10 Discontinued Taco Bell Items Customers Want Back
Your favorite fast-food menu never stays the same for long. Chains frequently roll out brand-new menu items, many of which are only available for a limited time. However, along with the excitement that comes with new releases is notable disappointment when a menu item gets discontinued.
But, just because fast-food chains nix certain offerings doesn't necessarily mean they were a total failure. In fact, many fans still reminisce about menu items of years past, while others go as far as starting petitions to facilitate their return. And sometimes, chains will fulfill customers' wishes. Just look at Taco Bell.
The fast-food giant has invited fans to vote for the return of multiple discontinued menu items, with the Beefy Crunch Burrito coming back for a limited time last spring. The chain also revived its once-discontinued potato offerings, such as the Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes in 2021, after receiving numerous requests from fans.
To guide you through Taco Bell's menu items of yesteryear, here are 10 discontinued offerings that still hold a special place in customers' hearts.
Loaded Grillers
In 2020, Taco Bell removed several items from its menu "to leave room for new fan favorites." One of the cast-offs was the Loaded Griller. This grilled, tortilla-wrapped option came in a few varieties.
The Loaded Potato Griller had potatoes, nacho cheese sauce, bacon, and sour cream, while the Beefy Nacho option featured seasoned ground beef, nacho cheese sauce, and red tortilla strips. There was also the Chipotle Chicken Griller, which was filled with chicken, chipotle sauce, and sour cream.
Despite being gone from the menu for four years, the Loaded Grillers have remained on customers' minds.
"Loaded grillers were my go-to for years in the early 2010s. I'd go 3 times a week during happy hour! I miss it," one Reddit user wrote.
"Best thing taco bell has ever had," another one commented.
Enchirito
Taco Bell introduced this menu item in 1970 but discontinued it in 2013. The Enchirito later made its return to the chain for a limited time in November 2022 and again in the spring of 2023. This menu item was packed with seasoned beef, refried beans, and onions inside a warm flour tortilla smothered with red sauce and melted cheddar cheese. Once upon a time, it was also topped with three black olives.
While another return has yet to be announced, one thing is certain: people miss the Enchirito.
"It's always been my favorite menu item. I wish they would just bring it back permanently," one Reddit user said. "Best thing on the menu," another fan echoed.
7-Layer Burrito
Taco Bell currently offers a Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, but at one point, the chain sold a 7-Layer Burrito—and it wasn't stuffed with meat. Removed from the menu in 2020, this vegetarian burrito contained refried beans, rice, sour cream, guacamole, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes.
"As a vegetarian it was quite truly the best burrito I could've ordered. The fiesta burrito doesn't come anywhere close to being as good as the 7 layer," one Reddit user wrote, referencing the now-discontinued Fiesta Burrito. "It was amazing. Best veggie option they've ever had," another one commented.
However, just because the 7-Layer Burrito isn't listed on Taco Bell's menu doesn't mean you can't order it. To hack the menu, simply order a Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito and select "Fresco Style." This customization option replaces the burrito's creamy jalapeño and nacho cheese sauces with diced tomatoes. Then, add Taco Bell's three-cheese blend, lettuce, guacamole, and reduced-fat sour cream.
Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos
This crunchy taco made its debut in 2013, but left the fast-food chain in 2019. Customers later had the opportunity to vote for the item's return last March, but the Beefy Crunch Burrito received more love and came out on top in the customer vote.
Although it didn't win last year's contest, this taco has clearly won many customers' hearts.
"@tacobell bring back the cool ranch @Doritos Locos taco already. Everyone is waiting for it," one fan recently wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"The cool ranch doritos locos taco was so good… i mourn her every day," another one said.
The Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco featured a taco shell made out of Doritos' Cool Ranch chips. It was then filled with seasoned beef, lettuce, and cheddar cheese. There was also a Supreme version, which included reduced-fat sour cream and tomatoes.
