Taco Bell is a terrifically sad place at 7:30 in the morning. It looks depraved and miserable and…oh no, is that father buying a Taco Bell breakfast for his six-year-old? Dear God.
All around me, every patron sported the same placid expression of someone who was not only giving up on their chance for a nutritious breakfast, but also in some small way on themselves. As I waited in line, now one with the other early-morning crew, I was overcome with the unshakable feeling that this was the start of my very long, slow decline.
“Well”, I said to myself. “Burritos always make me feel better.”
Enter Taco Bell’s Grilled Breakfast Burritos, one of the latest Taco Bell breakfast offerings and the temporary antidote to my morning sadness. Available in three varieties—steak, sausage, and Fiesta Potatoes-I went for the latter. Fiesta Potatoes, for those of you who aren’t as talented with language as I, roughly translates to “party potatoes.” And I like to party, especially when there are potatoes involved.
The burrito itself has some pretty simple ingredients: eggs, nacho cheese sauce, and the Fiesta Potatoes all wrapped in a little grilled tortilla sleeping bag. The eggs, which are reheated scrambled eggs, actually have a pretty nice texture that avoids being too squishy. Although, like most hastily prepared eggs, it’s not exactly packed with intense flavor. The nacho cheese sauce, which does a great job of keeping everything from being too dry, also suffered from being pretty bland.
The real flavor in this burrito lies in the Fiesta Potatoes. A spiced out version of traditional diner home-fries, these crispy potatoes gave the burrito a little crunch, and a mild, but tasty, peppery kick.
However, because I am pretty sure I am the first person in Rhode Island to ever order the Fiesta Potatoes Grilled Breakfast Burrito, mine also included pico de gallo. Seriously, I could hear a cook in the back uneasily asking his equally uninformed manager about the ingredients, unsure of whether or not to include the condiment. It was decided to go for the middle ground, and scoop out a smidge. But I may have just gotten lucky.
Though I did really enjoy this burrito (despite how miserable it is to frequent a Taco Bell before noon), I have to say that the Grilled Breakfast Burrito may just be the least “Taco Bell” item on the Taco Bell menu. In fact, if you changed the word “burrito” to “breakfast wrap” I could easily see this being on the breakfast menu at McDonalds or Burger King-even without showcasing any southwestern flare. Either way, while it certainly isn’t the start of a Special K day, it’s a filthy cheap, quick, and damn good burrito. It’s also a great pick-me-up from the early morning Taco Bell blues.
(Nutrition Facts – 340 calories, 130 calories from fat, 15 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 85 milligrams of cholesterol, 790 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of dietary fiber, 3 grams of sugars, and 10 grams of protein.)
Item: Taco Bell Fiesta Potatoes Grilled Breakfast Burrito
Purchased Price: $1.69
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Taco Bell
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Pretty large and filling considering the price. Fiesta Potatoes have enough spice to give the burrito sizeable flavor. The eggs have a good scrambled consistency.
Cons: Holy hell! I do not like being in Taco Bell in the morning. Seriously, it is one of the most depressing places I have ever been. The burrito is also a little bland.
Why does Taco Bell “grill” some of their burritos anyway? Whenever I’ve gotten a grilled burrito I think they should call them a burned burrito instead since I think the taste the browned part of the tortilla just makes it taste bad. They don’t overbrown it to the blackened stage, I just don’t like the flavor. On the rare occasion I go to Taco Bell, I try to remember to tell them not to “grill” (burn) the grilled burrito if that’s what I’m getting.
I always figured grilling the edges helps keep the burrito closed so I can do flips and stuff while I eat it
Well, it sounds better than the Fiesta Potato Taco, which is a sad mess of sadness.
Taco Bell’s emphasis on the egg-cheese-blandness spectrum for breakfast was my big disappointment with the concept. If I want a breakfast burrito with no actual “Mexican” flair, I can go to Jack in the Box… which, holy cow, has added a sausage burrito with pepper jack and sriracha sauce. It’s probably spicier than anything on the Taco Bell breakfast menu and HELLTOTHEYES I need to order one soon. (Heck, Carl’s Jr managed to come out with a chorizo burrito. Why can’t Taco Bell?)
They also have a Bacon version. 😀 I bought some on Thursday.
Also – only the fiesta potato grilled breakfast burrito comes with the pico de gallo.
Mine had pico too, I think maybe its supposed to? Didn’t notice any nacho cheese sauce tho, not sure what sauce I got but it was amazing the one time I had it then they stopped serving breakfast like 3 days later =(
I love this thing. I’m thankful for it & the potato soft taco, being vegetarian & all. I am glad to still have options 🙂