Taco Bell’s latest topped fries du saison are the Loaded Steak and Jalapeno Fries. It features marinated steak, nacho cheese sauce, jalapeno peppers, and creamy jalapeno sauce on a bed of nacho fries. With the twin jalapeno toppings, maybe this should’ve been called the Loaded Jalapeno and Steak Fries. Or perhaps it should’ve kept the name Taco Bell gave it in 2019 — Steak Rattlesnake Fries.

If you want to read our review of those fries, click here. Read on if you want to live in the present.

Some of you might be wondering what the bleep is with that white bloop of reduced-fat sour cream. It’s not supposed to come with this, and I didn’t customize my order to get it. So, um, a bonus? But I transplanted the white topping to a taco so that I could experience the fries as the Taco Bell Gods intended.

Although it’s a previous product with a new, less cool name, it doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s savory and tasty for the most part, which I’ll get to in a moment. The double strike of jalapeno ingredients brings the peppery flavor to the forefront, but both bring less heat than one might expect. I don’t know if the nacho cheese sauce had anything to do with the lack of spiciness, but if you’re looking to singe your taste buds, you won’t get that feeling from this unless you’re very sensitive to spiciness. The pickled pepper slices also have a satisfying crunch that the seasoned Nacho Fries wished they had.

The bites I enjoyed most were those where the meat took a back seat to the fries and sauces. I’ve had Taco Bell’s steak over a dozen times by now since it comes standard with every loaded fries, but the more I eat it, the less I like it. I know I shouldn’t expect much from Taco Bell, but I feel as if the meat tasted much better when the chain first updated it years ago. Now, it has a flavor that doesn’t excite my taste buds, and I’d rather eat Taco Bell’s seasoned beef than the steak.

Taco Bell’s Loaded Steak and Jalapeno Fries are a mixed bag of yum and meh. I enjoyed dipping my fangs into the fries, jalapenos, and sauces. But if I order this again, I’ll probably substitute the meat to create the Loaded Chicken and Jalapeno Fries or Loaded Black Beans and Jalapeno Fries.

Purchased Price: $5.49*
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts:470 calories, 27 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 1420 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 13 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.

Taco Bell is gonna Taco Bell when it finds something that sticks. When that happens, it attempts to add that thing to every menu item possible. The thing that has stuck for a while now is making cheese literally stick to the exterior of tacos, burritos, fries, regular Chalupas, and now compact Chalupas with its Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa.

These mini Chalupas come in two per order and feature Cantina chicken or marinated steak with onions, cilantro, cheddar cheese, and chile lime crema sauce. I ended up purchasing the chicken one, but I’m a little disappointed I couldn’t get one chicken and one steak with an order since there’s no upcharge for the steak one.

While they look a bit appetizing with the cheese attached to the shell, that cheese doesn’t make these taste as cheesy as expected. However, they do add some crispy texture to the soft-ish Chalupa shell. Now that I look at it again, the cheese adhesions remind me of zombie movie makeup. Okay, now it’s less appetizing.

Despite the cheese and the decent amount of ingredients within the shell, the most dominant taste was the Chalupa shell’s breadiness. While the shell is the eye-catching highlight of the menu item, it shouldn’t also be the most tongue-catching ingredient.

I tried the other components separate from the Chalupa shell, and they have a nice flavor, with the marinated chicken, onions, and chile lime crema sauce standing out the most. It’s pleasant enough that I wish I could’ve tasted it more with the Chalupa shell.

Now, let’s talk about their size. By calling them “Street Chalupa,” I know they’re supposed to be small like street tacos. However, even though there are two, their size makes them seem more like a value menu item. So what I paid for them, and even the advertised price of $5.49, is a hard price to swallow.

Taco Bell’s Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa won’t be sticking around permanently because it’s a limited-time item. But if it ever comes back, I’m sure I won’t be sticking it and its bread-y flavor in my mouth again.

Purchased Price: $6.99*
Size: 2 Chalupas per order
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 order) 580 calories, 38 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 60 milligrams of cholesterol, 1030 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 23 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.

Awww. These Taco Bell Steak & Queso Crunchwrap Sliders are so adorable. I just want to hug them, squeeze them, dip them, and gobble them up. Nom nom nom nom. Oh wait, they’re gone.

Okay, the two Crunchwrap Sliders are not small enough to finish in four noms.

The mini menu item features marinated steak, a mini tostada shell, creamy chipotle sauce, cheddar cheese, and pico de gallo wrapped in a tortilla and grilled. An order comes with two sliders and a container of the chain’s new green chile queso.

You might think their size would make them cheaper, but an order is about the same price as a regular Crunchwrap Supreme. I didn’t break out my scale to compare their weights, but having had so many hexagonal-shaped Crunchwraps that I always think of the menu item when I see a soccer ball, the regular-sized version seems heftier than the two sliders combined, which makes them pricey.

While they seem expensive, they are also meaty. Carnivores would approve of the amount of steak in these. With them being so small, there’s not enough room for the usual Taco Bell fillers of rice, beans, and air. (Okay, there’s a little bit of air.) Because there isn’t much in terms of fillings, the steak stands out the most. The tostada mainly provided a slight crunch, and the pico de gallo had an acidic tomatoey punch. As for the smoky chipotle sauce, it wasn’t too noticeable as I nommed my way through the sliders, so it might’ve been lightly applied to my tiny Crunchwraps.

But the chipotle sauce isn’t the headlining condiment here. It’s the green chile queso. It’s not a bold dipping sauce; oddly, its cheesiness sometimes brings to mind mac and cheese. It’s okay, but I’d swap out the green chile queso for something more flavorful.

While adorable, Taco Bell’s Steak & Queso Crunchwrap Sliders aren’t as big as or a value item like the original Crunchwrap Sliders that came out over a decade ago. Also, the new green chile queso is lacking a bit, so I’m not sure I would gobble these up again.

Purchased Price: $6.59*
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 sliders) 410 calories, 20 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 880 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 16 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.

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.