Del Taco Vs Taco Bell: Who Makes The Best Burrito?

There's no shortage of places to get a burrito these days — from food trucks and drive-thrus to coffee shops and taquerias. One of the easiest places to grab one is a Mexican fast-food chain, and no brand is bigger than Taco Bell. In 2025, the company had a whopping $17 billion in U.S. sales at 7,700 locations.

Another popular Mexican fast-food chain is Del Taco, and while its sales and number of locations can't compete with Taco Bell, the brand certainly has its own bragging rights. In USA TODAY's 2026 10 Best Reader's Choice Awards, Del Taco earned the title of Best Fast Food Restaurant for the second straight year and also took the top spot for Best Fast Food Fries.

That got me wondering: Which chain makes the better burrito? To find out, I scanned the menus of both Del Taco and Taco Bell to find burritos with similar fillings and settled on three varieties — beef, chicken, and vegetarian — and conducted my own taste test.

I admit, I've always been partial to Taco Bell. Growing up on the East Coast, I never had access to Del Taco, so whenever I craved Mexican fast food, Taco Bell was my only option. Did my childhood favorite continue to impress, or did Del Taco surprise me? Let's find out.

Prices are as of the date of publication and may vary based on region.

I selected burritos from each restaurant that were as closely matched as possible in terms of fillings. I purchased them at my nearest Taco Bell and Del Taco locations and ordered them with their default fillings to ensure a fair comparison. Because I live close to both restaurants, I was able to taste the burritos within 10 minutes of ordering. I tasted each variety back-to-back for the most accurate comparison: the two beef burritos first, followed by the two chicken burritos, and finally the vegetarian options. I skipped adding any sauces so I could judge them as accurately as possible.

For this taste test, I focused on a burrito's taste, texture, and overall satisfaction. I was looking for bold, well-balanced flavors and a mix of textures that made it enjoyable to eat. If there were any vegetables in the burrito, like lettuce and tomato, I noted if they were fresh, crisp, and juicy. Other factors included whether I'd order the burrito again and how well it was constructed. I noted price when relevant.

The taste test started with the beef burritos. First up was Del Taco's Del Combo Burrito, which featured seasoned ground beef, slow-cooked beans, cheddar cheese, and the chain's zesty red sauce. It weighed over half a pound and was a hearty, satisfying burrito with classic flavors that came across as very well balanced.

I was most impressed with the amount of beef in the filling and the ratio of meat to beans. The generous portion of beef made it especially filling, while the beans provided a nice textural chew that complemented without overshadowing the meat. The beef itself was deeply flavorful and spice-forward, with familiar flavors of a well-balanced taco seasoning blend. Most notably, I could taste the beef right away, which met my expectations spot on and made for a great first bite.

The red sauce added a nice amount of heat that was present but not overwhelming. The beef, beans, cheese, and sauce worked well together to create a tasty burrito with comforting flavors.

The Beefy 5-Layer Burrito featured Taco Bell's signature seasoned beef, refried beans, reduced-fat sour cream, and a double hit of cheese from shredded cheddar and warm nacho cheese sauce. It was wrapped in a double layer of tortillas, and while I (sort of) understood the reasoning for this construction, it made the burrito unnecessarily doughy.

A bigger problem for me, though, was the noticeable lack of seasoned beef. I was compelled to unwrap the burrito, and what I found — or, more accurately, didn't find — had me asking, "Where's the beef?" This burrito was certainly filling, but the tortilla did most of the heavy lifting, not the beef.

That said, the burrito's flavor was good. All the ingredients worked well together, and the nacho cheese sauce added a comforting mouthfeel and craveable flavor. Where the burrito lost points was its construction with the double tortilla and the lack of beef. In the end, I found myself going back for more bites of Del Taco's Del Combo Burrito for its classic taco-seasoned flavor and generous amount of beef. One point for Del Taco.

The chicken burrito matchup pitted Del Taco's Del Classic Chicken Burrito against Taco Bell's Cantina Chicken Burrito. Del Taco's version had a flour tortilla filled with grilled chicken, cheddar cheese, lettuce, diced tomatoes, and a savory secret sauce. Like the Del Combo Burrito, it weighed in at more than half a pound.

