REVIEW: Dunkin’ Donuts Cheddar Cheese Bagel Twist

New Yorkers are passionate people when it comes to food and no matter where you’re from you can agree that New York has some of the best food around, especially pizza and bagels.

Although, if you’re from Chicago, you’ll probably disagree on the pizza thing.

New Yorkers claim it’s the water that makes a NY bagel better. I don’t know if this is true, but as a Phillies fan and New England native, I’m generally skeptical of anything a New Yorker says, even if a tasty bagel with schmear is involved. To compare a mass-produced bagel to a freshly baked one from a family-owned bagel shop is like comparing Ellio’s to anything else that isn’t Ellio’s. The thing is, I like cheap frozen pizza and I like bagels that aren’t made with New York City water, but a twisted bagel from Dunkin’ Donuts? Now that’s getting crazy.

It’s odd, but the shape of things really can change the taste of food. The kids on Jamie Oliver’s new show know that dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets are way better than nugget shaped nuggets. But what about a bagel that’s braided like the Swiss Miss chick’s hair? The bagel, or as I dubbed it, twistle, is a really good size for a substantial snack, but there’s one thing missing — cream cheese. I thought they were going to go the Bagel-fuls route and inseminate it with cream cheese, but no. I wasn’t even offered cream cheese upon purchasing a bagel twist. They’re marketing these things as an “on-the-go” alternative to traditional round bagels, but I don’t see how “on-the-go” it really is when you have to use two hands to eat it and pull it from your mouth like some pit bull with a rubber chew toy, or a shark with a human leg.

What the hell is an on-the-go snack anyway? I’m sure it’s different for everyone. I saw a guy tackling a Five Dollar Foot-Long on the train the other day and not one meatball landed on his Dockers. Good thing I wasn’t on a NYC train, because it would be a different kind of Five Dollar Foot-Long that Mr. Dockers would be tackling on his commute home.

The Dunkin’ Donuts Cheddar Cheese Bagel Twist is pretty greasy; you can just smell the grease and cheddar cheese. Despite needing a few napkins to hold it while gnawing to suck up the grease, it’s actually a good thing that it’s sort of on the slick side, because if it didn’t have some moisture it would’ve been extremely dry, making it hard for me to talk. If I can’t talk, how am I going to strike up a conversation with Mr. Dockers and his Five Dollar Foot-Long?

Also, the calories in this thing are outrageous for a bagel sans cream cheese. 400 calories!?! If I knew it was 400 calories, I would’ve just said fuck it and clogged my arteries with a KFC Double Down.

The Dunkin’ Donuts Bagel Twists come in a variety of flavors (I’ve only seen Cinnamon Raisin and Cheddar Cheese so far), but I’m probably not going to try all of them, because I’m tired of their mediocre products. Dunkin’ Donuts really needs to step up their game. Hey! I have a suggestion. How about Dunkin’ Donuts make their DONUTS better before they start messing with pizza, flatbread sandwiches and reshaping bagels?

Oh, and while they’re at it, how about they bring back the Dunkin’ Donut (if you are unaware of the Dunkin’ Donut, it was a plain donut with a little “handle” to help dunk it in your coffee).

I mean, seriously, how can they get rid of a product that has the same name as the company?

(Nutrition Facts – 1 Bagel Twist – 400 calories, 9 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 800 milligrams of sodium, 63 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 5 grams of sugar, 17 grams of protein, 6% vitamin A, 15% calcium and 20% iron.)

Item: Dunkin’ Donuts Cheddar Cheese Bagel Twist
Price: $1.49
Size: 1 Bagel Twist
Purchased at: Dunkin’ Donuts
Rating: 4 out of 10
Pros: Nice cheddar cheese flavor. Larger than a circular bagel. Being amused by what people eat while taking public transportation. The original Dunkin’ Donut with cute little handle. Dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets.
Cons: High in calories for a quick snack. Pretty boring without cream cheese. Dunkin’ Donuts eliminating the Dunkin’ Donut. What chicken nuggets are really made of.

31 thoughts to “REVIEW: Dunkin’ Donuts Cheddar Cheese Bagel Twist”

  1. Oh, I miss the Dunkin’ Donut, too! The truth is, Dunkin Donut locations stopped making their own donuts years ago. They’re all mass-produced at regional bakeries and then shipped to the stores. They haven’t had fresh-baked donuts in a loooong time. It’s a racket and yes, I’m totally pissed about it.

  2. Um, I hear they have good coffee? I’ve actually never been to a Dunkin’ Donuts. I just remember being sad when the Winchell’s near my parents’ house in CA being turned into a Pizza Hut. Which was probably for the best, since it was right next to a motel where lots of people got murdered.

    That said, I find a bagel without cream cheese, in any shape, to be unacceptable. That is way too much dense dough for me. Also, interesting about the original Dunkin’ Donut. Like Marvo, I never knew that existed.

