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What to Eat at Taco Bueno: Healthy Menu Choices and Nutrition Facts
By Malia Frey Malia Frey Malia Frey is a weight loss expert, certified health coach, weight management specialist, personal trainer, and fitness nutrition specialist. Learn about our editorial process Updated on May 31, 2022 Medically reviewed Verywell Fit articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and nutrition and exercise healthcare professionals.
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Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates.
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Learn more. by Mia Syn, MS, RDN Medically reviewed by
Mia Syn, MS, RDN Mia Syn, MS, RDN is a registered dietitian nutritionist with a master of science in human nutrition. She is also the host of Good Food Friday on ABC News 4.
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Learn about our Medical Review Board Print Verywell / Christian Alzate Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Navigating the Menu Tacos Burritos Nachos & Chips Quesadillas Salads & Bowls Platters Sides Sweets Beverages Diet-Specific Options Food Allergy and Safety Taco Bueno is a popular fast food restaurant located in the southern United States. Its menu features traditional Tex-Mex-style fare.
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As with other fast-food restaurants that specialize in this cuisine, the bulk of Taco Bueno’s menu features seasoned meat, corn and flour tortillas, cheese blends, and classic sides and toppings such as jalapeños, guacamole, and salsa. Many of Taco Bueno’s offerings are high in calories, sodium, and carbohydrates. Many also contain trans fats, which the American Heart Association recommends limiting to no more than 2g per day.
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However, when you know how the items on the menu are prepared, what ingredients are used, and what your options for customization are, it is possible to make choices that align with your dietary needs and preferences. What Experts Say "Other than salads and burrito bowls, choices at Taco Bueno don't offer many vegetables and most are very high in sodium. If you’re eating here on a regular basis, try to customize your meal to include veggies, or choose a side of beans to add fiber and protein to any meals that lack these nutrients." —Willow Jarosh, MS, RD
Navigating the Menu Menu categories at Taco Bueno include tacos, burritos, quesadillas, salads and bowls, as well as combo meals and platters.
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Nutrition facts for Taco Bueno’s menu items are available online. You can also use the information provided on the chain’s website to learn more about ingredients, allergens, and preparation methods. What to Order & Avoid at Taco Bueno Most Nutritious Options
Least Nutritious Options Original Crispy Taco With Chicken (Tacos)
The Muchacho With Beef (Tacos) Potato Burrito With Chicken (Burritos)
Bueno Burrito With Beef (Burritos) Party Nachos (Nachos)
Mucho Nachos With Beef (Nachos) Party Quesadilla (Quesadillas)
Beef Quesadilla (Quesadillas) Nacho Salad With Chicken (Salads & Bowls)
Big Freakin' Taco Salad With Beef (Salads & Bowls) Taco Platter With Beef (Platters)
Wholotta Platter With Beef (Platters) Mexican Rice (Sides)
Party Beans (Sides) Cinnamon Churros (Sweets)
Cinnamon Chips (Sweets) Unsweet Tea (Beverages)
Fanta Orange (Beverages)
Most Nutritious Option For the most nutritious menu item at Taco Bueno, look to the taco section and order the original crispy taco with chicken—it's the most nutritious option overall.
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Tacos Soft or hard shell flour and corn tortilla tacos are a staple of Mexican-inspired cuisine. Taco Bueno’s menu offers mostly traditional takes, but you can also customize your taco according to your tastes and dietary needs. Taco Bueno's tacos vary in nutritional value.
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In general, when choosing between chicken and beef, remember that chicken is often lower in calories and fat while being higher in protein. Taco Bueno's beef option also typically comes with about 1g trans fat while the chicken has none.
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Unless you’ll be sharing the meal, avoid the taco, burrito, and nacho combo meals and platters. Most are well over 1,000 calories and high in fat and sodium.
