Review & Release History of Chili’s Southwestern Queso, Starbucks Dubai, & More

Review

First, both have the salted brown butter topping. The difference comes from the ingredients below.

Chocolate Mocha has: espresso, mocha sauce, and pistachio cream cold foam.
Chocolate Matcha has: matcha powder and chocolate cream cold foam.

Onto the review…

Both were very similar in taste. Simply put, the Matcha had a mildly sweet overall taste, with equal parts milk chocolate and light matcha. If you’re expecting a bold matcha or chocolate flavor here, this isn’t it; it’s way too mild, and the sweetness level doesn’t help.

The Mocha had a similar sweetness level but was entirely milk chocolate with an essence of generic nuttiness from the pistachio foam—honestly, it was literally chocolate milk, and one that was barely sweet enough to be just passable.

I found both of these drinks boring. No crunchy pieces, no Dubai-based flavors–why even label it as such? They could have done so much better with these!

Release Date

Released January 6, 2026, for a limited time. Taste tested mid-January 2026.

Review

Honestly, this is a 95% regular semi-crunchy chocolate bar. I say crunchy because it has a bit of a snap to it, though, nothing substantial. Each individual piece is thick and appears to show a few embedded nut-looking pieces. It’s still mostly solid chocolate all the way through, absolutely nothing like shown on the package.

More on the flavor: If I try hard enough, I can detect a hint of nuttiness and caramel; however, the taste is pretty much regular milk chocolate. For reference, it tastes a lot like a Hershey’s, but a smidge less sweet and darker.

I expected a lot more of that traditional Twix taste; unfortunately, it’s not here. You are getting a few thick pieces of mostly milk chocolate with dark chocolate vibes.

Release Date

Released around November 2023. I found this mid-January 2026 at Walmart.

Review

These didn’t really stand out. Like some of the flavors there, but compared to something you get in a restaurant, there is no comparison — these are much milder in taste. They have a more or less traditional general tsos with the lightest kick imaginable. Honestly, it’s just a bit too plain for me, especially for a general Tso’s chicken-based dish. The pastry was okay. It’s thick and houses the chunky filling, so the mouth feel is pretty good. However, aside from that, I wouldn’t get these again.

Release Date

Released August 2025. Found mid-January 2026 at Walmart.

Review

These are all exceptionally tasty and absolutely comparable to their “normal” versions. The flavors are authetic and don’t give you that weird or off “sweetener” taste, and their textures are more than creamy enough that you won’t notice much difference. No iciness, none of that! And if you’re worried about them being too sweet–nope, these are more or less your average-sugary ice creams.

My personal favorite of the bunch is the Rocky Road, followed by Brownie a la Mode. It leans more towards a nutty milk-chocolate flavor, and unfortunately, I don’t get much marshmallow from it. Simply put, its packaging definitely shows it has a lot more than it actually does — those swirls are thin! Though, don’t get me wrong, there are almost enough–quite large actually–crunchy chocolate-looking pieces that add an additional chocolate and nutty flavor, which complements the ice cream well.

Brownie a la Mode, my second favorite here, is vanilla-based but still has a good amount of fudgy swirls that give it an aprecitable chocolate taste. Also, while the brownie bits are far and few in between, and very small, they pack a tiny punch! When you hit a few, it’s nice — they’re small and chewy and add to the contrast with the ice cream.

Lastly, the other flavors here are perfectly represented. Nothing stands out here, just your ordinary, traditionally flavored plain ice creams.

As a side note, I don’t really see much difference between the Carb Smart and No Sugar Added variants in terms of texture, taste, or composition.

Release Date

I’m unsure of release dates. Found mid-January 2026 at Stop & Shop.

Review

This is your standard coffee-based ice cream; the sweetness, flavor–everything– is no different. It has a few large chocolate chips that give it a nice contrast to the creamy ice cream texture, at least. There aren’t a ton of them, it’s just enough. However, what seems falsely advertised are the white swirls and other bits–I didn’t see any of that here!

I’m also confused as to why this pack almost doubles the calories of regular Halo Top, in fact, just as much as regular ice cream. This isn’t loaded by any means, and sure, it’s creamy, but so is the regular, non-Mix-Ins version. So, yeah, not sure why you’d get this over the other coffee-based ice creams.

Release Date

Released in January 2025 alongside seven other Mix-Ins flavors. Found Walmart in late January 2026.

Review

So gooey and sweet! These remind me of cherry cordials, except even softer with no apparent hardness or chew. The inner strawberry filling melts in your mouth and packs a super sweet, candy-strawberry taste. With the lightly crunchy chocolate shell, it’s a great combination and lends itself to a sugary strawberry taste! Honestly, I’m surprised there was such a generous amount of filling–I wouldn’t have even minded a thicker shell instead.

Release Date

Released February 2023. Found late January 2026 at Walmart.

