I Tried the Taco Bell Big Cheez-It Tostada and Crunchwrap Supreme So You Don’t Have To

As a fan of both Cheez-Its and novelty fast food promotions, I might have tried the new Taco Bell Cheez-It menu items anyway. But knowing that they were only available at a single restaurant in the entire world, and that restaurant happened to be in Irvine, I could not resist. And because the Big Cheez-It Tostada and Crunchwrap Supreme are available for a mere two weeks, I needed to try them today.

“We’re thrilled about this new concept with Cheez-It, which gives our fans the chance to experience the real cheese and crunch they love from both of our brands in a whole new way,” crowed Liz Matthews, Taco Bell’s Chief Food Innovation Officer, from the restaurant’s press release for the new menu items.

The concept is one Taco Bell has turned to before: insert a well-known snack food into a well-known Taco Bell menu classic and watch the world lose its mind. This time, the snack food is a Cheez-It on steroids, made sixteen times its normal size. This gargantuan Cheez-It can be topped with Taco Bell tostada ingredients (lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, shredded cheese, and ground beef) for a Cheez-It Tostada ($2.49) or topped with those same ingredients and then folded up into a straight jacket of a flour tortilla for a Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme ($4.29).

I dragged my daughter, unwillingly, along for a Cheez-It Taco Bell adventure. She explained to me multiple times that she would not, under any circumstances, order Taco Bell for lunch. She has never eaten at Taco Bell before and has decided she never will.

I did eat there. And I can offer the following advice.

The parking lot is a nightmare

Taco Bell’s drive thru can be accessed by turning right or left inside the parking lot, which resulted in long lines of cars snaked throughout the shopping center on both sides. My daughter spied a Habit Burger and hopped out to get her own lunch while I considered giving up. I eventually pulled out of the drive thru line and parked. I recommend you do the same.

The Crunchwrap is not on the menu

This restaurant wants you to order at a kiosk. I approached one of the over sized screens and tapped until I found the Big Cheez-It Tostada. I had already decided I would prefer the Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme, but despite the press release announcing its debut, it was nowhere on the menu. I asked this kind and helpful woman (see above) if it was available. She explained that after I ordered whatever else I wanted, I could approach her and order that too. I waited until she was available to take my order.

“Have you tried the new Cheez-It Tostada and Crunchwrap?” I asked her.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Which one is better?” I asked.

“I like the Crunchwrap,” she fired back without hesitation. “It stays really crunchy.”

I ordered the Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme and the Big Cheez-It Tostada. Soon my name was called. I eagerly grabbed my food and I walked over to The Habit patio to enjoy my novelty Cheez-It items while my daughter looked on in disgust.

I don’t know how to eat a tostada

Full disclosure: I am not a Taco Bell regular. I’ve probably eaten Taco Bell three times in the last decade. I didn’t consider the potential complications of eating the tostada until I popped open the box it came in. I was delighted to glimpse the enormous Cheez-It mostly hidden underneath the tostada toppings, but the only utensil I was provided was a plastic fork. A measly plastic fork was not up to the task of piercing this super sized Cheez-It. Picking up the entire tostada would certainly end with all of its toppings in my lap, and that did not seem like a price worth paying to try the tostada. I shifted my attention to the Crunchwrap.

The Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme is not good

I am not one to hate on fast food. On the contrary, I like it too much for my own good. But the flavor was not for me. A Cheez-It is, as its name suggests, cheesy. That is why, my daughter explained, she does not like Cheez-Its. Cheese flavors certainly belong in a Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme.

A Cheez-It, however, is also a cracker. What I discovered as I worked through my Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme, is that crackers do not belong in a burrito. A Crunchwrap is basically a hexagonally shaped burrito. What the giant Cheez-It offers in terms of texture does not outweigh the fact that it tastes like a cracker. I gave up the effort, and returned to my tostada.

The Cheez-It is a delight

I tucked into the tostada toppings, and found that they were delicious on their own. Once the Cheez-It beneath those toppings was laid bare, it occurred to me that eating an enormous Cheez-It on its own might be the best part of my meal. And it was: cheesy, salty, and still crunchy despite having rested beneath wet tostada ingredients. I loved it.

On our way home, I remarked to my daughter that by eating the whole colossal Cheez-It, I had eaten the equivalent of sixteen normal-sized Cheez-Its.

She turned to look at me and said, “Gross.”

Care to try the cheesiest, crunchiest, newest offering from Taco Bell? The Big Cheez-It Tostada and the Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme are both currently testing at one Taco Bell location (2222 Barranca Pkwy, Irvine, CA 92606) for two weeks or while supplies last.