REVIEW: Lay’s Wavy Do Us a Flavor Korean-Style Fried Chicken Potato Chips

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After far too long an absence from the innovative and fun snacking world, Lay’s Do Us A Flavor is back, baby! The contest that originated in 2012 and birthed interesting standout flavors like Southern Style Biscuits & Gravy has revealed three new finalists for fans to vote on. The most compelling, new, and promising of the three (subjectively, of course) is Wavy Korean-Style Fried Chicken.

The aroma of the chips carries a distinct funk that I immediately pick up as kimchi-adjacent. I get more of a smell that I associate with the often pickled banchan side dishes served at Korean restaurants than the chicken itself, which is usually sticky sweet and full of layers of deep and spicy intrigue.

A strong fermented flavor reveals itself when crunching into the wavy chips, and while I am impressed, I don’t particularly love it. Following the funky pickled cabbage note is the distinct taste of chicken, a dash of garlic-y spice, and merely a whisper of sweetness. Unlike most meaty chips with a smoke flavor to bring a meat-like presence, these actually use chicken broth, chicken powder, and chicken fat in the ingredients to bring that depth of flavor, which works. Whether or not you find it enjoyable is a different story (I don’t love it).

While these chips are impressive in their dedication to the more nuanced and divisive flavors of Korean cooking, I don’t find them particularly enjoyable, and I generally really like Korean fried chicken. The balance feels off, lacking the sweet and spicy punch I want in the front in favor of a heavy-handed amount of pickled banchan that should serve as the complimentary note, not the leading profile. The wavy form-factor does well to pay homage to crispy fried chicken skin, but these are missing out on the elements that make this style of chicken so special and delicious.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 7 1/2 oz bag
Purchased at: Nob Hill
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (13 chips, 28g) 150 calories, 10 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 140 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of total sugars, 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Lay’s Do Us a Flavor Bacon Grilled Cheese Potato Chips

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It’s been far too long since we’ve experienced a Lay’s Do Us a Flavor contest. It’s been so long that I don’t even remember when the last one was or what the flavors were without having to Google it.

This year’s crop of flavors includes Valentina & Lime, Korean-Style Fried Chicken, and Bacon Grilled Cheese. Unfortunately, unlike previous years, there’s no definite oddball loser among them that allows the food scientists at PepsiCo to flex their flavor alchemy at the cost of poor sales. So, no Cappuccino potato chips to freak out our taste buds.

Instead, all three of 2025’s Do Us a Flavor finalists have a legitimate chance of winning. However, all the past contests have shown us that the safest flavor wins. So here’s a review of the winner because I believe it’s the safest — Bacon Grilled Cheese.

(NOTE: I haven’t tried any other finalists because, for some reason, when I picked this up at Target, none of them were in stock.)

They’re not the most aromatic chips I’ve had. I notice the smokiness and the cheese, but they’re surprisingly light, even when I shove my face into the bag. Although, I could blame vog allergies for that.

Fortunately, the flavor is noticeably stronger than its scent. Between the cheddar cheese and the bacon, it tastes like there’s a bit more smokiness. If you’ve had the bacon or BLT-flavored Lay’s that come back occasionally, you’ll recognize that these chips have a similar smokiness. The cheese mostly reminds me of cheddar, but the ingredients also list blue cheese, sour cream, and buttermilk, which explains the chip’s pleasant tanginess. With its combination of tastes, I imagine Lay’s could repackage and rename this product without any changes as “Smoked Cheddar” in the future.

Lay’s Do Us a Flavor Bacon Grilled Cheese is a fine finalist, which is surprising because I believe Lay’s Bacon Potato Chips are mediocre. The addition of cheese to the smokiness makes a tremendous difference. However, while these chips are good, they don’t excite my taste buds as much as cheddar & sour cream or sour cream & onion. I wouldn’t be sad if I never got to try these again.

With that said, this chip is good enough and safe enough that it’ll probably win. However, if you love it and it doesn’t win, don’t fret. Like many previous Do Us a Flavor losers that aren’t Cappuccino, Lay’s has brought them back for a limited time.

Purchased Price: $4.00 (on sale)
Size: 7 3/4 oz bag
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (about 16 chips – 28 grams) 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 140 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Lay’s All Dressed Potato Chips

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Frito Lay should offer All Dressed potato chips all the time here in the US. No. Wait. That’s not correct. Let me rephrase that. To be more specific, Ruffles All Dressed Potato Chips should be available all the time here in the US.

While these new Lay’s All Dressed Potato Chips are worthwhile, they have further convinced me that the Ruffles version should be the be-all and end-all carrier of Canada’s cherished chip seasoning when it comes to Frito Lay potato chip options. It’s exactly like how Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream is superior to Lay’s Cheddar & Sour Cream Potato Chips. Ruffles have r-r-ridges that make them r-r-really r-r-recommendable over the r-r-regular-r-r and Kettle Cooked All-Dr-r-ressed chips. Sorry, I got carried away with the rolling Rs.

About a decade ago, Ruffles All Dressed was a regular flavour and was around for a few years, if I remember correctly. But all of a sudden, it disappeared from shelves. And then all hell broke loose with those who loved those chips. No, the Kettle Cooked All Dressed Potato Chips from 2023 was not an adequate replacement, and neither is this new chip.

