Cold Stone Is Launching a Spin on the Discontinued Choco Taco

After nearly 40 years on the market, Klondike startled and dismayed ice cream fans nationwide in June 2022 when it announced the discontinuation of its popular Choco Taco. A fresh take on the long-gone snack is ready to hit shelves, but it won’t be available from ice cream vendors or supermarket freezers.

In anticipation of Cinco de Mayo on April 30, Cold Stone Creamery will introduce a new Waffle Ice Cream Taco at locations across the country. The original Choco Taco, for those who are unfamiliar, was a chocolate-coated waffle cone shaped like a taco and filled with peanuts, fudge, vanilla ice cream, and a chocolate covering.

Cold Stone’s take on the classic dessert is remarkably similar: a warm waffle taco shell stuffed with chocolate-covered Sweet Cream Ice Cream and topped with crunchy peanuts.

Customers who are eager to try the new Cold Stone ice cream tacos shouldn’t procrastinate too much; they will only be available until May 5. The ice cream shop does occasionally bring back popular limited-time menu items after they first debut, so fans can hold out hope that the Waffle Ice Cream Taco will make a comeback at some point.

Since the legendary dish was withdrawn, several chains have come out with their own versions of Choco Tacos, not just Cold Stone. A new Ice Cream Chocolate Taco was introduced by Taco Bell during its February Live Más Live event in Las Vegas. The collaboration was with the renowned Portland, Ore.-based ice cream chain Salt & Straw.

This dessert is a hand-pressed waffle cone topped with toasted brown rice, dipped in single-origin chocolate, and filled with homemade cinnamon ancho chili ice cream. Accompanying it are three personalized sauces: Chocolate Chili, Cinnamon Wild Berry, and Mango Jalapeño, as well as a tangy cheesecake dip.

It may be a while before you see the Ice Cream Chocolate Taco in a Taco Bell location. The chain has stated that it is still in the “testing pipeline.”

The 25 ice cream parlors owned by Salt & Straw in the states of Oregon, California, Washington, Florida, and Nevada will be serving the treat this summer, according to an Instagram post in February.

Although Salt & Straw has not yet disclosed the precise launch schedule, the ice cream taco will also be available for nationwide distribution.