Last summer Taco Bell dropped the Cheesy Street Chalupa and we liked it so much that we called it “essential.” And, of course, like Taco Bell often does with its best dishes, they took it off the menu (see the brand’s delicious but frustrating Nacho Fries and discontinued than revived Mexican Pizza). We’ll never understand why Taco Bell does this so often, but hey, we’re not in the fast food business, we’re in the fast food eating business!

Maybe there is genius to the strategy, to us, it’s just frustrating.

Which is why when Taco Bell revealed its new Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa, we didn’t know how to feel. On the one hand, we like the Cheesy Street Chalupa, but on the other, changing the recipe runs the risk of reintroducing an inferior dish, and forever dooming any chance we get the OG back. Well, we’re happy to report that the new Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa took a delicious dish and made it significantly better.

So far, 2025 is proving to be a good year for Taco Bell fans. Here are our full thoughts on the new dish.

Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

The Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa differs from last summer’s Cheesy Street Chalupa in a few key ways. Gone is the double-layer flatbread, instead replaced with a single layer that has been encrusted with grilled cheddar cheese. This swap is a marked improvement that adds considerably more crunch to the dish. A single layer helps the overall flavor come across as more focused and allows the inner ingredients to cut through the dish better. While we miss the layer of melted mozzarella and pepper jack, the cheddar adds a lot more zest and tang to the dish, which helps to elevate the base flavor.

Inside the chalupa is your choice of Taco Bell’s Cantina Slow Roasted Chicken or Steak (we suggest the chicken, it’s tender with a zesty and herbaceous flavor), a serving of bright and tangy chile-lime cream sauce (instead of the OG’s jalapeño ranch sauce, again, an improvement), and fresh cilantro and onion. Biting into the chalupa treats your taste buds to a symphony of shifting salty, sweet, herbaceous, and zesty flavors with a very, very mildly spicy finish.

The only thing that could improve on this already delicious dish is more spice. Getting heat at Taco Bell is always a challenge, for true spiceheads, the brand just isn’t hot enough. We’re not sure it ever will be, but hey, we didn’t see the Cheesy Street Chalupa coming either, so maybe Taco Bell still has a few tricks up its sleeve.

The Bottom Line:

We really love the way this dish balances a cheesy crunch with a medley of indulgent savory flavors. The Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa is a future classic if Taco Bell just lets it stay on the menu. It ranks among the very best from the brand, every bit as good as the Mexican Pizza and Crunchwrap Supreme.