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Original Crispy Taco With Chicken Of the tacos on the regular menu, the original crispy taco with chicken is the more nutritious option with 143 calories, 5g fat, 2g saturated fat, 10g carbohydrate, 12g protein, 280mg sodium per order of 3 tacos. The Muchacho With Beef The Muchacho with beef taco comes in at 530 calories, 32.2g fat, 11.7g saturated fat, 48.5g carbohydrate, 18.5g protein, and 967.1mg sodium. If you're in the mood for beef tacos, check out the Bueno Value Menu section of the menu where you'll find the party taco—a smaller version of the original crispy beef taco made with taco meat, lettuce, grated cheddar cheese, and tomatoes.
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At 130 calories, 8.2g fat, 3.4g saturated fat, 7.7g carbohydrate, 5.8g protein, and 241.2mg sodium, it's the most nutritious beef taco on the menu. Green Chile Chicken Taco Recipe
Burritos The burritos at Taco Bueno are customizable but use mostly traditional ingredients such as beef and chicken, refried beans, shredded cheese, Mexican spices, and chili. You can also get sides of guacamole, extra veggies, or sour cream.
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Potato Burrito With Chicken The potato burrito with chicken offers 290 calories, 12.6g fat, 5.4g saturated fat, 31.1g carbohydrate, 11.7g protein, and 674.1mg sodium. With hash browns, chicken, lettuce, and cheese wrapped in a soft tortilla, it's the most nutritious burrito option on the menu.
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Bueno Burrito With Beef The Bueno burrito with beef comes in at 660 calories, 35.1g fat, 14g saturated fat, 70.1g carbohydrate, 25g protein, and 1598.4mg sodium. Another burrito-like option is from the Bueno Value Menu section: a grilled taco rollup.
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With beef, it provides 180 calories, 9g total fat, 3,6g saturated fat, 16.1g carbohydrate, 7.9g protein, and 447mg sodium. Beans and Greens Chicken Burrito Recipe
Nachos & Chips From a standard size of crunchy corn tortilla chips to fully loaded nachos, Taco Bueno has all the standard nacho offerings as well as party-sized platters.
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Party Nachos The party nachos, which are technically on the Bueno Value Menu section of the menu, come in at 230 calories, 14.6g fat, 5.7g saturated fat, 24.5g carbohydrate, 7.3g protein, and 657.5g sodium. Menu Tip For a smaller, snack-sized portion, look to the Taco Bueno kid’s menu. Save over 100 calories by getting a regular order of chips without any dip.
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You can ask for a side of salsa (10 calories or less per serving) instead of queso. Mucho Nachos With Beef Mucho Nachos with beef provide 930 calories, 60.5g fat, 24g saturated fat, 83.3g carbohydrate, 36.4g protein, and 2748.8mg sodium.
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Switch to the chicken version of the Mucho Nachos for 6g less fat and 5g more protein. With either option, consider sharing this order with the table. How to Make Low-Carb Nachos
Quesadillas Cheesy quesadillas are another staple of Tex-Mex style fast food.
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Taco Bueno offers basic cheese, chicken, or beef quesadillas on its regular menu and smaller versions on the kids' menu. Party Quesadilla On the Bueno Value Menu section of the menu, you'll find the party quesadilla, which is a smaller version of the classic full-size cheese quesadilla. The party quesadilla comes in at 350 calories (less than half that of the full-size option), 20.8g fat, 11.6g saturated fat, 23.1g carbohydrate, 15.9g protein, and 548.3mg sodium.
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Beef Quesadilla The beef quesadilla provides 829 calories, 51g fat, 27g saturated fat, 52g carbohydrate, 40g protein, and 1527mg sodium. If you want to go the quesadilla route, try ordering one off the kids' menu.
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You can dress up a plain kid's cheese quesadilla with your own veggies or ask for a side order of black beans, which adds just 90 calories, 5g protein and filling fiber. Salads & Bowls Taco Bueno offers just two salads and they are higher in calories than some of the traditional Tex-Mex dishes. If you're looking for a more nutritious option, consider looking to other sections of the menu.
