Recently, I walked into my local Taco Bell expecting to purchase one of their Cheesy Melts, but I was surprised to find another item on the menu I hadn’t tried. They had a sign up for their new ‘volcano taco’ which featured a picture of a red crunchy shelled taco. I asked the cashier for more info and she said it has a special ‘lava’ cheese sauce. Since the store had just opened it’s doors for the beginning of a new day, my taco was about as fresh as taco bell gets. But on my next trip to a different TB location, things were not nearly as fresh. Photos below are from that second taco trip.

I usually go with the soft tacos at TB, so I was a bit nervous about getting this, but I was definitely surprised. It’s really the cheese sauce that makes the taco. It’s quite spicy. Perhaps I’m just so used to it, but their “Fire Sauce” really shouldn’t be called “Fire”. It doesn’t have any real kick to it. The cheese sauce in the volcano taco however actually has some kick, making it possibly the spiciest sauce on their menu. But it’s also not so strong that it overwhelms things. The spices that are present may seem odd for some. It reminded me of the spicy ranch dressing I’ve bought at the grocery store with the flavors/spices coming in a pouch. I love those, but they can have a grainy unsmooth feel. The same for TB’s lava cheese sauce, to a lessor degree.

The red taco shell tasted like a regular shell, though it made me wonder if they’ll have a red ’soft’ shell. I’ve never mastered eating a crunchy taco. They always fall apart and these were no different. I can’t fault TB, that’s all me. The rest of the ingredients are standard Taco Bell: ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese, and lettuce.

Trying the Volcano Tacos at 2 locations, I loved the first one, the staff put lots of fresh cheese on, and things tasted great. The second time it tasted as though everything had been sitting around for awhile. The ‘crunchy’ shell was soft, it wasn’t very warm, and the spiciness wasn’t as powerful (still had a small kick, but not as much). Sadly, it seems as though the volcano taco will be hit or miss depending on the TB you visit and the time you go. I would have given this a solid ‘A’ after my first experience, but finding inconsistency with the second drops a letter grade to ‘B’.

At just 89 cents though, I recommend you go out and buy one. It’s worth spending less than a buck to check it out. Your TB may have the consistency to make this an A taco. They are also currently featuring this new taco in the ‘Big Bell Box Meal’.

Price: $.89 / Website: TacoBell.com

Fast Food Critic Score: B

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Nutrition Facts - Volcano Taco from Taco Bell.

The company has not yet published the nutrition information for this new item. Fast Food Critic makes a point of including the nutrition facts with every food review, and will update this once the facts become available.

This just in from the Jack In The Box Newsroom — SAN DIEGO. If filling up your fuel tank is draining your wallet, Jack in the Box is here to help ease your gas-pump pain. On Thursday, June 26, Jack in the Box restaurants will give two free (yes, free!) regular tacos to any guest who presents a gas receipt. “The rising price of fuel is really putting the pinch on consumers” said Terri Graham, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Jack in the Box Inc. “Giving away free tacos is our way of letting guests know that Jack’s got their back in these tough economic times.”

What: Jack in the Box restaurants will give away two free tacos to guests who present a valid gas receipt. Limit of one order of tacos per guest. No purchase necessary. Duplicates or copies will not be accepted.

When: Thursday, June 26, from midnight to 11:59 p.m.

Where: All participating Jack in the Box restaurants.

Editor’s Note — There’s no catch. Just show up with an original receipt from a recent gasoline purchase (any gas station) and get 2 Free Tacos. Simple as that.

It seems that Taco Bell is the subject of many jokes and insults relating to fast food, but my own experience has been mostly positive. I’ve never gotten sick from eating there, and had no more problems with food quality or service than any other large chain. That being said, I also avoid certain things when eating out. For instance, any type of cheese “sauce” or liquid-cheese is something that sends up a red flag.

Everybody loves melting cheese, but when the cheese is already in liquid-form before you see it, before it hits your food — watch out. Like many people I’ve had some bad experiences when eating those type substances, and that goes for anywhere in the fast food world, not just Taco Bell. One of the few exceptions is Arby’s, who has a cheddar cheese sauce that is thick and tasty with identifiable real-cheese content, unlike the thin yellow oily goop found at many restaurants. Enough of my cheese rant.

There is no liquid cheese on the item I’m reviewing today, the Double Decker Taco. Why is it called double decker? Because it’s a soft flour tortilla that’s spread with a thin layer of refried beans, then wrapped around a regular crunchy corn tortilla, creating a second outer-level. It’s almost like a taco inside a taco, and it looks rather odd.

The result of the extra outer-layer is positive in two different ways. First, it adds more taste and texture to the taco. Second, it helps hold the crunchy inner-shell in place. How often have you bitten a crunchy taco and had it crumble and fall apart, spilling the meat and cheese everywhere. That’s not a problem with the double decker because the soft flour tortilla and refried beans on the outside, serve as a safety-net for the crunchy corn tortilla and all the goodies packed on the inside.

