4 Best And 3 Worst Burgers To Order At Wendy's

If you frequent Wendy's you probably have your favorite go-to order. Whether it's a classic four for $4 meal that has a little bit of everything or a Baconator and a Frosty, we rarely change our go-to meals. When pulling up to the drive-thru and seeing all of the options on the menu, my mind can't help but wander, and wonder what I am missing out on never trying all that the establishment has to offer. I deviated from my regular order to try every Wendy's burger.

Before you order, it is important that you know what you're getting yourself into. Not every Wendy's burger is equal. After trying every burger variety on the menu, I have categorized these sandwiches into two categories: best and worst. The best sandwiches have unique flavors, thoughtful construction, and quality ingredients. Sandwiches lose points with me when they are unstable, unoriginal, and made with poor quality ingredients.

The Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger is far and away the best sandwich on the Wendy's menu. This item is the most unique sandwich on offer at the beloved burger chain. The sandwich has a wide variety of satisfying textures from the soft sweet bun to the chewy roasted mushrooms. The cheese choice is excellent, the tangy Muenster cheese pairs well with the umami flavoring of the mushrooms. Wendy's does bacon extremely well, the crispy bacon adds some crunch to this sandwich.

However, this sandwich isn't without some pitfalls. The garlic sauce, while delicious, is a bit too salty. Paired with salty greasy bacon, the flavor is overwhelming. The sandwich has so many bold flavors, the salty spread is unnecessary.

This tasty fully stacked burger can be purchased as a single, double, or triple. The chain's classic square patty never disappoints and you can pile them on to your heart's content.

Dave's Single is named after the late founder of the Wendy's fast food brand, Dave Thomas. Although the burger represents a man with an amazing legacy, the burger is lackluster. It is just a regular burger, but perhaps with too many toppings for the size of it.

The burger is just the way Thomas intended a burger to be, a quarter pound patty slathered in ketchup and mayo and stacked high with American cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and pickles. This burger has a large soft premium bun. The tomato is a bit redundant with ketchup already being on the burger, the lettuce did have a crisp crunch, and the bulk of the toppings affects the ability to hold the sandwich. It is difficult for a fast food location to do a classic burger like this justice. The ingredients need to be fresh and a burger of this size requires napkins, a plate, and a huge bun to keep it all together.

It is surprising that this burger can be a single, a double, or a triple. It is already bulky, I could not imagine adding one more patty, let alone two. Apologies to Thomas, this burger is not one of the best on the menu.

Who doesn't love a Baconator? This sandwich is the first thing that comes to mind when I am craving Wendy's. The Baconator is famous for good reason. It is a well constructed fast food burger and definitely put the chain on the map.

This is generally my go-to Wendy's order. It is hard to beat this classic that packs so much flavor between its two soft buns. The double fresh patties are topped with melted cheese and separated by crispy applewood bacon. Fast food bacon can be pretty hit or miss, but Wendy's almost never disappoints. This sandwich has had so many iterations over the years because its central flavor profile is so strong.

This classic bacon packed burger is intended to be a double, but it can also be ordered as a single or a triple. If you love Baconators but the portion or calories are just too high for you, Wendy's created the downsized Son of a Baconator with the same construction scaled down.

The Big Bacon Classic is certainly big. I am not sure why this burger isn't just called a Dave's bacon burger. I don't see a major difference between this sandwich and a Dave's sandwich besides the addition of the bacon. This sandwich is unfortunately just as lackluster.

The ketchup, mayo, lettuce, pickle, onion, and cheese combo isn't anymore successful on this sandwich than the Dave's Single. This sandwich is very bulky and difficult to eat on the go, which is a huge fault for a fast food selection. The ingredients are flimsy and soaked in sauce, making it very messy when they fall out of the bun. The bacon can't save this bland burger, although it does make it a bit better.

This burger can also be stacked up to a double or triple sandwich to make what should be called a Gigantic Bacon Classic. At a cost of about $9, I do not think this is a worthwhile purchase.

The Double Stack is perhaps just about as regular as a burger can get. If you're looking for no frills and no unexpected flavors, but you still want a large sandwich, this is the sandwich for you. This is a tried and true hearty cheeseburger.

This double cheeseburger comes on a regular hamburger bun, which I find to be inferior to the "premium" bun that a Baconator and other larger sandwiches are served on. The two patties topped with melted cheese are covered in ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, pickles, and onions. This sandwich is carried by the fresh patties Wendy's is known for. Making a basic burger is not a bad thing when it is done well with quality ingredients.

Besides the bun, it's difficult to find something to complain about, but there's nothing to rave about either. However, at a price of just under $4, you get exactly what you pay for.

Hamburgers do not get simpler than this. The Jr. Hamburger is a small burger with no cheese, no excitement, just classic burger toppings. The square burger is topped with onions, pickles, ketchup, and mustard on a regular bun.

While this isn't necessarily a bad burger, it isn't anything special. The toppings are very plain and this burger even lacks some of the toppings other Wendy's burgers have. It is interesting that there is no mayonnaise on this burger which is something I really enjoy about many of the other selections on the menu. If you're not a parent ordering for a child, the size of this burger may not sustain you.

However, if you are looking for a small simple burger, the price on the Jr. Hamburger is only a couple dollars. There are multiple Jr. burgers on the menu such as the cheeseburger and deluxe cheeseburger, but they are simply the Jr. Hamburger with basic additional toppings.

The Bacon Double Stack pulls slightly ahead of the regular Double Stack because bacon makes everything better. The only difference in this very classic cheeseburger construction is the slices of applewood bacon.The two buns, cheese, onions, and pickles are all enhanced by crisp salty bacon.

The crunch and smoky flavor provided by the bacon takes this from a regular cheeseburger to ... a regular bacon cheeseburger. Of course the double patties give this burger lots of substance, but the regular bun lacks strength, texture, and flavor. The bun can hardly hold the two patties without ripping in your hands. For those that need a big lunch but don't want anything special, this will do the trick. It's essentially a Baconator with half the bacon. For people who want the other flavors of a Baconator to shine through the bacon, this sandwich is the perfect choice. While this is not the perfect sandwich it is certainly not bad, if the bun was replaced with a premium bun, there would be very little to complain about.

When reviewing these sandwiches, it was important to me that the sandwiches were not only delicious, but had a variety of textures, thoughtful flavor combinations, a reasonable price, and something that made the burger distinct to Wendy's. When I order a burger with a flavor and texture profile that I feel I could have gotten for a similar price but better quality at a diner, I am left wondering why I went to a fast food chain at all. Quality is also very important.

Some lackluster selections were saved by being worth the money you spend. For example a Double Stack may not be a unique burger, but it is substantial and cheap. If you are looking for a very run-of-the-mill, tried and true hamburger, this could be the perfect fast food option for you at a great price. However, when sandwiches lack quality, flavor, and come at a higher price tag like a Dave's Single, the item is not going to find favor in my eye. Although price is not everything, it can make a big difference if a burger's price is lower than more unique burgers.

When there are so many cheap fast food options, delicious and unique items are key to draw in customers. The best Wendy's burgers are ones you cannot get anywhere else.