Taco Bell is my fast food guilty pleasure. I feel like everyone has one, though I haven’t noticed a particularly up or downswing in their quality, other than Doritos Locos tacos which taste like the devils breath. I do like the CA crunchwrap and the cinnamon bites are actually things I’m looking for copycat recipes for. Not remotely Mexican food, but they were my residency salvation when I felt to beaten down by work to even really need to chew.
I go to Toxic Hell for one reason, and that is for the Mexican Pizzas. Of course I taste the rancid bitterness in the wafers, but since I can’t create those yet I go there. To be honest, if it were not for the wafer problem I would never set foot in Toxic Hell again. I assume you never ate Taco Bell of the 1980’s ? I was just a kid then but wow was that food great ! I even had friends that worked there in those days and learned the inside out of the operation. They ordered fresh vegetables, meats, and cheeses daily in bulk. They had a whole kitchen crew with cooking machines that would hand prep everything fresh on site. Even the black olives were sliced by hand. Cheeses were 10 pound blocks. Meats too.
Those days are over. Today they just drive the truck up there, unload the plastic bags of every item created in a central commissary and reheat the slop. Its just a heat and sling operation now. And I can taste it. Glenn Bell is very disappointed at what they turned his creation into now. R.I.P. Mr. Bell. It was not your fault.
I did eat there in the 80s, but don’t remember that much difference in the burrito supremes, which were always my favorite. I was also a dumb little kid throughout the 80s. I used to love the Mexican pizzas, but tried one when they went back on the menu and naw. Used to love (and get fat off) the Nachos Bell Grande
That being said, I don’t confuse it for good food (including street food) or Mexican food. During residency, it was “I hate myself and this night” food, and now, I usually save it for when I’m feeling sorry for myself because I got called into an early case. But if I’m going to do fast food, that’s usually what I’ll go for since nothing else quite tastes like Taco Bell, likely for worse. McDonalds and its ilk just taste to me like a lesser version of a burger I could make myself.
For me it was cigarettes! In the hospital! TB had to be a better choice than that.
Yes ! The burrito supreme was awesome back then. But you will notice now that they fold both ends. The public relations excuse story told by Toxic Hell for the change in folding was because people going through the drive thru’s complained that their burritos would spill out their contents. That is the biggest bs lie I ever heard. The real reason for eliminating the one open end was to minimize the FILLING. In fact they used to put TWO scoops of refried beans in their bean burritos when it had the open end. Now they only put one scoop and that is confirmed by Toxic Hell workers long ago. Oh and if you have not noticed, the taco beef was changed as well. They now use and have been using fillers. Saw dust is most likely. Yes saw dust or IE wood pulp is allowed in food. When they were great in the 1980’s they only used 100% beef and of course the seasoning powder for their taco beef.
The Nachos BelGrande was another favorite of mine too. But I make my own now. They serve nothing like what it once was. They taste awful, you get smaller servings and yet they raised the costs unbelievably.
LOL, now that may be true!!! I’d have these 18 hour days where I was just dead on my feet and hadn’t eaten and then I’d almost hit Taco Bell with a spiteful “that’ll teach me!”.
My dad smoked though. My clothes and the house reeked of it until he left when I was 14. So that’s the ONE bad habit I managed not to pick up. I freely embrace all the others 
Yup… late 70’s-early 80’s. Substantial, saucy, and fresh. These were my intro (by a roommate) to TB and I loved them. Last time I had one was the last time I will have one.
My replacement was a JimBoy’s shredded beef super burrito… fat, open-ended, saucy, and all the fresh, envisioned ingredients. Sadly those are gone now… but at least they removed them from the menu rather than providing a sad facsimile with the same name.
Absolutely ! When I had my first one it was like drugs. Incredible. Filled up and heavy and of course with a few slices of black olives. So delicious. I have not had one since they folded both ends of all burritos. Now I make my own just like they used to sell. I even duplicated their bacon cheeseburger burrito sauce, so I make those too.
