Taco Bell Fries Review: Does the Bell Ring for Nacho Fries?

French fries and tacos may not feel like they are parts of the same orchestra. But with Taco Bell and their massive presence of over 8,200 stores worldwide, any invention and trend-setting is possible. At first, we doubted if Taco Bell would even have fries on their menu but being a fast-food restaurant, we thought our odds were good in finding some. One thing for sure though, if they did have fries, we knew Taco Bell wouldn't serve your every day fries. Here's our Taco Bell fries review.

Taco Bell in Redwood City, CA.

Texture (7/10)

The texture was pretty good overall, with the skin having a good crunch, bite after bite. Surprsingly, the innards were a bit airy with pockets of void under the crisp skin. These fries definitely were not packed solid which turned out to be actually okay because they felt like potato chips. However, whatever innards there was, was a bit too mushy and felt like puree or mash potatoes. We could actually squeeze it out. This definitely brought down the texture a bit.

You can see the gap and hole inside the stick.

Flavor (8/10)

Unlike most fast-food restaurants, Taco Bell serves their fries with a bountiful of powdered seasoning. Yes, they are called "Nacho Fries" and we really think it is either licensing or copying the flavor of Nacho Cheese Doritos. It works well and tastes quite good. There's also a hint of paprika spice mixed in, delivering an interesting balance preventing it from becoming overly cheesy. The flavor is good but can get a bit numbing due to the potency.

Shape (4/10)

We have seen fries of all shapes and sizes on this blog from various restaurants, but one thing they all had in common was the consistency of the shape between the individual pieces. Well, Taco Bell has now proven us wrong. There is minimal consistency between the fries, some are straight and some are absolutely bent like a rainbow. Each stick is different from the next. Also, due to the crispy frying, some of the tips of the fries were super sharp and hard. Our 7 year old sister cut the roof of her mouth while eating these fries.

Presentation (6/10)

Standard McDonald's-like vertical carton. A bit narrower though. There is minimal creativity that has gone in. The bright orange from the nacho dust contrasts well with the Taco Bell purple. We are grateful that the carton is overflowing with fries but it really shows how the vertical parallel stacking does not work well when the shapes are all over the place.

The shapes are all over the place.

Experience (7/10)

Nacho Fries turned out to be fries splattered with Doritos dust. And we are happy to report to you that it is tasty as well as complements the Chalupas and other Taco Bell staples well. Food at Taco Bell typically fall into the bland category with weak flavored meat and standard salad with sour cream and cheese on top (hence the hot sauces are so critical). The Nacho Fries definitely adds a quick kick between the bites, balancing the flavor profile. Also, they go amazingly well with the cheese and ranch dip that comes with the meal package.

Texture	7
Flavor	8
Shape	4
Presentation	6
Experience	7
Overall	6.4 / 10

Conclusion

Taco Bell has a good idea going on with their Nacho Fries. Their unique flavor makes them stand out from your average fast-food fries. You can absolutely tell they have put a lot of effort in this invention, especially considering how well it goes with the rest of the menu and we typiaclly don't associate fries with tacos and quesadillas. There still is room for growth though with the consistency of the shape and perhaps a wider carton.

Even the mural shows how critical the hot suaces are for Taco Bell. Thank you for the Nacho Fries bringing in a different flavor profile to the menu.