Secret Menu Tips: How to Order Exactly What You Want

It’s no secret that “Secret Menus” are making waves across the chain-restaurant world. Increasingly informed consumers armed with the internet’s tips and tricks are finding ways to twist around official fast food menus in order to squeeze out every delicious opportunity available to them. And can you blame us? Of course not! You can get fun and top secret Latin inspired food in chain restaurants, sometimes for no additional charge: a Piña Colada at Jamba Juice, an Horchata at Starbucks, and a Quesadilla-Burrito hybrid at Chipotle! 

In most cases, the term “Secret Menu” is a misnomer. These aren’t really items that aren’t advertised, but rather unofficial combinations of already available ingredients that, when ordered together, are greater than the sum of their parts. Because these items are not official, prices will vary depending on how your server rings you up. 

Before we get started, here are 3 Rules of Secret Menu Etiquette:

1) Be mindful of others: Don’t order a complicated item when the restaurant is bursting at the seams. Don’t hold up the coffee line at 8 am on a Monday because you want something complicated, no one likes that guy. 

2) Know the recipe: Most of the items listed below are not actually on the restaurants’ menus, meaning that the staff aren’t responsible for learning how to make these crazy concoctions. Learn the recipes below and walk them through it.

3) Most importantly, be nice: For the sake of humanity, be patient, smile, say “please”, and tip. Your server is going out of his/her way to make your food just the way you like it, a genuine smile is merited.

Now on to the good part, click on for the secret tricks of the trade…

Jamba Juice

Piña Colada: For a virgin version (say that 5 times fast!) of this Puerto Rican drink, ask for a smoothie made with pineapple juice, coconut water, pineapple sherbert, and frozen yogurt. If you want to shake things up further, a banana would go really well with this mix!

Starbucks

Nutella Latte: Simply ask for a regular coffee with 2 pumps of chocolate syrup, one pump of hazlenut, and a caramel drizzle. Stir in the cream of your choice and enjoy.

Horchata Chai Creme Frappuccino: Horchatas are the best part of summer! These sweet Mexican drinks usually consist of rice or sesame milk, sugar, and cinnamon. Sure, Starbucks doesn’t actually sell them, but you can get pretty close with this recipe. Order a Chai Frappuccino with a pump of vanilla syrup, two pumps of Cinnamon Dolce Syrup, and top with cinnamon. Be sure to ask your barista if they carry rice milk to make this closer to the original. Also don’t be afraid to ask them for an extra splash of milk since all those extra syrups can make this Horchata pretty sweet.

Limeade Hibiscus Refresher: Latin America fell in love with flor de jamaica centuries ago, and it seems Starbucks is caching on, as evidenced by their Berry Hibiscus Refresher. Though delicious as is, ask for a equal parts Lime and Hibiscus Refreshers for a tart ode to the traditional Latin agua fresca de jamaica!

Mexican Hot Chocolate: For a Starbucks version, ask for a hot chocolate with an additional pump of White Mocha Syrup, Mocha Syrup, and 2 pumps of Cinnamon Dolce Syrup. If you want to go all out, ask your barista to steam the milk with cinnamon powder mixed in! 

Next up Chipotle and Taco Bell … 

Chipotle

Free Fajita Veggies: Apparently Chipotle really wants you to eat your veggies! The bell peppers sautéed with sweet red onions and fresh oregano are free on anything, not just fajitas, as you may have thought. Other free add-ons include extra portions of salsas and even fresh chopped cilantro, which they usually keep in the back. 

Quesarito: Taco Bell clearly got wind of this marvelous hybrid of burrito and quesadilla since they’re now offering it as an official menu item. But if you feel like trying Chipotle’s rendition of the Quesarito, here’s what you do: simply ask them to make you a basic quesadilla and use it as a burrito shell, then add fillings to your heart’s content. 

Burritodilla: If the Quesarito sounds like too much food for you, you can also try the Burritodilla. A smaller version of the Quesarito, this item is essentially a quesadilla filled with half of the ingredients of a burrito. Ask for your server to fill your quesadilla with the meat and fillings of your preferance (don’t forget the free salsa!). 

Taco Bell

Incredible Hulk: Replace the nacho cheese in a Beefy 5-Layer Burrito with guacamole, for a hearty and filling combo of beef, beans, rice, sour cream, and cheese on a tortilla.

Secret Sauces: Sure there are always “Mild” and “Hot” sauce packets at Taco Bell, but select locations also have “Salsa Verde” packets! Chances are slim, but trust us, this is worth a shot. Also, the Creamy Jalapeño Sauce usually served on the Chicken Quesadilla can be added to any item…usually for free! We suggest asking for some Creamy Jalapeño Sauce on the Crispy Potato Soft Taco for a cheap treat.