Stopped by Taco Bell earlier today for a quick cheap meal. I'd seen ads about their new "melts" lately so I thought I'd finally try one of those (they are like a burrito with more cheese and no beans) but also saw that, at least at the location on Barranca in Irvine, that they also have new fajita tacos, fajita burritos, and fajita platters as well as a "Volcano Menu," with a Volcano Double Beef Burrito, a Volcano Taco (in a red corn shell), and a Volcano Crunchwrap (with or without chicken). As of today their official site does not mention the fajita items or the Volcano items, but doing some exploring on the Internet I found that the Volcano Burrito has been on their menu before. Some guy even made some fake ads for it and the Wikipedia entry on Taco Bell mentions that the Volcano Burrito appeared as "a special promotion in conjunction with the 1995 film Congo."
Volcano Menu
UPDATE: Here's a picture of the new items:
I should add that people seem to be searching for this "Volcano Menu" stuff more and more so maybe it's making its way out of the test markets. More information at the Fast Food Maven blog and at Nibbles of Tidbits. If you try a Volcano Taco leave a comment here with your thoughts on it.
UPDATE: As of April 20, 2009, the Volcano Burrito is still available at the Irvine store on Barranca.
UPDATE (March 11, 2009): Just went back to this Taco Bell test restaurant again and they seem to have introduced Volcano Nachos:
UPDATE (May 14, 2009): Wow, people have really been searching a lot on "volcano double beef burrito." Turns out that the Volcano Menu has spread now to pretty much every Taco Bell and there's also a Volcano Big Box meal. It even has its own Official Site.
UPDATE (June 8, 2009): Word on the blogosphere is that a new Volcano Menu item is coming to Taco Bell in August.
UPDATE (July 28, 2009): Stay tuned for info on the return of Volcano Nachos. Some people are also hoping for the Volcano Crunchwrap to return. If anyone has pictures of these items or their related promotional materials send 'em in. reviews@ocmexfood.com
UPDATE (July 30, 2009): The Volcano Nachos are now being mentioned on the Volcano Menu website, so they are probably at all Taco Bells now.
UPDATE (August 6, 2009): Just got some Volcano Nachos myself and the cost was $3.49. If anybody sees them for a different price elsewhere leave a comment here.
Well? How was it?
ReplyDeleteHow was what? I described the chicken melt I had but I haven't actually had any of the fajita or volcano items yet.
ReplyDeleteYou described it, but you didn't weigh in with an opinion of the item.
ReplyDeleteWould you go back for another? How did it taste?
The chicken melt I had was alright but it wasn't as "melty" as I expected it would be and I kept taking out all the jalapenos that were in it. Not that I don't like jalapenos but they just didn't blend well with the other ingredients in this case.
ReplyDeleteWere they pickled jalapeños? I love the pepper in its fresh state, but can't stand it pickled in vinegar.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it was the pickled kind.
ReplyDeletelooks like you were at a test store. The one in Costa Mesa has a lot of the same products and the manager told me that is where they end up testing new products
ReplyDeleteI tried the Volcano Taco in the Nashville, TN area yesterday. I am a spicy connoisseur of sorts and was not expecting much of a bite from a fast food chain menu.
ReplyDeleteIt starts off somewhat mild, but I found by the time I had eaten 3/4 of my taco, my lips were tingling, my nose was a tiny bit sniffly, and I could just feel my eyes about to water. Mine was slathered in the "lava sauce," dripping out the edges. It wasn't too much more than that, just teetering on the edge of really spicy. I had to drink most of my cup of water before moving on to my beef combo burrito.
I believe it is seasoned with real peppers of some sort; I noticed my lips and fingers were tingling as though I was playing with habeñero peppers.
I was pleasantly surprised and encourage others to try it out.
Thanks for the comment. I wanted to hear what a reader thought of this.
ReplyDeleteThe folks over at GrubGrade posted a review on the Volcano Double Beef Burrito and Volcano Taco and the rest of the Volcano Box.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.grubgrade.com/2009/05/14/fast-food-review-new-volcano-box-from-taco-bell/
Thanks, Geoff. I've made your link clickable here.
ReplyDeleteyummiee
ReplyDelete