Wendy’s – Michael Eats

Dill Pickle Chicken Sandwich from Wendy’s

Published on June 12, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

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

Pickle fried chicken sandwiches are definitely having a moment; Popeyes, KFC, and McDonald’s have all done their own version, and now here comes Wendy’s to hop on that bandwagon. Your move, Burger King.

Here’s how Wendy’s describes it: “A juicy, crispy chicken breast with dill pickle mayo, mozzarella cheese, and six (6!) pickle slices on a toasted bun. Your pickle craving doesn’t stand a chance.”

I’ll admit that I wasn’t crazy about this one. It has an unmistakable dill pickle flavour, both from the pickles and the zippy mayo, but otherwise the sandwich is just kinda one-note salty in a way that I found vaguely unpleasant.

It didn’t help that the chicken itself was dry. That’s always a crapshoot at a fast food joint; sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes you get sad dryness. Oh well.

Strawberry Salad from Wendy’s

Published on May 14, 2026May 14, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

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

A few years ago, pretty much every fast food chain started serving salads in a short-lived attempt to prove to everyone that they’re not just about clogging your arteries and raising your blood pressure. But healthy eats at a fast food joint is an affront to everything that is good and pure about the world, and the salads are pretty much all gone — except at Wendy’s.

I guess people actually order the salads at Wendy’s? Because not only are they still on the menu, but they’re adding new ones, too.

Here’s how Wendy’s website describes the Strawberry Salad: “Herb-marinated, grilled 100% Canadian grilled chicken breast topped with fire-roasted corn, sharp white cheddar, roasted pecans, greenhouse-grown strawberries and lettuce all finished with a sweet onion vinaigrette. It’s the best you’ll pick all year.”

It’s fine? It’s a pretty generic salad. I didn’t dislike eating it, but the guy next to me was eating a burger and I’ll admit that I was pretty jealous.

It mostly all works pretty well — in particular, the balance between the salty cheese, the sweet strawberries and candied pecans, and the zippy dressing is fairly satisfying. I was worried that the dressing might be too oniony, but it was fine.

The biggest issue here are the chicken pieces. I was hoping they’d use freshly-cooked chicken, but instead it’s those pre-cooked chicken breast pieces that you can find in the supermarket or at Costco. They get the job done, but they have a very processed taste and texture that I’m not crazy about.

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.