The Choco Taco’s disappearance left a hole in America’s frozen dessert landscape, but Salt & Straw and Taco Bell just filled it with something far more ambitious. Their new Tacolate transforms childhood nostalgia into artisan craft, featuring a hand-pressed waffle cone shell filled with cinnamon ancho chili ice cream, dunked in single-origin dark chocolate, and finished with toasted brown rice for crunch.
This isn’t your gas station impulse buy. Each Tacolate comes with two sauce packets branded in Taco Bell’s signature style—Wildberry Cinnamon and Mango Jalapeño—designed to be poured over the dessert like condiments on an actual taco. The construction required serious engineering: that waffle cone shell stays structurally sound without getting soggy, while the ice cream balances sweet cinnamon warmth with subtle ancho heat.
Premium Pricing for Premium Craft
You’ll pay $6.95 in Salt & Straw shops across Oregon, Washington, California, New York, Florida, Nevada, Arizona, and New England, or around $65 for a six-pack shipped nationwide with a custom keychain. At 420 calories per serving, it’s positioned as an occasional indulgence rather than an everyday treat.
Salt & Straw co-founder Tyler Malek described the collaboration as “a long development process to bring the product to market,” according to Fox13 Seattle, emphasizing the craft approach behind what could have been a simple novelty item.
Cultural Collision Creates Buzz
This collaboration builds on Salt & Straw’s ice cream taco experiments dating back to 2016, but the Taco Bell partnership elevates it into cultural phenomenon territory. Reviews from outlets like Tasting Table highlight the complex flavor interplay between spice, chocolate richness, and textural contrasts—exactly the kind of Instagram-worthy, limited-edition drop that drives modern food enthusiasm.
High demand at launch locations suggests consumers crave these boundary-crossing collaborations that treat nostalgia as raw material for innovation rather than simple recreation. The Tacolate succeeds because it respects both brands’ strengths: Salt & Straw’s ingredient obsession meets Taco Bell’s playful irreverence. That’s a recipe worth the hype.
