Burger King Tacos: Here's What You Should Know Before You Order One

When it's a fast food taco you want, you know you can always turn to Taco Bell. But sometimes Taco Bell's tacos don't scratch that down-and-dirty, greasy, fast-food taco itch. The shells are a little too plain, the cheddar shreds resemble actual cheese, and you can even make out the crumbles of ground beef. When you're looking for the opposite of that taco, you head to Jack in the Box — or at least you used to. There's good news for all you deep-fried taco lovers looking for another option: Burger King's Crispy Tacos have landed on menus nationwide, and they're definitely going to scratch that greasy taco itch. The best part? They're only $1 (in most locations).

According to BK's website, the chain's latest non-burger menu addition features "a crispy, crunchy tortilla, filled with delicious, seasoned beef, shredded cheddar cheese and lettuce, all topped with just the right amount of our savory taco sauce." But don't let the Burger King glamour shots fool you. According to a review by Business Insider, they "were baffled by the warped greasy shell, which looked nothing like the advertisement promised it would." The new crispy tacos appear to be a dead ringer for Jack's offering, and as BI notes, feature that meat-cheese puree that we've come to expect out of a deep-fried taco.

Burger King's tacos are just one in a series of recent — shall we say... unusual? — menu additions at fast food chains, and one Twitter user surmised that the onslaught can be attributed to a certain drug being legalized, saying, "Taco Bell now sells fries. Burger King is putting burger patties on tacos. KFC is putting Cheetos on chicken sandwiches. Sour Patch Kids now have a cereal. They definitely have legalized weed and put everyone who is high as f**k in charge of their menus." That actually would explain a lot...

So why did Burger King really decide to get into the taco game after all these years? Plain and simple, fast food tacos are popular, reports CNN Business, and BK likely wants to get in on that action. A Jack in the Box VP told CNN that its tacos have been "a #1 seller and a fan favorite for years," calling them a "stand out distinction for us." Who can blame Burger King for horning in on Jack's "thing" and getting a piece of that pie? Popularity aside, the burger-centric chain gets people talking about its brand by adding an unexpected item to the menu. It's hard to resist a #burgerkingtaco Instagram post, after all, and all that buzz is free marketing for the company.

Reviews are mixed on the new offering — Thrillist reported that they could not, in good conscience, recommend Burger King's crispy tacos, using words like "sludgy" and "gooey," which they say should never be used to describe taco filling. Social media hasn't been kind in its reaction to BK's tacos, either. One Twitter user did for dirty work for the masses, saying, "I ate the Burger King taco so you wouldn't have to. It's the worst fast food item I've ever had." Another likened the sad piece of lettuce included in the taco to a used napkin. 

But what are we really expecting out of a taco from Burger King that costs a mere dollar? One Instagram taste tester put it best, saying, "Now we're not quite sure if these are frozen and then heated up, or made fresh, but they certainly taste like the former. As if you were to buy a box of beef and cheese taquitos from the freezer aisle. But guess what? We like those taquitos. And we like these! You must temper your expectations when getting $1 tacos from a burger place. We definitely would buy again!" Another Instagrammer also gave BK's tacos high marks for flavor, saying, "The presentation doesn't look the best but it actually doesn't taste bad at all considering that. I like the taste of the meat better than Taco Bell's taco and they use a real corn tortilla. Not bad for a $1 considering its a Burger Joint making a taco... Just wish the presentation was better."

If gooey taco filling sounds perfectly delicious to you, and you couldn't care less about presentation, there is some bad news: Burger King's Crispy Tacos are only available for a limited time, so skip the Whopper and load up on the deep-fried delights while you can.