7 Menu Items You Won’t Believe Taco Bell Used to Serve
Updated: Nov. 15, 2023
Fans have been calling for the return of these discontinued Taco Bell items for years.
Bell Beefer
Can you imagine Taco Bell serving up burgers? Well, once upon a time they did. The Bell Beefer was essentially a taco in burger form, with taco meat, diced onions, shredded lettuce and mild sauce. It was served up from the ’70s to the mid-’90s, and made a brief return in 2012 to certain stores. Will it show up again? The internet certainly hopes so—there’s even a Facebook page dedicated to its return.
Nacho Crunch Grilled Stuft Burrito
When Taco Bell says “Stuft,” they mean it! This limited-edition burrito was part of the chain’s “Stuft” menu, and came with a double portion of beef, nacho cheese, sour cream and tomatoes. It showed up in 2005, but unfortunately, was gone just a year later.
Fully Loaded Nachos
Imagine nachos, but in a bowl… made of one huge chip. The Fully Loaded Nachos came around in 2008 and left super quickly—by 2009, they were out the door. These had literally everything—extra chips, double ground beef, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, refried beans, a signature three-cheese blend, and nacho cheese sauce—so no wonder people were devastated when they were removed.
Volcano Taco and Lava Sauce
It was the first of the red taco shells, but it wasn’t the last. The Volcano Taco was advertised as Taco Bell’s spiciest taco ever—and according to reports, it delivered! The red shell contained Lava Sauce, which has a pretty self-explanatory name, and was introduced in 2008. It returned in 2009 much to fans’ delight, before going permanently off the menu in 2013. While this fan favorite isn’t returning, we hear the Mexican Pizza is (finally) back.
Fiery Doritos Locos Tacos + Cool Ranch Doritos Tacos
Imagine a taco shell, but made out of Doritos. That’s exactly what Taco Bell came out with in 2012 with the launch of their Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos, which remains one of their best-selling items to this day. Then, the next year, they upped the ante with the Cool Ranch Tacos and Fiery Doritos Locos Tacos for customers who like their tacos with a bit of kick. Sadly, both were discontinued in 2019, but in 2020, the chain came out with Flamin’ Hot Doritos Locos Tacos (we’re not going to stop petitioning for them to bring the other two variations back, though).
Double Decker Taco
Can’t decide between a soft or a hard taco? The Double Decker Taco solved that problem by pairing a crunchy taco shell full of ground beef, lettuce and cheese with a soft outer shell that meshed perfectly into the rest of it. This double delight has shown up on the menu sporadically since 1995, but was discontinued for good in 2019. You can try recreating it by starting with the basics of how to make homemade tacos.
Spicy Tostada
Remember Taco Bell’s removal of multiple menu items in 2020? As if that year wasn’t bad enough, they had to add more discontinued Taco Bell items to the list, including the Spicy Tostada. This snack-size delight may have been small, but it sure packed a punch. The open-face taco that came out in 2014 sold for just $1, and it had a whole lotta meat and veggies packed into it for that price. Luckily, we can make our own from our list of Taco Bell’s copycat recipes.
Originally Published: June 10, 2022
