Following its popular Cantina Chicken Menu, which debuted last year, Taco Bell has rolled out a new Caliente Cantina Chicken Menu for a limited time.

Of course, “caliente” means “hot” in Spanish. And, of course, Taco Bell gonna Taco Bell and use the same ingredients from the regular Cantina Chicken Menu but swap out whatever sauces were in the original lineup with a new sauce, which, you guessed it, is called Caliente Sauce.

Like the original Cantina Chicken Menu, there are five items available:

Caliente Cantina Chicken Crispy Taco – A crispy taco shell filled with slow-roasted chicken, Caliente Sauce, three-cheese blend, and more three-cheese blend grilled on the outside.

Caliente Cantina Chicken Bowl – A bowl filled with slow-roasted chicken, seasoned rice, black beans, Caliente Sauce, reduced-fat sour cream, lettuce, shredded purple cabbage, freshly prepared pico de gallo, guacamole, and cheddar cheese.

Caliente Cantina Chicken Burrito – Double the slow-roasted chicken, Caliente Sauce, crisp lettuce, shredded purple cabbage, cheddar cheese, freshly prepared pico de gallo inside a grilled flour tortilla.

Caliente Cantina Chicken Quesadilla – Slow-roasted chicken, Caliente Sauce, and three-cheese blend melted inside and grilled on the outside, with guacamole and reduced-fat sour cream to dip.

Caliente Cantina Chicken Soft Taco – A warm flour tortilla filled with slow-roasted chicken, Caliente Sauce, crisp lettuce, shredded purple cabbage, freshly prepared pico de gallo, and cheddar cheese.

And all come with a free Avocado Verde Salsa sauce packet.

Because the two menus don’t differ much, other than sauces, my thoughts about them aren’t too dissimilar either. So, instead of repeating myself with this review, I’m just going to note several things with bullet points.

(If you want to read our original Cantina Chicken Menu review, click here.)

• The Caliente Sauce and its citrusy and spicy flavor is an upgrade over the sauces in the regular Cantina Chicken Menu.
• If I had to rank the items from least favorite to favorite, I’d go soft taco, quesadilla, burrito, bowl, and crispy taco. Not surprisingly, it’s how I ranked the original menu.
• While getting free Avocado Verde Salsa sauce packets is great (it costs 20 cents to buy them usually), I preferred eating these without them. While it adds some avocado flavor, it can also negate the Caliente Sauce’s peppery and citrus flavors.
• The Caliente Sauce isn’t too caliente at first, and it takes several bites to build up to a decent heat. At some point, my head started to sweat a little, and after eating, my nose was a little runny. However, I did eat a lot of it since I tasted multiple items with the sauce in one sitting.
• According to the ingredients list, the sauce contains ghost pepper and jalapeño.
• I got a container of the Caliente Sauce on the side. It was supposed to go with the quesadilla, which had no sauce inside. I added it to the quesadilla but also dumped some on my Cantina Bowl because it didn’t look like enough sauce.
• The slow-roasted chicken is tender but not flavorful enough to eat these menu items without the sauce.
• The cheese grilled to the outside of the crispy taco is still great. Adds a great cheesiness.
• Purple cabbage is still a wonderful addition. Its crunch is welcomed.

Overall, I very much enjoyed the Caliente Sauce, but because the sauce has a strong flavor and kick, all the menu items kind of taste the same. However, there are some slight differences here and there, like the cheesiness with the crispy taco and the guacamole and sour cream with the quesadilla and bowl. But I like the sauce enough that I believe it should stay on the menu as a spicy Cantina Chicken Menu option.

Purchased Price: $3.79 (Crispy Taco), $9.99 (Bowl), $7.59 (Burrito), $7.99 (Quesadilla), $3.99 (Soft Taco)*
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Crispy Taco), 7 out of 10 (Bowl), 7 out of 10 (Burrito), 6 out of 10 (Quesadilla), 6 out of 10 (Soft Taco)
Nutrition Facts: Crispy Taco – 290 calories, 17 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 540 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 15 grams of protein. Bowl – 480 calories, 23 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 75 milligrams of cholesterol, 1150 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 24 grams of protein. Burrito – 450 calories, 21 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 70 milligrams of cholesterol, 1090 milligrams of sodium, 42 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 24 grams of protein. Quesadilla – 560 calories, 30 grams of fat, 16 grams of saturated fat, 85 milligrams of cholesterol, 1340 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 29 grams of protein. Soft Taco – 210 calories, 9 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 510 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 12 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.

Happy 63rd Birthday, Taco Bell!

Happy 17th Birthday, Milk Bar!

I don’t know whose birthday we’re celebrating, but you can do it with Taco Bell’s Milk Bar Birthday Cake Churros by sticking candles in both ends of a churro and lighting them. Available in a 2-pack or just one and made in collaboration with Milk Bar, the festive dessert features crispy churros filled with birthday cake frosting and topped with sprinkles.

But I should warn you that the number you decide to purchase might depend on how much you enjoy cleaning because these suckers are meeeessyyyyy. Having had Disneyland churros recently, I can definitely say these Taco Bell churros are más messy.

The spherical sprinkles and pink sugar cling to the churros’ sides with as much adhesion as a hippo trying to walk up the side of the Empire State Building. So, if you don’t want to make a gigantic mess, I’d recommend eating them just above the box they came in to catch the sugar. Or maybe consume them over a dinner plate, sink, or somewhere you can hose down easily. Surprisingly, what doesn’t end up making a mess is the birthday cake frosting filling. It didn’t ooze out when biting into the sugary sticks.

