Taco Bell believes that luxury can still come wrapped in paper. It’s why the fast-food chain expanded its Luxe Value menu with five new items.
The new menu aims to offer more premium-adjacent options without straying far from its budget-friendly roots — something that Taco Bell fans have come to expect from the brand.
The move comes as diners continue to look to fast-food chains for more affordable meals, and as chains across the industry compete to make their value offerings feel more satisfying — and more indulgent — than ever.
The menu, which launches on January 22, includes five new items and five returning fan-favorites, all priced under $3.
We tried the five brand-new items coming to the Luxe Value menu and ranked them from worst to best — and our favorite item might surprise you.
The new chips and nacho supreme dip were our least favorite of the new items, but they were still good.
The new nacho supreme dip ($2.49) is made with seasoned beef, refried beans, nacho cheese sauce, reduced-fat sour cream, pico de gallo, and a three-cheese blend. It’s served with tortilla chips.
It was the first item we tried on the new value menu, and also the most forgettable.
Anneta thought that the dip bowl was pretty small, so her first bite was really overpowered by the sour cream on top.
She was able to taste the warm and cheesy goodness underneath after mixing everything together, but she thought there wasn’t enough beef, and its flavor got lost in the dish.
Erin also thought the refried beans lacked flavor, and they were overall a little too salty. We’ll stick to the chain’s guacamole next time.
Up next was the avocado ranch chicken stacker.
It’s made with grilled all-white-meat chicken, Avocado Ranch Sauce, three-cheese blend, lettuce, and tomatoes. It retails for $2.99.
This folded wrap tasted similar to a McDonald’s snack wrap.
Anneta was bummed when Taco Bell discontinued its Chipotle Ranch Grilled Chicken Burrito in 2024, so she was very excited to see this new stacker.
The creamy ranch sauce, fresh-tasting tomatoes, and lettuce gave a similar flavor profile to McDonald’s Ranch Snack Wraps — which we both love.
It had the same freshness as Anneta’s favorite defunct burrito, with tender, flavorful chicken paired with the deliciously creamy avocado ranch sauce.
However, we both found a lack of filling inside, so you get a lot of tortilla in each bite. It’s a nice snack, but we’d still order something from Taco Bell’s Cantina Chicken menu instead.
The salted caramel churros landed in the middle of the pack.
Anneta said that she doesn’t usually get dessert at Taco Bell, but these salted caramel churros were extremely hard to resist.
Dusted in salted caramel sugar and filled with cream, these churros were a tasty sweet treat to end our meal.
They’re a perfect study in contrasts — crunchy and soft, salty and sweet. We both thought they perfectly balanced the rest of our meal.
This is a limited-time offering, so if you want to grab this dessert for $1.99, you’ll have to try it sooner rather than later.
Our second-favorite item was the beefy potato-loaded griller.
Designed for on-the-go eating, this smaller burrito ($2.49) features seasoned beef, crispy potato bites, nacho cheese sauce, creamy chipotle sauce, and reduced-fat sour cream.
It was super saucy and flavorful.
This is the heftiest item on Taco Bell’s new menu, and it’s a great bang for your buck.
The grilled tortilla had a super satisfying crunch that gave way to the soft middle of beef and potato. The potato bites were perfectly cooked, with a crispy texture that paired well with the juicy beef. The creamy chipotle sauce also added some nice tang and depth to the overall flavor.
If you’re a fan of saucy burritos, this new item is right up your alley.
Our favorite item was the mini taco salad.
The mini taco salad ($2.49) is made with seasoned beef, creamy chipotle sauce, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and refried beans in a crispy fried tortilla bowl.
We’re not huge fans of taco salads, so we were both surprised to find it was our favorite new item on the value menu.
The item was first teased as a new release at Taco Bell’s Live Más Live event back in March.
For under $3, we thought this item was an excellent value.
The tortilla shell, usually an afterthought, is actually the star. It’s crispy without being dry, and we both loved the salty flavor.
The taco salad is well-layered, with the refried beans providing a strong bottom layer, and the warm beef mixed well with the toppings and chipotle sauce.
The fresh tomatoes and lettuce added just the right amount of crispness to balance the dish’s creamy, savory elements. Plus, its miniature size made it so cute to look at and eat.
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