Fast food brands are always introducing new foods to their menus. Those dishes range from totally forgettable to must-order delicious. But unless you’ve got your ear to the ground on all things fast food, you probably don’t know about them until you roll up to the drive-thru and see them on a signboard. At that point you’re hit with a dilemma — do you get what you came for? Or take a chance on something new and potentially ruin your lunch?
Don’t take that risk, friends. Let us take it for you.
That’s right, we’re taking all the hits so that you don’t have to wager your money or your tastebuds on shoddy fast food. The good news? Right now is a pretty tasty time in the fast food game — brands are bringing out their big guns to compete with the fall season, when people are cooking at home more often (if you need help in this department, we got you).
Below, we’re naming all of the best (and worst) new menu items in fast food for Fall 2023. Let’s eat!
10. Jack in the Box — The Basic Witch Shake
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
It’s drinks like the Basic Witch Shake that make people hate pumpkin spice season. This straight-up isn’t good. The flavor doesn’t deliver the right ratio of pumpkin spices, it’s heavy on nutmeg, ginger, and sugar, but the cinnamon is barely there and there isn’t any allspice or clove present. It’s pumpkin, without the spice.
What makes this drink different than all the other pumpkin spice drinks on the market is the inclusion of Oreos. Unfortunately, they don’t do much to add to the experience. The chocolate flavor just doesn’t meld with the intensely sweet pumpkin spice syrup.
The Bottom Line:
A huge swing and a miss. Do yourself a favor and just stick with the very good Oreo Milkshake.
Find your nearest Jack in the Box here.
9. Jack in the Box — Angry Monster Taco
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Jack in the Box is working overtime to bring us… mediocrity! Okay, I’m being a bit mean here, JiB’s Angry Monster Taco isn’t quite as bad as the Basic Witch Shake, but compared to some of the other drops we’ll be covering today, this one just doesn’t do enough to matter.
Here is what’s good about the Angry Monster Taco, it swaps out the usual shell of JiB’s crunchy taco with something that provides some heat at the forefront, which adds a bit more to the usual flavor of these greasy and salty (but delicious when drunk!) tacos. Unfortunately, if you’re not already a fan of JiB’s tacos, this isn’t going to win you over, or really even taste that different.
The Bottom Line:
Hits the spot when you’re drunk, but do not attempt to eat this of sober mind. Unless you already love JiB’s crunchy tacos or you’re stoned or drunk off your head, then this is definitely worth the pickup.
Find your nearest Jack in the Box here.
8. Chipotle — Carne Asada
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Last year Chipotle gave us five new protein options, each available for a limited time. All of them were delicious and better than most of the stock proteins on the menu. This year, Chipotle has only given us Carne Asada, a returning limited protein from the past and it’s, well, fine.
It’s not the best. The meat is pretty tough and is cut in large chunks, so if you’re the type that likes to laboriously chew your protein, this is the beef for you! While I think the texture is off, the flavor of the meat is well-seasoned with oregano, coriander, and a bit of cumin. But the meat also goes heavy on the lime and cilantro, so if those two flavors turn you off, you’re never going to like this.
The Bottom Line:
A good addition to the Chipotle menu, but we expect greatness. Especially after last year’s Pollo Asado and Guajillo Steak.
Find your nearest Chipotle here.
7. Panda Express — Chili Crisp Shrimp
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
A pleasing crunch is followed by sweet notes and the flavor of succulent shrimp with a chili spice that builds on the back end. That heat grows between bites but the majority of the flavor here is dominated by sweetness.
The shrimp is wok-fried with bell peppers and onions which strangely don’t do much to add any aromatics to the dish. For me, they didn’t come through, which was a bit of a disappointment. Still, the shrimp was very good. Here is the thing though — it’s wildly inconsistent. I’ve had this dish a few times where the crispy exterior was completely soggy.
As is the case with all Panda Express food, you need to look at the food under the heat lamp. If it looks like it’s been sitting there for a while, maybe order a fresher option.
The Bottom Line:
Succulent and crunchy with an addicting sweet and spicy flavor.
Find your nearest Panda Express here.
6. Burger King — Ghost Pepper Whopper
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
If you’ve read any of Uproxx’s other food reviews you’ll know that I have a bit of a reputation for not being kind to Burger King. The brand regularly ranks near or at the bottom of our fast food rankings. Having said all of that, I think the Ghost Pepper Whopper is one of the best things on the menu.
Yes, that orange-dyed sesame bun looks downright unappetizing, but if you can get past that what you’ll find is a big bite of smoky, meaty, and savory flavors with some vegetal spice courtesy of fried jalapeños, a hint of creamy, slightly bright notes from the ghost pepper cheese and more heat and salt from the queso sauce.
