Review: Taco Bell on the cheap

There aren't many fast food places that I walk out of these days routinely spending under $5. Taco Bell is one of the few remaining. I don't try order the cheap items, its just hard to spend a lot of money there.

For this trip I decided to deviate from my usual choices and try some items off the value menu to see how good a really cheap taco bell meal can be.

The first item I tried was the 1/2 pound Beef Combo Burrito for $1.29. This is essentially a Bean Burrito with taco meat added. It contains ground beef, beans, cheese, onions, and enchilada sauce.

I didn't have a scale with to verify the 1/2 pound claim, but the burrito was fairly hefty. The onions were crunchy, the enchilada sauce tangy. For $1.29 this was pretty good. Personally I prefer something with sour cream like a Burrito Supreme or 7-Layer Burrito, but if you are a fan of TB's Bean Burritos you will like this.

Recommendation: A good burrito for the price, but there are better on the menu if you're willing to spend more.
Taste: 6/10
Quality: 6/10
Value: 9/10


The second item I tried was a Spicy Chicken Burrito, also for $1.29.

This burrito was noticeably smaller. It contained shredded chicken, onions, tomatoes, rice, and a spicy cream sauce.

The flavor was decent, though not what I would consider "spicy" even with the requisite 2 packets of hot sauce (which are purple now???). Aside from the misleading name, the burrito had a good balance of flavor and creaminess. If you are hungry, though, you might want to avoid this one. It is small compared to other burritos at a similar price point -- presumably because of the use of chicken.

Recommendation: Good flavor, but get 3.
Taste: 8/10
Quality: 6/10
Value: 6/10