When Taco Bell came calling, asking if I’d be willing to give their new Cantina Steak Burrito a try, my first instinct was to decline. I’m not a big fast food eater and I haven’t eaten at a Taco Bell in years. Ever since my days in Southern California, I can’t bring myself to eat a steak burrito unless it’s at an authentic mexican restaurant with a really great margarita. But then I thought, why not? I’m a HUGE fan of mexican food and the burrito itself sounded pretty good. Worth a shot, at least!

I decided to make it really fun and recreate the same steak burrito at home, then compare the two. Here’s the description of the Cantina Steak Burrito, as taken directly from the Taco Bell site:

Experience our all new tender-braised thick cut steak marinated in Chef Lorena Garcia’s authentic Latin recipe, premium Latin rice, flavorful black beans, guacamole made from real Hass avocados, pico de gallo prepared fresh daily, roasted corn & pepper salsa and a creamy cilantro dressing, all wrapped in a warm flour tortilla. Also available in Chicken or Veggie.

So that’s what I made. I don’t know what Chef Lorena Garcia’s marinade is so I just used my old standby when I make my own carne asada tacos. I whipped up everything else and I think the flavors came pretty darn close to Taco Bell’s version.

The end result? Yes, I liked mine best. But it’s hard to compete with a chef making their own burrito exactly how they like it. And the Taco Bell burrito was pretty darn delicious! I bought one for me, one for Alan and we both really liked it. It actually COMPLETELY changed my view of Taco Bell; I always think of just their basic ground beef tacos that have been around forever. But the Cantina Steak Burrito had rice, black beans, bites of steak and lots of other goodies, it was actually quite tasty and the ingredients seemed very fresh. My one gripe *might* be the guacamole; I prefer really fresh, made-at-your-table chunky guacamole. There was absolutely nothing wrong with their guac, I’m just very particular about mine. But if that’s my only criticism, I would say that Taco Bell has won a pretty stellar review from me. It’s definitely something I’d swing and pick up sometime if I needed a tasty lunch or dinner on the go!

This post is sponsored by Taco Bell. See how great our steak is when you try the new Cantina Steak Burrito. Because when it comes to a great steak burrito, it’s all about the steak.