Tag: Jack in the Box

Jack in the Box’s website says its Breakfast Taco contains a freshly scrambled egg, American cheese, taco sauce, and Jimmy Dean sausage in a crunchy taco shell. But after eating one, I wonder if I got a lettuce-less regular taco with eggs stuffed in it because it tastes like a typical Jack in the Box taco with eggs stuffed in it.

I thought the sausage would be in crumble form, but it looks like the same meat in a regular taco, which I guess could be sausage crumbles that were crumbled even more. Maybe the sauce and American cheese overwhelmed the sausage’s flavor, and that’s why it tastes similar to Jack’s original taco.

The scrambled egg had a slight butteriness, and while Jack in the Box’s description of the menu item says, “scrambled egg,” mine had an egg-normous amount of the yellow yolky product. So either mine was made with two or more, or Jack in the Box is purchasing some Flintstones-era eggs. There was so much in mine that when a large chunk of it fell out while I was removing the taco from its sleeve, there was still enough in it if I decided not to put that nugget back in.

Oh, and it wouldn’t be a Jack in the Box taco if it didn’t have that signature oil-soaked shell center that distinguishes it from others in the fast food world and is the reason why some folks hate Jack’s tacos. While that darkened shell section has a soft texture, every other area on the shell has a satisfying crunch.

I like Jack in the Box’s regular tacos but am slightly disappointed with this Breakfast Taco. Tasting like Jack in the Box taco with eggs is fine, and I didn’t hate it, but I wish something else was added to make it a little more egg-citing.

Purchased Price: $1.49
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 200 calories – no other nutritional information is available on the Jack in the Box website.

Jack in the Box’s Potato Wedges are back!

(Sigh)

But only for a limited time and in the form of Classic and Spicy Sauced & Loaded Potato Wedges. The Classic version features my beloved potato wedges topped with shredded cheddar cheese, cheddar cheese sauce, ranch, and bacon crumbles, and the Spicy one also includes Spicy Good Good Sauce and jalapeños.

I tried to see if I could order my precious potato wedges without any toppings via the app and checked to see if I could swap the regular fries with them, but there was no option to get them naked. Look, I should be ecstatic about once again being able to stuff my mouth with these spud slices, and I am, but I really wish I could get them without all the other stuff. Or even better, I wish they were permanent again.

Am I sensitive about losing these potato wedges? Oh, heck yeah! I created an entirely new type of post on this site just so I could sing their praises. But then, a few months later, they were discontinued. Since then, I sometimes think to myself, “Maybe if I didn’t write that, they might still be on the menu.” I’m sorry, Jack in the Box Potato Wedges lovers. It’s all my fault.

Anyhoo, I picked up the Classic Sauced & Loaded Potato Wedges, and not surprisingly, I loved them. I even scraped off the cheeses, sauce, and bacon from a few of them just so I could experience again what I lost and what Jack in the Box won’t give me.

It tastes similar to the Bacon Cheddar Wedges that Jack used to sell. The ranch sauce provides some additional flavor on top of the other toppings, but it’s mostly a bacon and cheese show. And that’s perfectly fine because it still means I get to stuff my face with Jack in the Box’s Potato Wedges, which I thought were gone forever.

Seriously, Jack. Make your potato wedges permanent again.

Purchased Price: $3.50
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 520 calories – other nutritional information is unavailable on Jack in the Box’s website.

How my Jack in the Box Crispy Jack Wraps were made can’t be right, right? From above, they look like ghost burritos with the way the tortillas are folded. There is something inside the tortilla, but less than half of it being used.

I checked YouTube and saw Jack Wraps folded in various ways. One video showed one just like mine, another looked like a burrito, and another was made with the excess tortilla folded over the other half, which allowed the ingredients to pop out of the top.

I picked up both Crispy Jack Wrap varieties — Classic and Spicy. The Classic comes with one chicken strip, shredded lettuce, shredded cheddar, pickles, Good Good Sauce, and buttermilk ranch dressing in a warm, oversized tortilla. The Spicy version has jalapeños instead of pickles and swaps the Good Good Sauce with the spicy version. Either one is also available with grilled chicken, which I unintentionally tried. I’ll explain later.

With the way my Classic Crispy and Spicy Crispy Jack Wraps were made, the first bites would’ve been ALL tortilla, so I rewrapped them into burritos. Unfortunately, that didn’t prevent my jaw from getting a little workout, thanks to the tough tortilla, which felt like it wasn’t warmed up to soften it. But I did some microwave magic to make everything less chewy.

The Classic Crispy Jack Wrap has a lot of flavor, thanks to the Good Good Sauce and ranch. The pickles added a tasty pungent kick. The chicken strip inside was a bit dry and had little crispiness, but the sauces and vegetables mostly compensated for those issues. As for the Spicy one, the jalapeños overwhelmed the whole thing, and after eating a third of it, I took them out. For something so small, there were a lot of jalapeños in it. But even with them out, their flavor lingered a bit too much.

Unsatisfied with my experience, I went to a different Jack in the Box location for another Crispy Jack Wrap. This time, I ended up with one wrapped like a burrito. But, despite my receipt saying I ordered a Crispy version, I had grilled chicken in mine. This time, the tortilla was much easier to chew and had some crispiness, and overall I liked grilled chicken Jack Wrap as much as the Crispy version.

