With the gourmet burger craze sweeping the country, it was only a matter of time before one of the big chains offered their take on a “pub” burger. While McDonald’s scrapped their premium priced Angus burgers recently, Wendy’s is going in the opposite direction with an LTO burger that comes in right around $5. The Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger features an artisan baked pretzel bun, a 1/4 pound burger, cheddar cheese served in not only slice form, but also sauce form, bacon, red onion, tomato, spring mix, and the sweet & smoky honey mustard sauce that was used on the Grilled Chicken Flatbreads.
Wendy’s has been trying to shed the fast food image for a few years now, so it’s important for them to knock this fast cas burger out of the park. I can only wonder how many years of R&D and how many wheat fields were embedded into the earth to make enough Pretzel buns for this limited offering.
The first thing I noticed is the dark nature of the pretzel bun. Was it baked too long or could it be that Wendy’s artisan called in sick today? Another thing that’s easy to see is the sloppy nature of this concoction. The slice of cheese was melting with its edges oozing off the sides and the spring mix was saturated in the dual sauces. It sounds good on paper to have a fancy spring mix on a burger but the actual execution is quite soupy.
Biting down I was pretty pleased. The pretzel bun tasted different than a typical bun, but in my eyes it wasn’t very “pretzely”. It was chewier and had a lot more substance than the regular fare, but the flavor was pretty mild I’d have to say. The rest of the burger hits on a lot of cylinders with a range of strong flavors. The honey mustard sauce worked pretty well with the pretzel bun, with the bacon, cheese, and beef combo always satisfying.
Wendy’s Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger: The Verdict
The Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger was overall a good burger, nothing that’s gonna change my life, but still a very solid offering that I’d like to see stay on the menu. It was pretty sloptastic, but generally if you’re eating a good burger, you’re going to need a stack of napkins regardless.
Wendy’s Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger:
Fat: 36 grams
Calories: 680
Protein: 37 grams
Taste: B
~Fast Food Geek
Wendy's Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger [Review]
8.4Overall Score