It’s been a minute since we’ve gotten new food from Wendy’s. The latest additions to the menu were the very delicious summertime Strawberry Frosty and the disappointing breakfast French Toast Sticks. But now Wendy’s is back with four new menu options, and we’re pretty psyched about each of them. Beginning today, Wendy’s will be dropping a new peppermint-flavored Frosty, taking the place of the Strawberry Frosty, an Italian Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich and Italian Mozzarella Burger, both complete with a giant piece of fried mozzarella cheese inside (genius), and Garlic Fries at all Wendy’s locations nationwide.
That’s a lot to digest and truthfully each one sounds like it could be a major winner, so we ordered all four to determine which are the most essential. Certainly, that burger sounds least essential, but Wendy’s burgers, from the Pretzel Pub to the Bourbon Bacon, are always interesting and wonderfully decadent and flavorful — so maybe this one will be the same.
Let’s dive into all the new food from Wendy’s starting with the Peppermint Frosty!
Peppermint Frosty
Tasting Notes:
While I was excited by the idea of a peppermint Frosty, I have to admit I was a little cautious as to if this would really work. A strawberry-flavored Frosty makes sense, it’s one of the three classic milkshake flavors and has an overall refreshing vibe that’s perfect for the summer. But a milkshake in the fall and winter seasons? That’s a little strange. Luckily, this totally works. Unlike most peppermint-flavored seasonal beverages, this milkshake doesn’t hit you over the head with minty flavors, instead, it starts with a luxurious creamy vanilla forward flavor with the slightest cool minty aftertaste.
For whatever reason, Wendy’s is only equipped to offer two Frosty flavors at a time, the vanilla was dropped back in the summer in favor of strawberry which was such a success that Wendy’s decided to experiment with this peppermint flavor. We’re all for experimentation, but if Wendy’s was really brave they would’ve made a Peppermint Chocolate Frosty over this vanilla-based flavor. It’s not that big of a problem because the Peppermint Frosty is delicious but I can’t help but think about what could’ve been.
The Bottom Line:
You might be skeptical about a frozen Peppermint treat during the coldest months of the year, but the Peppermint Frosty is definitely worthy of a pickup. Ask for a mix of peppermint and chocolate for a double win!
Garlic Fries
Tasting Notes:
Garlic Fries are a dish that I think has a lot of potential but rarely delivers. The combination of spicy earthy garlic and hot buttery potato makes a lot of sense on paper but garlic fries typically tend to be too heavy on the garlic and powdered parmesan. That’s not a problem here — Wendy’s new Garlic Fries are well-balanced and delicious.
The garlic chunks are diced very small here, so no single bite is ever too overwhelming, and the small hint of parsley adds a fresh earthy pepperiness that balances out the spicy and nutty notes of the garlic. There is no parmesan here which feels like a missed opportunity but maybe that’s what makes these fries really work. The dish is never doing too much and in its simplicity, it really elevates the flavor of Wendy’s fries from good to great.
The Bottom Line:
I’m not sure that I would call an order of Garlic Fries essential, but if you’re looking for a quick way to elevate your order of fries this is a smart play.
Italian Mozzarella Sandwiches
Tasting Notes:
And now to the main event. Both Italian Mozzarella sandwiches are built upon a thick garlic knot bun smeared with marinara sauce, a slice of mozzarella cheese, and a giant fried disk of mozzarella. My instincts led me to believe the Italian Mozzarella Chicken sandwich would taste better than the Italian Mozzarella Burger, but now that I’ve had both, I’m not so sure. Let’s talk about the sandwich first.
I chose Wendy’s spicy chicken filet for my build and the cayenne-forward flavor played well with the bright and spicy marinara sauce. In anticipation of this sandwich I really built up the fried mozzarella patty in my mind and unfortunately, I came away from it a little bit disappointed. If you’re expecting a gooey cheese trail to pull from the sandwich with each bite, this doesn’t really deliver that, thogh the fried mozzarella patty itself does deliver on the flavor. The mozzarella cheese is creamy and slightly sweet and tastes great, Wendy’s should seriously consider adding mozzarella cheese sticks to the menu or at the very least, offering these patties as a side order. I wish the cheese was gooey and stretchy, but we’ll give it a pass for providing such a great flavor.
The garlic knot bun is buttery and slightly sweet, with bits of Italian herbs adding a fresh and earthy lift on each bite. Still, as good as each part of this sandwich was, it never really felt like it came together for me. Despite the generous slathering of marinara sauce, it came across as a bit too dry for my liking. I’m not sure how Wendy’s could remedy that — a double dose of sauce on each bun maybe?
The burger is another story. That dryness isn’t really a problem here, Wendy’s beef patties are satisfyingly savory and juicy and the meat manages to practically melt in the mouth, which is exactly what you need in this sandwich, considering the giant fried mozzarella patty is dense and crunchy. The double dose of mozzarella is sweet and creamy with the meat providing a salty flavor and the marinara wrapping it all together with its bright burst of tomato and herbs.
Everything comes together beautifully in this sandwich.
The burger is offered in both single, double, and triple forms, I chose the single because the fried mozzarella patty is similar in width to the burger patty, I honestly can’t imagine having an additional patty of meat on this thing, but hey, I’d be willing to take on the challenge.
The Bottom Line:
If you have to choose one, ignore your instincts — the Italian Mozzarella Burger works way better than the Italian Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich. It’s juicy, creamy, savory, salty, and bursting with flavors that ping-pong around the tastebuds in the most satisfying way. At the end of the day though, you can’t go wrong with either, so if you feel like hitting up Wendy’s twice in one week be sure to test them both.
Find your nearest Wendy’s here.