The Best & Worst Menu Items at Del Taco, According to a Dietitian

Del Taco is a national chain offering Mexican cuisine and classic fast food favorites, including burgers, fries, and shakes. The first store opened in 1964 in Yermo, CA, and now there are nearly 600 locations in 15 states, primarily in the western and southeast regions of the U.S.

As with most fast-food restaurants, ordering healthful meals at Del Taco can be challenging. Many Del Taco menu items contain high levels of calories, saturated fat, and sodium, so you need to balance a meal with better choices for the entire day. Use the information below to help you find the best options in most categories on the extensive menu.

Here are the 19 best and worst menu items on the Del Taco menu, according to a dietitian.

Breakfast

Best: Egg & Cheese Breakfast Roller

The Egg & Cheese Breakfast Roller is the best choice for a high-protein fast-food breakfast option. It has a modest calorie count and is one of the lower options in terms of sodium. It also provides 11 grams of filling protein, which can help keep you satisfied while having no sugar.

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Worst: Crispy Bacon Breakfast Burrito

Del Taco's breakfast burritos offer a hefty 16-30 grams of protein, depending upon the option, and contain low or no sugar; however, despite their redeeming nutritional qualities in the protein and sugar departments, the same can't be said for saturated fat, sodium, and calories. The Crispy Bacon Burrito is the worst of Del Taco's three flavors at 520 calories, 9 grams of saturated fat (45% of your daily recommended limit), and 1,540 milligrams of sodium (67% of the daily limit).

Burgers

Best: Del Cheeseburger

Del Taco has three burger options, including the Del Cheeseburger. This burger comes with tomato, lettuce, and onions, but you can ask for more LTO to help boost the fiber content. Sodium and saturated fat are still high, so you should eat low-sodium, low-fat foods for your other meals and snacks to balance this choice.

Worst: Bacon Double Del Cheeseburger

This burger is the worst choice because it has two beef patties, two cheese slices, and crispy bacon. The main issue is the saturated fat content, which is 100% of the saturated fat you should have all day! It also has nearly all the sodium we should have daily, which maxes out at 2,300 milligrams.

Quesadillas

Best: Cheddar Quesadilla

This is no nutritional all-star, but it's the best quesadilla option on the menu. It is lower in calories than the other choices and has the least saturated fat. It will be a filling option with 29 grams of protein and 1 gram of fiber. As a bonus, this menu option is one of the lower in sodium but is still considered a high-sodium choice.

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Worst: Carne Asada Steak Cheddar Quesadilla

This Quesadilla option is our worst choice due to its excessive fat, saturated fat, and sodium count. It has about all the saturated fat you should have in an entire day and 80% of the sodium you need. Another ding? It has zero fiber in all of its 550 calories.

Epic Burritos

Best: Epic Fresh Guacamole Grilled Chicken Burrito

This is the lowest-calorie and saturated-fat Epic Burrito on the menu. It is also loaded with 10 grams of fiber and 37 grams of high-quality protein. The main issue with this option is the high sodium count, with nearly your daily recommended limit of 2,300 milligrams in one menu item.

Worst: Epic Cali Bacon Carne Asada Steak Burrito

This is a clear diet-wrecker of a burrito. For starters, it has about half the calories most adults need in an entire day and exceeds your total daily fat, saturated fat, and sodium intake limits. If this is all you eat for the day, go for it. But if not, don't even consider it.

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Classic Burritos

Best: Spicy Grilled Chicken Burrito

The best burrito options at Del Taco are the burrito rollers. However, they are more like a large snack, weighing in at 250-280 calories each. The Spicy Grilled Chicken Burrito is a great choice for a full-size meal. It has an adequate calorie count and is lower in saturated fat and sodium than other menu items. It also has 6 grams of beneficial fiber.

Worst: Crispy Jumbo Shrimp Burrito

Whenever you see "crispy" on a menu, it's a good sign that the item is rich in fat and calories. The Crispy Jumbo Shrimp Burrito has nearly half the calories that many adults need in an entire day and most of their daily fat allotment. What's more, for 73 grams of carbs, it only provides 3 grams of filling fiber. It's a definite item to skip.

Tacos

Best: Chicken Taco Del Carbon

This is grilled, marinated chicken with onions, cilantro, and a green sauce in a warm corn tortilla. What's great about this option is that it's low in calories, relatively low in sodium, and has 9 grams of protein. You can have two of these tacos, enjoy a hearty meal, and feel good about your healthy Del Taco menu option.

Best: Grilled Chicken Taco

This taco is also made with grilled, marinated chicken and includes shredded lettuce and cheddar cheese in a flour tortilla. It's a good option because it's also low in calories, saturated fat, and sodium compared to the other taco options. It also provides 11 grams of high-quality protein to help keep you satisfied.

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Worst: The Crunchy Del Taco

This beef taco is topped with grated cheese, lettuce, and tomato and placed in a crunchy corn shell. This is the worst bet for a taco because it's loaded with saturated fat from the beef and cheese.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Worst: Habanero Crispy Chicken Guac'd Up Taco

This taco is one of the worst options because the "crispy" chicken increases the fat content. Shredded cheese also contributes to the fat and saturated fat content. It also has the highest sodium count of all the taco options on the menu.

Salads

Best: Grilled Chicken Taco Salad with Fresh Guac

Del Taco has only a few salad options, and none are considered "healthy." However, this salad comes in a bowl and is made with grilled chicken, cheddar cheese, fresh guac, pico de gallo, homemade tortilla chips, and sour cream, making it a healthy choice on the Del Taco menu. The salad is moderate in calories and high in protein.

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Worst: Beef Taco Salad with Fresh Guac

This salad is made with seasoned beef rather than marinated and grilled chicken. The beef makes it higher in fat and saturated fat. This meal has a high protein count, but the sky-high saturated fat and sodium counts make it an option to skip.

Nachos

Best: 3 Layer Queso Nachos

This is the more basic nacho option on the menu and is the best option. It comes with fresh tortilla chips topped with slow-cooked beans, which helps up the fiber in this option. The saturated fat is also lower as is the sodium compared to the other nacho options.

Worst: Queso Loaded Seasoned Beef Nachos

These nachos are made with tortilla chips, seasoned beef, beans, cheese, sour cream, and other toppings. The calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium are all sky-high. I would not recommend it even if you shared it with two or three others.

Fries

Best: Small Crinkle Cut Fries

The smallest size fries are the best option on the menu as they have a modest number of calories and are low in saturated fat compared to the medium or large sizes.

Worst: Carne Asada Steak Fries

Del Taco's Carne Asada Steak Fries are topped with carne asada, cheddar cheese, savory secret sauce, fresh house-made guacamole, and tomatoes. As a result, they are also loaded with calories, fat, saturated fat (70% DV), and sodium (51% DV). If you want to try these, split them with a friend to keep calories and fat in check.