Secret fast food: 10 items you won't see on the menu

Ten of the strangest, most innovative entrees you won't see on fast food menus – but can get anyway, if you ask. 

7. Cheesy Gordita Crunch (Taco Bell)

Paul Sakuma/AP/File
A Taco Bell restaurant in Mountain View, Calif. Many discontinued Taco Bell menu items, including the Cheesy Gordita Crunch, can still be ordered off-menu in certain locations.

Here’s the not-so-secret secret about Taco Bell: Every entrée shares many of the same ingredients. This means two things: First, like at Starbucks, it is possible to get any listed menu item in any variety you can think of (everything can be easily made vegetarian, for instance). Second, depending on the specific location, most “discontinued” items are usually available off-menu. Case in point: the Cheesy Gordita Crunch.

The Cheesy Gordita Crunch is nothing more than a hard-shell taco wrapped in cheese and a soft Gordita shell (which is a lot like a pita). It’s offered on some Taco Bell menus. But even where it isn’t on display, every Taco Bell restaurant carries all of the necessary ingredients. So if you crave one, most are happy to oblige.  

7 of 10
You've read 3 of 3 free articles. Subscribe to continue.
CSM logo

Why is Christian Science in our name?

Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The Christian Science Church, and we’ve always been transparent about that.

The Church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, we’ve aimed “to injure no man, but to bless all mankind,” as our founder, Mary Baker Eddy, put it.

Here, you’ll find award-winning journalism not driven by commercial influences – a news organization that takes seriously its mission to uplift the world by seeking solutions and finding reasons for credible hope.

Explore values journalism About us