I ate every burrito at Taco Bell and ranked them from worst to best

A pang of nervousness washed over me when I walked into my local Taco Bell to compile my ranking of every burrito on the menu.

The thought of trying 11 burritos didn't sit well in my stomach. Phone shaking, I stumbled to the register and read off my list to the unblinking woman behind the counter. 

When I finished ordering, she asked if I wanted anything else. To think she might believe I could — a dessert perhaps or a Baja Blast? Then I realized she's probably forced to say that to everyone. 

I've found that Taco Bell has since added more limited-edition burritos to the menu, and the location I went to didn't have a chili-cheese burrito, which was a relief.

After snapping a few photos, I settled in to try a bite or two of all 11 burritos I could order.

First Impression: This looks bland.

Review: It was a tortilla filled with refried beans and cheese.

I liked the sweet red sauce, but it was the Mexican equivalent of plain pasta with butter. This three-sentence review is more filling.

First Impression: I need clarification on what Taco Bell considers a layer. From my vantage point, this is a five-ingredient burrito (beef, sour cream, cheese, beans, and nacho cheese).

I like the look of the cheese ring, but I'm worried it'll get overpowered by the beans. 

Review: It for sure had too much bean. Weirdly, it was even more overpowering than the straight-up bean burrito.

I liked the sour cream here as another "layer" (flavor), but I needed more.

This was too filling to supplement other food, but not good enough to stand alone. 

First Impression: It seems solid — there's a good amount of visible melty cheese. But I can't set high expectations for a burrito that's just beans, cheese, and rice.

Review: It had a nice flavor, especially the rice.

I could see myself ordering this alongside a major item, but I wouldn't ever pick it as a solitary order.

First Impression: It's exciting to break up the monotony of beans and beef with this chicken option — I'm surprised there aren't more on the menu.

But it looks like a Caesar salad in a tortilla, and I don't have very high hopes. 

Review: It tasted like how I imagine a fast-food taco salad would: Processed and filled with subpar lettuce.

It was OK, but it didn't feel like a burrito. The avocado-ranch sauce I was promised also didn't seem to appear anywhere.

First Impression: I think this classic offering will end up being the control for the whole experiment. It has every ingredient you need to make a good burrito. 

Anything ranked above here should be the best of the best. 

Review: I was spot-on with my first impression — it was good but could be better.

Taco Bell's shortcomings came out in this one. The base ingredients themselves aren't that great unless you're fooled with trickery like extra cheese or Doritos shells.

First Impressions: I think putting "fiesta strips" (seasoned, colorful tortilla-chip strips) in a burrito is a good idea. It also seems like there's a spice in here.

I'm not that excited, but this does seem like a solid (though not special) meal. 

Review: It was perfectly solid. I liked the cheese.

I tasted the fiesta strips more than on other burritos they're included in, but they got lost in the crowd of beef and cheese.

First Impressions: I'm excited about the guac, a novelty none of the other burritos have. I think it'll likely be the most well-rounded of the meatless options. 

Review: I enjoyed that this was a little sweet and had a pleasant citrus flavor. It counteracted the flavor of the beans, which overpowered other burritos.

It was an excellent choice, and I highly recommend it.

First Impression: It looks similar to the cheesy-bean option, including the delectable cheese ring.

Overall, I'm expecting this to be a solid burrito. It seems complete. 

Review: It was very good, more than solid even.

I really appreciated the sour cream and was pleasantly surprised by how much spice it had. Those two flavors provided a nice overall balance.

First Impressions: I'm not a massive fan of black beans — I always get refried — but I'm willing to give this a go.

I just feel like it represents how the Taco Bell burrito menu is filled with unnecessary variations of the same thing. 

Review: I need to eat my words. It was a pleasant surprise.

It had an almost sweet, barbecue-like quality that worked exceptionally well with the queso. The flavor was also balanced out by a little bit of spice.

This was my favorite meatless burrito.

First Impression: I admire the baked cheese on top of the tortilla. It actually looks delicious.

My friend saw me eyeing the cheesy top and said, "It doesn't look like much, but it makes a difference." 

Review: It was very good — but not quite at the level of the next item on the list.

I loved the cheese on top and enjoyed the nacho cheese inside even more. It also had good, if tough, steak in the middle.

Even though there were supposed to be fiesta strips, I couldn't find them, which I think may have been a benefit (I didn't get much from the bits of fried tortilla).

First Impression: Like its non-spicy counterpart, it actually looks delicious.

The steak looks tough, but that cheese is super melty. I wonder, for a second, how spicy it'll be.

Review: It was cheesy — almost too cheesy, which is about the highest compliment I can give.

The jalapeños were delicious, and the rice was excellent. Unfortunately, the fiesta strips were a little soggy, but they certainly didn't detract from the overall quality of the burrito.

I loved how the cheese oozed out. It coated the steak in a way that made me forget it was a little tough.

Plus, this was an excellent value for the amount of food.

There were several excellent options on this menu.

Although the limited-edition spicy-double-steak burrito was my favorite, I don't think I'll have any issue finding another go-to order when it's gone.