REVIEW: BK Chef’s Choice Burger

BK Chef's Choice Burger

Smokey the Bear taught me only I can prevent forest fires. Bell Biv DeVoe instructed I should never trust a big butt and a smile. And, Chef Boyardee made me learn to not have high expectations when it comes to foods with the word “chef” in its name. So I’m a little skeptical about the new BK Chef’s Choice Burger from the Home of the Whopper.

Burger King’s latest burger is constructed using a flame-broiled 5.5-ounce burger patty, American cheese, thick hardwood-smoked bacon, romaine lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, BK’s original grill sauce, and a Brioche bun.

It looks and sounds good, but, to be honest, so does a big butt and a smile. Speaking of things that are round and juicy, perhaps the most interesting part of the burger is the beef patty, which, according to the BK website, is made using United States Department of Agriculture-certified ground chuck and is seasoned with salt and pepper.

The USDA certification kind of worries me, but not about the BK Chef’s Choice Burger. I’m worried about everything else on the menu. I might be mistaken, but it’s the first time Burger King has ever used the USDA card to describe their meat. So it makes me wonder if their other beef, like the flame-broiled patty on the Whopper, is USDA-certified.

The BK Chef’s Choice Burger was smaller than I thought it was going to be. It’s roughly the size of a McDonald’s Big Mac. Just like the recent BK Toppers, the BK Chef’s Choice Burger has a thick patty. The seasoned ground chuck was a good choice because it created a flavorful meat disc. The puck of ground chuck was a little dry and I couldn’t taste the salt and pepper, but it was good nonetheless.

The BK grill sauce had a really tasty peppery parmesan flavor. It reminded me of a caesar salad dressing. Just like the use of ground chuck, I thought it was a good choice to put on the BK Chef’s Choice Burger. The Brioche bun was soft, pleasant, and held together as my mouth made its way through the burger. The use of romaine lettuce was surprising and it’s definitely a step up from the pale, pathetic lettuce they use on their other burgers. But the tomatoes were the same old tomatoes and the cheese was the typical cheese. As for the red onions, they had a nice mild flavor that complemented the flavor of the ground chuck patty.

You might be wondering why I haven’t mentioned anything about the thick hardwood-smoked bacon. Well, let’s just say that little piggy didn’t go wee wee wee all the way into my burger, thanks to a Burger King cook. Am I disappointed there wasn’t any bacon? Of course. But even without the bacon, I think the BK Chef’s Choice Burger is really good.

However, I do have a problem with its price. I understand that it’s being marketed as a premium burger and it should have a price that matches, but when I look at the size of the burger, I can’t help but feel kind of ripped off. As I mentioned earlier, the BK Chef’s Choice Burger is about the size of a Big Mac, which in this day and age of Angus Third Pounders is kind of small. I paid $6.49 for just the sandwich, but even if I paid a dollar less, I would still feel like I’m not getting my money’s worth.

(Nutrition Facts – 650 calories, 40 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 100 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,330 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of sugar, and 33 grams of protein.)

Other BK Chef’s Choice Burger reviews:
Grub Grade

Item: BK Chef’s Choice Burger
Price: $6.49 (sandwich only)
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Burger King
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Really good burger. BK Grill Sauce was really good. Ground chuck patty was good. Getting to quote Bell Biv DeVoe. Romaine lettuce is a step up from the usual pale lettuce BK uses.
Cons: Pricey for the size of the burger. My burger didn’t come with bacon. Never trust a big butt and a smile. Typical BK tomatoes. USDA certification for the meat in this burger makes me wonder about their other burgers.

23 thoughts to “REVIEW: BK Chef’s Choice Burger”

  1. Between you and Grub Grade, this has gotten less than glowing reviews and I can’t say that I’m surprised. Burger King sucks and has sucked for a long time too. Too bad, because they used to be the best.

  2. I was going to try it yesterday but the girl couldn’t tell me whether they had it or not. I wish I were making that up. And then I thought about trying it today but it was Crawfish Festival Day so I had to go to Popeyes. And then I read your review as well as Grub Grade’s, and I just don’t feel any need to try it. I’m sure it’s better than a Whopper, but what isn’t these days?

    1. I went to BK on Sunday hoping they would have it, but I didn’t see any signage so I figured they didn’t know anything about it. But went back the next day, and signage was up. I think it’s a burger you should try. I think it’s better than any of their Steakhouse burgers.

  3. I had this yesterday and I thought it was awesome…definitely the best burger I ever had at burger king. Around me it was only $5 as well, which is a lot better than what you paid. The sauce was definitely the best part…it tasted like liquid beef jerkey (which may sound a bit gross, but it was anything but). The bun was also much better than the buns they usually serve. I hope it becomes a regular menu item.

