I am 50 years old and I'm about to try Taco Bell for the first time. What should I try first?

Crunch wrap supreme.

Marijuana

Probably 90% of their food is the same stuff wrapped up in a different shape, they're spooning the same meat into the tacos as the burritos as the crunch wrap etc.

So if your goal is to get a full sense of what taco bell has to offer, get a hard taco, a soft taco, a Doritos taco, and a chalupa, mix and match the meats, sauces, and other toppings, and you'll have a pretty representative sample of most of the menu.

As far as personal recommendations, I like steak chalupas, chicken crunchwraps with chipotle sauce, any variety of their grilled burrito, and their cinnamon twists. Sometimes they have a limited time specialty item that's pretty good, not sure what they're pushing now but always worth checking out what they have.

I will also say that if you don't get a Baja blast you're doing it wrong

My boyfriend is a Taco Bell fanatic. I asked him and he told me "a grilled cheese burrito, a crunchwrap supreme, and nacho fries if they have them". Enjoy!

Cheesy Gordita Crunch and Crunchwrap Supreme.

I'm also a fan of the Beefy Five-Layer Burrito positively smothered in Fire sauce.

Dunno fam. You might be too old to start eating taco bell. U might die.

Spicy potato soft taco. Small item overshadowed by others, but a solid go to when you want something small. Potatoes, spicy ranch and lettuce in a soft tortilla. Nothing fancy, just tasty.

First step of being new to Taco Bell:

My favorite thing is the Chicken Baja Gordita, it's an older menu item that they will still make, love the baja sauce.

Imodium

Taco Bell is a unique style of crap that's pretty good. I'd go for the classics: a beef taco and a bean burrito. Maybe a bowl of pinto beans. Everything needs to be covered in the packets of hot sauce. The hot and fire are the only good ones (I'm going by memories from the 90s btw).

Mexican pizza before they take it off the menu again. Also, ask for all of the hot sauces. The workers won't care.

Their breakfast burritos are good, cheap, and a great value for your money. Use their app, and you can get free stuff regularly, too.

EDIT: I'm talking about their lowest tier breakfast burritos. The higher levels are not worth it.

BRING BACK THE DAMNED FIESTA VEGGIE BURRITO, TACO BELL. YOU HAVE THE INGREDIENTS.

You need to build up tolerance first. Go slow with a simple taco, otherwise you digestion gonna do civil war.

Any burrito that contains fritos or potatoes is a good choice.

I tried it for the first time a few months ago and it just tasted like a cheap supermarket taco kit. I'm in no rush to go back.

THEY DISCONTINUED MY FAVORITE ITEM: THE 7 LAYER BURRITO. BRING IT BACK TACO BELL, YOU HEAR?

What did you get and how was it?

First try the toilet paper.

what should I try

The restaurant next door.

I didn't realize lemmy was popular enough to bother advertising on yet.

I personally love the tacos because they are cheap tacos. There is a lot of flavor, but it's simple. I'm also a fan of the crunchwrap supreme. The crunch paired with the soft outside it delightful. I always order the 12 pack, all soft shell, and a crunchwrap. I used to get two steak quesoritos instead of the crunchwrap, but I think they're gone, or they're too expensive. Diablo sauce isn't tasty, avoid it even if you like spicy. The fire is the best balance imo, but I would like more heat personally.

Quesadilla with extra creamy jalapeno sauce.

I'm partial to the beefy 5 layer burrito and the cheesy bean and rice burrito.

Taco bells menu is like 10 different ingredients combined in various ways, it nearly all tastes identical with the exception of the various protein options (I suggest vegetarian).

Try to prepare for disappointment. I was never a huge fan, but would have it occasionally. Had it for the first time in a decade or so a few years ago and didn't enjoy any part of the meal (various different stuff at an office party) :P

If you enjoy it, that's wonderful; it's just never really been a thing I look forward to, and I hope you don't have too good an image in your head.

@lazylionca it's a fast food version of Mexican.

I like crunchy tacos with one packet of hot sauce per taco. Crunchy taco supreme is good. Burrito Supreme is good, too.

Sauce is very important, though. You have to have it. Start with the hot sauce (orange packets), and work your way up if you need to. They used to have green sauce that was pretty good, but it's only available in grocery stores now. 🙄

For a drink, you need to try a Baja Blast. It's like their signature thing. Very sweet, has its own flavor you can't really describe.

Just keep in mind that it's fast food. It's not casual fast like Chipotle or Panera - - more Macdonald's or Wendy's.

One thing Taco Bell has had over a lot of fast food places for a long time is that vegetarians and vegans can actually get edible meals there. It's basically all of the same ingredients, just mixed around differently.

They also have bowls you can get. They're not terrible. I prefer my old standard menu items that haven't changed in 40 years, though.

The other thing that just occurred to me - - most of us in the thread responding to you are suggesting their old timey comfort favorites. I'm no different (54 years old and had my first Taco Bell when I was 9), so at 50, your palate may not understand or have the associations with this place that ours do.

I'm really curious what you're going to think about it, though. I think most people going in with realistic expectations don't wind up hating it, though.

Try the taco

Try not to shit your pants

We need an update!

I recommend Charmin Ultra Strong.

Baja Blast with whatever you get. Its the best god damn thing about taco bell and im STILL FUCKING PISSED IT LOST THAT ELECTION TO BE YEAR ROUND IN STORS LIKE 7 YEARS AGO

You've got some people saying you gotta slather it in the hot sauces, and other people saying to get ready to have the shits.

Uh, you can avoid the shits by not using the hot sauces.

Have you ever had real Mexican food? Taco Bell is a not a good introduction.

Dorito locos tacos, or DLT as the workers summarize for me but I am too embarrassed to use myself

Get quantity over quality (many small tacos)

Beef chalupa

Tacos

I can recommend the Chalupa and Crunch Wrap Supreme

I feel like the crunchy tacos there are such a staple of their menu, that I'd start there

I like the doritos tacos

I hope you have some Charmin ultra soft ready to go for tomorrow morning

Crunch wrap & fries supreme (🇨🇦)

The fries supreme are just a shadow of their former self though, 20 years ago they were the best fast food item you could get

If they have it (not all locations do), the chili cheese burrito.

Cheesy Gordita Crunch with the nacho cheese shell on the inside.

Steak grilled cheese burrito

Honestly? Just their basic tacos. Maybe the Doritos version if they still have those. But just get a couple of the hard tacos with some Fire sauce. If you like those, you may like other things on the menu; if you don’t, you probably won’t like any of it. They’re Taco Bell distilled.

All I get at Taco Bell any more is the steak power bowl and the cheese potatoes. The bowl is basically just a deconstructed burrito and the cheesy potatoes are cubed, fried potatoes covered in nacho cheese and sour cream.

Their French fries are also hella good; they're like their own kind of cheese dust covered fry. But the cheese potatoes are just better

Soft shell tacos. Easy and does great with any of the sauces. I usually do two fire sauce and one diablo per taco.

Going to a real taco restaurant.

A Seven-layer Steak Burrito & a beef meximelt..... about 12 years ago....

The chicken chalupa is pretty good.