Taco Bell's Decades #TBTB menu, themed on 2016, launched nationwide on August 20, 2026 with four returning items: the Naked Chicken Chalupa at $5.99, the Beefy Crunch Burrito at $2.79, the Meximelt at $2.99 and the Caramel Apple Empanada at $2.99. Rewards members got the Beefy Crunch Burrito two days early, on August 18. No end date has been announced.
- Status
- ReturningConfirmed by the company
- Brand
- Taco Bell
- Launch
- August 20 (Rewards early access from August 18) (Aug 20, 2026)
- Where
- US — participating locations
- Run
- Limited time
- Price
- Naked Chicken Chalupa $5.99, Meximelt $2.99, Caramel Apple Empanada $2.99, Beefy Crunch Burrito $2.79 — Taco Bell states prices and participation vary by location; delivery is higher
- Nationwide from August 20, 2026; Rewards early access to the Beefy Crunch Burrito from August 18
- Naked Chicken Chalupa — $5.99, and also in the $9 Discovery Luxe Box
- Beefy Crunch Burrito — $2.79
- Meximelt — $2.99
- Caramel Apple Empanada — $2.99
- All four prices come from Taco Bell and vary by location
- This is the third chapter of the Decades Menu; the 2025 one was Y2K-themed
- No end date has been announced
What’s coming back
Four items from Taco Bell's 2016 menu, back nationwide from August 20, 2026 under the name Decades #TBTB: the Naked Chicken Chalupa, the Beefy Crunch Burrito, the Meximelt and the Caramel Apple Empanada. Taco Bell Rewards members were given the Beefy Crunch Burrito first, in-app, from August 18. Taco Bell has published a price for each item and no end date for any of them.
When it was last around
Taco Bell states that the Naked Chicken Chalupa was originally available only as a test, in Kansas City, in 2016. The Meximelt is described by the company as a core menu staple in 2016 and a standout from earlier Decades returns. The Beefy Crunch Burrito is described as a cult favourite that has come back more than once, with a fan campaign that has followed each return. The Caramel Apple Empanada was on Taco Bell's Decades Y2K menu in September 2025. Beyond that the company has not published a run-by-run history, and this page does not print dates it has not given.
How long: Limited time — Taco Bell published no last day — The dated windows in the announcement are promotional, not the menu's end date
Why people care
The Beefy Crunch Burrito has an organised fan campaign behind it that Taco Bell acknowledges in its own release, and the Naked Chicken Chalupa is the item that gets asked about every time the chain hints at a return, in part because most people never had a chance to buy it — it was a single-market test. A Decades chapter is also the only reliable way these items come back, so the announcement functions as the answer to a question people ask year-round.
The four items, in Taco Bell's own words
Naked Chicken Chalupa, $5.99. Taco Bell describes it as its crispy chicken shell, made with all-white-meat chicken marinated in bold Mexican-inspired spices, holding cheddar cheese, crisp lettuce, diced tomatoes and creamy Avocado Ranch Sauce. It is also available inside the $9 Discovery Luxe Box, which the company says adds a Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito, a Crunchy Taco, chips with nacho cheese sauce and a medium fountain drink.
Beefy Crunch Burrito, $2.79. Described as seasoned beef, Flamin' Hot Fritos, seasoned rice, reduced-fat sour cream and nacho cheese sauce.
Meximelt, $2.99. Described as seasoned beef, freshly prepared pico de gallo and a warm three-cheese blend in a soft flour tortilla.
Caramel Apple Empanada, $2.99. Described as warm apple pieces and caramel inside a golden crispy pastry.
Taco Bell notes that prices and participation vary by location and that prices are higher with delivery.
The Naked Chicken Chalupa is the reason this one got attention
The other three items have been through Taco Bell's rotation more recently. The fried-chicken-shell chalupa has not, and Taco Bell's own release supplies the detail most coverage skips: it was originally available only as a test, in Kansas City, in 2016.
That is what makes the 2016 theme fit rather than being a marketing frame bolted on afterwards. Taco Bell calls it "one of the most requested mid-2010s returns" and ties it to what the company describes as the fearless innovation of the era.
Decades is now a recurring format, not a one-off
This is the third chapter of Taco Bell's Decades Menu. The previous one, announced in August 2025 and launched that September, was Y2K-themed and brought back five 2000s items — the Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos, 7-Layer Burrito, Chili Cheese Burrito, Double Decker Taco and the Caramel Apple Empanada — all at $3 or less.
The structure repeats almost exactly: a small set of returning items, Rewards early access on one of them, weekly Tuesday merch drops, and a cultural partner. In 2025 it was Ed Hardy and Lil Jon. In 2026 it is Anti Social Social Club, the screen-free camera brand Camp Snap, and Divine, a six-second looping video app Taco Bell says launched publicly on August 20 alongside the menu.
The Caramel Apple Empanada has now appeared in two consecutive Decades chapters, which is worth knowing if you are treating any of these returns as a last chance.
How long it lasts has not been announced
Taco Bell calls the Decades #TBTB menu a limited-time run and gives no last day. The dated items in the release are all promotional: the Rewards early access window of August 18 to 19, the Tuesday Drop on August 25, and an in-app offer sequence running from August 25 to September 14. None of those is the menu's end date, and the September 14 date in particular is the one most likely to get quoted as if it were.
This page re-checks in late September and an end date will be added here if Taco Bell publishes one.
Common questions
- Is the Naked Chicken Chalupa back?
- Yes. It returned nationwide on August 20, 2026 as part of Taco Bell's Decades #TBTB menu, priced at $5.99.
- How much is the Beefy Crunch Burrito?
- $2.79, per Taco Bell. Prices vary by location and are higher with delivery.
- When does the Decades #TBTB menu end?
- Taco Bell has not said. It describes the menu as limited-time without giving a last day. The dates in the announcement — August 25 for the merch drop, September 14 for the end of the in-app offer run — are promotional, not the menu's end date.
- What is in the $9 Discovery Luxe Box?
- Taco Bell says it includes the Naked Chicken Chalupa, a Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito, a Crunchy Taco, chips with nacho cheese sauce and a medium fountain drink.
- Has the Caramel Apple Empanada been back before?
- Yes. It was also on the Decades Y2K menu that Taco Bell ran in September 2025.
Sources
Taco Bell · Press release · checked Aug 22, 2026
- The Decades #TBTB menu launched nationwide on August 20, 2026
- Taco Bell Rewards members got early access to the Beefy Crunch Burrito from August 18
- Official prices: Naked Chicken Chalupa $5.99, Beefy Crunch Burrito $2.79, Meximelt $2.99, Caramel Apple Empanada $2.99
- The Naked Chicken Chalupa is also in the $9 Discovery Luxe Box
- Taco Bell's own descriptions of each of the four items
- The Naked Chicken Chalupa was originally a 2016 test in Kansas City
- This is the third chapter of the Decades Menu
- No end date was published
Taco Bell · Press release · checked Aug 22, 2026
- The previous Decades chapter was the Y2K menu, announced August 28, 2025 and launched September 9
- The Caramel Apple Empanada was also on the Y2K menu
- The Decades format pairs returning items with merch drops and Rewards early access