We Tried Taco Bell's New Chipotle Cheddar Chalupa & the Delicious Sauce Makes This a New Go-To

Taco Bell has been introducing new menu items left and right. Recently, there's been the Double Steak Grilled Cheese Burrito (which Thrillist reviewed), and soon there will be chicken wings. Another one of the new offerings is the Chipotle Cheddar Chalupa. It's similar to the widely loved Cheesy Chalupa but got an upgrade thanks to creamy chipotle sauce and extra cheese.

I wanted to see if the Chipotle Cheddar Chalupa was really better than the original chalupa, or if it was just a reintroduction of a menu staple. When ordering, I found myself faced with a surplus of options. There is the standard option, with seasoned beef, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and chipotle sauce, but you can also order the chalupa with chicken, steak, or black beans.

As a purist, I chose the beef (if you are ordering through the app or the website, it's quickest to find it under the "new" tab). One standard Chipotle Cheddar Chalupa costs $3.59 before taxes (in New York at least), which is pretty good for how hefty it is. For some context going in, I was recovering from COVID-19 when testing this meal, so for those of you with sensitive stomachs out there, this review is dedicated to you.

As soon as I held the chalupa in my hand, I knew it was going to fill me up fast. It felt heavy. Upon unwrapping it, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was full to bursting. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a bit light on the cheese, and heavy on the lettuce, but a little extra greens never hurt anybody. The chalupa shell looked glorious though, lightly fried and reminiscent of the pastelitos sold on my block. So far, so good.

The fried and lightly crispy shell of the chalupa is hard to execute. It can run the risk of being too soft, too oily, or too crunchy. That's a lot of ways for one piece of food to turn out badly. But somehow, Taco Bell nailed it. Even after traveling, the integrity of the chalupa remained. It was gently crisp, golden brown, with a thick, doughy shell.

Maybe it is the journey that my chalupa traveled before arriving at my table, but the beef could have been more evenly distributed. My first few bites felt pretty sparse when it came to the meat. However, as I kept eating, the ratio of beef to the rest of the chalupa evened out. The flavor and texture of the meat were excellent—I feel like every time I eat beef at Taco Bell it tastes a little bit better than the last time. It was well-seasoned, juicy, and complimented the chipotle sauce perfectly.

This sauce was the star of the show, by far. It was the biggest factor in making this chalupa taste like a whole new dish. The chipotle genuinely popped, and each bite packed a kick that elevated this from a quick fast food meal to a memorable lunch. The sauce is what will bring me back to the Chipotle Cheddar Chalupa and it is what will make me recommend it to even my snootiest anti-fast food friends.

The Taco Bell Chalupa makes a big promise on cheese but fails to deliver, in my opinion. In fact, our review of the original chalupa also found it somewhat lacking in the cheese department. While there was definitely cheddar cheese in my chalupa, it was so sparsely distributed I wouldn't have included it in the name. It's more like the Chipotle Chalupa, you know? Despite the dismal smattering of cheese, what cheese there was tasted delicious. I wish there had been more of it!

Despite some irregularly distributed beef, a somewhat excessive amount of lettuce, and a dismal amount of cheese, I don't regret eating the Chipotle Cheddar Chalupa one bit. The shell was expertly crafted, the beef perfectly seasoned, and the chipotle sauce added a punch of flavor that guarantees I'll be ordering it in the future. As far as portions go, I'd say one chalupa feels as filling as two soft tacos, so order accordingly. I think I'd only need one to feel full for lunch.

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