Review

Creamy, chocolately, and has a good amount of large chewy brownie bits. I don’t know if I taste any explicit caramel as the chocolate is the forefront here, although there is definitely something more than just chocolate that elevates it and adds to its sweetness. In a sense, I do get a chocolate brownie batter vibe–not quite as dark, although this flavor isn’t milk chocolate either, it’s somewhere in between. It’s like a creamy, sweet, slightly dark, brownie-tasting combination.

Release Date

I’m unsure of a release date. found late January 2026 at Walmart.

Review

Both of these powders are very thick and fluffy, which, while it looks cool, makes it difficult to fully mix into your drink. Neither has any bad aftertaste; overall, it’s a pleasant mix.

Shaqs Berry Blast is exactly as advertised. It’s a decently sweet mixed berry with no real distinct fruit jumping out. I feel like I get a bit of red and blueberries and some other fruits as well–it’s hard to decipher. Maybe some slight tangy orange?. Either way, it’s tasty and doesn’t necessarily resemble a traditional mixed berry thing–there’s something else there with a tiny punch.

Coastal Explosion makes your drink a sewage green, so cool! The flavor is a mildly sweet, light, almost smooth, sugary citrus-y berry? Like Shaq’s Berry Blast, I can’t exactly describe it, but it is refreshing and unoffensive.

Release Date

Coastal Explosion released around mid-October 2025; similar timeline for Shaq’s Berry Blast.

Review

Is this food? It may as well be!

Both of these come in a canned container and run on the thinner side. Also, if you’re expecting something as sweet as sugar, it’s not here, although these are fairly sweet for toothpastes and don’t have nearly the “cleaning taste” as others do.

Ice Pop is a pretty, ocean colored gel. I like it! That aside, the flavor is an authentic rocket pop if you’ve ever had one of those! Even the sweetness is about the same: Ice Pops are usually not very sweet as they’re popsicles and this is exactly that–just sweet enough, with the precise flavor profile! Overall, it’s pleasantly mild and leaves your mouth feeling refreshed at the same time. No artificialness, nothing weird, just a genuine, tame, rocket pop flavor with no over-the-top sweetness.

When I opened the Blue Raspberry, I could smell it right away! It’s so strong! The gel is a darker transparent blue! Trying it, it’s not as punchy as the smell. The blue raspberry flavor is there, but it’s not overly sugary or too bold, though notably, it’s sweeter than Ice Pop and, in my opinion, is tastier because of this.

Still, while it is fairly sweet and has a mostly authentic sugar-based blue raspberry taste, this flavor is also quite refreshing, giving you a nice, sweet burst of flavor. If I wanted the sweeter toothpaste, or just the better one in general, I’d go with this.

Overall, both are great toothpastes if you want authentic, not over-the-top sweetness that makes you want to brush more and leaves your mouth refreshed!

Release Date

Ice Pop was released in July 2024. I’m unsure of Blue Raspberry. Both were found at Walmart in late January 2026.

Review

People have been talking about the Southwestern Queso nonstop, and its replacement for their Skillet Queso alongside the removal of White and Skillet Beef Queso around October 2025. The truth is, I’m sad they took away the White Queso the most, specifically because I would get it with their chips and salsa as part of the Dip Trio. So was this a good replacement?

I think so, but I didn’t think they needed to replace anything in the first place either. This is different and belongs with those others

This Southwestern Queso is pretty thick and appreciable, cheesy, not like a jarred queso you find on store shelves or cheap nacho cheese; its density is between those and tastes more premium.

The flavor itself is very well seasoned without being too strong. It has a traditional but different southwestern flavor–different than what you’d typically find in a cheap food or frozen appetizer treat labeled “southwest flavored.” It’s like a different version with a more homey vibe. It doesn’t taste cheap or overtly cheese-flavored like a typical nacho cheese; it’s too well-seasoned to even compare, and its composition isn’t too thick or cheap-feeling either. Lastly, there’s also a mild and appreciable kick that, at the same time, lingers just for a tiny bit, which I found to be enjoyable.

Overall, it’s very creamy, reasonably seasoned, and feels above average for your typical queso. It doesn’t feel microwaved and leans towards a homey (but still not fully) mouthfeel and taste. Is it a replacement for Skillet Queso? Honestly, I never got Skillet Queso enough to really remember or compare. At the very least, this is tasty and worth a try.

The Beef Queso is chunky, almost like a thick stew with all the little pieces of beef soaked in the cheese. It’s less cheesy than the Southwestern Queso but obviously with a more meaty taste. It’s not super meaty or too cheesy either way; both flavors are equally represented, leaning towards a pleasant, creamier, stewy-like taste and mouthfeel that pairs well with the chips. It doesn’t taste cheap or like it was frozen previously either.

Essentially, both of these are good dips. I preferred the Southwestern Queso over the Skillet Beef Queso because of the cheesiness and flavor overall, but both were very yummy and something I’d get again. Going back, though, the White Queso and the Skillet Queso can still find their place here, in my opinion.

Release Date

The Southwest Queso was released in early October 2025. The Skillet Beef Queso quickly returned after being removed around October 2025 in December 2025.