Nacho Fries Plus Shredded Beef? Taco Bell, You've Found The Way To My Heart

Taco Bell introduced a new variation of its famous Nacho Fries on Tuesday, May 19, at the Taco Bell Cantina in Los Angeles, California. The Shredded Beef Nacho Fries were first teased earlier this year at the chain's Live Más Live event held at the Hollywood Palladium in March, but are now available to the masses at Taco Bell restaurants around the country. 

The original naked nacho fries are a popular side dish complimenting many of the Mexican-inspired meals that the fast food restaurant has to offer. But the fries just became an entree of their own with this new beefy iteration. The new premium protein topping the fries is available for a limited time in various forms across the Taco Bell Menu.

I visited the Taco Bell Cantina on Hollywood Boulevard to try these fries and other select items that are coming to menus around the country throughout the month. Here's what I thought about the new Shredded Beef Nacho Fries. 

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I attended a tasting event at the Hollywood Taco Bell Cantina where they gave me a school lunch-style tray packed with the exciting new menu items. Included was a pretty large plastic container full of the Shredded Beef Nacho Fries, which I went for first and foremost. The regular nacho fries are one of my favorite items on the Taco Bell menu, right up there with the Steak Grilled Cheese Burrito. So these new Shredded Beef Nacho Fries were undoubtedly the new item that I was most excited to try. 

I ate most of the fries as-is, but couldn't stop myself from pouring out a little bit of Taco Bell's new Jalapeño Citrus Salsa Sauce to dip the remainder of my Nacho Fries into once I got towards the bottom. Once I had put a decent dent into the fries, I also opened up the new Shredded Beef Dipping Taco, which utilizes the same new protein as the fries. I followed this first course with the Cantina Chicken Mexican Pizza. For a bit of a palate cleanser in between, I also got to try one of Taco Bell's new Mountain Dew Baja Blast Dirty Sips, a trendy combination of soda mixed with a splash of vanilla crème. 

The Shredded Beef Nacho Fries are seasoned with the same taco-like seasoning that they always have been, now also topped with the new shredded beef, pico de gallo, creamy jalapeño sauce, warm nacho cheese, as well as a blend of three more cheeses. More than anything, these new fries remind me of a souped-up version of Taco Bell's Fiesta Potatoes — another favorite of mine. They're flavorful and comforting with enough toppings to keep things interesting through every bite.

The cheese is really the star player in this five-man team, smothering the fries and everything that comes with it as the warm nacho cheese melts the added three-cheese blend. It never felt like too much, maintaining a respectable balance among the generous portion of french fries. And the shredded beef itself is a nice addition, though I will admit I had to dig around a bit to find it. Though there's not a massive amount of shredded beef throughout, it was still more than enough to satiate me for lunch. The meat was flavorful and delicate — never tough or chewy like one might expect from fast food beef.

Lastly, the pico de gallo gave the fries a fresh crunch with tiny pieces of tomato, onion, and cilantro. The jalapeño sauce didn't really come through a whole lot in this dish, which may be a relief for those who are spice averse. However, the new Jalapeño Citrus Salsa Sauce packed quite a bit of heat.

Taco Bell's new Shredded Beef Nacho Fries are definitely an upgrade from their naked counterparts, with a pretty hefty portion of fries that really constitute a meal of their own. While the regular Nacho Fries come in either a small or large, these loaded fries are one size fits all.

If there's one takeaway from my experience trying this new menu item, its that the Shredded Beef Nacho Fries should be eaten with a fork. The plethora of cheese is far easier to tame with a tool, and you'll be able to disperse the meat easier as it shreds into small, bite-sized pieces. 

I also recommend using some of Taco Bell's new Jalapeño Citrus Salsa as the added spice and sweetness really level up an already pretty great snack. I would certainly order the Shredded Beef Nacho Fries again if I were dining in at a Taco Bell or had a short drive home from the drive-thru. While the cheesiness is the best part of these fries, I imagine they might not necessarily travel well.

Taco Bell representatives say that the Shredded Beef Nacho Fries and many of the other new menu items will only be available for a limited time while supplies last. The fries are available starting May 21 at Taco Bell locations around the country. Other new selections like the new Cantina Chicken Mexican Pizza are also already available to order in stores and online. 

Prices for the new loaded fries will start at $5.49 for an order, with slightly increased costs in certain markets around the country. That's just over a dollar more than the regular nacho fries, which cost $4.19 for a large order and $3.29 for a small. I must say after filling up on these, $5.49 is not bad for the portion that you get. And I'd admittedly much rather spend some cash on these than on a $21 Erewhon smoothie. 

If you want to pair the fries with Jalapeño Citrus Salsa, you'll also have to pay an additional $0.20 for a packet. The new sauce is also available starting May 21 at Taco Bell.