What is the most unhealthiest food at Taco Bell? ›

The Grilled Cheese Burrito available at Taco Bell stands out as one of the least healthy selections on the menu. Packing an astonishing 38 grams of fat in each serving, this option alone covers nearly half of your daily recommended fat intake.

What food is Taco Bell getting rid of? ›

The four menu items that have officially been discontinued are: the chipotle ranch grilled chicken burrito, beefy melt burrito, fiesta veggie burrito, and classic combo. As for the fifth item, the cinnamon twists will be leaving the value menu but will be available on the “drinks and sweets” section.

Why is Taco Bell giving away tacos? ›

The fast food chain is giving out the free tacos to celebrate the trademark being removed from the phrase "Taco Tuesday." Since 1989, Wyoming-based Taco John's had held the trademark for the popular term.

What was the decision on Taco Bell? ›

In an unanimous decision, the US Supreme Court ruled on May 23, 2022, that a federal appeals court overstepped its authority in creating an arbitration-related rule in a dispute over an Iowa fast food worker's overtime case against a Taco Bell franchise.

What got removed from Taco Bell? ›

Taco Bell taking many items off the menu
  • Power Bowl (steak chicken, and vegetable options.
  • Chipotle Ranch Grilled Chicken Burrito.
  • Double Berry Freeze.
Mar 1, 2024

Why do Taco Bell sauce packets have messages? ›

In 2023, Taco Bell asked its rewards members to vote on a new slogans for each sauce flavor. The campaign offered fans "a unique opportunity to leave their own mark on and be a part of Taco Bell history," said Taylor Montgomery, U.S. Chief Marketing Officer, in a press release.

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