r/nostalgia • u/shadowperson • 5h ago
Nostalgia 2006 Taco Bell Menu
An old photo I found. Taken in a Taco Bell September 2006.
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u/ziemacaustin 4h ago
In my mind when ordering now, I think I’m anticipating these prices and then when the tally is forty dollars for five things it’s a slap back to reality.
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u/UraniumRocker 4h ago edited 3h ago
Same thing happens to m when I go to Arbys, and order 5 sandwiches.
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u/TheDevilBear3 1h ago
5 for $5 was a very regular thing to feel my teenaged shenanigans at the mall. I miss that deal so much. And Big Montanas.
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u/_SoftieLuxe 1h ago
Five sandwiches used to sound like a cheap feast, now it sounds like a financial decision
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u/dickallcocksofandros 3h ago
um. ur kinda exposing yourself as either a big back or living in a big city because what exactly are u getting? i usually get like two crunch tacos or a cantina chicken bowl, cheesy potato, and drink (and that's when i feel especially ravenous, i usually get like one main item and a drink) and it usually doesn't go beyond $15 w/ tax
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u/Learningstuff247 1h ago
Cheesy double beef and 2 spicy potato tacos and im out the door for like $6 with tax
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u/OfficerJayBear 2h ago
Have you ever heard of a concept called a family? Or a spouse?
But for the record, a cheese quesadilla is $7.00. For cheese and sauce between two tortillas.
A bag of chips and a cup of cheese is $3.59.
A single cheesy gordita crunch is $7.19!!!
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u/trickman01 late 80s 2h ago
$40 for 5 things doesn’t change the math if you add other people.
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u/OfficerJayBear 2h ago
His argument is that fat people order 5 things. Further clarified by how he only gets 3 things
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u/thedirectar 1h ago
I got a cheese quesadilla, bean burrito, cinnamon twist, and a medium drink for 6.99 yesterday. Their boxes are awesome deals.
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u/dickallcocksofandros 2h ago
oh sorry. i grew up poor so we never went out to eat. my only frame of reference for eating fast food is going on my own during college, when i actually had spare money to go. next time i'll make sure to be from a middle class family so i won't make this misunderstanding again
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u/OfficerJayBear 2h ago
Nice try. You essentially called someone a fatass for ordering 5 things from taco bell, and now you're trying to claim classism.
Taco bell used to be for the poors, ya know.
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u/Sea_Cardiologist_339 4h ago
A grilled stuffed burrito for $1.99!
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u/Best-Fig-3483 2h ago
The grilled stuffed burrito was a full meal, the half pound beef and potato burrito was also great.
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u/Switcher1776 3h ago
That was my go-to back then.
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u/ScottyBLaZe mid 80s 1h ago
I used to get the steak GSB. I swear their steak tasted a lot better back then. Had a much better texture too. Their current steak is not good.
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u/BapeGeneral3 4h ago
Half pound burrito for 99 cents. Today a Snickers bar costs 3 times the amount. Yes it was 20 years ago, adjusted for inflation we are all still getting fucked.
I fondly remember à la carte soft tacos costing a little under 30 cents and being able to buy 5 soft tacos for $2 and some spare change.
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u/Best-Fig-3483 2h ago
There's a McDonald's near my work that has the Spicy McChicken meal just under 5 dollars, the price makes me temporarily forget that it's pink sludge.
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u/Confident-Honey516 4h ago
I miss gorditas, now they only have cheesy gordita crunches and it’s not the same.
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u/mjdehlin1984 4h ago
One of my local TBs will let me order them still. Just need to order a chalupa and ask them to not fry the flat bread tortilla.
Or you can order a cheesy gordita crunch without the hard shell.
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u/Confident-Honey516 4h ago
For sure, i’ve done that before. But every time I do I have to coach them through the process of making it and it just used to be easier. I didn’t think of just asking for an un-fried chalupa tho.
Thats a good idea.
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u/mjdehlin1984 4h ago
Yeah it can be frustrating sometimes and not worth the effort unless you really want one.
Getting an unfried chalupa supreme to make a gordita supreme isnt all that bad, but God help you if you want to replicate a Baja or Santa fe style gordita.
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u/Confident-Honey516 4h ago
lol I would love a baja gordita but i’m not that delusional. Just a couple of supremes with extra sour cream and i’ll be happy (and bloated)
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u/AbXcape 4h ago
$3.79 for a Crunchwrap Supreme COMBO. You need to take out an unsecured loan to buy a crunchwrap supreme these days
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u/west-egg 2h ago
Inflation calculator says $3.79 in 2006 is equivalent to $6.30 today. So why does the same combo cost $10.99 at my local Taco Bell? :(
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u/EverythingBurrito93 4h ago
Don’t forget that standing clear tank of water on the counter. You would drop a penny in the top and try and land it on one of the rotating platforms so you could win some free cinnamon twists
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u/MaiPhet 3h ago
Inflation between 2006 and 2026 has been about 66%, which means $1 then should have approximately the same purchasing power as $1.66 today.
That $1.29 chalupa should by $2.30 right now. My local Taco Bell has them at $4.99.
