Fast Food Review: Del Taco Takes on the Mexican Pizza and Wins

It’s a fairly consistent rule: anything Taco Bell can do, Del Taco does better.

Tacos? Yes. Cheaper, too. Burritos, totally. Quesadillas? Two words: “spicy Jack.”

The only reason I go to Taco Bell at all is for the stuff that’s uniquely theirs because they just made it up: meximelts, cinnamon twists, volcano sauce, Mexican pizzas….

Oops. Not so fast on that last one. Here comes the Crunchtada pizza. And folks, it is crazy delicious.

First things first: it doesn’t look like that picture above. The chicken Crunchtada pizza looks like this:

I realize that may look like a pile of puke to some of you, and that is sad for you. Because that’s chicken, beans, grated cheese, nacho cheese, zesty sauce (like in their Baja shrimp burritos), and cilantro on a tostada. It is loaded. This transcends the fast food level to be on a par with stuff I’ve gotten from hipster-beloved food trucks. I want to eat this thing every day for lunch. In fact, I did go back and get the ground beef one. The chicken’s slightly better, but the overall effect is so overwhelming that the nature of the meat matters little. Saucy cilantro and cheese dominates. You could have tofu on this and probably not notice.

Meanwhile, back at the Bell – remember when the Mexican pizza used to have olives, and they took those away? Remember when it used to have green onions and they took those away? Remember when there was more than a paltry spoonful of filling between the two layers?

I do. And I look back in anger.

Then I look at my Crunchtada, and I flip the bird. Del can wring my Bell.

Now, let’s hope this lasts longer than the mid-size Del Nachos – the death of those has forced me back to Nachos Supreme at the “border.”

Unless you’re one of those people holding out for “good health” or a “long life” – this gets my highest recommendation. Plus you can get it, a taco and a drink for less than $5, and I can’t remember the last time I filled up on fast food for that.

Just don’t wear white when you eat it. Or, I guess you can if you think stains make you look punk-rock. But who has crazy thoughts like that, he says as he prepares to order this for a third time…