If you go back through Taco Bell’s test product history, there have been several Chicken Enchilada Burritos, and most had something unique. Whether it was rolled tacos inside or grilled cheese on the outside, they had that Taco Bell flair. But not so much with this 2023 version that’s available nationwide, which has chicken, a three cheese blend, red sauce, seasoned rice, and reduced-fat sour cream in a warm tortilla.

I guess the best way I can describe its flavor is to write that it’s a completely inoffensive menu item that won’t make your taste buds perk up nor make them want to hide in the back of your throat. The chicken, red sauce, and three cheese blend provided most of the flavor, but I wish there was more red sauce, which might’ve made this taste a bit bolder. Hot sauce packets are definitely needed for this one. While its flavor was uninspiring, it was surprisingly filling and hefty, weighing in at under eight ounces, probably thanks to the seasoned rice.

Maybe its flavor is making me feel this way, but it’s not even visually exciting. The burrito’s cross-section looks like a palette for an artist trying to paint the depths of how depressing the fall season is. Sure, it’s fall, so it’s appropriate that it looks like a watercolor painting called “Foliage’s Slow Autumn Death,” but there must’ve been something Taco Bell could’ve added to make it look a bit more colorful. Red crispy strips? Tomatoes?

Taco Bell’s Chicken Enchilada Burrito is not a bad tasting product, and it’s also perhaps one or two customizations away from being somewhat taste bud-perk upping, but I wouldn’t order it again as it is.

Purchased Price: $3.99*
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 380 calories, 12 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 1150 milligrams of sodium, 49 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar (including 2 grams of added sugar), and 19 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did. The advertised price is $2.00.

I don’t want to sound like some fast food conspiracy theorist, but Taco Bell discontinuing its Mexican Pizza in 2020 was all a marketing stunt to get a bunch of folks to write about how much they miss the Mexican pizza, create copycat Mexican Pizza recipes, or write listicles about discontinued fast food items which include the Mexican Pizza. Taco Bell took it away and brought it back two years later, and then a year later, we now have this new Cheesy Jalapeño Mexican Pizza after years of not having any other varieties of the menu item when it was around the first time. That all sounds deliberate.

So what’s different with this Cheesy Jalapeño Mexican Pizza? Along with the usual Mexican Pizza ingredients – seasoned beef, a three cheese blend, refried beans, Mexican pizza sauce, and tomatoes – it also comes topped with nacho cheese sauce and jalapeño peppers.

And as expected, it tastes like a Mexican Pizza with nacho cheese sauce and jalapeños. Well, not with every bite because the number of pepper slices on mine made it difficult for that to happen. But those pungent peppers made themselves known whenever I took a bite with them. They add a briny, peppery flavor with a bit of a spicy kick that gets lessened by the nacho cheese sauce. Speaking of that orange goo, like all items that feature it AND the three cheese blend, the nacho cheese becomes the Big Cheese over the other. But the menu item is pretty much a spicy, cheesier Mexican Pizza, which I find to be as enjoyable as the original version.

Because this doesn’t have any unique ingredients, you could easily order it when it’s no longer officially on the menu. It’s just going to cost a little more. Again, I’m no fast food conspiracy theorist, but maybe this is a plot to get us hooked on spending money on customizations. Love the Cheesy Jalapeño Mexican Pizza, but it’s not on the menu anymore? Don’t worry. You can still have it. Just customize a regular one with jalapeños and nacho cheese sauce. But it’ll cost you a buck fifty more. Not willing to spend the extra cash? Well, I guess you don’t love it.

Do you know what, Taco Bell? I might just spend the extra dough if I want to change it up a bit with my Mexican Pizzas. Maybe I’ll also add some creamy jalapeño sauce for a few more cents to get jalapeño in every bite. Me and my taste buds can see through your plan, but we’ll play along.

Purchased Price: $5.99
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 830 calories, 29 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 980 milligrams of sodium, 49 grams of carbohydrates, 8 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar (including less than 1 gram of added sugar), and 19 grams of protein.

I wish Taco Bell’s new Strawberry Twists were a vibrant pink color. I’m talking a shade so intense that you could walk right into a showing of the Barbie movie with an order of them raised in one hand like a torch, and no theater employee would confront you about bringing in outside food, but instead think of it as part of your ensemble.

In Taco Bell’s promo photos, they’re pink but with a tint that’s less Barbie and more like Pepto Bismol that’s been diluted with milk of magnesia. But, in real life, it’s hard to pick out the pink with these twists.

The Strawberry Twists are crispy, puffed pieces sprinkled with a strawberry-flavored dusting and sugar, and they are only the second other Twists variety that the chain has offered other than cinnamon. I assume whatever pink there is comes from the strawberry-flavored dust that accumulates in the nooks and crannies of every piece like they’re the Pink Panther hiding from Inspector Clouseau. But they’re primarily off-white, which made me initially think they would have little flavor.

However, they have as much as the cinnamon ones. I mean, don’t expect it to hit your tastebuds like you’re dipping your tongue in a container of Strawberry Nesquik powder, which, after typing it, sounds like something I should try to do as an adult. (Hey, Siri. Add Nesquik powder to my Grocery list.) Instead of a bold taste, expect a mild artificial strawberry flavor that’s far from cloying but also far from being bland. They have just the right amount of berry to make them quite dang tasty.

