For more than 30 years, the Choco Taco brought delight through the unlikely combination of taco shells, ice cream and chocolate before being discontinued by Klondike in 2022.
The dessert is being revived in Philadelphia, its birthplace, on Thursday – but you’ll have to act fast to get your hands on one before the Choco Taco is gone again.
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Starting at 11 a.m., Choco Tacos can be ordered in Philadelphia through Gopuff as part of the delivery service’s “Nostalgia Week” — which also features discounts on childhood favorites like SpongeBob SquarePants popsicles and Furby toys.
The Choco Tacos cost $3.99 each and will be sold until their limited quantity runs out – likely by the end of the day, Gopuff said. But don’t expect the Choco Taco you once loved, because this iteration has sprinkles instead of nuts on its shell.
Provided Image/Gopuff
Choco Tacos will be available to purchase Thursday in Philadelphia through Gopuff.
The Choco Taco was invented by Northeast Philly native Alan Drazen, who was an employee at the family-run Jack & Jill Ice Cream company at the time. He came up with the patented concept in 1983. Serving ice cream inside a taco — a Mexican staple that was rapidly gaining popularity in the U.S. at the time — turned out to be a massive success. Taco Bell started selling the novelty dessert at its stores in 1989.
Taco Bell stopped selling the treat in 2015, but Choco Tacos continued to be sold out of trucks, at supermarkets and in freezers owned by Klondike’s parent company Unilever — which had acquired the right to manufacture them. That is, until Klondike nixed the treats in 2022, with a halfhearted promise that they may return one day – a response to public outcry and petitions.
A version of the Choco Taco was supposed to return this summer through a collaboration between Taco Bell and Oregon-based ice cream chain Salt & Straw. The companies promised Ice Cream Chocolate Tacos that mixed sweet and spicy flavors, but it’s August and they are nowhere to be found online.
Jack & Jill, which was founded in Philly and now is headquartered in Moorestown, New Jersey, retains the patent to the Choco Taco. That’s how Thursday’s rebirth came about. Gopuff worked with GlacierPoint, which acquired Jack & Jill in 2021.
Maybe high demand Thursday will prompt Jack & Jill to bring the beloved treat back on a permanent basis. If not – and if you can’t order a Choco Taco before they sell out Thursday – Philadelphia ice cream shop Milk Jawn sells a version of the ice cream taco from time to time.