The first thing that stood out was how clean, fresh, and vibrant the flavors were. The grilled chicken was tender and moist, and all the components were well seasoned. The lettuce was crisp, and the tomatoes were sweet and juicy.

Unfortunately, though, there was one thing missing: spice. I understand that not every burrito needs to have heat, but without any real kick, the overall flavor was very one-note. It wasn't bad by any means; in fact, I'm fairly confident that kids would love the straightforward, mild flavors of this burrito. But for me, it lacked the bold, complex flavors that make a burrito memorable.

Full disclosure, I love the Cantina Chicken Burrito and ranked it No. 1 in my Tasting Table ranking of Taco Bell burritos. It tasted awesome back then — and it still tastes awesome now. The burrito included the brand's Cantina Chicken layered with lettuce, purple cabbage, pico de gallo, and cheddar cheese, all drizzled with avocado ranch and creamy chipotle sauce. An order came with a packet of avocado verde salsa, which I left unopened to enjoy on my omelet the next day.

As expected, this burrito was full of mouthwatering flavor and appealing texture from the purple cabbage and lettuce. The slow-roasted chicken was tender and juicy. Every bite was balanced, and the chipotle sauce added just enough punch of heat to keep me going back for more bites.

While I wouldn't refuse to eat Del Taco's Del Classic Chicken Burrito again, I would definitely prefer to have Taco Bell's Cantina Chicken Burrito. With that, Taco Bell scored its first point, tying the matchup.

The taste test concluded with two meat-free burritos going head-to-head. First up was Del Taco's Spicy Jack Bean, Rice, and Cheese Burrito — which, by the way, is also known as Jack'd Up Beans, Rice, & Cheese Burrito. Whichever name you use, the ingredients are the same: slow-cooked beans made from scratch, cilantro lime rice, shredded spicy jack cheese, and tangy green sauce, all wrapped in a flour tortilla. On paper, all these things sounded like a great combination, but this burrito ended up being a huge letdown. 

The biggest issue? Texture. The beans were very pasty and dry, which made the burrito too heavy to enjoy. Making things worse was the undercooked rice, which added a chewy, al dente-like texture that was distracting. While there was some nice heat and flavor from the green sauce and spicy jack cheese, I was too disappointed in the rice and beans to enjoy it.

A bean burrito needs to have enough moisture to make it appetizing and contrasting textures to keep it interesting, and this one fell way short on both counts. Ultimately, the Spicy Jack Bean, Rice, and Cheese Burrito was subpar and left me with no reason to order it ever again.

Tasting Taco Bell's vegetarian burrito couldn't have been more different from tasting Del Taco's version. The Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito was far more enjoyable and interesting to eat, thanks to fluffy rice, flavorful refried beans, warm nacho cheese sauce, and a creamy jalapeño sauce, which came in near the top of our ranking of Taco Bell sauces.

The moist refried beans really made a big difference here, especially compared to the dry ones in Del Taco's vegetarian burrito. These beans had a deep chili flavor that made each bite satisfying, and the creamy nacho cheese sauce added savory, craveable flavor.

There was just enough heat from the jalapeño sauce to keep things interesting without overwhelming the other flavors. At $1.99, it was also 60 cents cheaper than Del Taco's Spicy Jack Bean, Rice, and Cheese Burrito, which makes it especially appealing to anyone who appreciates a good deal.

This burrito was worth ordering again. Taco Bell handily won this vegetarian burrito matchup, earning its second point and putting it ahead in the overall competition.

After three head-to-head matchups, Taco Bell claimed the winning title by scoring two points to Del Taco's one. Thanks to a generous portion of meat and classic taco flavor, Del Taco's Del Combo Burrito easily won the beef category. But Taco Bell bounced back with its boldly flavored and texturally satisfying Chicken Cantina Burrito. The chain then scored the winning point with its Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito — handily beating Del Taco's version — thanks to a variety of textures and well-cooked components, including moist, flavorful beans and fluffy rice, along with a creamy mouthfeel.

This doesn't mean Del Taco's burritos are a bad choice. I'd still order the Del Combo Burrito, and I'm going to try the fresh-tasting, well-seasoned Del Classic Chicken Burrito on my kid. But when I looked at the three matchups as a whole, Taco Bell offered more of the bold, craveable flavors and contrasting textures I wanted in a burrito. And for that reason, Taco Bell took the overall win.