Shredded Chicken Burrito
Long gone are the days of sinking your teeth into Taco Bell's Shredded Chicken Burrito. Removed from the menu in 2020, this item was stuffed with shredded chicken, rice, avocado ranch dressing, and cheddar cheese. Despite its four-year absence, customers still continue to think about this burrito to this day.
"Shredded Chicken Burrito was actually the first item I had from Taco Bell, & that's what got me into enjoying it," one fan shared. "I HAD to get it with every order, or it wouldn't be complete. Still very upset it's discontinued. It felt like a personal attack."
Taco Salad
Gracing the menu for 36 years, Taco Bell's Fiesta Taco Salad, commonly referred to as the "taco salad," got eighty-sixed in 2020. The beloved menu item consisted of a crispy taco shell bowl filled with ground beef, rice, refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, crunchy red tortilla strips, and sour cream. A few years after leaving the chain, the taco salad continues to occupy customers' thoughts, with one fan even starting a petition for the salad's return.
"Ugh, I miss the taco salad so much. The shell was perfect. I've tried getting them other places, including at authentic Mexican restaurants, and they just aren't the same," one Reddit user lamented.
Zesty Chicken Bowl
The Fiesta Taco Salad wasn't the only bowl to get axed from the menu. Taco Bell's Zesty Chicken Bowl from the early 2000s also got the boot. This menu item had slices of grilled chicken, seasoned rice, three cheeses, lettuce, and Fiesta Salsa. But the element that took the menu item to the next level for one fan was the dressing, which they described as being "so good that it was the first time [they] actually tried to find a way to buy boxes of the stuff to use with other things at home…"
Another Redditor wrote, "That zesty chicken bowl was underrated. It was like 37 million calories, but no one cared in 2003. I was working at a Taco Bell/Back Yard Burger at the time and that bowl and the zesty steak bowl were always go to items for a free meal."
Grilled Stuft Burrito
This burrito made its first appearance on Taco Bell's menu in 2001. Over the years, Taco Bell released several different varieties, including the XXL Grilled Stuft Burrito line, which, after a 10-year stint on the menu, left the chain in 2019.
The original Grilled Stuft Burrito featured a flour tortilla packed with ground beef, beans, rice, cheddar, Pepper Jack, mozzarella, creamy Pepper Jack sauce, and Fiesta Salsa. Previous limited-time options included the Chipotle Grilled Stuft Burrito, Chicken Enchilada Grilled Stuft Burrito, Fajita Grilled Stuft Burrito, Chicken Caesar Grilled Stuft Burrito, and Nacho Crunch Grilled Stuft Burrito.
"Grilled stuft for $1.99. Unreal," one Reddit user wrote. "Wow what I would give to have a $2 grilled stuft burrito again," another commented.
1/2-Pound Beef & Potato Burrito
While Taco Bell still has potato items on the menu thanks to vocal customers who requested their return, the 1/2 -Pound Beef & Potato Burrito is very much a thing of the past. Made with ground beef, the burrito was stuffed with potatoes, nacho cheese, and sour cream—and it certainly left an impression on customers.
"The beef and potato burrito is the best item to have existed," one fan wrote on Reddit.
Another Redditor echoed similar feelings: "What I wouldn't give to have that 1/2 pound beef and potato burrito back. Especially at that [$1.29] price. That was pretty much all I ordered for years."
Caramel Apple Empanada
Now just a sweet memory, Taco Bell's Caramel Apple Empanada was quietly pulled from the chain's menu in 2019. Initially introduced in 2004, the beloved one-dollar dessert consisted of a deep-fried crispy shell filled with diced apples and caramel sauce. Taco Bell fans didn't take this discontinuation lightly, resulting in yet another change.org petition.
And the sentiment still stands years later, with Reddit users continuing to mourn the loss of the iconic treat.
"Seeing the empanada just hurts," one user wrote. "It transcended taco bells menu, it was one of the best fast food items to ever exist," another one said.
This story has been updated to include additional entries, fact-checking, and copyedits.
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