Taco Bell Secret Aardvark Nacho Fries review: Goop, there it is

For the eleventh time, Nacho Fries have come back to Taco Bell. But this time, they’ve got a saucy twist: Secret Aardvark’s Serrbanero sauce. The spicy new sensation gets added to the rest of the regular Nacho Fries accouterments in what I will lovingly call a “goop pile.”

I’ll admit that Nacho Fries are not the first item I’d think of ordering at Taco Bell – or fries at all. The tacos – shocker – are a real draw, and the $5 Taco Discovery Box that hit last Tuesday is not just a great deal, but also provides an array of taste sensations focusing on the brand’s core strength.

Still, it is important – nay, our duty – here at Guilty Eats to try every variation on every single fast food item imaginable. So with that sacred task in mind, I headed to my local Taco Bell to snag their latest taste sensation.

Here’s what to expect from the Nacho Fries with Secret Aardvark sauce. First of all: no aardvarks. The brand was started in 2004 by Scott Moritz, who sadly passed away in 2009. Still, his sauce line lives on and is only expanding into chains like Taco Bell.

Second, per a press release from Taco Bell, the Serrbanero sauce combines “green tomatoes, roasted tomatillos, serrano and green habanero peppers.” All good things! This gets squeezed on top of the chain’s Mexican-spiced fries, along with “slow-roasted chicken, a three-cheese blend, reduced-fat sour cream, nacho cheese sauce, and pico de gallo.”

Again, all delicious stuff. But are these taste sensations that taste great together? The short answer is yes, definitely. I ordered the default Nacho Fries with Secret Aardvark Sauce to test them out, and I will note I’m pretty sure they threw some guacamole on there as well, which definitely rounded out the flavors of the dish.

The Secret Aardvark sauce, which was helpfully pooled on the side, is creamy, spicy, and packs a nice kick without making you sweat it out while chowing down on the fries. I would definitely buy this separately and put it on everything, not just the Nacho Fries.

Overall, the dominant taste was the nacho cheese sauce, though the Secret Aardvark sauce provided a nice counterpoint in various bites. The fries definitely get lost in everything piled on top, which points to the main flaw here: there’s nothing crispy. It’s all a goop pile, and while I do love myself a nice goop pile, it’s also nice to have a variety of textures. Crunching some tortilla chips on top might provide a nice counterpoint. Or if Taco Bell fries were not as limp, that might have helped as well. But whether it was the abundance of sauce or the general texture of fries, this all turned into mush. Delicious mush, but mush nonetheless.

It is also extremely filling. I’m generally used to Taco Bell not taking up room in your stomach, but this sat there for hours. I ate it as a mid-afternoon snack, and ate exactly zero dinner after that because I was way too full. Even the next morning, I questioned whether I needed breakfast. Your mileage may vary if that’s a good thing – a base price of $4.99 for a whole meal and a half is not a bad deal at all - but as for me while this was tasty and fun to try, I’d rather stick with three tacos that provide some texture and don’t fill me up.

But get me some of that Secret Aardvark sauce, because I will squeeze that everywhere.

Note: A Taco Bell provided gift card was used to purchase these Nacho Fries