This Discontinued Taco Night Staple Is Returning To Shelves, And Boomers Will Remember It Fondly

While the loss of a beloved food brand can be upsetting for the customers, sometimes popular products get a second shot at life. Now you can add an old-school taco shell brand to that list. Early last year, taco-lovers in Missouri (and the greater Midwest) were left scratching their heads when popular La Tiara brand disappeared from grocery stores shelves. But by some miracle, it's on its way back to stores.

The Kansas City-based product has been popular in the area since its introduction in the 1960s and has a fierce following. Yet, the brand experience financial difficulties due to the attempts of manufacturer Gladstone Food Products to expand its facilities in the late 2010s, only to run up costs that ultimately shuttered the business in early 2025. However, an unexpected hero came to the rescue soon after, and now General Mills is reviving the discontinued taco brand.

General Mills' purchase of Gladstone was finalized last May, with hope and rumors swirling that the grocery giant would bring back La Tiara. Now, the company has come through and officially announced that La Tiara will be returning to store shelves. The taco shells — and a store-bought taco seasoning made by the brand — will both be back in April, available exclusively at Walmart. General Mills plans to resurrect both the yellow and white corn options for the crunchy taco shells, and La Tiara's original taco seasoning flavor. It will add three more new flavors to the seasoning line as well: chorizo, tinga, and reduced sodium.

While La Tiara may not be an instantly recognizable name that everyone knows, it has developed a loyal following over the years. Fans were heartbroken when the shells disappeared. Reddit threads lamenting the loss and celebrating the return of La Tiara have popped up, with hundreds of comments praising the brand's uniquely thin and crispy taco shell — and others worrying that General Mills will change the recipe to be more in line with the Old El Paso brand it already owns.

"These were hands down the BEST taco shells around," one Redditor summed up. "No one else made such a nice light and delicate shell." However, General Mills seems to understand it has something special on its hands. The company has promised that neither the taste nor texture of La Tiara shells will change. It specifically attributes the return of the brand to the outpouring of fan support, with one Facebook group calling for La Tiara's return boasting over 20,000 people.

Additionally, General Mills plans to reopen the La Tiara facilities in Gladstone, Missouri, bringing back more than 100 jobs to the area. While the story for most discontinued foods from previous decades ends with nothing but nostalgia, every once in a while, we get a happy ending. And with a major retailer like Walmart on board, even more folks may get to discover La Tiara taco shells.