What’s the ideal Super Bowl snack?
Pizza comes to mind, but you can just as easily make the case for wings, or better yet, both. No one is going to balk at the idea of a big plate of nachos. Mozzarella sticks? jalapeño poppers, a big slab of carne asada, some chips, and a side of freshly made guacamole? We’ll take it all! Our point is, there is no one perfect Super Bowl finger food — the more variety the merrier.
No food brand seems to understand that simple point quite like Taco Bell. This week, T-Bell rolled out what it is calling the “Ultimate Game Day Box,” a literal box of food that includes all of their absolute best snacking entries. The box includes four tacos — your choice of all crunchy, mixed crunchy, and soft, and even Doritos Locos — a Mexican pizza, and eight wings. Yes, you read that right, wings.
Last year for a limited time Taco Bell released wings and people went absolutely nuts for them (us included). Now, for Super Bowl season, they’re back. But is the Ultimate Game Day Box truly “ultimate?” How does it fit into your Super Bowl food spread? What are the best components?
We answered all of those questions in our full review, let’s dive in!
The Ultimate Game Day Box
Tasting Notes:
We’ve covered each element of this Ultimate Game Day Box separately before and I have to say, tasting it all together leads me to conclude: this box is pretty f*cking “ultimate.” We named the crunchy taco Taco Bell’s absolute best taco and we still stand by that. For that reason I didn’t mix and match, I just went for four of the best.
The taco has a great crunchy mouthfeel, a zesty beefy flavor, and just the right amount of salty sharpness paired with silky nuttyness from the finely shredded cheese to make what is essentially the simplest taco in all of fast food taste absolutely delicious. Under the right circumstances (stoned, buzzed, or drunk), I’ll take a Taco Bell taco over Chipotle any day!
Right behind the taco on the Bell’s menu is the Mexican Pizza.
There is a reason it’s so beloved, and while I think it’s hard for the dish to live up to the hype there is something truly special about this item. It takes that same zesty beef taste and adds an earthy component to it with a smear of refried beans all served up between fried corn tortilla and topped with sweet and mildly spicy red sauce and a whole bunch of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese.
I need to talk about that tortilla for a second — it’s better than Taco Bell’s crunchy taco shell, it’s thinner and greasier with a light and crispy snap that becomes more addicting the more you eat it. It’s a near-perfect fast food snack.
And then we have the wings.
I know that the idea of Taco Bell making wings is likely to inspire some trepidation, so let me make it as simple to understand as possible. Imagine a fried chicken wing (hard to f*ck that up) doused in the sort of zesty seasoning that gives all of Taco Bell’s food that unmistakable Taco Bell flavor, and you have these wings! They are way better than they have any right to be and should honestly be a permanent fixture on the menu.
If we had to rank each component, we’re going
3. The Tacos
2. The Wings
1. The Mexican Pizza
How Does This Fit Into Your Super Bowl Sunday?
Here is the thing, the Ultimate Game Day Box sort of positions itself as something you can feed a lot of people with. It’s $23 which is an unusually high price for something from Taco Bell — you can buy over 20 tacos for that price — but the Ultimate Game Day Box only feeds about two. Maybe four people, but at that point, each person is only getting a taste of what makes this box great, which is a true shame.
If you’re looking for a supplemental snack to feed you and a friend, or you’re just really hungry, get the Ultimate Game Day Box, but if you’re looking to cater a Super Bowl party, this isn’t going to get you there. Especially because just about anyone who has a taste is going to want a whole lot more.
The Bottom Line:
Definitely get the Ultimate Game Day Box, it’s the best new menu option Taco Bell has added… maybe ever. But split it with a friend, not several, unless you want to end up in a fight over who got the most bites.