Bottom Line: The Frito Pie Quesadilla from Taco Cabana may seem like an odd melding of dishes, but it definitely works and brings a bit of a kick.
The Frito Pie is a Texas original, allegedly created by Daisy Doolin (wife of Charles Doolin, the creator of Fritos), and in its simplest form it consists of Fritos, chili con carne, and cheese (and perhaps diced onions). Surprisingly, you don’t see it on menus in this state as much as you might expect (though I found a darn good one at Texas Cannon Brewery), but it does show up from time to time. Mexican fast food chain Taco Cabana just recently added it to the menu, though in a somewhat unorthodox form as they took the basic ingredients and dumped that into a quesadilla!
Their new Frito Pie quesadilla is comprised of two flour tortillas that are filled with melted Jack and Cheddar cheese, Fritos®, chili con carne, pico de gallo, and jalapenos, and that is served with a side of queso. Note the trademark on Fritos® because these are the name-brand version of the corn chip, not some store brand knock-off. And Fritos got their start right here in San Antonio just like Taco Cabana. So even though this seems like an odd combination, those of us living here in Alamo City should appreciate this home-grown product. It comes in a large size for those who are hungry or want to share and also in a small size that is still rather filling
The tortillas have a nice crispiness to them, and they are not greasy because the quesadilla appears to be toasted or cooked on the griddle with very little fat. The blend of cheese is melted and plenty gooey and mixes with the meaty chili for a good combination of flavors. The corn chips add a nice crunch and complete that Frito Pie taste quite nicely, but I would have liked more of those. The jalapenos are also rather sparse, but they add a nice pop to the bites that include the pepper, and next time I will ask for extra. Finally, the pico de gallo adds a nice freshness to bring this all together into a very tasty meal. The quesadilla comes with a side of queso, but that seems kind of superfluous and I just ate it separately with chips.
Heat-wise, the bites with jalapenos had some burn, but those were too few and not very evenly spaced. Those were about Medium heat on my scale, but overall I would put this at Mild. This would have worked better if there were more jalapenos and they were diced up and evenly distributed with the ingredients. But asking for extra should certainly help with the heat. Adding some of their Salsa Roja and/or Salsa de Fuego will kick things up as well.
As mentioned (and as the picture above shows) the assembly of this quesadilla seems somewhat clunky, but it does hold together quite well and I really rather enjoyed it. Ultimately, it goes beyond being just a gimmick and delivers a tasty combination of flavors, and I plan on making a return trip for another of these. They are also advertising a Frito Pie taco, so I may check that out as well. The small quesadilla runs 820 calories and the large comes in at 1,530 cals. So if you are getting the latter, you better be sharing otherwise you will be reserving some extra time on the treadmill at the gym!
These are on loan from Limited-Time-Only-Ville, so they will disappear in a few months. At $6.69 for the small and $9.99 for the large, that is not a bad deal for the drive thru these days. The small was plenty filling (it better be at 820 cals) and you could easily split the larger one and a side of chips and salsa with a friend (don’t forget their fresh salsa bar which is back after a COVID time-out). If you are a lover of Frito Pies, I definitely recommend checking this out. And if not, this quesadilla might just convert you to that Texas delicacy.