Was Pizza Hut's Fiesta Taco Pizza Discontinued?

Like many fast food restaurants, Pizza Hut has experimented with quite a few menu items over time. One of the more popular offerings was the chain's Fiesta Taco Pizza, which made its debut in 1979 and was still widely available in 2004, according to a commercial shared on Facebook. The pizza, which featured ingredients like beef, refried beans, lettuce, onions, and salsa, is still talked about to this day, and many of its fans wonder why it's no longer available. While Pizza Hut has never officially stated the reason for its discontinuation, it's possible that lack of demand and a messy eating experience were two big reasons for its demise.

Taco-inspired pizzas remain a staple of other chains, such as Taco Bell, which added Mexican pizza to its permanent menu in 2022. That makes it even more puzzling that Pizza Hut would fail to fully reintroduce the Fiesta pizza, especially when you consider the demand still appears high years after the item was discontinued. Just consider this Facebook page, established in 2010, which appeals directly to Pizza Hut to "Bring Back Taco Pizza." The page was active until 2015 and garnered 2,000 likes and 1,900 followers during its five-year run. The situation is even more confusing than it seems, as some Pizza Hut customers claim they can still order the Fiesta Taco Pizza where they live.

A Reddit post claims that Pizza Hut's Fiesta Taco Pizza was available at a Fort Wayne, Indiana location as recently as 2021. The poster expressed full satisfaction with the pizza, stating, "It was great, tasted just as I remembered." They also claimed to receive crushed chips atop the pizza, which is a slight variation from the advertised ingredients. Other commenters were not so fortunate and lamented that they wished the item were available at their local Pizza Huts.

For pizza lovers in the Republic of Malta (a Mediterranean country consisting of several islands, the largest of which is Malta), the Mexican Fiesta range was still being advertised in 2021 according to an advertisement shared on Facebook. While the collection featured beef and chicken pizzas (as well as cheesy Doritos Nachos), the offerings differed slightly from the original Fiesta Taco Pizza available in the U.S. For example, the Mexican beef pizza is without the lettuce, salsa, refried beans, and other Fiesta toppings, but instead appears to be topped with steak and peppers. Also, a check of Malta's Pizza Hut website does not turn up any current Mexican-inspired pizza options. Based on this information, it seems that only a lucky few can still get their hands on the coveted Fiesta pizza. Two reviewers even recorded their experiences and shared their impressions on the internet.

In April 2023, a YouTube food review channel featured the Fiesta Taco Beef Pizza, which was "back by popular demand." The pizza featured beef, cheese, tomatoes, onions, and shredded cheddar cheese, plus a bag of Doritos and Tostitos Salsa. Most surprisingly, refried bean sauce takes the place of the tomato-based pizza sauce. According to the reviewer, the bean sauce adds "extra saltiness" to the dish, but overall, the pizza works in terms of flavors. The flavors are also elevated by the accompanying salsa, which adds a bit of heat. The pizza was ultimately ranked 8.2 out of 10. While there's no indication of where the pizza was purchased, the reviewer appears to reside in Pasadena, California. Additionally, the reviewer mentioned the pizza will "be on the menu for just a little bit."

Another YouTube reviewer covered the Fiesta Taco Pizza this year, emphasizing that it was only available in "select areas," According to the video, the pizza is available in hand-tossed and thin crust. The reviewer was pleased with the flavor but did say the pizza seemed like it was "missing something," and later claimed it lacked "spice." Upon adding jalapenos, the reviewer deemed the pizza "fire" (pun intended). Unfortunately, the reviewer explained that the pizza was only available for five weeks. Whether the Fiesta Pizza will ever make its way to all Pizza Hut locations remains anyone's guess, but it's good to know that it's still around to some degree.