Nina Rangel
Taco Bell's new Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco is purportedly inspired by birria, but no stew was to be found — only nacho cheese and "savory red sauce."
The Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco, which debuted last month, is a mainstreamed version of the Mexican favorite — the original version of which typically features a crispy grilled corn tortillas stuffed with braised meat and cheeses.
Taco Bell's take filled a fried white corn shell with slow-braised shredded beef, creamy jalapeño sauce and a three-cheese blend. It's then grilled and served with warm nacho cheese sauce and an ambiguously named “savory red sauce.”
We tried it so you don’t have to. (You know, unless you really just can't help yourself.)
Let’s start with the pros. First, we dined inside our neighborhood outpost to get the full experience, and the taco arrived at our table piping hot. It was also slightly bigger than we’d anticipated — but that’s where the positives ended.
Upon unwrapping the cheesy beast, we encountered an inordinate amount of grease. Apparently, the cheese inside the grilled tortilla sweats its fatty acids out into the wrapping. RIP to all the napkins it took to blot away the oily sheen.
The nacho cheese and red sauces seemed to be the same used in other Taco Bell menu items — this despite company officials noting in a press release that each was “carefully calibrated” to complement the Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco's main flavors.
The meat was, well … it was there. Between the chewiness of the grease-soaked tortilla and the thick, gooey cheese blend, it was difficult to even discern that the promised “slow-braised shredded beef” was present.
Another reason to balk? The GCDT runs $3.89 plus tax. That’s highway robbery for a single fast-food taco, especially in a town like San Antonio where well-crafted tacos on homemade tortillas are inexpensive and plentiful.
Instead of getting one's fingers greasy with the new Bell offering, we’d suggest making the trek to any one of the Alamo City’s tried-and-true birria outfits — many of which lovingly prepare the rustic stew with slow-braised cuts of goat, lamb or beef. They also serve it garnished with fresh cilantro and white onion, a bright component certainly lacking in Taco Bell's assembly-line take.
The Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco is available now at participating Taco Bell restaurants. It's a limited-time menu offering. And that may prove to be its most redeeming quality.
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