Burger King Has an All-New Whopper—Here Is Our Honest Review

If you’ve ever watched an NFL or college football game, then you know by the end of four quarters, you’ve got at least one of Burger King’s songs stuck in your head. Whether that’s “Bee-kay, have it your way!” or the classic “Whopper, Whopper, Whopper, Whopper,” you’re bound to be singing one of the commercial tunes.

Since BK is so engrained in football culture, it’s shocking that the fast food chain has never sold any game day-inspired menu items. But it seems those football ads are about to change because Burger King is testing two new menu items inspired by tailgating season.

Burger King Tries Out Game Day-Inspired Menu

Burger King began testing a Game Day Pretzel Whopper and Nacho Chicken Fries in Columbus, Ohio, on Jan. 9.

This is BK’s second time launching a new menu in Ohio’s capital city within the past year. In 2024, Burger King released a special Ohio State Buckeyes Frozen Cherry Float along with an OSU-themed scarlet and gray crown. However, this is the first time Columbus will see a game day product that could come to national markets.

The new Whopper is the same 1/4-pound flame-grilled patty but with new ingredients drawing from a popular game day snack: a pretzel with cheese sauce. The burger is topped with American cheese, bacon, pickles, nacho cheese, and crispy onions on a SuperPretzel bun.

Burger King’s new side turns the fan-favorite Chicken Fries into a nacho platter by breading the chicken strips in tortilla chips and serving them with a side of Nacho Cheese sauce. Watch out, Taco Bell, BK might be coming for your chicken nugget and Nacho Fries schtick.

The game day Whopper and Chicken Fries will be available at select Burger King restaurants in Columbus for a limited time. You can check your BK app or contact your local restaurant to determine if the burger and side will be available near you.

Once the market test is complete, Burger King will determine if it will bring the Game Day Pretzel Whopper and/or the Nacho Chicken Fries to nationwide menus. The good news is that Columbus has tested multiple Burger King menu items that have made it to the national market before, including the Impossible Whopper, Mozzarella Fries, and, most recently, Churro Fries. So, we’re confident that if Columbus likes them, we’ll like them, too. But, for now, it’s all up to the Buckeye State.

I tried the test items on a recent visit to Columbus, here is my honest review.

My Honest Review

This was my first time trying a test item in the market itself, and the experience was really pleasant. The food arrived piping hot and smelled so delicious I wanted to dig in immediately.

I'll be honest, I've only ever had a Whopper at the Burger King headquarters—meaning I've only experienced the best of the best. While the Game Day Whopper is good, it's not the flame-grilled burger I remember from the Miami test kitchen.

The Game Day Whopper is tasty overall, but I wasn't super wowed by the flavor—like I was expecting to be. The 1/4-pound patty, bacon, and pickles make for a great fast food burger on their own—and the crispy onions add a nice textural component—however, the "game day" flavor was lacking.

I don't think my burger had any nacho cheese sauce on it, and, if it did, it was very minimal. Because I was missing the saucy component, the Whopper was relying heavily on the American cheese, which doesn't evoke the same pretzel and cheese sauce flavor I was expecting. I think the nacho cheese would have really driven this whole burger home for me.

By far, the star of the show was the SuperPretzel bun. I love a pretzel bun anytime, so adding the buttery, slightly sweet bread to the Whopper is a great choice. If I could order a pretzel bun on any BK burger moving forward, I absolutely would.

As a Chicken Fry fan—and someone who didn't get to try Taco Bell's tortilla chip-crusted nuggets before they discontinued them—I was very excited to give the new Nacho Chicken Fries a go. Just like BK's normal Chicken Fries, the nacho variety is incredibly crispy and perfectly dippable, which is great because the nacho cheese sauce is amazing. I did find the Chicken Fries to be a bit salty—maybe because of the tortilla chip crust—so, I'd probably stick with ordering regular Chicken Fries with a side of nacho cheese sauce for the perfect balance.

With a few minor tweaks, BK's game day menu has the potential to be Lombardi-worthy should it come to menus nationwide—and I'd be one of the first in the drive-thru line.

Read the original article on ALLRECIPES