The level of seasoning these chips have isn’t a kaboom, like what I remember the Ruffles version having. Instead, it’s more like a pew pew. The bag describes the All Dressed flavour as being a combination of all our favorite Lay’s flavours. There’s a savoriness like Sour Cream & Onion, a tanginess like Salt & Vinegar, and a sweetness like Barbecue. However, I remember the Ruffles version having a stronger tanginess and having a unique savory, tangy, and sweet flavour. This Lay’s lean too heavily towards barbecue, which, well, makes them taste too similar to Lay’s Barbecue Potato Chips.

All in all, there’s no doubt I’ll be finishing the bag of these Lay’s All Dressed Potato Chips. They’re fine, but I’d be all for it if Ruffles All Dressed returned to the US.

Purchased Price: $6.29
Size: 7 3/4 oz bag
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (about 16 chips/28g) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 140 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Lay’s Honey Butter Potato Chips

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Finally!

So here we are with Lay’s offering honey butter-flavored potato chips in the US, almost a decade after the flavor’s height of popularity in South Korea. Ugh. Has it really been THAT long? This is the first time a potato chip flavor made me feel old. However, before you run out to find this, you should know it is/was only available at some Costco locations in Northern California. Yup, an exclusive AND regional Lay’s flavor.

How popular were honey butter-flavored potato chips? Well, when it first came out in South Korea in 2014, it sold out in stores. But you could purchase bags from online sellers for several times more than their original price. When I tried to acquire a bag back then, they were going for $50 on eBay. I guess you could say it’s the most viral potato chip ever. Sorry, Lay’s Wavy Milk Chocolate Dipped Potato Chips.

So, is it worth flying to Northern California to buy a bag or buying one on eBay for three times the original price, like I did? Of course not. But I think it’s good enough that I’m using this review to convince Lay’s to make this flavor available to everyone throughout the country, but with a slight tweak.

If you’re in Camp No Sweet Chips and have raised your eyebrows at those holiday Pringles that came out years ago or the Lay’s IHOP chips that were on Walmart shelves earlier this year, Lay’s Honey Butter won’t be for you.

The chips looked like original Lay’s, but after handling a few, a layer of white seasoning accumulated on my fingertips. Their flavor hit all the right sweet and savory notes that make me think of all the honey butter-flavored chips I’ve had over the decade from Korean and Japanese brands.

It starts off with a nondescript sugariness, but then the honey flavoring comes around. The underlying butteriness hits about the same time as the honey, and it’s somewhat reminiscent of what you’d taste with buttered popcorn. But the taste leans more towards sweet than savory. Honey and butter are listed as ingredients, but above those two is sugar, which might explain the initial sugar burst.

However, there needs to be more consistency in the application of the seasoning. A notable number of them lacked the sweet and savory punch that others had, which makes me think these might need more seasoning.

Despite the minor issue, Lay’s Honey Butter Potato Chips are quite tasty and I hope Frito Lay decides to roll out the flavor nationwide and not exclusively.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 23 oz bag
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (about 15 chips/28 grams) 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 65 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of sugar (including 1 gram of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Lay’s Salsa Fresca Potato Chips

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Every time I see a bag of Lay’s potato chips, I am reminded of the brand’s famous slogan, a testament to the enduring brilliance of advertising: “Betcha can’t eat just one!”

While it’s a bet most of us would lose, I have always found tortilla chips and salsa to be the more addictive snack: the salt, the crunch, the heat, the sweet and juicy tomatoes, the urge to eat an entire bowl as your meal at the Mexican restaurant while the waiter casts judgmental glares in your direction!

Merging two snack food kings into one limited edition summer flavor, Lay’s Salsa Fresca potato chips promise a rich, zesty crunch inspired by fresh summer tomato salsa. Betcha can’t eat just half the bag?

Well, there are always loopholes in self-control, and here’s one for this product: it takes somewhere between one and twenty crunches to experience this flavor fully. Deliciously light and crispy, each chip is coated with savory red tomato powder, which is the dominant flavor throughout the bag. The taste reminds me so much of SpaghettiOs—concentrated and a little sweet without being ketchup-like—but I’m not mad about it.

In the first few bites, a faint tickle of spice rises near the back of the throat. Although jalapeños are featured on the packaging, the chip seasoning captures the pepper’s spice without its earthy flavor. The result is a salty, zesty heat that builds, but very slowly. Like a clumsy person navigating an icy sidewalk, it takes its time and risks no fancy footwork. The tickle evolves to broad warmth across the mouth but never gets too intense.

In the aftertaste, I detect some garlic, as well as a little tang. I attribute the tanginess to the sour cream listed in the ingredients, a delicious side in its own right but a curious addition to salsa fresca. Every few chips, the tang turns sharp and vaguely reminds me of lime. Other flavors associated with salsa fresca—like cilantro and onion—are not present.

While the chips represent several key salsa ingredients, the flavors are simple and unfold in stages rather than as one cohesive bite. Overall, the chip is tasty, salty, and snackable, but its flavor is predominantly tomato powder with a building kick.

As a limited edition summer product, Lay’s Salsa Fresca potato chips scratch that salty, snacky itch that plagues me as I wait for my tomato plants to bloom. It’s a fun flavor, but replaceable in my snacking repertoire. I’ll gladly eat more than one (chip), but not more than one (bag).

Purchased Price: $3.49
Size: 7 3/4 oz (219.7 g) bag
Purchased at: Wegmans
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per serving, about 15 chips) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 140 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

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