We love Taco Bell, especially the bold flavors and their ability to shove cheese into just about anything. But sometimes they go too far. And when that happens, we get the flops, the fails, and the truly infamous menu items. These 10 creations have earned their spot in Taco Bell’s Hall of Shame.
10. B.L.T. Soft Taco
It was 1990s when Taco Bell took a classic American sandwich and tried to pass it off as a Mexican food. So what exactly the chain achieved? A soft, soggy mess that was the B.L.T. Soft Taco. Fans of the original sandwich were baffled and Taco Bell loyalists were annoyed. The bacon was either limp or rock-hard. No crunch. No toasted bread.
9. Naked Egg Taco
Taco Bell loves reinventing the taco shell as you’ll find out later on. In 2017, the chain created the Naked Egg Taco, which had a shell-shaped fried egg holding scrambled potatoes, sausage or bacon, and cheese. People had one question: Why?! It was bold and it made headlines, but it was nearly impossible to eat without using a little cardboard sleeve.
8. Grilled Stuft Nacho
Imagine a nacho in a triangle-shaped quesadilla. This was another soggy, goopy mess from Taco Bell called Grilled Stuft Nacho. It promised crunchy-cheesy bliss but didn’t deliver. Reviews emphasized how underwhelming the item was and “barely stuffed.” Sales were low and the item quietly vanished in 2015.
7. Biscuit Taco
Before the Naked Egg Taco, we had the Biscuit Taco in 2015. Different shell, but same idea. It was a folded, flaky biscuit loaded with cheese, eggs, and bacon, sausage, or chicken. Customers complained about the biscuit being too dry. And guess what? They were also difficult to hold. Sales didn’t stick and after a year, the Biscuit Taco vanished.
6. The Black Jack Taco
This was Taco Bell’s Halloween 2009 gimmick, which actually looked cool with its jet-black shell. However, inside, it was just a basic beef taco with Baja sauce, cheese, and lettuce. After its release, things got weird. Customers reported a side effect: the food dye turned their stool green. This turned the taco into an unintentional bathroom meme.
5. Naked Chicken Chalupa
In theory, this menu item was genius. In reality? A deep-fried disaster. The Naked Chicken Chalupa replaced the shell with a breaded chicken patty. It was also folded into taco shape then filled with tomato, lettuce, and sauce. Reviews were brutal, though. Customers said it didn’t have the chalupa crunch and it was more “KFC” than “Taco Bell.”
4. Waffle Taco
Here’s another failed taco creation from Taco Bell. This one featured waffle shell loaded with cheese, eggs, and sausage or bacon. Sounds good, right? Not really. Guests called it flavorless and limp. It was also nearly impossible to eat without getting syrup on everything. At this point, we hope Taco Bell has learned their lesson.
3. French Toast Chalupa
Also part of Taco Bell’s failed breakfast experiments is the French Toast Chalupa. It was a quirky take on the sweet and savory combo, but in practice, it was a clumsy mess. Reviewers shared that the shell got soggy fast and the flavor was more dessert taco than balanced breakfast. The item didn’t pass testing, and honestly, we get it.
2. Seafood Salad
Yes, this menu item was real and it was released in the ’80s. Taco Bell tried to ride the wave of fast food seafood and drowned. The salad featured whitefish, shrimp, and crab loaded into a tortilla bowl with tomato and lettuce. Customers complained about the rubbery texture and questionable freshness. It flopped so fast it was removed from the menu in under a year.
1. Bell Beefer
Taco Bell also attempted to compete with burger chains through the Bell Beefer. Think Sloppy Joe but Taco Bell style. This item was basically seasoned ground beef loaded onto a hamburger bun with tomato and lettuce. It completely missed the point of what made the chain special. For example, where’s the tortilla?