New Taco Bell Grilled Steak Burritos Beef Up The Value Menu

Ever since the restaurant debuted back in 1962, Taco Bell has built its brand on affordability. With fast food restaurants experiencing price increases across the board, Taco Bell has found itself in an interesting position. While many of its core items have increased, the restaurant’s Cravings Value Menu has remained a viable option for those trying to recapture the glory days of being able to get a veritable Tex-Mex feast for under 10 bucks.

Fans of the Cravings Value Menu will rejoice at the addition of two new Grilled Steak Burritos that offer plenty of flavor and satisfaction at a very low price. The Chipotle Ranch Grilled Steak Burrito evokes the restaurant’s bygone Grilled Stuft Burritos, albeit in a smaller package, and the Cheesy Melt Grilled Steak Burrito is for fans of Taco Bell’s more gooey offerings. Both burritos feel like a serious win for the Cravings Value Menu as it’s the first time we’re seeing marinated steak pop up in a value burrito. But how do they compare to the rest of Taco Bell’s menu?

For $3 apiece, the new Grilled Steak Burritos are a stellar deal — consider them buffed up versions of Cravings Value Menu’s Cheesy Double Beef Burrito and Cheesy Bean and Rice Burritos. I’ve got no complaints with Taco Bell’s Seasoned Ground Beef, but it’s no secret that the restaurant’s steak is the superior protein. Both burritos are roughly the size of the other burritos on the Cravings Value Menu, but that steak makes for a heartier dining experience. One of these burritos is usually plenty for a quick, filling lunch, but dropping six bucks for the pair nets you a satisfying fast food experience that stays mindful of your wallet.

The new Grilled Steak Burritos are available across thousands of restaurants nationwide. Of course, since the chain offers individual franchises, there’s always the off chance that these new items won’t be available depending on your location. The best way to figure out if you can get your hands on your own Grilled Steak Burritos is to check out Taco Bell’s website to see which location is serving them up nearest to you.

The Chipotle Ranch Grilled Steak Burrito is the more veggie-centric of the pair as it includes shredded lettuce and pico de gallo alongside its grilled steak. Its spicier notes come from the chipotle sauce, and it’s also got plenty of shredded cheese and some Fiesta Strips for texture. In contrast, the Cheesy Melt Grilled Steak Burrito is all about keeping things melty and gooey. A lot of this is thanks to the reduced-fat sour cream and the creamy jalapeño sauce. The seasoned rice and three-cheese blend rounds out the inside of the burrito, giving it a satisfying heft.

Nutritionally, the chipotle ranch is the more caloric of the two. It weighs in at 520 calories while the Cheesy Melt has 500. With that grilled steak in the mix, both burritos offer a good serving of protein. However, they are sodium bombs that each contain around 1,000 milligrams each. It’s fast food after all, so we’re not terribly surprised by these numbers.

Though I love my melty, squishy, goopy Beefy Five-Layer Burrito, I tend to gravitate toward items that demonstrate textural diversity. That said, I liked the Chipotle Ranch Grilled Steak Burrito a lot. Its exterior takes a turn in the panini press so it starts with a light, toasty crispness. The shredded lettuce and Fiesta Strips also impart some crunchy notes to the interior. Though the chipotle sauce has a decent spicy kick to it, the avocado ranch sauce is creamy enough to mute any serious heat. Overall, it’s got a lot in common with the Cantina Chicken Burrito, which I really enjoyed.

I did think the amount of steak on the burrito was a bit light, but when you consider its presence on the Cravings Value Menu, it makes sense. While the burrito isn’t busting with steak, you get enough of the protein to still impart decent flavor. All of the supplemental ingredients do a nice job at holding their own, and the final product remains quite satisfying for a $3 meal.

The Cheesy Melt Grilled Steak Burrito is for those who want something with heft and no shortage of melty cheese. The bulk of the burrito is made from seasoned rice and plenty of shredded cheese, so there is no shortage of gooey goodness on display here. The creamy jalapeño sauce adds a little bit of spice to the burrito, but it’s tamed by the sour cream that also contributes to the burrito’s overall goopiness.

I have never been the biggest fan of the Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito at Taco Bell, and this is essentially the same formula plus steak. As it turns out, adding a bit of grilled steak to a burrito stuffed with cheese, rice, and sour cream improves its overall composition quite a bit. There are times when you want your burrito to simply be a warm tortilla filled with yielding meltiness, and this is a meal tailor-made for those moments. I prefer the Chipotle Ranch version, but the Cheesy Melt definitely has its appeal.

Overall, the addition of these two burritos to the Cravings Value Menu is a net positive. I’ve always felt like the items on this economy menu have felt a little light in comparison to some of Taco Bell’s other heftier burritos. Each Grilled Steak Burrito has a very pleasant weight when you release it from its wrapper, and is a satisfying meal in its own right. It’s easy to spend $3 on one of these burritos and walk away feeling full.

Most of the gripes I had with these burritos are easily fixed with Taco Bell’s customization options. For example, requesting the Cheesy Melt Grilled Steak Burrito grilled so it has a nice crispy exterior would be a big improvement. Springing another $1.50 for extra steak wouldn’t be a bad way to splurge either. With so much already going on inside these burritos, it’ll be great to see what new menu hacks will arrive on the horizon.