Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza will return to menus nationwide on May 19 after being shelved nearly two years ago.
The item, which starts at $4.49, comprises two crispy flour shells, layered with beans, pizza sauce, seasoned beef, tomatoes, and a melted three cheese blend. It’s available in vegetarian, and customers can upgrade to a combo with two Crunchy Tacos and a large drink at a starting price of $8.99.
Rewards members will receive early access on May 17. DoorDash will exclusively deliver the item from May 19-26.
“Our menu is full of fan-favorites, but the Mexican Pizza is at the top of that list,” CEO Mark King said in a statement. “From its flashy introduction to menus in 1985 as ‘Pizzazz Pizza’ to its inspiration behind the creation of infamous jingles, Mexican Pizza has a long history with the brand and I’m glad we could give fans what they crave and bring our classic Mexican Pizza back home where it belongs.”
Rapper Doja Cat, who partnered with Taco Bell earlier this year, helped announce the return. In early March, the artist sang about how much she missed the chain’s Mexican Pizza.
The product left the menu in the fall of 2020 as Taco Bell eyed simplification and new innovation. The fast-food chain noted that removing the product would help with sustainability since its packaging accounted for more than 7 million pounds of paperboard material per year in the U.S. Pico de Gallo and Shredded Chicken were cut from the menu, as well.
However, core customers weren’t satisfied with this decision. Superfan Krish Jagirdar led a Change.org petition that received more than 200,000 signatures.
“Like many Indian-Americans who grew up vegetarian, we had limited access to the ‘fun’ fast food, so Taco Bell became a bridge to belonging in American culture for many kids like me who grew up in immigrant households,” Jagirdar said in a statement. “That’s what made it especially devastating when the Mexican Pizza was pulled from menus in 2020, but fast forward two years later and I found myself on a conference call with the Taco Bell team as they shared news of the return of the Mexican Pizza, showing that listening to their fans is clearly embedded in their DNA. It’s one of the many reasons Taco Bell is more than just another fast-food restaurant.”
Taco Bell said bringing back Mexican Pizza required streamlining operations and ingredient sourcing and dedication to sustainability practices, like its sauce packet recycling program pilot with TerraCycle.
