In the now-time honored tradition of menu hacking, the Taco Bell secret menu will let you order things your way, including some popular discontinued items. The fast food chain is getting behind the endless options idea with a customizable menu, which makes it easy to get your food exactly how you want it (and try some pretty wild combos in the process).
Here's a tip when you're ordering a secret menu item — if it's a discontinued item, the employee may or may not know it by name, so be prepared to ask for all the different ingredients and do a little bit of DIY work. And remember, politeness goes a long way. Help your Taco Bell help you and you'll be more likely to get exactly what you want.
One easy way to order your secret menu item at this fast food restaurant is to order online. That way you can ask for exactly what you want, without worrying about if the person behind the counter knows the secret menu item name. And if none of the secret menu items catch your eye, you can make your own. Swap out the spicy ranch sauce for the avocado ranch sauce, add Fritos (yes, please), or get it grilled.
Cheese it, stuff it, fresco it, hulk it — however you want it, here are the different items on the Taco Bell secret menu.
1. The Cheesarito
Gooey melted cheese, scallions, and taco sauce all wrapped up in a soft tortilla: What's not to like? You may have to order a bean burrito without the beans and with extra cheese to get this perfect snack (or you could order the Cheesy Roll Up, which is close to Cheesarito). Mexican food never tasted so good.
2. The Enchirito
The Enchirito used to be on Taco Bell's regular menu, so if you order it, you may get someone who knows exactly what this cross between a burrito and an enchilada is. If not, you can order an enchilada stuffed with beans, beef, and cheese (basically, an enchilada stuffed with a burrito).
3. The Hulk
Of course, this Taco Bell secret menu item is all about the guac. Order a bean and cheese burrito and ask them to add guacamole to it, because the green stuff makes everything taste better.
4. The Incredible Hulk
For a next level hulk on Taco Bell's secret menu, order a five-layer burrito and replace the nacho cheese with guacamole.
5. The Chili Cheese Burrito
Also known as the Chilito, this is another used-to-be menu item that the Mexican chain discontinued back in the 90s. However, it has a good-sized fan base and individual stores can sell it if they like. If your local store doesn't sell chili (which is the key ingredient in a Chili Cheese Burrito), you can sort of hack it by asking them to mix red sauce and ground beef into a cheese burrito.
6. Double Grilled Quesadilla
A simple, but effective, hack. Ask for your quesadilla to be grilled twice and you'll get a perfect, crunchy tortilla around your quesadilla goodness. You can also ask for other items, like burritos, to be grilled as well.
7. The Superman
For the stomach of steel, there's The Superman. Ask for a double-beef burrito loaded with sour cream, guacamole, tortilla strips, and extra potatoes. And just a suggestion, but maybe save this one for lunch instead of a late night snack.
8. Fresco Style
Taco Bell is making a real effort to offer healthy choices, so if you're looking for a lower-fat and lower calorie option, order your menu item "Fresco Style." They'll replace the cheese, sour cream, mayo-based sauces, and guacamole with pico de gallo. You can check their online menu to add up the calorie counts, which helps you keep from going overboard.
9. Doritos Shell Anything
Taco Bell
Of course taco shells made out of Doritos are a good idea. So changing up your regular old taco shell to a Nacho Cheese Doritos, Cool Ranch, or Fiery Doritos taco shell is an outstanding hack. You can order it straight off the menu with the Cheesy Gordita Crunch or one of the Doritos Locos Tacos, but you can also switch out any crunchy taco shell for one with the Doritos kick.
10. Lava Sauce
This Taco Bell secret menu hack is a DIY version of the discontinued Lava Sauce. Simply mix a side of nacho cheese sauce with two or three packets of fire sauce and you're good to go to Lava Sauce anything.
11. Waffle Taco
Waffle. Taco. It's a taco made from a waffle and filled with scrambled eggs and sausage. You won't find it at every Taco Bell location, but you should totally ask because it doesn't get better than a waffle taco shell.
This article was originally published on August 2, 2018.