That said, Taco Bell’s Strawberry Twists aren’t more enjoyable than the original cinnamon ones, but I think they’re another pleasant way to end your Taco Bell meal. With their introduction, I hope it leads to other twists of Taco Bell’s Twists. A Baja Blast-flavored version would be perfect to release in 2024 for Baja Blast’s 20th birthday.

Take my idea, Taco Bell.

Purchased Price: $1.39
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 170 calories, 6 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 10 grams of sugar (including 10 grams of added sugar), and 1 gram of protein.

Have you heard about this new lawsuit against Taco Bell?

Some dude is suing the company because he says it deceives customers, stating the product is nothing like the advertising. I just wanna go on record right now that I am NOT the dude suing Taco Bell… despite the photos that will follow.

Look, I adore Taco Bell. When I wake up in the morning, my first thought is, “¡Yo quiero Taco Bell,” so I was obviously gonna try its new birria-inspired Shredded Beef Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco no matter what.

On the surface, the SBGCDT sounds great – a hard-shelled taco with a three-cheese blend of cheddar, mozzarella, and pepper jack baked on the outside. Inside you get braised shredded beef, a creamy jalapeño sauce, and more cheese for good measure. And if that’s not enough, it comes with two dipping sauces — nacho cheese and “red sauce.” How could you go wrong?

Well, I won’t mince words; my taco was an absolute crime scene. It was the messiest thing I’ve ever had at Taco Bell, and I’ve eaten the horrendously overrated Mexican Pizza.

There was only cheese on one side of the shell, and about five tacos worth of sauce blasted inside, which completely ruined the integrity of the entire thing. For something called a “dipping taco,” I had a really hard time picking it up, let alone dipping it.

I’m not one to complain (lol), and the (very nice) employees had a lunch rush to deal with, so I just soldiered on. I figured it looks bad, but I bet it still tastes good… and ya know what? It did, for the most part. You can literally see the lowlights, so I’ll focus on the highlights.

The birria-style shredded beef was excellent. It was seasoned well, super tender, and not even a little bit stringy. If it becomes a menu staple, I’m customizing all my meals going forward with shredded beef. The half-cheesed shell was limp, but I dig the general idea. It’s like a Cheesy Gordita Crunch without the outer soft tortilla.

There’s an epidemic in our society with over-saucing everything, and this jalapeño cream sauce went way beyond that. While it has a nice, slightly spicy kick, it needed to just be a dollop. Better yet, it should have been the dipper in place of nacho cheese, which is completely redundant.

The red sauce is really just a vague taco sauce, but I liked the consistency, which was similar to a thin spiced-up tomato bisque. It was actually a good “dip.”

I’m a little baffled by the concept in the sense that even if mine was clean and compact, it’s just a taco. That doesn’t seem like the right delivery system for a “dipper.” I get dipping taquitos, but an entire taco?

Assuming I got a properly constructed taco, I’d still toss this overall concept in the upper “mid” category. The grilled cheese taco shell and the pulled beef were both winning ideas. This isn’t the first time Taco Bell has done either of those things, but it should become a standard… just take it easy with the sauce.

I decided to rate this on taste and ignore the presentation. It was an absolute disaster to look at and a huge pain to eat, but I’d still rank it a “Hot” on the Taco Bell sauce chart. Sue me.

Purchased Price: $3.99
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 300 calories, 19 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 580 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 13 grams of protein.

Click here to read all our previous fast food reviews.

Taco Bell’s new Steak Chile Verde Fries has dumped on it many of the toppings we’ve seen on ALMOST EVERY SINGLE LOADED FRIES the chain has dumped onto the world — nacho cheese sauce, reduced fat sour cream, and three cheese blend. But what’s new, along with the Chile Verde Sauce, is something else I don’t recall ever being on one of Taco Bell’s loaded fries — Fiesta Strips.

(Waiting for the internet to correct me.)

I’m going to bring up the crunchy red chip strips before I even discuss the headlining sauce because I believe it’s a simple ingredient that should join the nacho cheese sauce, reduced fat sour cream, and three cheese blend on ALMOST EVERY SINGLE LOADED FRIES from now on. They provide little flavor but add a crunchy texture that no Seasoned Fries could ever achieve. Plus, they would make any loaded fries kind of feel like nachos at the same time.

Although, I’m less excited for them in the burrito version of this product because, as we’ve learned with other burritos that have had them, the chip strips are less fiesta and more feeble when encased in a flour tortilla with gloopy sauces and hot ingredients.

As for the new Chile Verde Sauce, it’s definitely verde and, without question, has chiles. Taco Bell says the sauce incorporates jalapeño, lime, and zesty herbs. The person who made my order didn’t incorporate much of the sauce onto it, so I didn’t get to enjoy it with most bites. When I could taste it, I noticed a pleasant peppery and slightly citrusy flavor, and it had a mild kick that didn’t take away from the condiment’s flavor. But beyond the sauce, it has the same flavors as previous menu items featuring Seasoned Fries and steak, which is still quite good without the green topping.

Overall, Taco Bell’s Steak Chile Verde Fries are another good limited time offryring from the chain. Its sauce is tasty enough that I’d like to experience it with other menu items in the future. Also, I’d like Fiesta Strips for all future loaded fries.

Purchased Price: $6.29*
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 550 calories, 34 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 1220 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar (including less than 1 gram of added sugar), and 15 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.