Taco Bell removing 5 more menu items including Mexican Pizza, but adding some, too

The bad news is Taco Bell is removing five more menu items — in addition to the dozen announced earlier this summer.

The good news is the chain also is adding two things and says it won’t revamp the menu anymore this year and teased there may be more “plant-based alternatives” in the future.

Taco Bell will remove the Mexican pizza, pico de gallo and shredded chicken — Shredded Chicken Soft Taco, Shredded Chicken Burrito and Shredded Chicken Quesadilla Melt — as of Nov. 5.

The company said part of the reason for removing the Mexican pizza is because it “helps us work towards our commitment to leave a lighter footprint on our planet. Currently, Mexican Pizza packaging accounts for over 7 million pounds of paperboard material per year in the U.S.”

Addressing vegetarians, Taco Bell said those customers can “swap out any meat for original plant-based proteins — black and pinto beans.”

And, added this teaser — “And who knows, you may see additional plant-based alternatives at Taco Bell in the near future.”

Taco Bell said the pizza combo will be replaced by the returning classic Taco Bell combo. “Combo #8 will now feature three Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos Supreme with a large drink for $6.99.”

The Pico de Gallo will be replaced by fresh diced tomatoes. Soon, customers will be able to swap nacho cheese sauce, shredded cheese, mayo-based sauces and low-fat sour cream with tomatoes.

Options similar to shredded chicken protein based options can choose the the classic Chicken Quesadilla or the new Chicken Chipotle Melt.

The new Chicken Chipotle Melt on the Cravings Value Menu includes “marinated all-white meat grilled chicken, creamy chipotle sauce, and cheddar cheese rolled and melted together.”

A new tropical frozen beverage, Dragonfruit Freeze, will be available starting Sept. 24.

“We want to reassure our fans that this is the final phase of our 2020 menu revamp,” Taco Bell said.

One item previously removed from the menu can still be ordered using the mobile app - the Quesarito and, Taco Bell said although the 7 Layer Burrito is gone, “Taco Bell’s menu is easy to customize. We encourage guests to play around on our mobile app or on our website, you never know what fan favorites you can recreate!”