Eating at Taco Bell is a truly unique experience. I’m not going to sit here and tell you it’s the greatest Mexican food your money can buy. That would be absurd. I’m also not going to proclaim it as the greatest fast food restaurant. But for what it is… well, it’s the most Taco Bell ever to Taco Bell in the history of Taco Bells.
If that last paragraph doesn’t make it epically clear — Taco Bell tastes like Taco Bell. All the time. It never doesn’t taste like Taco Bell, regardless of menu changes or tweaks. On some days, especially if you’re accustomed to it, that’s going to hit the spot like no other food can. But what happens when that special craving hits and you’re hitting the drive-thru for the first time in a minute?
This, it turns out, is a pretty hard question to answer, even for us — an outlet that has ranked the menu in several different iterations. At a place like McDonald’s, I can break that entire menu into a functional five-item meal, but at Taco Bell, any of what we consider the best dishes (except for one) could be considered a whole meal. So while this list won’t function as that perfect single meal of different menu items, we think you can’t go wrong with any combination of the picks below. Grab any combination of two, or three, or hell, get all five, and tell us we’re wrong!
We’re also going to take this time to plead with Taco Bell to bring back the Beef Mexi-Melt, the greatest discontinued item on the menu. We don’t want to have to keep making our own (even though ours is better). Anyway, here are the five most essential menu items from Taco Bell.
Crunchwrap Supreme
Why It’s Great:
If I had to choose a single dish to represent the entire Taco Bell experience, I’d choose the Crunchwrap Supreme. The dish is a greatest-hits collection of Taco Bell flavors: you’ve got the savory beef, the salty and satisfying nacho cheese sauce, and the crunch of fried corn tortilla, all wrapped in a giant warm grilled tortilla. Oh yeah, and there are some tomatoes and lettuce in there too.
Sure, the veggies seem like throwaway ingredients, but they provide an additional element of texture to this already very textural dish and sort of cleanse the palate from the more intense flavors.
The Bottom Line:
One single bite of a Crunchwrap Supreme should tell you everything you need to know about what makes Taco Bell a favorite for so many people.
Beefy Five-Layer Burrito
Why It’s Great:
Biting into a Beefy Five-Layer Burrito is incredibly satisfying. Each bite strikes a perfect balance between beefy flavors and cheese — it’s savory, delicious, and simple. It’s not the biggest or most substantial burrito, but that works in its favor because it means you can order something else, like a crunch taco!
The full burrito is loaded up with beef, beans, cheese, a layer of nacho cheese sauce smeared across the tortilla, and sour cream. It’s pretty easy to elevate this dish too — ask for it grilled and it’ll ensure all the shredded cheese inside melts and will add a nice crunch to the tortilla.
The Bottom Line:
A cheesy beefy masterpiece.
Crunchy Taco
Why It’s Great:
Considering I think this is the best single taco on the entire Taco Bell menu, it would be crazy not to include the Crunchy Taco on this list. For me, it is the menu item that comes to mind when someone says “do you want to go to Taco Bell?” whether or not I intend to order one. It simply is Taco Bell to me — it is to the brand what fries are to McDonald’s.
I love everything about this taco, it’s simple, consisting of a peppery fried corn tortilla, greasy ground beef, lettuce for texture, and cheese all in perfect proportion. Also, it serves as the perfect canvas for each of Taco Bell’s sauce packets, as well as the hot green and red sauces, which make for fantastic dips.
The Bottom Line:
Taco Bell at its most straightforward and glorious. You can easily order three to five of these and leave completely satisfied.
Doritos Cheesy Gordita Crunch
Why It’s Great:
The concept of the Doritos Cheesy Gordita Crunch is similar to the Beefy Five-Layer Burrito but executed way better. Think of this as a mini-Crunchwrap with better cheese in a less overwhelming form factor.
The build consists of a Doritos Nacho Cheese flavored taco shell loaded up with ground beef, a medley of three kinds of cheese including salty mozzarella, nutty Monterey Jack and sharp cheddar, spicy ranch sauce, and lettuce all wrapped in a thick flatbread. Each bite is wonderfully cheesy and beefy with a hint of very mild spice on the backend.
That flatbread wrap helps to make the dish come across as way. more satisfying than a single taco.
The Bottom Line:
A mini/ cheesier Crunchwrap.
Mexican Pizza
Why It’s Great:
If the Crunchwrap Supreme and Crunchy Taco are perfect representations of Taco Bell’s main flavors, the Mexican Pizza is an encapsulation of the brand’s innovative approach. It’s the sort of dish that you’re only going to find at Taco Bell and to this day, remains one of the most unique options.
Think of the Mexican Pizza as less of an actual pizza and more like a giant nacho chip. Between two thin fried tortillas sits a layer of beef and beans. The fried exterior is then topped with a sweet enchilada-like red sauce with a melted blend of cheeses, and diced potatoes.
Each bite is beefy, salty, and earthy with a mild spice on the backend. Unlike most dishes at Taco Bell, the tomatoes make a difference here — providing an occasional burst of fresh tomato flavor.
The Bottom Line:
A giant nacho that provides the perfect ratio of beans, meat, cheese, and sauce in every bite.
Find your nearest Taco Bell here.