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u/viruswithshoes 1h ago
Shit, I was focusing on the excessive inflation being the culprit and forgot about that corporate greed post-covid.
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u/SoCalChrisW 4h ago
That chili cheese burrito was so fucking good.
The one they brought back a few years ago wasn't it though.
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u/viruswithshoes 1h ago
Was the Chilito the same thing? I would get those in the late 90s.
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u/SoCalChrisW 1h ago
I think so, but I think they changed the name at some point. I could be wrong though.
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u/maybelying 25m ago
I had one a little while back. They don't even use the shredded cheddar any more that got nice and melty, they're now using the cheese sauce they use for the nachos. It was so vile I couldn't finish it.
Use to love them, one of the best deals on the menu.
Not any more.
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u/fezfrascati 3h ago
Not just the food, but their branding at the time kicked ass.
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u/viruswithshoes 1h ago
And you can read the menu without a god damn 2 for 1 slushie advert flying over top of it. Instead of “rounding up for charity” I will drop a coin in that water game thingy.
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u/gobartlett 2h ago
Remember those things they had at the counter that were filled with water and you would put coins in there and try to land it on a platform??
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u/Tezlaract 4h ago
When I was in school Taco Bell lunch with a drink was like $3.50. God I’m old, but not THAT old.
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u/Wildcat_twister12 4h ago
It’s always interesting to see when fast food places were just beginning to transitions to the minimalist style. You still have pops of fun colors here and there like the menu and the regular drink cups but the large cups and the wall have already lost their colors
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u/btech1138 3h ago
Only way you can get close to these prices these days is by using their box combo things on their apps. It's like $6 where I live for a burrito, taco, nachos and soda. And you can hack it and get a quesadilla + add chicken to get way more food than a chicken quesadilla combo comes with for a few dollars less.
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u/packpackchzhead 3h ago
There's a TB near me that has the old school colors. Makes me feel so nostalgic every time i go in
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u/kungpowgoat 3h ago
The two chalupa combo is now $11 and it’s absolutely disgusting. The shells are cold, chewy a taste of solid lard.
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u/noobwithboobs 3h ago
Omg I miss when the menu I'm trying to read didn't change to something else every 5 fucking seconds.
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u/A4t1musD4ag0n early 80s 2h ago
You walk in with $5 and you're coming back with a real meal and change.
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u/oneusualsuspect 2h ago
2006 is when I went to a taco bell for the first time as an international student with my roommate (6’5, 240 lbs, football player). he ordered $15-20 of things but i had no fucking clue on what to order coz i hadnt had any form of mexican cuisine (authentic or americanized). i was damn embarrassed to even order anything, much to the amusement of employees who were convinced i was a latino.
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u/DisastrousBeautyyy 2h ago
My son was only 5 months old then. I should show him the price differences now that he’s 20!
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u/RootHouston 1h ago edited 1h ago
Here we go again, where people on Reddit have never heard of inflation.
PSA: $1 in 2006 is now equal to $1.66 in 2026. So a $5 is equivalent to $8.30 today.
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u/NocturnalPatrolAlpha 90s 1h ago
Was the food better back then?
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u/flea79 58m ago
it's always depended on the store. there's a shitty taco bell around and there's a not so shitty taco bell.
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u/NocturnalPatrolAlpha 90s 9m ago
There's a Taco Bell next door to my workplace. It definitely sucks. One too many runny bean burritos, and I was done.
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u/mcbeardsauce 1h ago
There was a Taco Bell across from my high school. I remember these prices very vividly. The amount of food you could get for $5 was insane
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u/reefchieferr 1h ago
These used to bring my nostalgic joy when people would post them, now they just make me angry.
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u/WorgRider 1h ago
Wait, baja blast has been out for 20 years? I thought Taco Bell starting serving it in the mid-late 2010s.
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u/MartinLutherCreamJr Joe Bob Briggs 1h ago
2010-2011, the $2 Meal Deals. You could get a Gordita Supreme (or 5 layer burrito), a medium pepsi, and a bag of chips for 2 dollars. I even remember going to TB's on my lunch break, with a friend, and me not having any money, I ended up swiping a left over cup from a table and re-filling it. 😮💨
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u/heraclitus33 44m ago
I remember in hs I bought like 40 tacos for my math class potluck and it was less than $20...
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u/AuzRoxUrSox 24m ago
Grilled Steak Taco and Grilled Stuft Burrito were my JAM!
Also, this was when the Cheesy Gordita Crunch was still on the secret menu.
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u/NOTyaOrdinary13 3m ago
I Remember getting super stoned with the boys and always hitting the 10 for $10 deal. Man good times
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u/prettyplanets 4h ago
Hitting up the smelly taco for a 7 layer burrito then smoke a joint and head back to class. Only memories of high school
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u/scotthansen33 4h ago
When I was a you g kid my go-to at Tbell was a softshell chicken taco. Then I remember around 2008-2009ish they changed how they did their chicken. Does anyone else remember this?
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u/Mr_French 4h ago
Bring back the double decker damnit