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

Review

Check out my review here!

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

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 flavor. 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

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 lime? 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

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.