“Experienced a gastronomous journey from light tortilla shells filled with creamy sauces to crunchy Chalupa with mouth-watering filling and mountains of cheese with Taco Bell”
~ Kitchen Pops
Part of an already established brand, Yum! Restaurants India, which is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands; Taco Bell has 6000 outlets across 16 countries. Kitchen Pops was invited to Taco Bell, R City Mall in Mumbai to attend their special event. We met the manager—food innovation of Taco Bell, Ankit Sharma. He was delighted to share with us his journey of avant-garde Taco Bell recipes that was fostered in Taco Bell Kitchen.
In India, Taco Bell already has 4 outlets in Bangaluru
- Mantri Square Mall
- Gopalan Innovation Mall
- Whitefield (Cosmos) Mall
- SJR Koramangla
And 3 in Mumbai:
- Oberoi Mall, Goregaon East
- R City Mall, Ghatkopar
- Viviana Mall, Thane
They have taken the entire concept from US, but tweaked it according to Indian tastes. As Ankit says, ‘It’s bolder in India.’ What really got us more excited was the packaging! It looked like Christmas presents laid in the tray; with every layer put aside our heartbeats got faster. Kitchen Pops personal hot favourite is Chalupa—Chipotle bean, it’s crunchy, soft, hot and cold. Wow! We had multiple feelings with the flavours.
And if you’re a big fan of pizzas, then you mustn’t miss Quesadillas—a popular dish. The mouth watering filling is sandwiched between crispy corn tortillas freshly baked in their open kitchen. They make everything fresh once the order is received. There were few of us who were lucky to be in Taco Bell’s kitchen. We were asked to wear a hair net and wash our hands for 20 seconds. The hygiene decree was mandatory for those in the kitchen. We were amazed that how organized they were with shelf life protocols for ingredients. Food that has been unused within its shelf life is immediately discarded. Kitchen Pops was impressed with Taco Bell’s attempt to customize the recipes if demanded. They take vegetarian customers seriously. Taco Bell has divided their kitchen into two halves with vegetarian and non-vegetarian unit. They also offer free-fills in Bangaluru outlets, a concept widely appreciated abroad. In Mumbai, they have allowed 2 free-fills as it is located in malls.
Ankit, the outlet Manager, explained that it was a challenge for him to influence 
local flavours in an already established menu of Taco Bell, US. It was like a marriage of two different cuisines. Taco Bell is planning to introduce spicy signature drinks, which are influenced with Mexican flavour, now that is something, we Indians won’t miss. They launch at least 2-3 offerings every year on an average. We were also made to try a new dish, Chicken Tikka burrito, which was not in the menu. Believe us, it was heaven! What we really recommend is that if you like to experiment with new tastes, then Taco Bell is the one.
Some of the exciting food formats offered by Taco Bell are:
- TACO (TAA-KO)
A Taco is a light snack with layers of flavourful hot & cold fillings with a creamy sauce in a soft tortilla shell.
- CHALUPA (CHA-LOO-PA)
A Chalupa is a signature Taco Bell snack. A crunchy indulgent shell with flavourful fillings and cheese make it a very crave-able snack.
- TOPPED NACHO
Topped nachos
A great shareable snack that has Taco Bell’s signature crunchy corn chips loaded with delightfully cheesy, tangy, spicy toppings
- BURRITO (BUH-REE-TOH)
A Burrito is a roll with many fillings and Taco Bell’s signature sauce packed in a soft tortilla.
- 7 LAYER BURRITO
The king of Burrito with 7 different types of fillings rolled in a soft tortilla and grilled to perfection. Each bite will give you a burst of flavour.
- Mexican Pizza
A crunchy double layered Pizza with fillings between 2 crisp corn shells topped with tangy pizza sauce and lots of melted cheese
- KATHITTO (KA-THI-TTO)
Kathitto
Kathitto is Taco Bell’s twist on your favourite Kathi Roll. An Indian layered parantha with Taco Bell’s signature Mexican fillings, a crunchy surprise all rolled inside.
- QUESADILLA (KAY-SUH-DEE-YAH)
A perfect match for cheese lovers! Lots of two blend cheese and Taco Bell’s signature sauce folded in a soft, warm tortilla and grilled to perfection. You can also add fajitas veggies or grilled chicken to it.
The two dishes that will definitely blow your mind are
- Kathitto, a divine flavoured Indian parantha with Mexican fillings inside and
- 7 Layer Burrito, which is also a highly recommended dish by Taco Bell is an amalgamation of 7 different flavours in one burrito.
We also noticed that most of the dishes that we tried were light and healthy. Taco Bell believes in balanced food with healthy ingredients like cereals, vegetables, fats, dairy and meats. To make things more clear they have additional information about the calories each dish consumes. Taco Bell has initiated a dictionary for Indian audience called Tacology. It explains about Mexican delicacies in the simplest way.
Kitchen Pops has been certainly swayed by Taco Bell’s personal touch in everything they offer to their audience. From sauces that say ‘Will you marry me?’ to rice boxes offered in Taco Bell Bangaluru. Another exciting fact, we got to know was that Taco Bells have recently launched their first Braille and audio enabled menu cards. Good going Taco Bell!
Happy Cooking!
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Kitchen Pops! 