How To Make Taco Bell's Quesadilla Better At No Extra Cost

As the cost of food keeps going up, it seems even fast food chains aren't immune to price increases. For every item McDonald's adds to its value menu, there is another one that is seemingly overpriced. One chain that has remained relatively affordable is Taco Bell, but even among its Mexican-inspired menu items (which initially sold for under a quarter in the early days), there are some expensive options. Case in point? The quesadilla – which you can order in its plain cheese iteration, or with chicken or steak. Depending on where you live, these range from $5.99 for the cheese selection, or up to $7.29 for the steak, which is a pretty hefty amount of change for what is essentially a very simple recipe. If you're interested in improving your Taco Bell quesadilla experience for no additional cost, though, ask for it double-grilled.

Have you ever ordered a quesadilla from Taco Bell before and were disappointed to find that the cheese wasn't fully melted through, despite the fact that employees both steam and grill the tortilla-based menu item? Asking for it double-grilled solves that issue, and it ensures that the tortilla is extra-hot, so if you have a distance to drive after hitting the drive-thru, there's a better chance you'll still be able to enjoy your quesadilla the way Taco Bell intended: warm, toasty, and melty.

Asking for your Taco Bell quesadilla double-grilled, unfortunately, isn't as easy as inputting it into the app before hitting Place Order. Strangely, under the chicken quesadilla, there is a box you can check for it to get grilled, which is odd because it already comes grilled (and it's only under the chicken version, not the cheese or steak). So we can deduce that checking the "Get it grilled" box will not result in a double-grilled quesadilla. Instead, your best bet is to ask for it when ordering in-person, and the most likely place you'll be able to interact with an employee is at the drive-thru (Taco Bell has leaned in hard on the self-ordering kiosks inside its restaurants).

Beyond having it double-grilled, there are a few upgrades you can request that aren't free, but also won't cost you an arm and a leg to order. For example, for an additional 25 cents, you can add raw onion, whose sharpness helps cut through the rich cheesiness. For an added 39 cents, employees will give you a scoop of filling rice; 40 cents gets you a pop of spice with sliced jalapeños, and 60 cents can net you some bright, fresh pico de gallo. And if you're looking to make the quesadilla eat like more of a meal, add potatoes for 85 cents and beans for 99 cents, while the cheapest meat add-on is its seasoned beef, for a dollar more. Whatever you do, don't overload it, or it will be too beastly to eat — this isn't a burrito, after all. One simple improvement? Just dip it in nacho cheese for extra cheesy goodness.