Wendy’s Just Quietly Added a New Burger to the Menu—and I Tried It First

When early seasonal menus begin rolling out, there’s always that one fast food restaurant that doubles down on producing food for the current season. This year, as Starbucks has released its holiday drinks, Shake Shack brought back its Christmas Cookie Milkshake, and Five Guys launched its first-ever holiday menu item, it’s Wendy’s that’s holding strong on its fall menu.

Because of its “Spongebob Squarepants” collaboration for the Krabby Patty meal, Wendy’s didn’t have a traditional fall launch—meaning customers didn’t get a chance to enjoy the Pumpkin Spice Frosty this year as the Pineapple Under the Sea Frosty joined menus on Oct. 8. So, instead of skipping to the Peppermint Frosty, Wendy’s is quietly rolling out a late-fall menu that includes a new Salted Caramel Frosty, plus, a revamp of the fan-loved Taco Salad and a new cheeseburger.

Wendy’s Launching New Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger

On Nov. 12, Wendy’s is releasing the new Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger alongside the new Frosty and Taco Salad. The limited-time burger starts with Wendy’s fresh, never frozen square patty topped with roasted mushrooms, bacon, Muenster cheese, and a creamy garlic spread.

While Wendy’s has offered a mushroom-topped burger in the past—called the Smoky Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger—this new offering is a little bit different. The fan-loved Smoky Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger was topped with smoky roasted mushrooms, crispy onions, Asiago cheese, and bacon. So, the new riff adds a creamy garlic spread in addition to changing the cheese and mushroom seasoning.

The Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger will only be available for a limited time—and, with the holiday season quickly approaching, there’s no telling how long that could be, especially if Wendy’s decides to launch a winter menu that replaces the burger. So, if you want to try the new Frosty or burger, you’ll want to act fast—and trust me, you should absolutely give the burger a taste.

I tried Wendy’s new Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger before it hit menus—here is my honest review.

My Honest Review

I love a burger smothered in mushrooms. I think it adds the perfect savory depth of flavor and textural component to any burger—and Wendy’s Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger is no different.

The roasted mushrooms have a good flavor and complement the crispy bacon wonderfully. However, the two shining stars for me are the garlic spread and Muenster cheese.

The creamy spread has just the right kick of garlic to add a ton of flavor—but not so much that you feel the need to pop a mint after eating it. And, as someone who’s used to Swiss cheese on mushroom burgers, the Muenster surprised me with how much it changed the burger. It’s incredibly melty, but also gives a subtle nuttiness that you’d miss from Swiss.

Wendy’s Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger tastes like the kind of thing you’d order at a sports bar with an ice-cold beer. So, to get that same flavor at a drive-thru with fast food pricing, you don’t want to pass it up. Just make sure you save the ice-cold beer pairing for when you get home—it’ll be worth the wait, I promise.