Taco Bell began testing a new carne asada protein on November 12, 2026, and only in two markets: Nashville, Tennessee and Minneapolis-St. Paul. It appears across six Cantina menu items, and Taco Bell's announcement gives no price for any of them and no last day for the test.
- Status
- Limited timeConfirmed by the company
- Brand
- Taco Bell
- Launch
- November 12, 2026 (Nov 12, 2026)
- Where
- US — Nashville, Tennessee, US — Minneapolis-St. Paul
- Run
- Limited time
- The test started November 12, 2026 and runs in Nashville, Tennessee and the Minneapolis-St. Paul markets only — it is not a national launch.
- Carne asada appears across six Cantina items, each served with an Avocado Verde Salsa packet.
- Taco Bell published no price for any of the six items. Nation's Restaurant News reports starting prices from $3.69 to $8.69.
- No end date has been announced. Taco Bell describes the test as limited-time and says carne asada could earn a permanent spot.
- The test also introduces two new Cantina components: a Sonoran-style tortilla and a purple cabbage slaw.
- Taco Bell describes the protein as lime-paprika marinated steak, cooked sous vide and then seared, and cut into cubes.
What was announced
On November 12, 2026, Taco Bell announced that it had begun testing a new carne asada protein on its Cantina menu in Nashville, Tennessee and throughout the Minneapolis-St. Paul markets, describing it as a limited-market, limited-time test.
The announcement states that carne asada is featured across six Cantina offerings, lists what is in each one, and introduces two new Cantina components alongside it — a Sonoran-style tortilla and a purple cabbage slaw. Taco Bell frames the test as the next step after Cantina slow-roasted chicken and says the protein could earn a permanent place on the platform.
What the announcement does not contain: a price for any item, a last day for the test, any other market, and any date by which Taco Bell will decide whether carne asada expands.
Why it matters
Chains rarely publish the boundaries of a test this plainly, and the boundaries are the useful part. Two named markets means most readers searching for this cannot buy it, and that is the answer they need first.
It is also a price-provenance case. Starting prices for all six items are circulating in trade and consumer coverage, but they are not Taco Bell's published figures — the company's own announcement has none. This page keeps that distinction rather than flattening the two into one number.
Where the test is running
Two markets, named by Taco Bell: Nashville, Tennessee, and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Everywhere else, the answer to "can I order this" is no.
Taco Bell calls this a limited-market test and frames it as a step toward deciding what steak looks like across the chain, building on the earlier introduction of Cantina slow-roasted chicken. The company says carne asada "has the potential to become a permanent part of the platform" — which is a statement of possibility, not a commitment, and no date or decision point is attached to it.
All six items in the test
Taco Bell lists six Cantina offerings built on the new protein, each served with an Avocado Verde Salsa packet:
- Cantina Carne Asada Chalupa Lime Bowl — seasoned rice, carne asada, black beans, lettuce, purple cabbage slaw, guacamole, a mozzarella/cheddar/pepperjack blend, pico de gallo, reduced-fat sour cream and Spicy Ranch Sauce, topped with chile lime seasoned Chalupa chips - Cantina Carne Asada Burrito — a Sonora-style flour tortilla with carne asada, purple cabbage slaw, lettuce, Spicy Ranch Sauce, the three-cheese blend and pico de gallo, grilled - Cantina Carne Asada Crispy Taco — a fried white-corn shell with carne asada, Spicy Ranch Sauce and the cheese blend inside, with grilled cheese on the outside - Cantina Carne Asada Soft Taco — a Sonora-style flour tortilla with carne asada, Spicy Ranch Sauce, purple cabbage slaw, the cheese blend and pico de gallo - Cantina Carne Asada Rolled Quesadilla — a Sonora-style flour tortilla with carne asada, the cheese blend and Spicy Ranch Sauce, rolled, grilled and cut - Cantina Carne Asada Street Chalupa — a street-sized fried Chalupa shell with a cheese layer baked inside, carne asada, Spicy Ranch Sauce and the cheese blend
The item descriptions above are Taco Bell's own.
Taco Bell published no prices — here is where the numbers come from
Taco Bell's announcement contains no price for any of the six items.
Nation's Restaurant News, reporting on the same day, lists starting prices: the Chalupa Lime Bowl from $8.69, the Rolled Quesadilla from $7.19, the Burrito from $6.99, and the Crispy Taco, Soft Taco and Street Chalupa each from $3.69. Those are a trade publication's figures, not Taco Bell's, and this site does not record a price on the structured product record unless the company itself states it. Taco Bell's standard disclaimer also applies: prices and participation vary by location.
So if you are in Nashville or Minneapolis-St. Paul, treat those numbers as a guide and expect your restaurant to differ.
What is new besides the steak
Two components arrive with the test and are worth separating from the protein itself, because they could outlast it: a Sonoran-style tortilla and a purple cabbage slaw. Nation's Restaurant News reports the Sonoran tortilla runs 10 inches on the burrito and rolled quesadilla and 5 inches on the soft taco.
Taco Bell distinguishes the new carne asada from its existing steak by the marinade, the cut and the sear — a citrus-forward marinade, a darker sear and what it calls a taco-shop inspired cut.
Common questions
- Where can I get Taco Bell's carne asada?
- Only in Nashville, Tennessee and the Minneapolis-St. Paul markets. Taco Bell named those two markets and no others, so it is not available nationally.
- When did the carne asada test start?
- November 12, 2026. Taco Bell's announcement that day said the test begins "starting today".
- How much does Taco Bell's carne asada cost?
- Taco Bell has not published a price for any of the six items. Nation's Restaurant News reports starting prices from $3.69 for the tacos and Street Chalupa up to $8.69 for the Chalupa Lime Bowl, but those figures come from the publication rather than from Taco Bell, and Taco Bell says prices vary by location.
- When does the carne asada test end?
- No last day has been announced. Taco Bell describes it only as a limited-time, limited-market test.
- Will carne asada go nationwide?
- Taco Bell has not said it will. The company says carne asada has the potential to become a permanent part of the Cantina platform and that the test could help shape the future of its steak offerings, which is a possibility rather than a plan, and no decision date was given.
- What is the difference from Taco Bell's regular steak?
- Taco Bell points to three things: a citrus-forward lime-paprika marinade, a darker sear, and a taco-shop inspired cubed cut. The new protein is cooked sous vide and then seared.
Sources
Taco Bell · Press release · checked Nov 14, 2026
- The carne asada test began November 12, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee and the Minneapolis-St. Paul markets
- Carne asada is featured across six Cantina offerings, each served with an Avocado Verde Salsa packet
- Taco Bell describes the protein as lime-paprika marinated steak that is sous vide then seared and cut into cubes
- The test introduces a Sonoran-style tortilla and a purple cabbage slaw to the Cantina lineup
- Taco Bell calls the test limited-time and says carne asada could become a permanent part of the platform
- Taco Bell's announcement states no price for any of the six items and names no end date
Nation's Restaurant News · Food publication · checked Nov 14, 2026
- Nation's Restaurant News reports starting prices for all six carne asada items, which Taco Bell's own announcement does not publish
- Nation's Restaurant News describes the Sonoran tortilla as 10 inches on the burrito and rolled quesadilla and 5 inches on the soft taco