Review: Chipotle Ranch Grilled Steak Burrito from Taco Bell
Bottom Line: The Chipotle Ranch Grilled Steak Burrito from Taco Bell is somewhat of a goopy mess, but it is a good value and delivers some heat.
Taco Bell has been introducing a lot of new items lately with a heavy emphasis on chicken. That’s not a bad thing, though, as their Crispy Chicken Nuggets (read more on those here) and Spicy Ranchero Crispy Chicken Taco (read my review here), among other items, have been quite good. But just recently, they went back to an old trick of mixing up items that are already in the kitchen to make something that is new—but not really new. The “new” Chipotle Ranch Grilled Steak Burrito was concocted with ingredients already at the ready, and here’s the rundown on that:
A warm flour tortilla loaded with grilled, marinated steak, shredded lettuce, crunchy fiesta tortilla strips, pico de gallo, real shredded cheddar cheese, flavorful avocado ranch, and creamy chipotle sauce, wrapped up and grilled to perfection to seal in all the flavors.
So, as I have done in the past, I’m pulling out the scorecard to see how they did.
Grilled & Marinated Steak: They do a good job with this as the meat is seasoned well and usually quite tender. Though they are rather skimpy on portions, and oddly enough, mine had a notable lack of steak in the middle of the burrito.
Shredded Cheddar Cheese: This adds some sharpness and melted quite well into the burrito.
Creamy Chipotle Sauce: This brings a little bit of smokiness and a nice, peppery kick, and really stood out.
Avocado Ranch Sauce: This pushed things into sauce overload, though it did add some creaminess and a touch of tang.
Pico de Gallo: This got lost in the sauce goop, though there were some fresh notes from the tomatoes and a hint of citrus.
Shredded Lettuce: Look, Mom, I’m eating my vegetables! Again, this one got lost in the mix and I hardly detected the lettuce (though no big loss).
Crunchy Fiesta Tortilla Strips: I’m not sure these were even on my burrito because it had no crunch. They either left them off, or the strips disintegrated into the onslaught of sauce.
Grilled Tortilla: This was grilled just right to add some toastiness, and it did a good job of holding this messy concoction together.
Overall, I rather liked the burrito, even if it was skimpy on the steak and heavy on the goop. Most importantly, it does deliver some heat, coming close to Medium on my scale. And that is pretty good for The Bell, which tends to lean to the Mild side. If I get this again, I will ask them to hold the Avocado Ranch and add jalapeños (45¢ upcharge), which should cut down on the sauce overload and amp up the heat. (You may argue at that point that it is no longer a Chipotle Ranch Grilled Steak Burrito, but hey, the steak came from a ranch, so the name still applies.)
Calorie-wise, this burrito totals up to 520 calories, which is curious because it did not seem that hefty. But if that number is to be believed, that’s getting up there for a drive-thru item. And since this is Taco Bell, you know you are not going to get one burrito and call it a day. Your best bet is to pair it with a crunchy taco, which only adds 170 calories. But if you go with the regular order of Nacho Fries (which I did), that adds 330 calories, and you’ll be needing to schedule some extra time on the treadmill. And don’t think you’ll be eating light by getting the chicken strips on the side. A two-piece order with sauce comes up to 680 calories, and you will definitely have to pay some penance in the gym!
This burrito is a new addition to Taco Bell’s Cravings Menu (along with the Cheesy Melt Grilled Steak Burrito), and it will only set you back three bucks. That’s what makes this worth getting as it is a good value at that price. You may need to tweak the ingredients as I mentioned above and go easy on the sides, but this is a decent amount of food for the money at a time when fast food is not cheap food, and it brings some heat.
Nutrition Info:
Calories: 520
Fat: 30g (7g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 16g
Carbs: 48g
Sodium: 990mg
