Review: Taco Bell's Newest Chalupas And Loaded Nacho Fries Are Missing Something Más

In early March, Taco Bell's Live Más Live 2025 promotional extravaganza included previews of a wide variety of edible creations that would be hitting the chain's menus in the not-too-distant future — including Rolled Poblano Quesadillas, the Quesocrisp Taco, Flamin' Hot Burritos, and Steak and Queso Crunchwrap Sliders. One novel item that was previewed at the event, which we didn't see available for sampling, was the Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa. 

Well, now this item is on Taco Bell menus, alongside new Caliente Cantina Chicken Nacho Fries. Since we couldn't try these at Live Más Live, The Takeout was eager to visit a Taco Bell to taste-test these new menu additions.

The Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas represent a marriage of the chain's Toasted Cheddar Chalupas and Cheesy Street Chalupas. These taco-sized chalupas have a crispy cheese exterior and a new Chile Lime Crema Sauce. The Caliente Cantina Chicken Nacho Fries, on the other hand, incorporate Taco Bell's elusive Nacho Fries, along with slow-roasted Cantina Chicken, a new Caliente Sauce, nacho cheese sauce, and more. Here's what you need to know about Taco Bell's latest menu additions. 

While neither of these specific items have graced Taco Bell menus before, the inspiration behind each came from previous menu items. The Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa is a hybrid of the Toasted Cheddar Chalupa — a limited-time-only item launched in 2019 — and Cheesy Street Chalupas. This new item takes the crispy cheese chalupa shell from the Toasted Cheddar Chalupa, and melds it with the fillings from the Cheesy Street Chalupas. Making this new item distinct is a new Chile Lime Crema Sauce, blending lime, chili peppers, and garlic with Parmesan and Romano cheeses. Note that the Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa's crispy cheese shell differs from other items, like the Grilled Cheese Burritos, in that the cheddar is baked directly into the tortilla; with the burrito, cheese is melted onto the tortilla.

The Nacho Fries have long been a fan favorite. Since their debut, Nacho Fries have evolved from a side into a main course, when Taco Bell introduced 7-Layer Nacho Fries and Grilled Cheese Nacho Fries in 2022, topping the seasoned fries with myriad ingredients like black beans, creamy chipotle sauce, and diced tomatoes. In early 2025, new Taco Bell menu items included Steak Garlic Nacho Fries made with grilled steak, pico de gallo, shredded cheddar cheese, nacho cheese sauce, and a creamy Garlic Ranch Sauce. This new version of Nacho Fries utilizes Taco Bell's new Caliente Cantina Chicken, which stars in a full menu of its own (featuring crispy and soft tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and bowls). The Caliente Sauce is made with red jalapeños. 

Originally previewed at Taco Bell's March 2025 Live Más Live event in New York City, the Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas are now available nationwide for a suggested price of $5.49 for two, offered for a limited time and while supplies last. Especially hungry patrons can opt for the Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas Discovery Luxe Box, which includes two Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas, one Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco, one Crunchy Taco, Cinnamon Twists, and a medium fountain drink for a suggested price of $9. At the New York City Taco Bell location providing the food for this taste test, the price of the steak-filled Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas was indeed $5.49, but the Cantina Chicken version cost $6.49, and the Discovery Luxe Box came in at $11.29, so prices may indeed vary based on location.

One order of Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas has 580 calories and 23 grams of protein, along with 37 grams of carbohydrates and 38 grams of fat. Those numbers are identical whether you order the steak version or the Cantina Chicken option. 

Unlike the Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas, the new Caliente Cantina Chicken Nacho Fries were launched with little fanfare; this item fairly quietly made its way onto Taco Bell menus on March 27. These Nacho Fries are available for a suggested price of $4.99 at participating locations for a limited time. 

