I’m crunching the numbers on Taco Bell’s Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas

I decided to cave in to my Taco Bell craving on Thursday and was pleasantly surprised to see two new items waiting for me on the Taco Bell app: Cantina Chicken Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas and Steak Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas. (Always check the “new” tab in the Taco Bell app.)

I was kind of hoping that the Steak & Queso Crunchwrap Sliders would still be available, but it looks like Taco Bell is only offering us one (or in this case, two) tiny versions of a standard menu item at once.

On the drive back from my local Taco Bell, I helped myself to a few Nacho Fries from the bag — a mistake considering they were ridiculously hot. Don’t worry, though, I soldiered through this process to bring Snackology readers my thoughts on these new Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas ...

Where I found it

McDonald’s. Sorry, kidding. Obviously Taco Bell.

What I paid

You can get either a two-pack of the Cantina Chicken Street Chalupas or the Steak Street Chalupas for $5.49 each. I didn’t see any way to mix and match the Cantina Chicken and Steak, which makes sense since they’re wrapped together.

My thoughts

OK, so you’re probably asking what exactly is a Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa? It feels like we’re stacking several Taco Bell terms on top of each other there. According to Taco Bell, these new items build “on a legacy of bold chalupa innovations,” “merging two fan-favorite menu creations from the past — the Toasted Cheddar Chalupa from 2019 and last year's Cheesy Street Chalupas — to deliver the ultimate mashup of crispy, cheesy and street-inspired indulgence.”

Bold. Chalupa. Innovations. Take that, NASA.

In normal terms, these are mini Taco Bell Chalupas with toasted cheddar cheese on the outside. I’ve enjoyed Taco Bell’s “hey, we toasted some cheese on the outside of this item” strategy before, so I went into these guys with high hopes.

I chose to start with the Cantina Chicken Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa. Both versions come with “flavorful Chile Lime Crema sauce, shredded cheddar cheese and an onion and cilantro blend.”

As promised, the shell with toasted cheddar delivered a “crispy, cheesy and savory bite.” The onion and cilantro blend occasionally popped through, a welcome addition when I managed to find it but not always present.

The chicken, though, was disappointing. The flavor not only wasn’t strong enough to shine through, there wasn’t enough of it to balance out with the toasted cheddar shell.

The Steak Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa had the same problem. While I loved the steak in the Steak & Queso Crunchwrap Sliders, there wasn’t enough of it here to fight back against the heaviness of the toasted cheddar shell.

I kept taking bites out of both of these versions of the Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas, hoping to find a bite that offered everything they promised. But neither the chicken nor the steak variant nailed it. It’s a shame, since Taco Bell really is trying to elevate its usual fare with these fellas. The onion and cilantro blend is a step up from the lettuce and tomato the chain normally dumps into a taco. It needs chicken and steak that matches that level of elevation.

Final verdict: PASS

Taco Bell says that the Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas are “an ode to the street taco.” I’ve had street tacos. I’ve been handed a taco fresh out of a truck while we wait for our full order. (Tacos to pass the time while you wait for your tacos should be an industry standard.) What Taco Bell is selling here can’t live up to that high standard. Bogging them down with layers of toasted cheese doesn’t help.

Also, unlike with the Steak & Queso Crunchwrap Sliders, two of the Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas are more than enough. If you want to try them, I recommend picking either the Cantina Chicken or the Steak instead of both.