Nachos BellGrande loosely translates to "Large Nachos" or something, since the "bell" part doesn't really work in Spanish. Granted, I am not an expert in any language other than English and that in itself is quite an exaggeration.
The image from their website shows you what you get for this amazingly low-cost nacho-
Taco Bell also serves the Nacho Supreme, which look like a smaller version of Nachos BellGrande, and Triple Layer Nachos, which looks like Nachos Supreme but with a red sauce (looks like enchilada sauce?) instead of sour cream. I will have to review at another date.
In 2012 Taco Bell also announced their XXL Steak Nachos, which should significantly raised the bar for fast food nachos but it was short lived and is no longer offered. They have also had various other forms of nachos over the years.
Ingredients
- Corn tortilla chips
- Liquid nacho cheese (as opposed to grated/melted real cheese)
- Sour cream
- Ground beef
- Re-fried beans
- Diced tomatoes
First impressions
For this particular experience I had to take my order "to go" and eat it at work due to scheduling constraints.
The nachos, no matter "dining in" or "to go" are served on a black plastic plate and clear-plastic lid. They are also served with a plastic fork.
After removing the lid I was treated with the oft-repeated basic nacho goodness that can only be experienced in Mexican fast food, although I use the term "Mexican" loosely.
The nachos, no matter "dining in" or "to go" are served on a black plastic plate and clear-plastic lid. They are also served with a plastic fork.
Joy of Eating
It took me about 10 minutes to drive back to my office with my meal so the chips were a big soggy in places. I will discount that for this review because they would no doubt have been crispier if I had eaten them at the restaurant.
The first bite surprised me. Salt. Lots of salt. Did I miss something? I don't remember them ever being this salty.
Second bite... Much less salt. Hmmm, must have been an over-salted chip or something.
Third bite (and subsequent bites)... much lower salt levels. Chalk it up to an anomaly.
As usual I ate them by using the chips as my utensils to eat the other ingredients and didn't even need the fork this time, even with the slightly soggy chips at the bottom of the cheese.
Overall flavor was not bad but relatively bland with a touch of salt. The cheese was not spicy but that can be fixed with a touch of Taco Bell hot sauce, which I forgot to ask for in this case.
Nachoness Index
The first bite surprised me. Salt. Lots of salt. Did I miss something? I don't remember them ever being this salty.
Second bite... Much less salt. Hmmm, must have been an over-salted chip or something.
Third bite (and subsequent bites)... much lower salt levels. Chalk it up to an anomaly.
As usual I ate them by using the chips as my utensils to eat the other ingredients and didn't even need the fork this time, even with the slightly soggy chips at the bottom of the cheese.
Overall flavor was not bad but relatively bland with a touch of salt. The cheese was not spicy but that can be fixed with a touch of Taco Bell hot sauce, which I forgot to ask for in this case.
Nachoness Index
- Visual Presentation: 4 points
- Quality of ingredients: 5 points
- Overall nachoness: 20 points
- Chance of causing world peace: 8 points
Total: 37 points out of 100 possible points
Will it help resolve world problems?
Most likely not. The only world leaders that might take offense at this dish are Mexican or other Central/South American countries that might see this as an affront to their culture. The rest of the world would just laugh at it.
Parting Thoughts
I am surprised that Taco Bell has kept this dish pretty much constant for the past 20+ years, not deviating in the least. They have added and discontinued several other nacho dishes over the years but this has been a perennial favorite.
It remains one of my top 10 fast food items of all time.
Stay Cheesey! }B^)
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