Taco Bell does what I like to call “a lot of bullshit” with its menu. What else would you call it when a restaurant brings fan favorites back only to take them off the menu again, forcing us all to beg, or worse, vote in order to taste them again? It’s the sort of fast food nonsense that only serves to piss people off. (We’re willing to give Taco Bell a pass on all of this though, because it’s one of the few fast food chains out there that has remained relatively inexpensive.)
Still… I’m not sure if I can ever forgive Taco Bell if they one day decide to take away the new Cantina Chicken Menu. It’s that important to me already.
I’m giving away the verdict here, but this Cantina Chicken menu is the best addition ever to Taco Bell’s menu. Period and end of story. This isn’t a simple remix of discontinued menu classics, the Catina menu is as new as it comes. Taco Bell added new ingredients for this one including slow-roasted chicken, shredded cabbage, and a new Avocado Verde salsa that is legit the best sauce on Taco Bell’s menu.
Everything here just works. But I’ve said that already, so let’s deep dive into the menu and talk flavors and where each dish ranks.
Cantina Chicken Bowl
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
It’s with a heavy heart that I have to rank the Cantina Chicken Bowl last, not because it’s not good, but because I feel like the form factor of all the other food showcases what makes the Cantina Chicken menu special.
There’s a lot going on here, this bowl features the Cantina slow-roasted chicken, black beans, avocado ranch sauce, sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole, cheese, lettuce, rice, and purple cabbage. It’s remarkably fresh-tasting and flavorful.
I’ll admit that saying something is “fresh-tasting and flavorful” is kind of a bullshit tasting note but I’m going to dive deeper on the flavors of the other dishes because they all cover similar ground, so all I’ll say about this one is that it is, without a doubt, Taco Bell’s best bowl.
The Bottom Line:
If you love Taco Bell bowls, it doesn’t get better than this, but if you really want to acquaint yourself with the Cantina Chicken menu, any other option is a much better choice.
Cantina Chicken Soft Taco
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
The Cantina Chicken Soft Taco is the most elevated soft taco on the menu. The chicken is legitimately tender and has this wonderful zesty flavor with featuring gentle herbal notes. It’s unlike any other protein option on Taco Bell’s menu, it’s considerably less salty than what you’d expect.
The tender chicken is complemented by crunchy purple cabbage and avocado ranch sauce, which provides a savory and creamy element that deepens the flavor of chicken, with a slight tang on the back end. The taco also features pico de gallo, lettuce, and cheese, all standard Taco Bell fare.
What helps make this taco really come alive though is the Avocado Verde Salsa, which adds some mild vegetal heat to the dish.
The Bottom Line:
This might be Taco Bell’s greatest soft taco. It absolutely dunks on Chipotle, which is something I never thought I’d say about Taco Bell.
Cantina Chicken Quesadilla
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Where the soft taco is fresh and light, the Cantina Chicken Quesadilla is all about indulgence. There are just three ingredients here: chicken, chipotle sauce, and Taco Bell’s three-cheese blend. With this simple build the focus is all on the chicken and you can really taste that zesty and herbal flavor.
The Chipotle Sauce adds a smokey element to the quesadilla. Altogether each bite is a mix of earthy herbs, bright zest, smokey mild eat, salty cheese, and just a bit of tang. Put the Avocado salsa in a cup and dip between bites for the best experience.
The Bottom Line:
I hate to keep repeating myself here but… this is now Taco Bell’s greatest quesadilla.
Cantina Chicken Burrito
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
The Cantina Chicken Burrito has the same fresh and flavorful vibe as the bowl, only in a far better form factor. The build features chicken, avocado ranch, chipotle sauce, cheese, purple cabbage, lettuce, and pico de gallo, resulting in the perfect bite of food that is vegetal and refreshing, zesty, savory, smokey, and mildly spicy. The burrito is grilled which adds a nice textural element that is complemented by the crispy fresh cabbage.
I won’t go as far as saying this is Taco Bell’s greatest burrito, but it’s definitely in the top three.
The Bottom Line:
The Cantina Chicken Burrito is refreshing with deep flavors and a great mouthfeel. As is the case with everything on the Cantina Chicken Menu, add that Salsa Verde to really take this dish to the next level.
Cantina Chicken Crispy Taco
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
The build of the Cantina Chicken Crispy Taco is identical to the quesadilla, it features chicken, cheese, and Chipotle sauce. So the flavor profile here is the same: it’s salty, zesty, herbal, and smokey with a gentle tang on the finish. What makes this taco special is the texture.
It’s audibly crunchy in an incredibly satisfying way, but what won me over completely is the layer of cheese that is grilled on the outside of the taco. It makes the taco so much more indulgent and decadent, two words I closely associate with Taco Bell. Drizzle this taco heavily with Avocado salsa and you have the perfect marriage of classic Taco Bell flavors and all the improvements that the Cantina Chicken menu brings to the fold.
The Bottom Line:
I love the Cantina Chicken menu for the different flavors and vibe it brings to Taco Bell’s base menu. And the Chicken Crispy Taco, in particular, perfectly integrates those new flavors into what you know and love about Taco Bell. For that, I think it’s the greatest dish.
All of this menu is worth experiencing though — so pick the one that appeals the most to you, because every dish is truly a winner, and that’s coming from someone who has been incredibly critical of Taco Bell in the past.
