I am not a person who likes super-spicy foods. I don’t mind a little kick in my tacos or salsa, but I prefer to taste and enjoy other flavors besides just melt-my-mouth-off-my-face spiciness.
My 10-year-old daughter, however, is not like me.
We were in a traditional grocery store a few months ago when she saw a display featuring Barcel Takis. They are all the rage in her elementary school, and she begged me to buy her a bag. Being a nice mom, I did so. When we got home, she opened the bag and kindly offered to let the rest of the family try her amazing Takis. They are like a rolled-up tortilla chip covered in all kinds of seasonings and spices.
That was my first and last time eating Takis. They were way too spicy for me. My husband didn’t like them. Our younger daughter didn’t like them. So our older daughter got the bag all to herself and frequently indulged in the snack food until we worried her fingers might turn permanently orange from the seasonings.
Then I noticed that Aldi sells its own version of the spicy snack: they’re called Taquitos and you can find them in Aldi stores among the rest of the chips and snack foods. One look at the packaging and it’s clear Aldi is attempting to imitate the name-brand Barcel Takis.
Naturally, I bought a bag so my daughter could compare it to her name-brand Takis.
Aldi’s Pueblo Lindo Chile & Lime Taquitos come in a 9.9-ounce bag. They net you 150 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, and 370 mg of sodium per serving, with 0 grams of trans fat.
So what does my daughter think of the Aldi Taquitos?
She said the lime flavor is pretty strong. She also noted that the chile flavor isn’t as strong and remarked that Aldi’s Taquitos are not as spicy as the Barcel Takis. I personally noticed this difference because I can eat two or three Aldi Taquitos before I really start to feel my mouth burning. I get instant burn with Barcel Takis.
Overall, my daughter said of the Aldi Taquitos, “They just don’t taste as good. Takis are better.”
She did tell me that while she prefers the name-brand Barcel Takis, she would still eat Aldi’s Pueblo Lindo Taquitos if I bought them again. So they’re not all bad. Unless you don’t like crazy-spicy food, and then you should just stay far away from either of these products.
The Verdict:
Pueblo Lindo Taquitos are Aldi’s attempt to imitate name-brand Barcel Takis. Both snacks are only for brave souls like my 10-year-old daughter who love lots of spice and kick. Aldi’s Taquitos have a fairly strong lime flavor and are slightly less spicy than the Barcel Takis, but don’t be misled: the Aldi snacks are still plenty spicy. My daughter prefers the name-brand Takis, but she will still eat Aldi’s Taquitos if I buy them, so they’re just okay in her opinion.
My daughter cannot eat food dyes so when we found these, I bought a bag. She loved them, so I tried some. I love them too. They are not quite as spicy as brand name Takis. They are far more flavorful. She now has all her friends hooked on these and we buy them by the case. No joke. We always have a case of them in the bottom of the pantry.