A couple days ago Catsmeat tipped me off to the Cheesy Nachos at Taco Bell. Last night I went to investigate. Here’s what they look like:
Yup, as Catsmeat suggested, they’re just the regular old Taco Bell Nachos dumped out on a plate and with the cheese poured over them. They’re 10 cents cheaper than the old Nachos, so that’s cool, but the obvious downside is that you can’t make any efforts to ration the cheese. Even with the traditional Nachos, Taco Bell has never provided nearly enough nacho cheese per chip, so you end up with a bunch of dry chips that you haphazardly cover in Fire Sauce or something.
That problem has not been alleviated with the new Cheesy Nachos. It appears that there’s precisely the same amount of nacho cheese and chips, but now you can’t carefully dip each chip into the cheese, so to get the most life out of that cheese you’re going to have to pick up a dry chip off one side of the plate and use it to scoop cheese off one of the chips that are swimming in it, an expert-level Nacho-eating technique.
It’s annoying. And to make matters worse, it appears that the regular old Nachos are no longer on the menu at my local Taco Bell, so I’m concerned they’re being phased out and replaced by Cheesy Nachos. I’m willing to pay the extra dime to maintain more control over my nacho cheese, but I’m worried– and I haven’t tried yet — my local Taco Bell won’t let me. Maybe if you live near a good Taco Bell they will. But once something’s off the menu at my Taco Bell, good luck convincing them to hand it to you, even if they’ve got all the components right there.
The strange thing here is trying to figure out Taco Bell’s motivation for the move. The new dish requires one of the little black plates familiar to fans of the Nachos Supreme, but that’s actually a lot more packaging than the traditional form, which were just chips in a bag and a little plastic container of cheese.
This might be an effort to streamline packaging costs, but obviously little bags will be an important part of Taco Bell’s packaging repertoire as long as the delicious Cinnamon Twists are still around, and those aren’t going anywhere. This seems like a big push just to eventually get rid of the little plastic container that holds the nacho cheese, especially since those are nearly identical to the ones given out just about everywhere for ketchup transportation.
Former roommate Ted suggests it could have something to do with the Doritos that are now distributed at Taco Bell as part of the $2 Meal Deals, but I have a little more faith in Taco Bell consumers to distinguish between Nachos and Nacho Cheese Doritos even if they’re both served in little bags.
So this is a head-scratcher. Taco Bell probably has a good reason for the decision and I know I should never doubt Taco Bell. But it would be comforting to know I can at least get the O.G. Nachos when I want them and not have to worry about the pathetic inefficiencies of the new Cheesy Nachos.
Tedquarters 
Wait, you had a roommate named Ted as well?
Oh yeah, maverick economist Ted Burke.
That picture is one of the saddest things I’ve seen in a while.
On another note, I’ve always been disappointed by the utter lack of Taco Bell near any place I’ve ever lived in Manhattan (or really Manhattan in general). What’s your theory on this? Is it simply because of the great number of crappy taco places like Fresco Tortilla?
Yeah, I think the problem with fast food places in Manhattan in general is that there are simply too many inexpensive and efficient options. I went to grad school at NYU and there was a Taco Bell at 14th and 5th, but I hardly went there because how am I going to walk out of my way for a Taco Bell when I have to pass like 20 delicious places on my walk anyway?
And then I think the quality of those Taco Bells suffer, because the only people who end up in the Taco Bells have obviously caught the crave and are so desperate for Taco Bell that they don’t hold the place to reasonable standards. One time I went into that one on 14th street and they were out of beef. What the f#@$ is that?
The Brooklyn Taco Bells sucked too. The only two even reasonably close to anyplace I lived were Taco Bell Expresses that closed at 7 p.m., which is hours before anyone ever really wants Taco Bell. And to get there I’d usually have to ride my bike, and riding a bike home from Taco Bell after eating Taco Bell is not pleasant.
Taco Bell is meant to be enjoyed in the suburbs. The Taco Bells in the city are just a nod to those of us who might occasionally crave it while enjoying the other trappings of urban life.
Makes sense. Sadly, in my 32 years, I’ve only lived near a Taco Bell for 9 months. (Strangely not a lot of Taco Bells in the part of CT that I grew up in.) I made up for lost time though by eating Taco Bell at least 7 times a week during that time.
I will continue to order nachos and cheese (note: not “cheesy nachos”) for the time being because: (a) I like to ration my cheese sauce; and (b) I like to leave enough nacho cheese in the cup for dipping the ends of burritos, which tend to have too much tortilla and not enough/any filling.
I don’t know if you have the capability to literally ban me from visiting Tedquarters ever again. But I have to say this, because not doing so would be akin to me simply walking past and ignoring an old woman whose dog just got crushed by a falling refrigerator thanks to a stuttering assassin.
So here goes.
Taco Bell is an abomination. It is a crime against humanity. I believe that Mexicans do not sneak into the country seeking jobs. They are merely here so that no one thinks that Taco Bell represents Mexican food. God bless them for that.
He’s a witch! BURN HIM!!!
FACT: I do not float in water.
You’re always welcome to express your opinion here, even if it is completely and pathetically incorrect.
I didn’t want to say it…
Alright first thing’s first:
That picture is just sad. Where’s the cheese dude?
Now that that’s out of the way:
I totally agree with there being no decent taco bells in Manhattan. But as you pointed out they’d be superfluous with all the other great, cheap food options.
As we’ve discussed I probably have one of the best taco bells because it’s open till 3am and they’ll do anything you ask. Can you still get a triple layer nacho or the new 5 layer nacho? They’re both (or recently had been) on the value menu. And of course the obvious — can you just ask for like quadruple cheese on that thing?
And to the guy who called taco bell an abomination. One day you’ll need taco bell. What will you do then? Huh?
I had Taco Bell for dinner tonight. Ted, you continue to inspire.
amen. I just ordered nachos and was extremely disappointed. ditto to everything you said and might I add that my nachos are now soggy? good one, taco bell. not really, though.
They replaced my lovely triple layer nachos with this sad pathetic little cheesy nacho abomination. So now I have to ask for freaking refried beans on my cheesy nachos and then smother it in sauce to achieve a similar taste. And they charge me 40 cents for the beans. Its a total freaking waste. But I gotta have my triple layer nachos.