Sounds like JimBoy’s had a good item I would probably love. We don’t have those places here. Most good food joints don’t exist where I live. Taste buds were never a priority for Long Islanders. Well at least the last couple decades anyway. Even our Famous Albert’s pizza was destroyed. They ruined their signature upside down Sicilian pie that made them prosperous and well loved.
I actually am making chicken burritos this Friday and even a potato burrito like Taco Bells soft potato taco.
Mission-style burritos always have the ends tucked in.
Is that what they call them ? I never liked that style. I like one open end. This way you eat more filling than dough. The dough in my opinion should be 1 layer thick, not 4 layers thick like you get with both ends folded. Last time I had a bean burrito from Toxic Hell, they were no different than the frozen burritos you can buy. Those cheap dollar store types with a tablespoon of filling and thick thick flour tortilla layers.
I’ve always meant to try JimBoy’s when up in Northern NV, but haven’t gotten around to it. With the changes, is it still worth a visit?
Even the Los Angeles-style, riceless burritos have the ends folded. The reason in both cases is yes, the filling will fall out otherwise. There’s no shortage of fillings–I can finish only half of a Mission burrito, and I don’t remember LA’s versions to be particularly skimpy.
You really should look up taco trucks on Long Island and check them out.
Their tacos are the same… what they discontinued was the shredded beef, and their super burrito that included refried beans, cheese, red sauce, pico, sour cream and guac.
Their current premium burrito (Tahoe) includes whole pinto beans, rice, sour cream, cheese, red sauce, pico, with either Steak, Chicken, Carnitas, or Ground Beef. They still have refried beans, so I suppose I could order a carnitas one (although I have never tried their carnitas) with refried instead of whole, no rice, with guac. I suppose that would be pretty close to the super burrito I loved, and at least the one up here has always been pretty good implementing substitutions.
Edit: Note that I have not visited one since the Pan, and there are a lot of reviews online that report they have gone way downhill.
Hmm, the Burrito Supremes do seem smaller. I didn’t know they still had Nachos Bell Grande on the menu, honestly. I loved it as a teenager, but that’s also when I had needed to quit my main sport due to money, and my weight BALLOONED. When I finally saw the calorie count, I stopped getting it, and hadn’t seen it on the menu for a while.
I believe the most common filler they use is oats. I believe they wound up in a lawsuit by referring to it as a seasoning, which it isn’t. I don’t actually mind depression-era filler in my taco bell; it probably lowers the calorie count slightly, and I never go there for quality. I mean, my now go to item is a breakfast crunch wrap supreme, which is just left over items mashed into a tortilla and crisped, but shrug.
Ah yes I do remember that filler as well being mentioned. I also remember that lawsuit. Thought it would expose Toxic Hell and change their ways but the plaintiff lost the case I think. Going against a gorilla with deep pockets is not easy for the average person. Judges get paid off. Two tiers we have.
Well I can assure you when Glenn Bell was still alive - Taco Bell used 100% beef only in their ground taco meat. Of course the seasoning powder was just seasoning back then. That is the way I make mine from scratch. So good I can just eat it straight. Amazing how tasty.
Remember the mexi-melt ? That was tasty too. Also gone.
I found 3 Mexican Pizzas in my deep freezer that I had from 2020 when they were discontinuing them. Forgot I had those LOL. I now add some white sugar to the top of them before I add the cheese, green onions, and black olives. This way it removes that bitter taste of the rancid vegetable oils. Has nothing to do with how old these are. Get a fresh one and taste it. That bitterness is from the wafers caused by their frying oils.
Oh just remembered. The Mexican Pizza was originally named the Pizzazz Pizza. It was heaven in food. Just as good as drugs from what people told me. That is what I experienced too when I had my first one. Being Sicilian and know and love pizza of all kinds, how could I not try it. Wish I could put the ones they make now side by side in a taste test with independent people who never had Taco Bell or Toxic Hell. I bet dollars to doughnuts every person would love and pick the original pizza the way they used to make them. No question.
You’re just writing satire, aren’t you?
You can’t be this absurd.
I was having similar thoughts. It’s like a parody account or something, maybe?
I literally just snort-laughed in my office when someone was walking in to talk to me. Oops.
