by Bottom Line: I can’t say if Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza has changed much from the prior version, but I enjoyed it and would get it again.
Taco Bell is known for dropping things off of its menu–like its popular Nacho Fries–only to bring them back a short while later apparently to build up anticipation (but in truth, it just annoys people). Back in 2020, though, the Bell made some menu subtractions it claimed to be permanent, and that included the long-time fan-favorite Mexican Pizza. The chain was trimming the menu to improve efficiency while staffing was tight during the pandemic, and they also tried to sell some story on it cutting down waist because the Mexican Pizza boxes were so big. Needless to say, regular customers of the Bell were not amused, and the company has finally rectified the unpopular move by bringing the Mexican Pizza back.
Now I have to admit that this particular menu item was never one of my go-to selections when stopping by the Bell, and I honestly can’t tell you the last time I had one. But I know that I had bought it in the past and enjoyed it well enough, and when I heard that people were grumbling about alleged alterations to the pizza, I decided I would give it a try and see what the current version is like. (Bell execs claim there were no changes, and corporate leaders would never lie to us, right?)
Taco Bell’s take on pizza consists of two crispy, flat tortilla shells that are layered together with beans and seasoned ground beef in the middle. That is then topped with “Mexican Pizza sauce”, shredded three-cheese blend, and fresh tomatoes. Supposedly the tortillas are what have changed as they are now closer to a corn tortilla. It has been too long since I last had one of these for me to be able to tell the difference, though.
The “Mexican Pizza sauce” has a nice tomatoey tang and just a touch of sweetness and delivers enough of a twist to separate it from the standard Taco Bell fare (which all starts to taste the same after a while). The shells are light and crunchy and different enough from the taste of the standard corn tortilla shell used for a taco. Apart from that it has the standard beans and ground beef and melted cheese typical of the Bell. A few more fresh tomatoes on top would be nice, and I wouldn’t object to some shredded lettuce to at least pretend there is something healthy here (and they will gladly do that for an extra fifty cents), but that would get it further from counting as a pizza if it ever really did.
There is nothing particularly spicy about the Mexican Pizza, just like most Taco Bell fare. If you want some heat, you will have to add it yourself. They will plop on some sliced jalapenos for an extra fifty cents (is it legal to charge extra for jalapenos in Texas?) or you can add some Fire or Diablo sauce to kick it up. But despite the fact that this is not too hot and that the shells might have been changed, I rather liked this “pizza”. It is just different enough from the other menu items to make it worth getting on a semi-regular basis. And I definitely will be picking up another of these before long.
One of these will set you back four dollars and fifty-ish cents which isn’t bad for the drive thru these days. (When did the combo meals jump up to the $8 to $10 range?) And at 530 calories, that should be able to set you up until your next meal. Okay, maybe it’s okay to throw in a taco as well (170 calories), but you’re skipping your afternoon snack!
Allegedly this is back on the permanent menu, but the only that that is really permanent in the drive thru is constant changes to the menu when some marketing “expert” thinks it will bring in more business. So if you have missed the Mexican Pizza since it left two years ago or if you never got around to trying it, go get yours now. Who knows if this will disappear in another couple of months because somebody somewhere thinks any publicity is good publicity no matter how mad it makes the customers (and sure enough, they are running out of it again). And by the way, Taco Bell, you have the crispy shells back so how about getting the Spicy Tostado on the menu again? (It disappeared the same time as the Mexican Pizza.)
Spice It Up: As I mentioned above, you can add jalapenos and/or Fire or Diablo sauce to your Mexican Pizza to kick it up. But I find that those sauces tend to drown out the other flavors, so I am careful how I use them. If you get the Mexican Pizza to go and bring it home, then I recommend topping it with Secret Aardvark Habanero Sauce (which you certainly have sitting in your fridge, right?). That has a similar taste to taco sauce, but it complements a dish rather than taking it over. I did that with the Mexican Pizza I brought home, and it added just the right amount of fire. Trader Joe’s Habanero Sauce would be a good one to go with it as well (more on that sauce here).
Tale of the Tape:
Calories: 530
Fat: 29g (8g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 19g
Carbs: 49g
Sodium: 940mg