  4. HA. I heard a rumor that there is a small percentage of kangaroo meat in BK burgers… (=

    I hate the BK lounge though. I think it must be the gray color scheme. Colors are important. I never go in Target because of the color scheme… red and white… it makes me just plain uncomfortable >:(

  5. Would you trust any chef that says “I choose American cheese!” Love that cheese product. Do they still give it out in big 5lb loafs in the city park like when I was a kid?

    1. I would spit in the face of any chef who chooses American Cheese. And, if they choose Velveeta, I will take away their sense of smell.

  6. I find it interesting that almost all the Food Blogs love the Grill sauce on this burger but hate it on the Mushroom & Swiss BK Topper. It’s almost as if people don’t realize its the same sauce. I think it is the actual mushrooms on the M&S that people don’t like.

  7. Just finished one of these – my experience was somewhat different from yours. Yeah … very different. Firstoff, the patty was impressively big, easily the 1/3 lb it’s supposed to be. But it bore little resemblance to beef – I suppose there are lots of things one can do to cow bits to transform them. This meat was unrecognizable, rather like mystery meat meatloaf. Its sauce looked as much like upchuck as the meat disresembled chuck and tasted like spoiled vegetables in vinegar sauce. I added lots of pepper to get the sandwich down. Good news: it came with two slices of limp rubbery bacon and cost $4.59 counting tax; no way am I paying for those fries. Oh, yes, I agree with transit about the cheese.

  8. This is the worst hamburger I ever had.
    It tasted like a bad piece of meatloaf it did not have a real beef flavor it tasted like mystery meat. I can not believe it passed consumer taste tests.
    The texture of the patty tasted like saw dust , it was dry had a chemical or bad seasoning profile.

    Do not waste your money . I highly recommend the new Wendy’s single burger that is an improvement over their previous burger.

    1. I too ordered this burger last week and found it to be equally disgusting. The burger was really dry, which is surprising because I was expecting something hot and juicy since it took them 5 extra minutes to cook. The Bacon was actually pretty good though. Really good texture for a Fast food joint, but the flavor tasted really enhanced and not in a good way. Still it was more then passable.

      What really destroyed this burger was that god awful sauce. I didn’t even really notice it until I started to get towards the middle. At that point I took the top off, grab a napkin and wiped off the sauce on the bacon and ate it like open faced sandwich.

      I tried, I really did. I gave it a good 5 bites before that sauce just ruined it. I did end up eating the rest of the burger though as the bacon made up for the missing top half of my sandwich.

  9. Where do you live where a big mac is this big?? Big mac patties in my area look like they’ve been cut out with the bottom of a medium mcdonalds cup.

  10. Eaating one now… horrible and dry. Could they not do some focus testing like Wendy’s did with the Dave’s Thick and Juicy? People don’t want their burger smashed with a spatula the whole time it is being cooked….

  11. I’ve never actively disliked a burger this much. The bun is good, the veggies, sauce, bacon, cheese, all fine. But that “meat”? It’s disgusting. It tastes like an Army MRE beef patty. Definitely not flame broiled, with a cheap veggie burger like consistency. Yuck!

  12. its one of the best bk burgers ive tried. i’ve had it twice, the first time juicy and seasoned. second time dry and more bland. it depends on the cook i guess

  13. This is the best burger I have ever had at Burger King or any fast food restaurant! I was absolutely amazed. I usually try one of BK’s new burgers when they come out and then go back to the Whopper with cheese as the least objectionable thing on the menu. But this sandwich is great. The meat was actually meat almost like from a backyard BBQ grill. The dryness some people mention is the kind of dryness you get from grilling the hamburger to a well doneness. The bacon was thick, chewy, and smokey, perfectly cooked. The lettuce was crispy and the onions were actual rings and fresh and not white and dried out. I didn’t really notice the tomatoes and that was good, no weird fishy flavor. The best part was the sauce, which tastes like peppercorn and is a real flavor enhancer for the meat and bacon, and the bun is a good chewy bread.So all in all if you like a very flavorful sandwich you may really enjoy this burger.

  14. Uh…I can’t believe people enjoy this burger? Just eat a bag of beef jerky: same flavor, same dryness, less expensive. There is nothing good to say about the BK Chef’s choice burger. I actually returned mine twice just to be sure that it supposed to taste like shit. If you have no palette, it might be edible, but I still wish you luck. FYI backyard grilled burgers do not taste like the BK Chef’s Choice unless you leave them on the grill for 12 hrs….

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