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Nacho Salad With Chicken The nacho salad with chicken is the more nutritious option of the two salads on the menu, but it still comes with 400 calories, 19.7g fat, 8.4g saturated fat, 32.6g carbohydrate, 22.3g protein, and 1058.9mg sodium. Big Freak' n Taco Salad With Beef The Big Freak'n taco salad with beef provides 980 calories, 68g total fat, 22g saturated fat, 66g carbohydrate, 8g sugar, 29g protein, and 2158mg sodium.
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In general, opting for chicken over beef will save you a few calories and grams of fat, and will increase the protein content of your meal. Consider ordering the chicken topping for this salad for added nutrition.
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Easy Low-Carb Taco Salad
Platters Taco Bueno's platters menu offers a full plate of either tacos, enchiladas, or both, alongside a selection of sides to round out the offering. In some cases, ordering from the platter menu will account for nearly all of your daily recommended calories and sodium. Taco Platter With Beef The taco platter with beef includes two beef tacos—one hard, one soft—as well as a side of chips, guacamole, refried beans, sour cream, and Mexican rice.
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In total, it provides 1050 calories, 60.4g fat, 21.8g saturated fat, 109g carbohydrates, 35.1g protein, and 2079.1mg sodium. Wholotta Platter With Beef The Wholotta platter packs in over 4000mg of sodium on the plate, which includes a cheese-covered enchilada, two tacos, refried beans, chips, sour cream, queso, Mexican rice, and guacamole.
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Alongside 4016mg sodium, this item provides 1790 calories, 104.1g fat, 38.6g saturated fat, 177/2g carbohydrates, and 61.2g protein. Instead of ordering from the platter menu, consider mixing and matching to make your own full plate meal. Order a single taco surrounded by your sides of choice.
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By DIY-ing a platter, you'll have more control over the nutrient value of the meal. Sides You can select optional add-ons from Taco Bueno’s menu of sides, which includes refried beans, rice, queso, and guacamole. If you’re trying to be aware of serving sizes, or just want to have more control of portions, some of these sides can also be used as a base for a meal.
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Mexican Rice A 3-ounce side of Mexican rice provides 220 calories, 3.3g fat, 0.6g saturated fat, 40.7g carbohydrate, 4.6g protein, and 549.3mg sodium. Party Beans The side of party beans is the refried bean option.
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It contains 282 calories, 22g total fat, 9g saturated fat, 26g carbohydrate, 11g protein, and 772mg sodium. Refried beans are classic comfort food in Mexican cuisine, but they can be very high in salt and are generally higher in fat than other bean-based sides.
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Between the two dip sides, a side of guacamole might seem like the all-around healthier choice since it’s made with avocado, but it actually has more calories, carbs, and fat as well as less protein than the queso. However, if you’re watching your salt intake, you’ll want to avoid the queso which has nearly 800mg per serving.
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Eating Low-Carb at a Mexican Restaurant
Sweets Sweet treats at Taco Bueno only account for a small section of the restaurant's menu but are inspired by simple, classic, tastes. Choose from cinnamon churros and cinnamon chips.
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Cinnamon Churros A 3-piece order of cinnamon churros provides 200 calories, 15.9g total fat, 4.3g saturated fat, 13.7g carbohydrate, 0.9g sugar, 1.2g protein, and 136mg sodium. Cinnamon Chips An order of cinnamon chips (crispy tortilla chips with a cinnamon and sugar coating) comes in at 360 calories, 18.9g fat, 6.1g saturated fat, 40.8g carbohydrates, 4.6g sugar, 6.6g protein, and 299.4mg sodium.
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Despite being a simpler dessert, the chips actually have more calories, fat, and carbs than the smallest portions of the other option. Can Cinnamon Help You Lose Weight?
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Beverages Taco Bueno offers a standard selection of fountain drinks along with options like lemonade and iced tea. Unsweet Tea While water is always a healthy choice, if you're looking for something with a little more flavor, selecting an unsweetened tea adds few, if any, calories to your meal.