At our New York City location, this new menu item did, in fact, cost $4.99, but it's not impossible for prices to vary by location. As for the nutrition info, an order of the Caliente Cantina Chicken Nacho Fries has 540 calories, 14 grams of protein, 45 grams of carbohydrates, and 33 grams of fat. You can also order these Nacho Fries "Fresco style," which will result in swapping out any dairy- and mayo-based sauces with pico de gallo that's made fresh in-store daily. This would reduce the calorie count significantly, as your Caliente Cantina Chicken Nacho Fries will arrive without sour cream, nacho cheese sauce, and cheddar cheese. 

When I tried the Cheesy Street Chalupas from Taco Bell's 2024 menu, I thought they were an instant classic. They perfectly blended the zaniness Taco Bell is known for with an authentic, Mexican-style street taco. So, when I learned that Taco Bell was going to be introducing Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas that were inspired by these Cheesy Street Chalupas that I loved so much, I was eager to give them a try. 

My first thought was that these new Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas didn't live up to my memory of the Cheesy Street Chalupas. They were still very good, though.

As with the previous version, I preferred the grilled, marinated steak to Taco Bell's Cantina Chicken. The steak just seems to stand up better to the cilantro and onion mix, cheese, and sauces. But I was very surprised (and pleased) that the Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa shells were still crispy, even after a crosstown delivery. I also enjoyed the new Chile Lime Crema Sauce — I'm not sure that I tasted every component that Taco Bell says is included, but it worked with the item nonetheless, with the fresh veggies and lime from the sauce cutting through the heaviness of the cheesy Chalupa shell. In short, the Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas are a good-not-great menu item. I'd order them again, but I'm not banging the drum for them the same way I did last year for the Cheesy Street Chalupas. 

I'm a fan of the Nacho Fries. I'm a fan of Cantina Chicken. Before this taste test, I hadn't tried the new Caliente Sauce, but I do like spicy foods. So, what's not to like? Well, it turns out, the Caliente Cantina Chicken Nacho Fries.

To be frank, there's nothing explicitly bad about this dish, but there's nothing overtly "Taco Bell" about it that stands out to me. They comprise the seasoned Nacho Fries, slow-roasted Cantina Chicken, Caliente Sauce, nacho cheese sauce, reduced-fat sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and fiesta strips. Combined, it was fine ... but the best way to put it is that it's simply the sum of its parts. Nothing was elevated with this combination of ingredients.

I also found the Fiesta Strips to be an odd inclusion. The Fiesta Strips at Taco Bell are fried tortilla shards colored red, orange, and purple, and their presence seems more from a desire for decorative color, rather than flavor or texture. (Each order of Caliente Cantina Chicken Nacho Fries comes with a fork, and it's a bit tricky to spear the crispy Fiesta Strips with this utensil.) I also found that it was necessary to add some Fire Sauce to kick up the heat level of the fries. In all honesty, I forgot they were "Caliente" Cantina Chicken Nacho Fries while I was eating them. Would happily eat the remainder of an order for someone who couldn't finish these Nacho Fries? Sure. Would I order my own? No.

I love that Taco Bell is constantly coming up with creative — and often over-the-top — menu items. That said, while I found the items previewed at Live Más Live to be as tasty as they were creative, these newest menu additions didn't quite live up to the mark. 

Neither of these were outright bad, but I thought the Caliente Cantina Chicken Nacho Fries were no more than the sum of its parts (and even lacking in the "Caliente" department). The Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas were definitely much better, although maybe not better than either of the menu items that inspired it: the Toasted Cheddar Chalupa and the Cheesy Street Chalupa. 

Among this trio of new items, I would reorder the marinated steak Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa first, before considering the Cantina Chicken version. As mentioned already, I probably won't give the Caliente Cantina Chicken Nacho Fries another shot, especially at around $5. While that's not a high price outside of Taco Bell, there are better deals to be had elsewhere on the chain's menu. Nonetheless, these minor disappointments won't stop me from striving to get my hands on the chain's other upcoming new menu items, like Taco Bell's new Crispalupa.