We Tried Wendy's Pretzel Baconator And It Met Our Expectations

It's hard to believe that prior to 2007, we lived in a Baconator-less world. When Wendy's first introduced the item, the burger with six strips of bacon and no trace of veggies was advertised as "a mountain of mouth-watering taste... that won't be denied." It has certainly not been denied, and has remained a popular item to this day. In 2013, Wendy's got soft, but in a good way, giving pretzel buns to sandwich its burgers. Ten years later, and here we are, the marriage of the two innovations has finally arrived, and before us, for a limited time only, is Wendy's Pretzel Baconator!

So, is the Pretzel Baconator the ultimate Baconator, or is this new twist on a modern classic not much to write home about? My attempts to order one to find out turned into a string of denials. The first two Wendy's locations were out of stock of the pretzel buns, but luckily my visit to location number three landed me the prize I sought. It was more work to find a Pretzel Baconator than it was to eat one, but alas, here are the results of that chew and review.

After my plight to find a location actually carrying the Pretzel Baconator, my mouth was watering at the possibilities of what it would actually taste like. I didn't waste much time examining this new beast before taking a bite. The top pretzel bun has the color of a soft pretzel you'd get on the street or at a big game, but didn't really smell like one. The cross centered on it was like a compass giving me directions to eat it as soon as possible. I happily obliged.

The bun was soft and squishy to the touch and remained so when I bit down on it. It had a light buttery and sweet taste and formed a nice padding for the standard thick burger patties Wendy's has perfected over the years. Since bacon is the name of the game here, I was taken a little aback when my Pretzel Baconator seemed to be lacking it. Splitting open the burger in two, I counted only four pieces of bacon, and they seemed rather small. Where the bacon was lacking, the melty cheese, ketchup, and mayo helped seal the deal that, regardless, this was a darn good burger.

The Pretzel Baconator is made of familiar ingredients found in Wendy's kitchen. You'll find two beef burger patties, American cheese slices, strips of smoked applewood-cured bacon, ketchup, and a pretzel bun. 

The Pretzel Baconator nets 1050 calories, 71 grams of total fat (27 of which are saturated fat and 3 are trans fat), 155 milligrams of cholesterol, 1630 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of total carbohydrates, and 61 grams of protein. The burger has the daily recommended values of 15% of calcium, 45% of iron, and 20% of potassium.

With no advance warning, Wendy's dropped the Pretzel Baconator in (most of) its stores on November 20, with its official release date set for the 28th. This burger is a limited-time-only item that will be available nationwide at participating locations. 

The Pretzel Baconator is available after 10:30 a.m. and can be ordered in-store, or via a kiosk or drive-thru where available. Through the Wendy's app or website, advance ordering for pick-up or delivery is available from many locations. 

As with most of Wendy's items, the Pretzel Baconator can be completely customized to remove any of its given ingredients or add those that are not standard, including mustard, lettuce, sweet onion, tomato, and crinkle-cut pickles. Additional add-ons, such as extra slices of American cheese or Asiago cheese are available for an additional cost. While I didn't see the option to make it a single or triple patty burger on the app or website, I was offered the option when ordering at the register.

Price varies per location, but in Manhattan, the a la carte burger item retails for $10.79. The burger can be made into a combo with a medium order of French fries and a medium drink for $15.09.

Before I finally found a location that carried the Pretzel Baconator, I actually ate a regular one. Yes, that means in the span of a single day, I ate two kinds of Baconators. The regular one is still a winner, but when I finally got my hands on a Pretzel bunned one, my curiosity and expectations were running high. Luckily, my expectations were more than met, and I'm happy to definitively say the new one is an improvement on the original.

Wendy's premium buns are solid options for its burgers and sandwiches and always have been, but when life hands you the option to replace it with a pretzel bun, you have no choice but to take it. The Pretzel Baconator is a fantastic fusion where two of Wendy's more popular and evolutionary modern tastes meet and make cute with meat. I just wish there was a little bit more bacon, and therefore, more crunch to the burger. Perhaps next time, to play it safe, and to guarantee a crunchy sandwich, I may have to do the unthinkable and add veggies under the bun!