Review: Taco Bell’s Decades Y2K Menu Stars 5 Discontinued Items (Including the Cult-Favorite Chili Cheese Burrito)

• What It Is: crispy empanada filled with tender apple pieces and creamy caramel
• Price: $3

I first tasted this decadent number last fall, when Taco Bell released its first Decades collection, which featured one discontinued menu item from every decade since the 1960s. It has a great crackly crust, but that’s where my adoration ends. The apples are sweet-tart but lacking in quantity, while the caramel tastes really artificial, like a butterscotch candy from the bottom of someone’s purse. The Dulce de Leche Cinnabon Delight filling was much tastier, IMO.

• What It Is: refried beans, seasoned rice, reduced-fat sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, diced tomatoes and three-cheese blend, wrapped in a flour tortilla
• Price: $3

This behemoth is like a loaded vegetarian version of the Beefy 5-Layer Burrito. It includes basically every meatless menu item available, nestled in a soft, chewy wrap. It’s the biggest item on the Taco Bell Decades Y2K menu, but everything is kind of the same mushy texture (minus the crisp lettuce). The cold add-ins also make the burrito more lukewarm than you may expect, but it’s still filling despite being meatless. I don’t love the guacamole, and I might add Fiesta Strips for some crunch next time to spruce it up.

• What It Is: seasoned beef, shredded cheddar cheese and shredded lettuce in a Cool Ranch Doritos shell
• Price: $3

Doritos tacos first launched in 2012, and I fell for them at lightning speed. In fact, I still indulge in the Nacho Cheese-flavored handheld from time to time, and I’ll never forget the Fiery iteration’s tangy edge (and intimidating color). The Cool Ranch variety has been MIA since 2019, but it’s back exactly as you recall. The shell is, of course, shatteringly crisp and tangy with hints of buttermilk. While it’s delicious on its own, the seasoning gets lost in the taco fillings more than the Nacho alternative. When you get a bite with mostly shell, the flavor shines, but I want like, double or triple the Doritos dust.

• What It Is: a crunchy taco shell filled with seasoned beef, lettuce and cheddar cheese, inside a soft tortilla spread with refried beans
• Price: $2.50

Of the entire lineup, this hearty handheld was my favorite back in the day. It gives you the pillowy, cozy chew of a soft tortilla, along with the crunch of a hard shell and a double dose of protein with creamy beans and savory beef. Was it as good I remember? Yup, identical. This one is super filling, although I’m betting it’s better when ordered Supreme, so you get the cool addition of sour cream. Even without it, the Double Decker checks all the texture boxes, and I’ll always prefer the beans as glue to the nacho cheese sauce.

• What It Is: hearty chili and melted cheddar cheese, wrapped in a flour tortilla
• Price: $3

As much of a longtime Taco Bell fan as I am, I had no idea about the Chili Cheese Burrito’s cult following until I wrote a ranking of every Taco Bell burrito. Multiple readers commented about the absence of the Chili Cheese from my ranking. It’d apparently been discontinued in most locations since the mid ’90s, but still remained available at select stores, so some folks thought I skipped it. But now that it’s *finally* on the menu in my area too, I can make up for it!

This handheld is deliciously simple, comforting, zesty and tomatoey. The chili is very well seasoned, and it wasn’t as meat heavy as it was very, very cheesy. In short, I get the hype—and I’ll be ordering Fire sauce and a side of sour cream for dipping next time.