Taco Bell’s Quesarito returns for holidays, delighting fans and fueling chatter
The cult favorite makes a limited-time comeback as fans celebrate and debate whether it should stay permanently.
Taco Bell renewed a holiday tradition by bringing back the Quesarito nationwide on December 18 for a limited run, tapping into festive cravings and social-media hype. The indulgent mashup layers a beef and rice filling with sour cream and chipotle sauce, all wrapped inside a cheesy grilled quesadilla, in the item’s classic form. The price is listed at $4.99, though prices vary by location, and availability is limited to while supplies last. The company also announced an app-exclusive incentive: the first 30,000 Taco Bell Rewards members will snag a $1 Quesarito on December 23 at 2 p.m. Pacific time.
The Quesarito’s return is pitched as a temporary revival that honors the item fans remember from its original run, with Taco Bell noting that the nostalgia factor helped drive the decision. Availability may differ by location and could be capped by store-level inventory, so some fans may find the item sold out quickly at busier outlets.
A tied-in storyline helped fuel the buzz around the comeback. Taco Bell has long woven the Quesarito into pop culture lore, pointing to a 2014 moment when Nikola Jokić’s draft-night pick flashed on a ticker during a TV broadcast while a Taco Bell commercial aired, an incident the company says helped amplify the item’s fame. Jokić, known as “The Joker,” has since joked about the moment and the later return, and the chain even referenced the moment in a recent Instagram Reel announcing the Quesarito’s return. While the Nuggets center has said he has not tried the item, the playful acknowledgement underscored how the merger of sports memes and menu nostalgia can fuel ongoing discourse about franchise favorites.
Online reaction to the announcement was swift and mixed. Fans greeted the return with enthusiasm, calling it a Christmas miracle and sharing memories of prior tastings. Others used the moment to revive conversations about other retired menu staples, including popular requests for the Volcano Menu, the Beefy Fritos Burrito, and the Grilled Stuft Nacho. Some customers reported the Quesarito’s price hovering near six dollars at certain locations, while others criticized the earlier removal of the item. In response to a few social-media asks about permanently keeping the Quesarito, Taco Bell’s official channels kept a cautious stance, replying in comments with a watchful, “We’ll see.”
The Quesarito was taken off Taco Bell’s menu in April 2023 after several years as an app-exclusive item, a move that disappointed longtime fans who had grown attached to the mashup of burrito heft and cheese-filled quesadilla. The current limited-time return follows a broader holiday pattern of revivals and tests of fan-favorite items during the year’s end. The effort reflects the restaurant chain’s ongoing strategy of leveraging nostalgia to drive traffic and app engagement, while balancing supply and regional demand across a nationwide footprint.
As the holidays unfold, Taco Bell has signaled that the Quesarito’s fate beyond the season will depend on consumer response and store capacity. The company continues to emphasize that the item’s reappearance is a response to fan demand, not a permanent launch, though the door remains open—as with many fast-food nostalgia plays—for future reprieves or permanent positioning should demand justify it.
For fans who missed the Quesarito during its absence, the holiday return arrives at a moment when pop culture and fast-food menus intersect frequently on social platforms. The limited window invites quick decision-making and social sharing, while the rewards program offer adds a direct purchase incentive for app users and collectors of limited-edition menu moments. In the coming weeks, observers and devoted fans will be watching whether the Quesarito’s renewed presence translates into a longer shelf life or simply becomes another seasonal remnant of Taco Bell’s ongoing nostalgia-driven strategy.
