Is Taco Bell's Pacific Shrimp Taco Worth the Price?

The latest addition to Taco Bell's growing menu of quasi-Mexican fast food offerings is the new Pacific Shrimp Taco. Commercials for the new item tout its best-in-the-world shrimp in what seems to be an obvious attempt to break out of the "beef-beans-chicken-repeat" routine that the fast food chain so frequently indulges in.

Upon positive recommendation from the cashier I order three Pacific Shrimp Tacos, only to find that there were only enough ingredients in the store to make two. It seems strange that Taco Bell wouldn't check and double check that they had enough supplies to make the item they're currently featuring above all others. Before I had even taken the plunge into the ocean of uncertainty that was fast-food shrimp, I was left gasping for air when I saw my order's total. Six dollars and three cents. I'll admit, I've spent six dollars at Taco Bell before, but in the past that amount has garnered me enough food to become excessively bloated and near the point of vomiting.

Toto, we're not in the value menu anymore.

When I got home I unwrapped my first Pacific Shrimp taco and was surprised to find....well...I wasn't surprised at all. The offering looked exactly like most of Taco Bell's signature items. Average-sized tortilla, lettuce and tomatoes poking out, no visible signs of meat or significant sustenance. The tortilla certainly wasn't exploding with ingredients or packed tight with jumbo-sized shrimp as advertisement would have you believe. Regardless, I put my reservations aside and dove into my first bite of this unsure experience.

My first impression was undeniable; the avocado ranch dressing adorning the taco was very overpowering. My first couple of bites were actually devoid of any shrimp flavor because of the strength of this sauce. The texture of the shrimp wasn't concerning or problematic, and their size was also nothing I'll throw a fit about. No one is expecting Grade-A Jumbo shrimp for Taco Bell, so finding something larger than a dime was enough to impress me. When I took an individual shrimp out of the taco, wiped off the sauce, and gave it a try, I was pleasantly surprised. The seasoning the shrimp is cooked in has a bit of a kick to it and is extremely flavorful. I was left wishing I just had a bowl of these to devour.

I finished up my first taco and plowed through the second one. Although I had genuinely enjoyed the overall flavor, texture, and aroma of the Pacific Shrimp taco, my stomach was hardly satisfied and my wallet was still reeling from the purchase. While I would definitely eat Taco Bell's oceanic offering again, I don't think I'll purchase one. For an average-sized taco half-full of ingredients that overpower the quality flavor of the shrimp, $3 is a whale of a price. When you've got to pay that much, maybe they should call it the Pacific Skimp taco.