Wendy’s – Michael Eats

Sweet Heat Honey Garlic Chicken Strips from Wendy’s

Published on March 25, 2026March 25, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 44 Britannia Road East, Mississauga
Website: https://www.wendys.com/en-ca

This is going to sound like an insane thing to say about a fast food item that has the words “sweet” and “honey” in its name, but the Sweet Heat Honey Garlic Chicken Strips from Wendy’s? Too sweet.

Yeah, that’s right — I said it.

Here’s how Wendy’s describes them: “100% Canadian, white-meat chicken strips flipped & dipped in a honey garlic sauce with ranch dip. Perfectly sweet with just a touch of heat. Like a good date.”

I should note that I quite enjoyed these things, despite their intense sweetness. As advertised, they’re sweet and garlicky, with just a little bit of spice — it’s enough that you’ll know it’s there, but it’s not exactly going to put any sweat on your brow. They also have a nice tanginess that theoretically should round out the sweetness, but really, nothing can put a dent in how sweet these things are. It’s intense.

They actually reminded me a lot of something you might find at Manchu Wok or Panda Express, like General Tso’s chicken or something along those lines. It seems like the type of thing you should be eating with rice (which would do a nice job of mellowing out its flavour).

They come with ranch on the side; this adds a nice creaminess, but its flavour is mostly obliterated by the intense sweet tanginess of the sauce.

As for the chicken strips themselves, I got lucky with a well-prepared batch — the chicken was nice and fresh and not dry at all. It was sauced to order, which meant that the exterior kept its crunch despite being absolutely doused in the sweet, sticky sauce. Despite my reservations about how sugary these things are, I still quite enjoyed eating them.

Bull’s-Eye BBQ Cheeseburger at Wendy’s

Published on November 6, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 5250 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.wendys.com/en-ca

No, the Bull’s-Eye BBQ Cheeseburger isn’t the most interesting new item at a fast food joint; it’s a bacon cheeseburger with barbecue sauce and crispy onions. Is is boring? Yeah, absolutely. But is it tasty? Also yes.

Here’s how Wendy’s describes it: “Wendy’s new Bull’s-Eye BBQ Cheeseburger gets the combo of sweet and smoky exactly right. 100% fresh, never frozen Canadian beef topped with applewood smoked bacon, crispy onions, and a sweet twist on the bold taste of Barbecue sauce. It’s the freshest in the west.”

Yeah, it’s good. The barbecue sauce is sweet, tangy, and a bit smoky, and the generous amount of crispy onions adds a noticeable crunch. The description doesn’t mention it, but there’s also mayo in there, which brings the burger some creaminess and mellows out the sweet barbecue sauce a bit.

That’s not to mention the bacon and the cheese, which are both quite welcome on a burger, for obvious reasons.

The only other fast food item I can think of that features barbecue sauce this prominently is the McRib, and you know what? This is better. It’s a top-tier fast food hamburger.

Takis Fuego Chicken Sandwich at Wendy’s

Published on July 1, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 5250 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.wendys.com/en-ca

The Takis Fuego Chicken Sandwich is the type of fast food novelty item nuttiness that I love, though I’ll admit that it’s probably more fun to look at / think about than to actually eat.

Here’s how Wendy’s describes it: “Our iconic spicy chicken fillet topped with chopped Takis Fuego® Chips, with cheddar cheese sauce, a creamy corn spread, and chili lime sauce. Get fired up because, well, you’re gonna get fired up.”

I certainly did not dislike eating this, but the spicy lime sauce wallops all the other flavours in the sandwich. It’s tasty enough — it certainly captures the zippy/spicy flavour of Takis Fuego, and has a mild kick — but the intense acidity is overwhelming.

There are other flavours here that should theoretically complement and/or tone down that in-your-face flavour, but everything else is thoroughly wiped out by the Takis flavour. What did the cheese sauce or the “creamy corn spread” taste like? Don’t ask me!

Still, the chicken itself was solid, and the additional texture you get from the chips is nice. The sandwich is not unpleasant, but it’s not something I’m going to run out to get again. But if you’re a Takis Fuego superfan? Run, don’t walk to try this sandwich. You’re going to love it.

I also got an order of the Fuego Fries (“Our always hot and crispy fries made even hotter by getting shaken in a chili lime seasoning, inspired by Takis®. The shake will leave you shook”), which was extremely unnecessary — it’s the exact same flavour, just on fries instead of in a sandwich. It’s a lot.

Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger at Wendy’s

Published on May 20, 2025May 20, 2025 by Michael Nusair1 Comment

Location: 5250 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.wendys.com/en-ca

Wendy’s has apparently been in Canada for 50 years, and to celebrate, they’re serving a cheeseburger with two grilled cheese sandwiches for buns. As you do.

No, grilled cheese sandwiches as buns isn’t exactly the most original or fresh idea at this point, but it’s still the type of novelty fast food nonsense that gets me through the day. Most new fast food burgers just add a different sauce or whatever, and it’s like, come on, guys. I know you can do better than this.

Wendy’s: I commend you. I don’t think the burger was particularly good, but hey, you tried.

Here’s how Wendy’s describes the Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger: “A quarter-pound of fresh, 100% Canadian beef topped with cheese, caramelized onions, and mayo all between a grilled-cheese bun on top and another on the bottom. Three sandwiches. One burger.”

The biggest issue here? I don’t think anyone gave the person who made my burger the memo that a grilled cheese sandwich is supposed to be grilled. I mean, maybe I’m out of the loop, but I’m pretty sure that’s how grilled cheese is supposed to work? Otherwise it’s just a cheese sandwich?

Both sandwiches had been lightly toasted on one side, but not enough to particularly melt the cheese. The bottom one was partially melted, but the cheese in the top bun was fully cold.

This means that you’re getting double the bread for no reason. It’s a lot of bread! And because it was mostly untoasted and fully unbuttered (and slightly stale), it’s all very, very dry. Between the mega-dose of bread and the not-especially-juicy burger patty, it was legitimately hard to eat. It was like the Wendy’s version of the saltine challenge. If my bites were too big, my mouth dried out. I was reaching for my drink between every mouthful.

And I like caramelized onions, but the combo of the sweet onions and the punishing amount of mildly sweet bread meant that the burger really needed some pickles or veggies or something to break up the one-note flavour.

I really wanted to like this, but no. I’m sorry, but no. This burger seems like it should be fun, but my life is now appreciably worse for having tried it. Thanks, Wendy’s.

Garlic Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger at Wendy’s

Published on November 20, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 5250 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.wendys.com/en-ca

Wendy’s is on a roll — the last burger I tried here, the French Onion Cheeseburger, was easily a top-tier fast food hamburger. This one? Not on that level, but still quite tasty!

The Garlic Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger, as per their website: “A quarter pound of fresh, never-frozen Canadian beef, roasted mushrooms, 3 strips of Applewood smoked bacon, muenster cheese, and Renée’s Gourmet Creamy Garlic Spread. Literally oozing with umami.”

Muenster cheese! On a fast food cheeseburger! Ooh la la.

Also, normally I’d mock the line “literally oozing with umami,” but you know what? It kinda is. It’s savoury AF, and is definitely more umami-packed than your typical fast food fare.

Maybe too umami-packed? On top of being incredibly savoury, it’s a bit of a salt bomb. Something with a little sweetness and/or acidity to cut through the salty richness would be nice.

Still, I can’t deny that it’s tasty. The very rich, garlicky sauce pairs nicely with the mushrooms and the bacon, and the slice of muenster cheese definitely sets it apart from its American-cheese-topped fast food brethren.

Seriously though, throw some pickles on there or something? It’s a lot.