Taco Bell $5 Discovery Box review: Who doesn’t want three tacos for five bucks?

Yesterday, Taco Bell announced their new Taco Tuesday promotion, a new assortment called the $5 Discovery Box. The goal is ostensibly to encourage folks to try the new Cantina Chicken Crispy Taco, alongside old favorites. And I’ll tell you what, after testing out the new discount deal yesterday (April 23) I really only have one complaint: there was no box.

Now, to be fair, I headed to my local Taco Bell Cantina pretty late at night, almost at closing time, in order to try the new sampler platter. For full disclosure, a gift card was provided by Taco Bell to Guilty Eats to taste the assortment, so I did feel some sense of obligation to give this a test run on opening day (the promotion runs every Tuesday through June 4). Still, it was a long day, and the first opportunity I had to make a run for the border was well past my bedtime.

I was also mentally tested by the fact that I live in a very Mexican neighborhood, and there were two busy taco trucks parked right outside the Taco Bell while I waited for my Discovery Box to be prepared. But my mission was clear, and frankly, Taco Bell serves a different purpose than the (almost uniformly excellent) tacos I can grab anywhere within a one-block radius of my house.

Anyway, I got handed a bag with three tacos and sauce, with a Mountain Dew Baja Blast on the side, and I was good to go. No box, but like I said it was pretty late, they were about to close, and I sort of didn’t need to carry a box home anyway. I guess I should also clarify that despite what the ads seem to imply, neither LeBron James or Jason Sudeikis were there, either. False advertising!! Just kidding.

As for what I ordered? I stayed with the default box, though as usual with Taco Bell you can customize and switch to your heart’s content. The basic $5 Discovery Box includes: the Cantina Crispy Chicken Taco; a Doritos Locos Taco; a Crunchy Taco; a packet of Avocado Verde Salsa; and a medium drink. The default is also ground beef, so one chicken taco; and two ground beef tacos.

First, let’s talk about taste: it’s great. The Cantina Crispy Chicken Taco was delicious, as we’ve covered before. It’s slow-roasted chicken, three-cheese blend, a creamy jalapeño sauce, and the whole thing is grilled with crispy cheese on the outside. This is a great, crunchy, flavorful snack with a nice bite to it and a good amount of flavor. I’ll also go to bat for the Avocado Verde Salsa, which only enhanced the flavors inherent in this taco.

The other two you probably know, but the Doritos Locos Taco is also flavorful, thanks to the salty, lightly cheesy Doritos shell. While it doesn't taste as nacho cheesier as real Doritos and is a little salty for my taste, it’s still better than the no-frills Crunchy Taco. Nothing against the classic, but with only a shell, beef, lettuce, and cheese, there wasn’t much there, there. I had already spent the creamy, limey Avocado Verde Salsa on the previous two tacos, and regretted not saving it for the Crunchy Taco.

But still, this is your basic box, and you can add sour cream, sauces, whatever you want to your heart’s delight… I was merely testing the basic box for Science.

The bigger thing here is the price of the box. Prices vary for Taco Bell by location, but glancing at my local franchise, the Cantina Crispy Chicken Taco (which includes a Salsa Verde packet) is $3.89, Crunchy Taco is $2.49, and the Doritos Locos Taco is $3.69. Add a medium drink at $2.99 and we’re talking $13.06, not including tax – and tip if you’re getting delivery. So on that level alone, this $5 box is a massive savings.

It’s also, and appetites may vary, a good amount of food. While you can certainly chow down on one million tacos from Taco Bell and still be ready for more, this three taco Discovery Box was a perfect late-night snack; and would have worked fine for a lunch or dinner as well.

I’d still recommend switching it around to your fave tacos and fillings for the #2 and #3 spot, but keep that Cantina Crispy Chicken Taco in there, and maybe splurge on a second Avocado Salsa Verde. You’re still going to end up saving some cash on Tuesdays. Just maybe make sure you’re getting the box, too.