However, these Taco Bell Milk Bar Birthday Cake Churros are as delicious as they are messy. The fried dough, sugar, and vanilla-y filling do an excellent job of hitting the flavors of cake, but without being as overly sweet as a birthday cake. Initially, I thought the pink sugar had some flavor because nibbling just the fried dough with the sugar also had a cake vibe. But after tasting a pile of pink crystals that lost to gravity, it turns out they taste just like sugar.

Milk Bar Birthday Cake Churros are exactly what I imagine Taco Bell would do to Taco Bell-ize regular churros. I loved these, and I hope they return. But I would like Taco Bell to add regular churros to the permanent menu for my birthday.

Purchased Price: $3.99*
Size: 2-pack
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 churros) 550 calories, 37 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 240 milligrams of sodium, 48 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 28 grams of sugar, and 6 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.

If you hope to keep vampires away with Taco Bell’s new Steak Garlic Nacho Fries, you better have the sun’s power in your pocket because the garlic isn’t robust. You won’t find the pungent ingredient minced on this menu item. Instead, it’s in a garlic ranch sauce that’s combined with seasoned fries, nacho cheese sauce, steak, pico de gallo, and cheddar cheese.

Also, what you’re not going to find at the top of this review is a photo of the chain’s Steak Garlic Nacho Fries. That is a photo of the Steak Loaded TRUFF Nacho Fries. Below is a picture of the newest loaded fries.

Look, I know, water is wet, Disneyland is expensive, streaming services will continue to raise their prices, and new Taco Bell menu items are usually slight tweaks of something that’s already been on the menu. I also know the photo above this paragraph isn’t of Taco Bell’s Steak Garlic Nacho Fries. It’s actually a photo of its Steak White Hot Ranch Fries.

I’m 99.5% sure the photo above this paragraph is the Steak Garlic Nacho Fries with its lacking garlic ranch sauce. I taste more ranch flavor than garlic, but it needs to be the other way around. It’s a good sauce, but it’s not garlicky enough for my taste buds or to create a pungent aura around me to prevent vampires from entering my personal space.

Other than the heat-less white sauce, everything else was what I’ve experienced with all the other loaded Nacho Fries. It’s a satisfying and tasty pile of potatoes, tender meat, and savory toppings. Although, I have to ask. Does nacho cheese sauce have to be on EVERY ONE of these loaded fries? Look, I know I can customize it to not have the gloopy orange sauce, but does it have to be a default? It adds flavor, but I imagine it also subtracts some of the flavor from the other ingredients, like the garlic ranch sauce, by overwhelming it.

With all that said, my enjoyment of Taco Bell’s Steak Garlic Nacho Fries was on par with the other loaded Nacho Fries varieties that look like it.

Purchased Price: $7.19*
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 490 calories, 31 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 1200 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, (including less than 1 gram of added sugar), and 14 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.

I’m no expert when it comes to Taco Bell product nomenclature, but I think the new Taco Bell Cheesy Dipping Burritos should’ve been called Meaty Cheesy Dipping Burritos because I found them to be more meaty than cheesy.

An order comes with two burritos, and two versions are available: one with Cantina slow-roasted chicken and another with grilled, marinated steak. Both also come stuffed with a blend of cheddar, pepper jack, and mozzarella cheeses and Avocado Ranch in a flour tortilla with cheese grilled to the outside. By default, a side of creamy chipotle sauce is included for dipping. But you can swap that with the equally creamy nacho cheese sauce or reduced fat sour cream. Hmmm. Maybe these should’ve been called Meaty Cheesy Creamy Dipping Burritos?

Taco Bell describes these as “two snack-sized burritos” and also says that these come with a “full serving” of chicken or steak. However, what I noticed after picking up my bag is that they don’t feel snack-sized, and without any vegetables, rice, beans, guacamole, Fiesta Strips, pico de gallo, jalapeños, or Seasoned Fries in them, they feel like they’re filled to the gills with meat. With just three ingredients in them – meat, cheese, and sauce – maybe these should’ve been called Easy Peasy Meaty Cheesy Creamy Dipping Burritos.

The cheeses inside and outside of them don’t play a significant flavor role because the Avocado Ranch and meat seem to take center stage here. But that’s without dipping it into the creamy chipotle sauce. When the smoky and peppery sauce is applied, it takes over the taste buds, mostly negating the Avocado Ranch but letting the meat’s flavor get some of the spotlight. However, the steak’s flavor stood out noticeably more, making things taste too meaty and less balanced. Between the two varieties, I preferred the Cantina chicken’s taste over the steak’s, with and without the dipping sauce.

While both varieties are good, I still can’t get behind the name Cheesy Dipping Burritos. They have cheese, but whatever is included doesn’t make them taste cheesy. I guess if you really want these to be truly cheesy, swap the chipotle sauce with Taco Bell’s bright nacho cheese sauce and turn them into the Easy Peasy Meaty Cheesy Creamy Orangey Dipping Burritos.

Purchased Price: $6.59*
Size: 2 burritos per order
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Chicken), 6 out of 10 (Steak)
Nutrition Facts: (2 burritos w/Creamy Chipotle Sauce) Slow Roasted Chicken – 720 calories, 50 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 120 milligrams of cholesterol, 1430 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 30 grams of protein. Steak – 710 calories, 49 grams of fat, 16 grams of saturated fat, 105 milligrams of cholesterol, 1580 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 30 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 $4.99.