Review: Taco Bell - Sriracha Quesarito

Taco Bell's Sriracha Quesarito features a grilled flour quesadilla filled with nacho cheese sauce and Taco Bell's own version of Sriracha sauce, wrapped around a filling of seasoned ground beef, Latin rice (formerly known as "cilantro rice"), more Sriracha sauce, and reduced-fat sour cream.

It was $2.49 for one (the same price as their regular Quesarito), but I received this one courtesy of Taco Bell. It's also available with chicken ($2.99) or steak ($3.29).

While there's the same familiar beef, rice, sour cream, and cheese mix found in a lot of Taco Bell's burritos (both limited-time and regular menu-versions), the new Sriracha sauce puts its own stamp on the proceedings with a dominating blend of spicy, tangy, garlicky, and creamy.

I found it to be substantially spicy, although that may be because of the sauce's presence in both the quesadilla and burrito filling. In one half of my Sriracha Quesarito, the sauce overshadowed the other ingredients and left them as mere textures in my mouth (which kinda made me sad because I really like the flavor of Taco Bell's seasoned beef). The spice level had me sniffling (but not tearing up!) and grabbing some milk to cool down. It wasn't quite the level of lava sauce but, heat-wise, beats out any other sauces currently being served at Taco Bell.

But with the second half, the Sriracha was much more complementary and I could better taste the other components. The heat level was likewise toned down (no drink required).

Of the two halves, I prefer the second half since I prefer a more balanced burrito. If you miss lava sauce and it was the only thing you found remotely spicy (i.e. you regularly eat, and possibly breathe, fire), you might want to ask them for extra Sriracha in your Quesarito (or whatever else you might order).

Insofar as the quesadilla portion, the cheese takes on a bit of an American cheese flavor for me. A more jack-centric mix might be preferable. The grilling adds a nice crispness if you're eating right away but if you take it to go, it pretty much just offers a nice look.

Overall, I enjoyed Taco Bell's Sriracha Quesarito quite a bit; more so than the regular Quesarito, which I felt didn't do enough to differentiate itself from what came before. Basically, I enjoyed the extra flavor Taco Bell's creamy version of Sriracha added. It captured the flavor of the original pretty well, while fleshing it out to fit with Taco Bell ingredients.

Nutritional Info - Taco Bell Sriracha Quesarito (269g)
Calories - 650 (from Fat - 290)
Fat - 32g (Saturated Fat - 12g)
Sodium - 1720mg
Carbs - 68g (Sugar - 7g)
Protein - 22g