    1. Their traditional hot coffee and iced coffee is really good (even some of their more “barista” style beverages are tasty), but now that I live in the Mid-Atlantic, I rather get Wawa coffee than Dunkin’. Why?

      Dunkin’ somehow always fucks up your coffee; especially if you’re buying it via drive-thru. Wawa you have to make the coffee yourself, so if you fuck up that’s your own fault.

      Does anyone remember Quikava? It was a coffee shop owned by Chock Full O’ Nuts that popped up in the Northeast back in the mid 90’s. It was the first time I ever saw a double drive-thru, it was revolutionary. Needless to say, Dunkin’ blew them out of the water, and the company went belly-up in the early 00’s.

      1. I just wanna say that WaWa coffee is one of the best. I have also noticed that Dunkin’ does seem to screw up your coffee at least 50% of the time. I am however a Starbucks girl. lol

  3. This review was fantastico! I really enjoyed the part about the dinosaur nuggets bc it’s sooo true in the minds of kiddies…and perhaps even some adults!?

  4. and even if they don’t bring back the same dunkin donut, perhaps they should come up with a better donut and label it has the new and improved dunkin donut!

  5. First off St. Louis style pizza is the best. Second last time I went dunkin donuts they still had the dunkin donut, so it may be regional thing. (this was in champaign,il) third, this review was great otherwise thank you

  6. Ugggghhhh my nasty fat husband (not really….metaphorically…..) loves these greasy bagels. I myself have never tried one. He heats them up in the microwave and puts Frank’s Red Hot on them….to each their own, I suppose.

    So……Marvo, how about putting that striptease back up for old time’s sake?

  7. I promised my step son a reward for getting an ‘A’ in math class the other day, and he wanted a donut from DD… We went there and THEY WERE OUT OF DONUTS FOR THE DAY. It was 3:30 pm. How stupid is that? At least KrispyKreme doesn’t run out of donuts in the middle of the day.

  8. I didn’t know that Dunkin’ Donuts sucked so bad. Guess I won’t be trying it out anytime soon. What a very effective review.

  9. Like your writing style Kayla, I can always tell who’s writing by the second line, cos i never bother to actually look.

  10. Dunkin Donuts coffee is the shit. There are no b&m stores near me, so I have to brew it at home but it’s delish.

  11. I’m gettting bored! Someone please eat something really bad for you! I want to laugh!

  12. I like those cheddar twist bagels…not for every day consumption, seeing as they are 9 points, whereas, a regular egg everything bagel from the mom and pop place around the block is 6 points, and 2 dollars cheaper WITH coffee. Wawa is not bad as far as lunches go, or snacks on the run. I just do not care for the pastries and breakfast sandwiches. The coffee is great though.

  13. In Wisconsin, the best coffee is Cafe Karuba from Kwik Trip. Its basically a make-it-yourself coffee bar. This WaWa place sounds similar.

  14. Great review! I also didn’t know about the orginal dunkin donut w/ handle! I have to defend DD on this- they have superior breakfast sandwiches.

  15. I’m a manager at a Dunkin and I’ll vouch for these things being crappy. They’re a pain to make, they smell like sweat when they’re cooking and they dry out in about an hour. And yes, our donuts are horrible.

    As for DD employees fucking up your coffee… That sucks but don’t generalize… Not every DD worker is illiterate and I know that we make every beverage to order in my store. If you’re pissed that your cup is half full of sugar and cream, ask for less. Simple as that.

  16. Re: the KFC double down…has that been reviewed on here? I laugh whenever I see the commercial.

    Amanda- I’ve had some difficulty recently with actually getting Iced Dunkin’ Dark Roast coffee when I order it. I’ve been given regular iced coffee that they try to pass off as Dark Roast. Out of 4 attempts in the last two weeks, I’ve had one that tasted right.

  17. My daughter and I love the Cheddar cheese bagel twist! You have to get it early in the morning and ask for it to be toasted. Makes a world of difference. Try it again like this and you will see what I mean. Delicious. And Dunkin Donuts coffee is like crack to me. Can’t start my day without it 🙂

    1. This reviewer is a snob!!! The bagel twists are great! As a stand along 375 calorie meal, it’s fine.

  18. A bagel twist does not seem that interesting as toppings are outside,
    rather than an inside bagel cut in half, sure dunkin donuts products
    are not even close to best, quality various by franchise,only option however it is for many americans, unless you live in an area with there are a ton of shops other than the generic diners or breakfast places, dunkin is really one of your few options, the doughnuts are not too bad,
    could be warm and more like another style but not everyone lives near a krispy creme or the famed doughnut plant, and dunkin does offer a variety of flavors however, of course nutrition wise there carb and salt loaded options are not to be loved if that’s excluding the toppings.

  19. Has anybody noticed that Dunkin Donuts recently reduced the size and thickness of the cheese strip they used on their Cheddar Cheese Bagel twist. Please confirm so I know I am not the only one feeling the same.

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