It’s a wonderful bouquet of spicy sensations that bounce across the palate in a way that makes each bite a delicious journey.
The Bottom Line:
Burger King’s best burger. Unfortunately, it’s only available for a very limited time — get it while you can!
Find your nearest Burger King here.
5. Wendy’s — Pumpkin Spice Frosty
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
It’s a Frosty flavor not a single person in the world asked for and yet… it might just be the best flavor ever. I know that sounds hard to believe but trust me. It has a strong cinnamon and nutmeg flavor with a vanilla finish that captures all of the magic of a slice of pumpkin pie.
Generally, I’m not the biggest fan of pumpkin spice-flavored drinks. I love a good slice of pie but find most pumpkin blended drinks to be a bit off-putting because they taste like someone liquefied a slice and that neither sounds nor tastes great. But somehow Wendy’s makes it work thanks to the super thick consistency of the Frosty.
The Bottom Line:
The best blended pumpkin-flavored drink you’ll ever have. Yes, really.
Find your nearest Wendy’s here.
4. Chick-fil-A — Honey Pimento Chicken Sandwich
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Salty, bright, vegetal, and tangy with an intense floral sweetness on the back end. The jalapeños here don’t provide any heat whatsoever, they’re pickled so the heat doesn’t even register as mild but they add a nice peppery quality to the sandwich that pairs interestingly with the pimento cheese and honey sauce.
If your big complaint about the Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich is that it’s too bland and dry — this remedies that!
The Bottom Line:
A sign that Chick-fil-A is willing to shake things up! The Honey Pimento Chicken Sandwich mixes up the typical Chick-fil-A flavor so much that if you ate this blind, you’d never know it came from the brand.
Find your nearest Chick-fil-a here.
3. Flame Broiler — Korean Spicy Chicken
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
It’s so spicy that you feel the heat on your palate just from smelling it! After an initial blast of chili spice a savory and sweet flavor begins to take over. The chicken is tender and juicy (it’s dark meat) and tastes even better with some additional Magic Sauce (Flame Broiler’s version of Teriyaki) which helps to deepen the sweetness and bring some umami notes forward.
But be warned, this isn’t a dish for people who can’t handle spice.
The Bottom Line:
Some of the best cooked-to-order spicy chicken in all of fast food. And it’s healthier than all the fried options out there. Flavor in a relatively healthy dish that you can order and be eating in 10 minutes tops? That’s heaven on Earth.
Find your nearest Flame Broiler here.
2. Popeyes — Sweet ’N Spicy Wings
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
If you’ve had Popeyes’ Ghost Pepper wings in the past you might want to write the new Sweet ’N Spicy Wings off immediately. That would be a huge mistake. I don’t want to say “Popeyes has done it again,” because these wings don’t feel nearly as hyped as the famous chicken sandwich but… it kind of feels like Popeyes has done it again! They’re really on to something here.
The flavor is well balanced, which seems to be a challenge — most times fast food tries to give us sweet and spicy flavors they lean too heavily on the sweet. At first bite, you get a kiss of sweetness that is quickly taken over by the flavors of chili and garlic with a hint of ginger on the backend. As the flavor rests on the palate that initial sweetness comes back.
It seems like Popeyes is testing out these wings in random participating restaurants, there are three Popeyes in my neighborhood and only two of them have the new flavor, so call ahead of time to see if your local Popeyes has ‘em stocked!
The Bottom Line:
The best new addition to Popeyes menu since the chicken sandwich. It’s a must-try.
Find your nearest Popeyes here.
1. Shake Shack — Spicy ShackMeister Cheeseburger
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
The spice attacks your tastebuds at first bite before a mix of sweet and savory flavors kicks in. The beef is very unctuous and is complemented well by the vegetal flavor of the cherry peppers. Most of the heat comes via a hot pepper blend that is dusted across the patty. The fried onions, cherry pepper, and Maillard crust of the smashed patty add a lot of texture to every bite.
Hands down, this is the best burger in all of fast food right now. Spicy burgers are nothing new in this space — Wendy’s has one, Five Guys has one, and even In-N-Out lets you add Chopped chilies to your burger, which at least provides a mild heat. But none of those brands have anything on this burger. The Spicy ShackMeister is the perfect blend of texture and flavor.
It’ll be a sad sad day when this eventually leaves Shake Shack’s menu.
The Bottom Line:
A real treat for the senses. It’s spicy, rich, and textural. Easily the best burger released all year.
Find your nearest Shake Shack here.