Review: Wendy's Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger Was Outshined By The Savory, Sweet Salted Caramel Frosty

As chains merrily spiffy-up their menus to match the upcoming holidays, like Starbucks did with its cheerful new lineup, others are quietly adding new items for customers to order up during this rush of a season. In mid-November, Wendy's is dropping a Salted Caramel twist on its Vanilla Frosty, serving up a Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger, and adding extra new flavors to its standard Taco Salad.

Wendy's has really been working its creative juices into overdrive when it comes to its iconic Frosty dessert, which has been cooling meals off since 1969. This new Salted Caramel one has the tall task of following the delicious Pineapple Under the Sea one that dropped in October as part of its Kollab with "SpongeBob SquarePants." The combo of mushrooms and bacon on a Wendy's burger isn't exactly a novel innovation, with one first hitting its menu as far back as 1991, and returning to menus every now and again. A version of that burger had one reviewer from The Kenosha News declaring it in 2007, "probably the greatest fast food invention since the chicken McNugget." Will this be true in 2024?

So, are the new Frosty and Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger a combo to be thankful for, or should you forget about these items and focus your attention on more pressing issues, like seating arrangements for Friendsgiving? The Takeout hit up our nearest Wendy's to find out where the truth lies. This chew and review is based on taste, originality, and overall lovability.

Wendy's new Frosty and Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger are available starting November 12 at participating locations, while supplies last. They are available to order when lunch begins at 10:30 a.m., but that may vary by location.

The Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger can be ordered as a single, double, or triple patty sandwich. At my New York City location, each cost $8.69, $9.79, and $10.89 respectively. Each can be made into a combo at an additional cost, which includes a drink and side item of your choice. The Salted Caramel Frosty can actually be chosen as a drink in a combo. The Salted Caramel Frosty, like other Frostys, are available in four sizes: junior, small, medium, and large. They retailed at my location from $1.49 to $3.99.

These items can be ordered at Wendy's locations, in-store at the counter, at a kiosk, or drive-thru where available. Advance ordering for dine-in, pick-up, or delivery is available through Wendy's website or app, which has a loophole for free stuff. The burger and the salad are completely customizable to either remove ingredients, or add additional ones. For the burger, there are plenty of options, including vegetables, cheeses, and other condiments to dress it up a bit more.

Wendy's Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger was ready for its close-up, with an oily bun glistening bright. As the square burger patties protruded on the sides, a hint of what was to come inside were visible on the corners. As I pulled open the bun, a mess of darkened-brown mushrooms dominated the visual space. It's broken up a bit by the white sauce, melty cheese, and sad wispy amounts of bacon included.

The burger had a lovely, earthy, savory smell to it. Sadly, that's where the plaudits ended. I took a brief swipe of the garlic spread. It had the makings of something zesty, but ultimately had no real strong taste to make it memorable. The wet and rubbery mushrooms, while seasoned with the likes of beef stock, garlic, onion juice concentrate, and soy sauce, didn't seem to transfer any of those to my taste buds. I was hoping the bacon would salvage this burger, and while it did resemble bacon, there was far too little of it, and what was there, wasn't all that crunchy. Together, those elements somehow didn't create a uniform flavor, and thus added nothing to this burger.

I was essentially eating freshly cooked ground beef with something on top that didn't seem to belong there. A single-patty version nets 670 calories, 43 grams of fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,210 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of total carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 6 grams of total sugars, and 35 grams of protein.

For something caramel-flavored, I surely thought the Frosty tapping that flavor would be a color resembling a UPS truck. Alas, what I saw before me with the Salted Caramel Frosty looks like a cross between an orange cream shake, with a friendly pour of eggnog. I started on my burger first, and by the time I got to this Frosty, a small amount had melted. The thick part that remained in place had a sandy yellow hue, while the liquidy stream, a more pale version of it.

While looks matter to make food appealing to the eye, all that matters is how this one tastes in the mouth. Well, it was literally love at first taste. Right off the bat, this Frosty was yelling at my mouth, "this is one super rich and luscious treat, right?" I didn't even have time to respond, as I just kept at it, sip after sip. While sea salt is one of the main ingredients added to this vanilla-based Frosty, it didn't really taste all that salty. If it was there, it blended in quite well with the caramel syrup.

While this Frosty delivers on its flavor name, to me, it was almost like indulging in on a butterscotch sundae. A small Salted Caramel Frosty nets 330 calories, 8 grams of fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 340 milligrams of sodium, 57 grams of total carbohydrates, 51 grams of total sugars, and 9 grams of protein.

Perhaps opting for a triple-patty version of Wendy's Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger was a mistake. This burger's signature ingredients only lived on the top patty, and attempted, but ultimately failed to enhance that one slab's flavoring. However, I don't believe that if this thing was swimming in more mushrooms, garlic sauce, and several more strips of bacon, it would have created a tidal wave of flavor, over the splash it barely had. Something was missing. Not sure if it was veggies or just ketchup, but it didn't work as is. I wouldn't even bother ordering it, and for now, just stick with one of Dave's good old bacon cheeseburgers.

Considering the burger was basically a misfire of flavors, the Frosty thankfully more than compensated for the entree. The Salted Caramel Frosty was filled with such richness, I thought it would only allow itself to a handful of sips before becoming nauseating. That moment never came, and it was hard to keep myself from finishing it in one gulp. After October's awesome Pineapple Under the Sea left the shores of Wendy's, it was almost a Sisyphean task for the next flavor to try and top it. The Salted Caramel Frosty more than proved its worth, making me wish that both options were available to order.

Don't forget to try dipping some fries in this Frosty. Adding actual, textured salt to the Salted Caramel Frosty literally makes a great sweet and savory treat.