Review: BK Toppers from Burger King

Posted October 9th, 2011 | 6:48pm by Ryan

I’m all for new menu items when they are relatively inexpensive and come in a variety… major bonus points from me. Burger King recently released a new line of burgers called BK Toppers. They fall somewhere in between a value menu burger and a premium big burger. The more expensive fast food burgers are becoming tiresome for me. A value buy is what I’m after when I pull up to the drive-thru speaker box and I’m on limited time. That’s what fast food grub is all about.

Has Burger King taken a step forward in the fast food burger wars? $1.99 is the price tag for the 3.2-ounce patty in your choice of Western BBQ, Deluxe and Mushroom & Swiss. It’s time to put the King to the test. Let’s review. The Western BBQ BK Topper as far as I’m concerned is identical to my beloved Rodeo Cheeseburger. The Rodeo Cheeseburger and the Western BBQ BK Topper can both be described as a 3.2 oz burger patty, American cheese, three onion rings and barbecue sauce served on a sesame-seed bun. Burger King uses Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet ‘n Spicy BBQ Sauce on this burger and I’m a fan. I keep a bottle of the stuff in my fridge for the occasional chicken nugget dip. The American cheese melts onto the crunchy rings and burger patty with perfection, getting everything glued into one nice hand-held package of deliciousness. My favorite of the BK Toppers.

The Deluxe BK Topper is a 3.2 oz burger patty with American cheese, raw onions, pickles, lettuce and Stacker sauce (think Big Mac Sauce or Russian dressing) on a sesame-seed bun. This is a good burger that I wouldn’t be against getting again at $1.99. I liked the thick rings of raw onion and the pickles were a welcomed touch. I’m normally not fond of pickles in my burger but these were mild and fresh tasting. Just take a look at the pictures below… check out that thick crinkle-cut pickle and raw onion. The Stacker sauce is a great tangy complement to the package. I wouldn’t mind some Stacker sauce as a fry dip… those in Utah know all about fry sauce right? Ketchup/mayo/relish-y pale pink mixture. Thankfully there were no tomatoes on the Deluxe BK Topper. I’m convinced all lettuce and tomato items from Burger King come from a sad, gray depressed garden where the sun doesn’t shine. The Deluxe is my second favorite of the three BK Toppers.

The Mushroom & Swiss BK Topper is a 3.2 oz burger patty with Swiss cheese, mushrooms and Griller sauce on a sesame-seed bun. My personal preference has always been I’m good without mushrooms and Swiss cheese on my burger. It seems to be the requisite go-to combination that every burger menu goes with at one point or another. As a personal preference, I can’t really be fair with the Mushroom & Swiss because I’m just not crazy about this style of burger. I know a lot of people that love ‘shrooms and Swiss on their burgers and I will recommend it to them strictly based on that and the fact that it’s only $1.99. For my tastes, I wouldn’t have purchased it if not for this review. Yes I ate it… well, I hate half. The cheese and Griller sauce combined into this funky mess of what I’d describe as a “Fungus cheese sauce”… this burger just reeked of sauteed mushrooms. I can’t even describe the Griller sauce on its own because of the dominance of mushrooms. No thank you. In its place, I would’ve been happy with BK doing a bacon version of BK Topper… but then we’re in BK Stacker territory. The Mushroom & Swiss was my least favorite of the three.

I like how Burger King avoided three big premium-sized versions of these burgers and went with a $1.99 price point. I’m a little tired of burgers at fast-food joints that try too hard to be more than fast food. If I wanted to pay $4+ for a burger alone, I’d hit up a fast-casual spot like Five Guys. Making the bigger burger offerings into combo meals usually puts the price in the area of $7.00+. Fast food should be relatively inexpensive, quick and easy. Do the little things better, pump out a tasty product that won’t hurt the wallet so much and you’ve got yourself a winner. The BK Topper fits the mold of a good fast food burger.