Does Mexican pizza really taste different? (2024)

After two years of much wailing and gnashing of teeth, the dearly departed Mexican pizzaback to Taco Bell menuson May 19. The comeback was announced by celebrities, among othersDoja floorInDolly Parton, and anywaya loved oneTake offcontributor. But now, four days after pizza's return, some T-Bell customers are wondering: Has Mexican pizza... changed?

As of today, several Taco Bell fans have taken to tweets to claim the recently flipped Mexican pizza lookvan. “The Mexican pizza is NOT that good this time,”one customer tweeted. “I just got my hands on the #mexicanpizza and they changed the crust - no more flaky goodness,”another tweeted.

It's an Uncanny Valley situation, like when a shell-shocked soldier returns from war. The soldier looks like his old self and acts much like his old self, but he is not the same man. So,Taco Bell secretly changed the Mexican pizza formula? There was only one way to find out.

Has Taco Bell changed the Mexican pizza formula?

Let's look at the timeline first:

1985:Taco Bell introduces Mexican pizza.According to CNN, it's originally called "Pizzazz Pizza" which is really cute.

1994:I was born into a family that, if given the chance, ate Mexican pizza at every meal. I can't confirm this, but I suspect my parents skipped the baby food and fed me pureed Mexican pizza until I could chew solids.

november 2020:The beloved menu item has been eliminated like Taco Bellthrows away his menuduring the height of the pandemic. My family is crying.

mei 2022:The menu item returns for $4.49 each, and it looks like the pizza we know and love. My family is looking forward to it.

I present this timeline because it is integral to my core argument: that the Mexican pizza formula has probably evolved quite a bit over the years, but that thereno significant differencebetween the last Mexican pizza I ate in 2020 and the Mexican pizza I tried today, May 23, 2022.

Takeout's Taco Bell Mexican Pizza smagstest

I went out to get my Mexican pizza at a Taco Bell location near The Takeout office. It's clear that the brand is capitalizing on the return of pizza as agreat marketing opportunities, from the banner outside with the text "MEXICAN PIZZA IS BACK" to the ordering kiosks with touchscreensuggestedrequired me to add a Mexican pizza to my meal. I did as I was told and opted for the Mexican beef pizza instead of the pizzameatless, bean-based counterpart.

A few minutes later, I received my prize: spicy beef and baked beans, sandwiched between two Mexican pizza shells (actually two tostadas) and topped with tomatoes, a three-cheese blend, and Taco Bell's Mexican pizza sauce. I should note that my pizza was a little juicier than usual (see above), but that didn't stop me from hugging my old friend.

Before I took my first bite, I thought about the so-called "changes" some customers noticed. My sister told me she got a surprisingly large pile of beans on her pizza when she tried it this weekend. My brother agreed, noting that his pizza also seemed cheesier than previous Mexican pizzas. A columnist forOlympus, nl Avis i Olympia, Washington,wrotethat it all comes down to the scale. “This bowl has less of the lip-smacking flavor of the original, and the texture has also changed a bit,” the author argues. “The flavor was a little maltier and while the crunch was still there, it wasn't as pleasant as the original.”

With all this in mind, I took a bite. It was exactly as I remembered it, from the familiar flavor of the sauce to the melted cheese anchors at the bottom of the box. (As a child I learned to scrape these off the box with my fingernail.) Nothing seemed out of place. I took a few more bites and still couldn't identify the inconsistencies everyone was talking about.

I contacted Taco Bell to confirm the formula was the same, but never heard back. My best guess: Mexican pizza crust has changed a bit, but it happened long before pizza was originally eliminated in 2020. I've been eating these things almost weekly for years, and I noticed a change in the crust sometime between 2016 and 2018. The once crispy crust had become fluffier and a bit greasier – but the change wasn't big enough to put me off regular MP use.

My conclusion: the 2022 Mexican pizza is the same version as the 2020 Mexican pizza. Sure, the entree formula may have changed a bit over the past 30 years, but a small tortilla adjustment won't turn off true fans. The real ones know.