Axios Detroit
July 10, 2025
1 big thing: 20 years of Crunchwrap legacy
Picture a Crunchwrap Supreme from Taco Bell, oozing warm cheese sauce and cold sour cream against a crispy tostada shell. Now picture that same wrap stuffed with whatever ingredients you imagine: Hot Cheetos, shawarma meat, egg frittata.
Why it matters: Taco Bell is celebrating the Crunchwrap's 20th anniversary this year. Since its debut, it has become a novelty and inspiration for chefs riffing on the basic concept to create tasty new varieties — including in Detroit.
State of play: The Crunchwrap started as a special item in June 2005 and became insanely popular, selling better than any other item on the menu, per the New York Times.
- It uses ground beef, nacho cheese, lettuce, tomato and sour cream, separated with a crunchy tostada shell in the middle. All of that is wrapped into a giant toasted flour tortilla parcel.
Between the lines: Likely hundreds of chefs across the U.S. create their takes on the Crunchwrap with Mexican, Thai, Middle Eastern and many other flavors. But it's so tough to patent recipes that there's little issue with co-opting the concept, the New York Times reported.
In the Crunchwrap's honor, we've listed where to try local takes on the dish — should we call it a burrito? A snack? A sandwich? — in and near Detroit.
Street Beet: The popular vegan pop-up with nostalgic food ended its run at Third Street in Midtown and is working on opening a permanent restaurant in Corktown.
- Among its most beloved menu items is the Crunchywrap with walnut chorizo and dairy-free nacho cheese.
- "It's the ultimate fast food comfort item — nostalgic, familiar and fun — but in our case, made entirely from plants," chef and owner Meghan Shaw tells Axios in an email. "It quickly became one of our most popular items, and people are genuinely obsessed with it."
Frontera Grill: This spot just outside Detroit, in Grosse Pointe Park, sells a traditional Crunchwrap with refried beans, ground beef and all the fixings.
Folk: Of course, we need a brunch Crunchwrap. Folk's version uses an attractive green tortilla, wrapping up an egg frittata, tostada, pickled red onion, spicy Jack cheese and spicy aioli, with salsa on the side.
El Loco Panda: This take-out restaurant in a gas station building on the east side features a sombrero-wearing panda on its sign. It offers chicken shawarma Crunchwraps, plus meat shawarma, carne asada, chicken and birria.
The Spot: This highly Instagrammable food truck in Detroit and Dearborn offers birria ramen, birria pizza and loaded fries — plus a Crunchwrap stuffed with Hot Cheetos.
2. The DIY version
👨🏽🍳 Joe here, with tips to make your own Crunchwrap.
Between the lines: I've never had a Crunchwrap — from Taco Bell or otherwise — but I love tacos, tostadas and cooking at home. So I gave it a try.
State of play: There are countless YouTube chefs with Crunchwrap instructional videos. After watching several, I concluded that the essential ingredients are:
- Two big soft tortillas, one crispy tostada shell, cheese and a protein (usually hamburger, but refried beans would also work well).
Yes, but: The real fun is picking your other fillings.
- Typical taco toppings like sour cream, tomatoes and shredded lettuce are great if you don't feel like getting too adventurous.
Behind the scenes: Assembling the wrap is easier than it looks. The key is trimming the second tortilla to match the shape of the tostada shell.
- Lay down the big tortilla first, add a couple of fillings, put the tostado shell in the middle and top it with the smaller tortilla. Then pull the larger tortilla edges up over the top and plop it in a nonstick pan, folded-edges-side down.
Pro tip: I recommend this video from chef Matty Matheson to see how to stack your fillings.
- Like Matheson, I also layered in some queso. You should, too.
- A handful of tortilla chips is a viable alternative to the tostada shell.
The bottom line: My at-home Crunchwrap was surprisingly easy to make and predictably delicious. I'll be making more.
3. The Grapevine: You heard it here
5. 🐶 1 hydrated pic to go
Axios Detroit
