Taco Bell
Taco Bell, like all its competitors, knows the value of a value menu. With fast food orders coming in over the $10 mark far more often than any of us would like, a menu of cheap items is a nice thing to have. At the Bell, it’s called the Cravings Value Menu, and it’s stuffed with all kinds of goodies to attack your hunger for cheap. Here are the eight options on the Taco Bell dollar menu, ranked.
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$5.99
Does this even count as a separate item? Who cares — Taco Bell lists it on the Cravings menu, so it counts as far as I’m concerned. This is a big deal in the value world, and if memory serves, Taco Bell was one of the pioneers of fast food's five-buck-box deal. A beef burrito, crunchy taco, drink, and the choice between cinny twists or chips and cheese sauce are a true steal for $5. This is what value menus are all about.
Related: I Ranked the 9 Measly Items on the McDonald's Dollar Menu
$1.69
As far as single items go, you’re not gonna find anything better. Beans, seasoned rice, and cheese are a time-tested burrito setup; T-Bell’s is no exception. And it’s less than two bucks.
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$1.39
There aren’t many greater examples of “less is more” than a flour tortilla full of melty cheese. I don’t care who you are. This is great food.
$2.79
I tried this baby for the first time during this ranking, and I have to tell you, I was stunned. This has some of the most legitimate umami of any Taco Bell item. The black beans, the guac, the sour cream, the cheese, the tomatoes; it’s everything. Salt, fat, acid, heat. This might move into my rotation permanently.
$1.19
So light. So airy. Wonderful stuff. I’d choose these over tortilla chips alongside my burrito any day.
$2
There is a time and place for chicken and ranch, and while that time and place is certainly not “burrito,” I’m not too horrified by this. I’m actually surprised by how mediocre Taco Bell’s ranch dressing is. The little tortilla strips are a nice touch, and the crunch almost simulates the thing we all know is missing here: bacon.
$2.89
You really have to love Taco Bell’s beef for this one, eh? I myself can’t stand that stuff. This is a very aggressive thing to eat, packed with melted nacho cheese sauce and about 12 tons of ground beef. I’d need to sub this for shredded chicken to make it through, and at that point, it’s not really worth the price.
$1.69
There is but one single issue that plagues the spicy potato taco. Tacos de Papa are a delight in a whole mess of styles, but every single time I’ve ever ordered a spicy potato taco from the Bell, it’s been soft and oily; almost banana-like in texture. Every. Single. Time. Why aren’t these crispier? Or, if they're not meant to be, why aren’t they softer? The in-between thing is such a bummer, and all it leads to is a bite that just tastes like a boring amalgamation of different carbs with no texture. Like baby food, kinda.