Taco Bell’s strategy for this entire decade so far has been to periodically remove and bring back menu items. I hate to say it, but, it’s working. While I find it incredibly annoying that Taco Bell is always f*cking with my favorites, there is an air of excitement that surrounds each old discontinued dish that returns to the menu.
So far, they’ve been knocking it out of the park, the Enchirito, Volcano Menu, and Cheez-It Tostada and Crunchwrap were all pretty great. But part of what makes this strategy work I think, is that it always comes in small doses.
Which has us pretty nervous about Taco Bell’s latest retro menu release — the Decades Collection, four dishes made popular in the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. Because all of these dishes were discontinued at one point or another, it makes us think there must’ve been a reason for it. So how well is this menu going to stack up against what else is already on the menu? We found out by ordering the entire Decades Collection so that you don’t have to. We’re going to break down which of these returning dishes is actually worth your money. Let’s eat, starting in chronological order!
1960s — Tostada
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
First released sometime in the 1960s, the Tostada is a simple but classic dish that is totally indebted to the Mexican cuisine that first inspired the chain. In my opinion, this dish should’ve never left the menu, it’s simple but effective, featuring a giant fried tortilla topped with a smear of beans, red sauce, lettuce, and cheese.
Biting into it, you get a classic mix of Taco Bell flavors: the beans are earthy, the red sauce provides a mild heat, and the lettuce and cheese are welcome additions, but don’t offer that much flavor.
The Bottom Line:
While I think this should’ve never left the menu, overall, I think it’s just fine. It’s not a reason to go to Taco Bell, but it makes for a nice dish to add to your regular order.
1970s — Green Sauce Burrito
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
A Mexican chain restaurant is usually guaranteed to have three things: a red sauce burrito, a bean, cheese, and rice burrito, and a green sauce burrito. For whatever reason, Taco Bell ditched its green sauce burrito, and we’ve all been suffering for it. Of the three standard, under $2 burritos, this is the best one. The burrito consists of beans, cheese, onion, and green sauce.
The green sauce has a light vegetal and tangy flavor with a lingering mild heat to it.
The Bottom Line:
Once again, it’s not a reason to visit Taco Bell, but it does make for a tasty add-on to your regular order.
1980s — Meximelt
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Here at Uproxx, we’re big fans of the classic ’80s Meximelt. We like it so much that we recreated it a couple of years ago (ours is better). This taco features a soft tortilla loaded up with pico de gallo, a three cheese blend, and some zesty beef.
While it doesn’t so revolutionary, the combination of flavors really works here — it has a mild heat, with vegetal and savory qualities, and a zesty, beefy finish. It’s delicious!
The Bottom Line:
The Meximelt is an absolute classic, and we’re happy to see it return to the menu.
1990s — Gordita Supreme
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
The Gordita Supreme is the only real miss on the Decades Menu. It features a thick tortilla loaded up with beef, sour cream, lettuce, a three cheese blend, and tomatoes. All together, the dish is tasty enough, but it’s not quite as good as the Chalupa Supreme, a menu staple which features a better tasting thick tortilla that was clearly meant to replace this dish.
The Bottom Line:
The Gordita Supreme is the only dish from the Decades Menu that feels a bit redundant. Skip this one.
The Big Takeaway:
If you’re looking for the one essential dish from the Decades Collection, it’s the Meximelt. It’s the only dish that is worth a trip to Taco Bell. But no single dish is filling enough to count as a true, hunger-busting meal. Having said that, a great order would be a Meximelt, Green Sauce Burrito, and Tostada, so get all three!
Find your nearest Taco Bell here.
