Taco Bell Rewinds To The 2000s With The Y2K Decades Menu And It's A Millennial's Dream

Welcome back to Y2K, when Paris Hilton was telling us what was hot and the millennium (and the Willennium) was upon us. Perhaps the most magical aspect of the time period, however, was the Taco Bell menu. This was a simpler time of Chili Cheese Burritos, 7-Layer Burritos, and a brand new kind of super taco, the Double Decker Taco. And as a millennial child, the menu would wind up being formative to my Taco Bell opinions possibly forever.

Well, dreams are about to come true, because this fall, Taco Bell is bringing back fan-favorites with its new Y2K Decades Menu, featuring five beloved menu items of the 2000s era. In addition to these returning menu items, Taco Bell will also be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Crunchwrap Supreme with a new Discovery Luxe Cravings Box for $9 — luxe, indeed. It also comes with something called a "Crunchkin," which is described as "Taco Bell's first digital pet companion that grows as fans purchase Y2K menu items."

This begs the question, however ... How good actually were these items? Were they as amazing as we remember, or were we just ... kids? Do these former Taco Bell bestsellers stand the test of time and taste buds 20+ years later, or are they only delicious in our memories? I was about to find out at Taco Bell's Throwback Y2K Bash to kick off the new menu, and share my data with you, preparing us all for what will either be a wonderful walk down memory lane — or something best left in the past.

Oh, and all of these menu items (not including the Discovery Luxe Cravings Box) are priced at under $3. Why is Taco Bell so cheap? There are reasons, but it's nice to know you can always count on Taco Bell to save money no matter what. Now, let's hop in a time machine and go back to the 2000s, hm?

Fans have been begging for the return of the Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco ever since it was removed from the Taco Bell menu. The ever-popular sequel to the O.G. Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco (the only Doritos Locos Taco on the menu full-time) is back at last in all of its tangy, seasoned glory, complete with its ranch-flavored shell packed with beef, lettuce, and cheese.

Personally, I find the Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco to be a little much and sort of artificial tasting. It's just too much cheese for one little taco. Cool Ranch has always been the superior flavor, and I am elated to report that the Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco is just as good as it was back in the 2000s. It's got that zesty, singular ranch flavoring that gives the taco a fun zing, for when you want more than just a regular crunchy taco. Add some Taco Bell Fire Sauce to it and it almost reminds me of the love of my life (the lost Fiery Doritos Locos Taco). That seasoning really gets all over your face every time you take a bite and it's totally worth it.

The Double Decker Taco first came about before Y2K in 1995, but made a triumphant return in 2006. A bean-filled soft taco tortilla is wrapped around a regular crunchy taco creating, perhaps, the perfect food. This was the menu item I personally was most excited to try as it was my favorite menu item as a kid. When the Double Deck Taco first came out, I didn't know how to comprehend its existence — it was a taco but also sort of a burrito? What? Exactly. If ever you can't decide between a taco and a burrito, this glorious item is here for you. Then again, I could be remembering it wrong and giving it too much credit. I was about to find out if the Double Decker Taco lived up to my sky-high expectations.

... And, folks, it does. One bite of this thing and I am 12 years old again, not knowing what I am eating but totally glad about it regardless. I even love the way the refried beans make the crunchy taco shell kind of soft. It's just a comforting taco that tastes like three different items (cruncy taco, soft taco, bean burrito) and I wish it would stick around forever.

The 7-Layer Burrito was a masterclass in Taco Bell layering (and a vegetarian favorite). The burrito contains refried beans, rice, reduced-fat sour cream, crispy lettuce, diced tomatoes, guacamole, and a three-cheese blend, perfectly layered inside of a flour tortilla. I'm not well-versed in this menu item (more of a purist bean burrito woman, myself), but I was looking forward to tasting it.

As it turns out, the 7-Layer Burrito is also very good. It tastes like nachos but inside of a tortilla. The guacamole was extremely present, but that's okay with me. If you want a burrito that truly tastes like a big pile of nachos but burrito, you're going to love this thing. Sometimes when fast food places pack this many ingredients into one item it's a nightmare, but not this burrito. It didn't convert me to ordering it over a regular bean burrito from Taco Bell, but it showed me a good time regardless.

People love the Chili Cheese Burrito back so much that someone actually created a tracker to find Taco Bell locations that still served it. This Fall, however, the tracker is no longer needed because the Chili Cheese Burrito — which used to have a different name — composed of chili and cheddar cheese inside of a flour tortilla has finally returned.

Despite not remembering if I've ever had it, the Chili Cheese Burrito literally tasted like childhood. I didn't expect to like it because I'm typically not a chili burrito person, but this thing is ... incredible? Apparently I wasn't the only one who thought so — it was a favorite of the night by most people. The chili has a taste to it that is so specific. This is the item of all of the Y2K items that tastes the most like the 2000s. Eating it made me feel like I was a kid eating Taco Bell. And there's no higher praise than that, really.

The Caramel Apple Empanada made its grand debut in the early 2000s and has long had fans begging for its return. Their wish has been granted — the warm apple and caramel filled empanada has been released from the vault.

I was sort of shocked by this little dessert. The outside is incredibly crispy to a surprising degree. Seriously, the crust is amazing — I would eat just the crust if I could. Luckily the rest of it is also delicious. Some people noted around me that their Apple Empanada didn't have as much caramel in it, but I think that might've been because mine was filled with all of their caramel. I didn't mind. It tasted like a caramel apple pie but with a better, crispier crust. I have never been a fan of the desserts at Taco Bell but I guess that's because I'd never tried this thing. Dang, it's good.

Overall, the Y2K Decades menu does not dissappoint. It's a time capsule that will send your taste buds back to the 2000s and the days of AIM and your mom picking you up at the mall — for millennials in particular since we were of a certain age. The Chili Cheese Burrito is the clear representative of this feeling, as it truly tastes like the past in the best possible way. My personal favorite is, and will always be, the Double Decker Taco, though. It tastes today just as it did when I was 12 and taking a bite of it is basically a comfort simulation.