While the Classic Crispy and Grilled Jack Wraps were tasty, I’m not completely impressed. Their price seems a bit high for something with ONE chicken strip in them, even at the advertised price of three dollars, and those tortillas were comically too big. Jack in the Box knows there are smaller tortillas, right?

Purchased Price: $3.29 each*
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Classic Crispy), 5 out of 10 (Spicy Crispy), 6 out of 10 (Classic Grilled)
Nutrition Facts: 380 calories each for the Classic Crispy and Spicy Crispy Jack Wraps. Other nutritional info is not available.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

I find it weird that Jack in the Box’s All American Ribeye Steakhouse Burger doesn’t have AMERICAN cheese. Instead, it has natural cheddar cheese, along with a 100% Ribeye beef patty, smoky aioli, red onions, lettuce, tomato, and a potato bun. There’s also a version with bacon. I was charged for the one without but somehow ended up with the bacon one. Yay me! The fast food gods giveth!

If you’re thinking, “Hey, am I experiencing fast food deja vu? Didn’t Jack in the Box offer an All American Ribeye Steakhouse Burger before?” If that’s you, you have a great memory and should use that to count cards at a casino. The original All American Ribeye Burger came out in 2017, but it didn’t have “Steakhouse” attached to it or American cheese. It did have provolone cheese, spring mix, and mayonnaise, along with the red onions, lettuce, tomato, and potato bun. There was also a 2018 version that swapped the red onions with white ones.

When I reviewed 2018’s Blue Cheese Bacon Ribeye Burger, I mentioned that I didn’t think the beef was better than what comes with the Jumbo Jack. This time, I’d say it’s a little bit better because it’s meatier tasting than what’s on a Jumbo Jack. In fact, sometimes I thought it reminded me of steak. It’s a little dry, but that’s not unusual for fast food burgers.

The ribeye paired well with the aioli, which has a pleasant smoky and garlicky flavor. It’s a step up from Jack’s regular mayonnaise. However, I wish it was a bit punchier. Although, because it wasn’t, it allowed the ribeye patty’s flavor to stand out in every bite. It also let the smokiness and saltiness from my burger’s blanket of bacon to come through.

Unfortunately, not all the ingredients were as noticeable. The red onions, the only vegetable I was looking forward to, wasn’t as pungent as I would’ve liked, but they did provide a crunch. And the natural cheddar cheese wasn’t noticeable because, after looking at my photos, I’m pretty sure I didn’t get a slice. Boo me! The fast food gods taketh!

As for the rest of the components, the potato bun held everything together well without falling apart, and the lettuce and tomato did what the two vegetables do in burgers, add a minuscule amount of fiber, crunch, and color.

Despite mine not having any cheese, Jack in the Box’s All American Ribeye Steakhouse Burger was still a tasty eat. It’s not as great as a Buttery Jack, but it’s a bit more premium tasting than a Jumbo Jack, thanks to the ribeye and aioli.

Purchased Price: $8.59*
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 790 calories for the regular one. 840 calories for the bacon version. All other nutrition numbers aren’t available on the Jack in the Box website.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

Jack in the Box recently overhauled its mobile app, and it’s been awful for me. It’s slow and doesn’t show the four Jack in the Box locations within three miles away from me, especially the one within walking distance. It lists one 11 miles away, but that one doesn’t accept mobile orders.

And because of that, I can’t order anything from the app. Now you might be thinking, “Why does this matter?”

Because to order the new Jack in the Box Basic Witch Shake, I had to say this product’s stupid name through the drive-thru speaker instead of ordering it through the app that allows me not to mutter a word. It’s so stupid that I’m not going to refer to it by its name for the rest of this review.

The seasonal menu item combines Jack’s Oreo shake with pumpkin spice flavoring, and it’s crowned with whipped topping and a maraschino cherry. I thought the Oreo and pumpkin spice combination was something we’ve never seen before from a fast food chain. But a quick search led me to a site I’ve never heard of that has a review of Burger King’s Pumpkin Spice Oreo Shake that came out in 2015.

But back to Jack’s Oreo pumpkin spice shake. Not only is its name stupid, but so is its flavor. It’s stupid good.

Maybe because it’s October and I can now properly celebrate the fall season without my conscious wondering if it’s too early, but the Oreo and pumpkin spice combination gave me the fall feels. While it doesn’t quite taste like a pumpkin pie with an Oreo crust, it’s close. And now I’m curious about how a Pumpkin Spice Oreo would taste with chocolate wafers instead of the Golden ones. The cookie bits’ slightly bitter cocoa bite goes well with the sweet, creamy base with all the flavors you’d expect from pumpkin spice. But despite cookie specks floating throughout the shake, my taste buds sometimes wondered if they’re really there. Of course, when that happens, this tastes like a pumpkin spice shake, and I’m not going to complain about that.

I am going to grumble about the whipped topping. When the white fluffy stuff melts into the shake, it noticeably dilutes the pumpkin spice flavor. When Jack’s app starts working for me again, I really have to start ordering these shakes without the toppings.

I’m sure Jack in the Box’s mobile app will get better for me over time, but there’s no need for its Oreo pumpkin spice shake to improve. Well, except for its name.

Purchased Price: $5.92
Size: Regular
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (760 calories – other numbers unavailable).