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A 12-oz unsweet tea offers 10 calories, 0g fat, 1g carbohydrate, 0g sugar, 0g protein, and 11mg sodium. Fanta Orange A 12-oz Fanta Orange provides 170 calories, 0g fat, 46g carbohydrate, 46g sugar, 0g protein, and 65mg sodium. Up that to the largest size (40 oz) and you'll consume 570 calories, 0g fat, 153g carbohydrate, 153g sugar, 0g protein, 217mg sodium.
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But Fanta Orange isn't alone. It shares the same number of calories and grams of sugar as the juice and lemonade bubblers on offer.
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Taco Bueno Sodium Statement "Nutrition values for fountain beverages do not account for ice. Depending on the sodium content of the water where the beverage is dispensed, the actual sodium content may be higher or lower than the listed values."
Diet-Specific Options Taco Bueno offers some choices for low-carb and vegetarian diets but doesn’t have low-FODMAP, low-fat, vegan, or gluten-free menu items. You may be able to customize some menu items to better suit your dietary needs and preferences, but not all offerings can be changed.
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Gluten-Free While some Taco Bueno items are made without gluten-containing ingredients, the company states that there is a risk of gluten exposure. Its gluten-free statement reads: "There are Taco Bueno ingredients that are made without gluten-containing ingredients but are prepared in a common kitchen area, including common fryer oil, with the risk of gluten exposure; therefore, Taco Bueno does not recommend products for customers with certain diseases, including celiac disease. Customers with gluten sensitivities should exercise judgment when ordering products."
Low-Carb To keep a meal low-carb, skip the chips and order from the Bueno Value Menu and choose the party taco.
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Add a side of salsa for only 9g total carbohydrates. Party taco (7.7g carbs)Original crispy beef taco (9.7g carbs)Unsweet tea (1g carbs)Queso (4.3g carbs)Original salsa (1.1g carbs)
Diabetes-Friendly Make your own diabetes-friendly meal (lower in carbs, sugar, and fat) at Taco Bueno by ordering a original crispy beef taco and a side of guacamole.
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QuesoGuacamoleParty taco7-Layer taco cupOriginal crispy beef taco
Vegetarian Many items on the Taco Bueno menu can be made vegetarian by omitting beef or chicken and opting for beans instead. For example, order the black bean burrito for a filling, fiber-packed, meat-free meal. Black bean burritoCheese quesadillaMexican riceParty tostadaTortilla chips, guacamole, and salsaCinnamon chips People following a vegan diet don't have many choices at Taco Bueno.
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They are limited to potato sticks, chips and guac, salsa, black beans, and cilantro lime rice. Food Allergy and Safety Taco Bueno provides a chart on its website that indicates which menu items and individual ingredients contain or may have come in contact with the following allergens: Milk
Gluten
Soy
Eggs
Tree nuts
Peanuts
Fish
Shellfish
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) As is typically the case when dining out (or in any situation where you aren’t preparing food yourself), you can’t be completely certain a particular food item or ingredient is allergen-free.
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Cross-contamination of food allergens may occur during the production, transportation, storage, or preparation process. Taco Bueno Allergen Statement "Peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish are not used in regular menu items served in Taco Bueno restaurants.
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However, these regular menu items may be produced in common manufacturing facilities that do produce products with peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish. These allergens may be used in test and limited time only offerings in certain locations."
A Word From Verywell Like many other fast-food Tex-Mex restaurants, the Taco Bueno menu is full of tacos, nachos, burritos and platter combos. With a fairly limited menu, you won’t have many low-calorie, low-fat, or low-carb options to choose from.
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However, as long as you keep an eye on your portions, it is possible to enjoy a meal at Taco Bueno that is in line with your dietary needs and goals. Taco Bell Nutrition Facts: What to Order & Avoid 1 Source Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles.
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Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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What you need to know about food allergens. By Malia Frey
Malia Frey is a weight loss expert, certified health coach, weight management specialist, personal trainer, and fitness nutrition specialist. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful?
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