It's Up To Us To Resurrect Taco Bell's Best Menu Item

Right now as part of an interactive social promotion, Taco Bell is taking a vote. If you use Taco Bell's mobile app, you can vote to bring one of two extinct items back: the Double Decker Taco or the Enchirito. Normally I'd chalk this up to typical manufactured Taco Bell drama, but I'm here to rally the troops for one of these items, and it's not the Double Decker Taco, a hard shell taco wrapped in an additional flour tortilla, which is glued on using refried beans (it was fine). It's the Enchirito, which deserves to be back because it is easily one of the best things Taco Bell has ever had on its menu. And as a serious Taco Bell enthusiast, I do not take this statement lightly.

For those of you who were never able to try one when they were originally out, the Enchirito is Taco Bell's crossbreed of an enchilada and a burrito. It was a tortilla filled with refried beans, seasoned beef, and onions, then the thing was absolutely doused in red sauce, topped with shredded cheese, and heated to the point where the cheese melted. The Enchirito was a wet burrito, so to speak, and it was always served with a spork, which was fun, because most Taco Bell items don't usually require utensils to eat.

The thing was just a joy to eat, mostly because of the overabundance of enchilada-style sauce, which made the whole thing feel a little excessive, though it was about the size of one of Taco Bell's small burritos. That's why I always had two.

The original Enchirito, which had a corn tortilla, was discontinued in 1993. I'd never experienced that version; instead, I ate the one that was updated and released in the mid-2000s, which had a flour tortilla. That was discontinued in 2013 and replaced with a new product called the Smothered Burrito, which had shredded chicken, seasoned rice, refried beans, and chipotle sauce in it—I found it inferior to the Enchirito, but it still had its fervent fans, according to Mashed, who wanted it back. Eventually that was discontinued as well.

I found that at certain Taco Bells I could ask employees if they would still make me an Enchirito, the most recent of which I had in 2018 (yes, I scrolled through my personal Instagram feed to dig that info up). So perhaps there's still a secret button that exists on the point-of-sale system at some places that allows you to get one.

But I'm telling you, if the Enchirito comes back, which I'm hoping it will based off the current votes, according to the mobile app's tally (59% vs the Double Decker Taco's paltry 41%), I'll be first in line to get one. Combine that with a Crunchwrap Supreme and the finally-back-hopefully-forever Mexican Pizza, and you'll have three original Taco Bell titans that make the fast food restaurant worth its weight in nacho cheese sauce.