Ah, garlic. Aggressively odiferous plant. Repellent of vampires. Destroyer of kisses. Enhancer of… well, I was going to say “enhancer of Italian food,” but garlic is like cuteness at a kitten convention — it’s everywhere, basically. Including this new burger from Burger King, which it’s calling the Garlic & Bacon King (GBK).
Burger King’s website doesn’t really explain what is on the GBK, but other sites use this description: “a new premium burger made with two quarter-pound flame-grilled beef patties topped with three half-slices of bacon, new garlic pieces, two slices of American cheese, and mayo on a soft sesame seed bun.”
I got the single which is also an option. That also reduced the number of cheese slices by one, which was totally fine, and I’m pretty sure the single came with two pieces of bacon instead of three. (Again, this made sense.)
The real story here is the inclusion of “new garlic pieces.” Now, if you read this but haven’t seen a picture, this is pretty broad, right? Are we talking minced-up garlic mixed in with the mayo? Loose cloves lying sleepily atop the patty? The possibilities are endless. (Okay, well, maybe there are only two or three actual possibilities. But still.)
In this case, we’re talking thin garlic petals that have been deep fried. And there are a TON of them. An overwhelming amount, in fact. If you do not like garlic, there is no way on Earth you like this burger. There is no subtlety here, oh no. This is a giant poke in the eye with a big, greasy, garlic-coated finger. And to borrow an expression from the youth of today, “I am here for it.”
I’m not sure I had a single bite that didn’t have a crispy, garlicky petal in it. Also, please note that I said “crispy.” Despite a 10-minute car ride home and some photography after, they were amazingly crisp. Texturally (and of a similar potency), the garlic reminded me of the French’s Crispy Fried Onions your Aunt Lydia puts on the green bean casserole each Thanksgiving. These things were STRONG, but delicious.
Everything else about the burger was pretty standard BK fare. The bacon was thick, well-cooked, and salty, the mayo was appropriately creamy, and the cheese was perfectly fine fast food American cheese. I will say, the patty tasted a bit more charbroiled than I think BK’s patties typically are. I’m not sure how these things are prepared, so I don’t know if it was something in the preparation, or if it’s something with the meat, or perhaps some combination. In any case, it tasted fresh and meaty, and I felt like it elevated this particular burger.
While this isn’t in the same league as the new BK Ch’King sandwich, it is a nice LTO that’s worthy of a go. Just don’t do it before heading to a make-out party or inviting any vampire friends over for a board game night.
Purchased Price: $5.99
Size: Single patty
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Unavailable at this time (Okay, well, the website says the single I had has 214 calories, and something about that seems off. There are no other stats.)
Wowza, this sounds like my cup of tea. Or more like, my type of sandwich. I love me some fried onions and fried garlic is even. better. I can eat a whole onion in one sitting when it’s been caramelized to crispy goodness. This will be my next fast food meal, for sure. Thanks for the vivid descriptions, mouth-watering!
Sooooo freaking good..A keeper
Ditto! I don’t even eat many burgers and when I do, I prefer them cooked on the flat top. This review has gotten me all excited to allow for an exception!
And here is the double:
Calories
1,137 kcal
Fat
74.8 g
Saturated Fat
26.5 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Cholesterol
188.5 mg
Sodium
1,536.7 mg
Carbohydrates
58.7 g
Fiber
2.4 g
Sugar
9.8 g
Proteins
59.3 g
Something is definitely off with the nutritional info. Here is the single:
Calories
1,214.7 kcal
Fat
22.3 g
Saturated Fat
4.6 g
Trans Fat
0.3 g
Cholesterol
26 mg
Sodium
392.2 mg
Carbohydrates
0.3 g
Fiber
0 g
Sugar
0.2 g
Proteins
3.4 g
its was so good
The french fried onion company needs to come up with a garlic version to sell. I would stock up.
Yes! This isn’t your mom’s green bean casserole.
Imma be honest, at first glance, that top bun looked like knockoff cornflakes in milk until I remembered this is a burger review.
I’m not a fast food type of guy, (but not a healthy eater) The commercial hooked me and I went today and got the single version for lunch. Mine didn’t look nearly as pretty as yours and I must say I was disappointed. To me, it just tasted “burnt” and actually had to force myself to finish it. I love garlic and bacon, but for whatever reason, it just didn’t work for me and I doubt this sandwich will have staying power. . . but I’ve been wrong before.
Was it just due to the cookery of your burger and its elements?
Wonderful review, great writing and descriptors. Even if the rating and experience had been a bad one, I’ve a feeling that I still would have enjoyed the post. And kudos to BK for going all in with the garlic forward flavour.
Looking forward to having a moment of weakness and giving this a go; and also dipping it in some roasted garlic aioli…because, you know, vampires are everywhere and you can never be too careful.
Why is the single patty more calorific than the double patty??
It really isn’t — bad data entry (somewhere). The bk.com website may have been corrected; it lists the “single garlic and bacon king” at 1,094 calories, and the “garlic and bacon king” [i.e. double patty] at 1,351 calories. Info from the Burger King menu page:
https://www.bk.com/menu/section-section_5596
Having one now. Not impressed at all. The deep fried garlic..if thats really what it is….is tasteless. At least put some ranch dressing on it. Actually, the onion ring sauce is not bad on the burger. I think its back to R & D Burger King…
Omg I think I have had about 6 of these in like 2 weeks . So good I’m obessed with it. I told myself I can get the double if I don’t go to Mickey d for fries . So I kicked the fries to the curb and just get the sandwich for my meal. So goood.