by Bottom Line: The Spicy Whopper Melt is a satisfying burger that delivers some heat and offers a good alternative to the spicy chicken sandwich for those seeking out some spice in the drive thru
You can read my review of the new Spicy Melt here.
Fast food joints are chasing after spicy these days with their chicken sandwiches, and BK has a good option there with its Spicy Ch’King (you can read my review of that here). But the King also has a few other options on the menu that bring the heat including the new Spicy Whopper Melt sandwich. For some reason, there are not as many burgers kicking up the heat in the drive thru, but maybe BK’s new addition will start a trend.
The Spicy Whopper Melt is one of three in the new Melts line and it includes two flame-grilled beef patties (totaling a quarter pound), melty American cheese, jalapenos, caramelized onions, and creamy spicy sauce all tucked between two toasted slices of bread. (What, no brioche or potato bread or challah or one of those other fancy breads that are so trendy these days?) The other two Melts are the Whopper Melt and the Bacon Whopper Melt.
The Spicy Whopper Melt has the flame-broiled taste you expect from BK with a nice kick from the jalapenos. The grilled onions add a pleasant sweetness and some texture, and this burger has plenty of the “melty” cheese which adds some creaminess and makes it rather messy (I don’t advise eating this while driving). The “creamy spicy” sauce adds a bit of sweetness along with some tang and is much better than the mayonnaise they usually put on their burgers (which has no business on a burger).
Most of the heat appears to come from the jalapenos, as I could not detect too much of a bite from the sauce. But they were quite generous with the peppers which is a good thing. My sandwich approached medium heat, and if you ask for extra peppers that would certainly amp it up even more. (I advise against asking for extra sauce as this burger is messy enough as it is.) The sandwich definitely has a good kick for something from one of the major fast food chains and offers a nice break from chicken sandwiches. (They are running out of chicken as it is, so keep this in mind as an alternative if you go there for the Spicy Ch’King).
Now here’s the rub on this burger: it might be smaller than you expect. From the advertising, you might be thinking this is a double-meat sourdough Whopper. (By the way, why aren’t those two slices of bread on the Melts sourdough?) But this is a smaller sandwich with two eighth-pound Whopper Jr. patties that total up to a quarter pound. That doesn’t bother me because the double-meat Whopper has over a thousand calories and way more fat than anyone should eat in one sitting (which doesn’t even count the fries you know you will get). The Spicy Whopper Melt clocks in at 571 calories, and while it certainly doesn’t count as health food, you may not have to loosen that belt a notch when you are done. I found it to be a satisfying sandwich, but some may be disappointed if they expected a bigger burger.
And since you didn’t get that double-meat whopper, might I recommend an order of onion rings with zesty sauce as your side? That tasty sauce has a nice tang with a bit of a horseradish kick and some heat as well (around mild level) and pairs perfectly with those rings. Wait, my doctor is calling and he’s not happy. Change my side to a small salad.
The Whopper Melts are a limited-time deal and they may get cut shorter because I understand that some people are complaining about the size. The Spicy Whopper Melt worked okay for me, though, and I recommend giving it a try as an alternative to spicy chicken while running through the drive thru.
You can read my review of the new Spicy Melt here.
Tale of the Tape
Calories: 571
Fat: 34g (15g Sat/6g Trans)
Protein: 27g
Carbs: 41g
Sodium: 1133mg
