Taco Bell drops new birria-inspired taco made for dipping

America’s biggest Tex-Mex-inspired chain is expanding its protein portfolio.

On July 27, Taco Bell announced a brand-new menu item inspired by quesabirria, a popular Mexican dish comprising birria-style cooked beef folded into a tortilla with melted cheese and served with broth for dipping. The chain’s take on it — the Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco — features a new protein offering: slow-braised, shredded beef.

Available nationwide starting Aug. 3, the Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco is a white corn shell filled with shredded beef, a creamy jalapeño sauce and a three-cheese blend of cheddar, mozzarella and pepper jack.

Alongside the taco come two dips: a warm nacho cheese sauce and Taco Bell’s zesty red sauce, which the chain says is “carefully calibrated to achieve the perfect consistency and harmony of flavors with every bite.”

The Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco along with other Taco Bell offerings.Taco Bell

The Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco, which sells for $3.49, is the latest addition to Taco Bell’s growing “Grilled Cheese” offerings, which include the Grilled Cheese Burrito and the Steak Grilled Cheese Burrito. 

Taco Bell says that although it’s most well-known for its seasoned beef, which fill many iconic items from the Mexican Pizza to the Crunchwrap Supreme, this is the first time the brand is offering shredded beef, which is slow-braised in a blend of spices, on its national menu.

“The rich and spicy flavors often found in birria were a major point of inspiration as we created the new Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco. By combining slow-braised shredded beef with the two dipping sauces, our fans can enjoy a new range of flavors they may have never had from Taco Bell before,” said Liz Matthews, Taco Bell’s global chief innovation officer, in a news release. “This Mexican-inspired dish represents an evolution of what fans typically expect from Taco Bell. We’re excited to bring this menu item nationwide after an incredibly successful test in 2022.”

To celebrate this new menu item, Taco Bell is partnering with hospitality company The h.wood Group on “Taco Bell | Bootsy Bellows Presents: Tacos: The Next Chapter,” an event happening Aug. 1 in Los Angeles, California. There, the first 20 lucky Fire! Tier Rewards Members and their plus-ones who sign up and qualify for the event through Taco Bell’s Drops in the app can receive exclusive access, the Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco and more perks.

Joseph Lamour

Washington, D.C. native Joseph Lamour is a lover of food: its past, its present and the science behind it. With food, you can bring opposites together to form a truly marvelous combination, and he strives to take that sentiment to heart in all that he does.