The ground beef has a good meaty flavor, and there’s significantly more than in a smaller taco like the version from Jack In The Box. The seasoning is mild, and the combination of beef with a thin layer of beans is a perfect match. The shredded lettuce tastes crisp and fresh. The cheese is grated thin and just starting to melt from the heat of the beef and warm tortillas. The cheese is rather dull and doesn’t have much flavor on it’s own despite being “real cheddar” but it’s OK as part of the whole package.

Each bite starts out warm and soft with the flour tortilla and beans, followed by crunchy corn tortilla, then you hit the middle where cold lettuce and cheese mix with warm beef. It’s a very satisfying combination of flavors, temperatures and textures. And despite costing only .99 cents and coming from the largest mass producer of such items in the world, it’s a pretty darn good taco. If the flavor is not spicy enough for you, they include packets of hot sauce in your choice of intensity from “Mild” to “Fire”.

I’m sure some folks would thumb their nose at such food, and list all the things wrong with it. They wouldn’t even touch it. But those same people will go eat dinner at a fancy restaurant with enough calories, cholesterol and fat to kill a horse, and pay $50 for it. So who’s really better off? Hey, I’m just a regular guy who eats regular food, and I haven’t lived such a privileged life that I can’t appreciate a good 99 cent taco.

The Double Decker Taco from Taco Bell is a great value. There’s nothing fancy or special about it, but it tastes good, it’s decent size, satisfying and cheap. This is a fast food junkie’s dream come true. I don’t know many $1 fast food menu items that offer a better balance of taste, variety and price. Excuse me now, I’m eating another one.

Price: $.99 / Website: TacoBell.com

Fast Food Critic Score: A

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Nutrition Facts - Taco Bell, Double Decker Taco.

Calories - 320
Calories from Fat - 120
Total Fat - 13 grams
Carbs - 38 grams
Saturated Fat - 5 grams
Trans Fat - 0.5 grams
Cholesterol - 25 milligrams
Sodium - 810 milligrams

In my younger days, my hungry friends and I would often visit the drive-thru of a fast food restaurant following a long night of partying. A regular stop was Jack In The Box. The main attraction was not the burgers, it was the “cheap” tacos. They had a good menu in general, but they featured a promotion of 3 tacos for a dollar, that was clearly the star of the late-night show. You could spend $5 and drive away with a bag full of 15 tacos. Even as broke kids, we could usually scrape up 5 bucks between us.

Today, many years later, the same beef taco is still on the Jack In The Box menu, and it remains virtually unchanged from the good old days. About the only thing different is the price, which is now 2 tacos for a dollar. Still a good value. Though as you might have expected, they are small and very thin. You can think of them as mini-tacos.

Much of the flavor comes from the mixture of beef and spices packed inside. It’s a taste that’s unique to Jack In The Box, and so is the unusual texture. I suppose it’s because the twice-cooked, 2-part preparation method (read more below). The end result is a nice contrast for your mouth and taste buds, with the outer parts of the taco shell being crisp and crunchy, and the thicker center soft and moist.

The beef filling has a paste-like consistency, it’s smooth with just the slightest bit of graininess. The meat is ground so fine, it literally melts in your mouth. For that matter, it feels like it’s half melted already. I’m sure a beef expert could tell me why the meat has this particular trait, but for the moment here at FFC, and for this review, we’re just going to call it “soft meat”. As for toppings, there’s a small amount of shredded lettuce, and instead of using grated cheese they toss in a tiny slice that looks to be cut from the singles used on their burgers. It’s not a lot of cheese, and it quickly melts.

Compared to most fast-food tacos, the JITB taco might seem a turnoff at first, and the fact that it comes from a burger joint might have kept you from adding it to your rotation with Taco Bell, Taco Time and the other Mexican spots, but I think most people will be pleasantly surprised. It’s surely not for everyone, but generations of fast food eaters have grown up enjoying these tacos, and their popularity is still going strong.

You may not know it, but the “core” of this taco is prepared off-site, away from the restaurant, at the Jack In The Box food manufacturing plant. They grind their own beef, then cook it with a trade-secret blend of spices. Then a machine places clumps of this meat mixture on-top freshly cooked tortillas, at a rate of 60 per minute. Next the machine folds the tortillas in half, and sends them down the assembly line where employees inspect and pack them into trays. Those trays get flash-frozen and shipped to your hometown Jack In The Box restaurant. When you order a taco there, an employee just drops the pre-made “core” in the deep fryer for a minute, then tops it with a slice of cheese and a pinch of shredded lettuce.

The Beef Taco from Jack In The Box is a classic fast food icon, dating all the way back to the 1950’s. It’s a solid and consistent product. It’s tasty and it’s cheap. This is not the best taco on the market, but it scores good marks for taste and value.

Price: $1 for 2 tacos / Website: JackInTheBox.com

Fast Food Critic Score: B

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Nutrition Facts - Jack In The Box, Beef Taco (1).
Calories - 160
Calories from Fat - 70
Total Fat - 8 grams
Carbs - 15 grams
Saturated Fat - 3 grams
Trans Fat - 1 gram
Cholesterol - 15 milligrams
Sodium - 270 milligrams