Five Better Alternatives To Burger King's New Chef's Burger: Think Price!

Laine Doss

Sure it looks good...

​Burger King recently announced its new Chef's Choice burger to much hype. The official press release describes the meat sandwich in flowery and loving terminology.

"Superior from every angle, this 5.5 ounce flame-grilled burger is made with seasoned ground chuck and is topped with thick-cut bacon, American cheese, crisp red onions, sliced tomatoes, Romaine leaf lettuce and savory Griller sauce, all on an artisan-style bun that will surprise and delight taste buds."

I purchased the Chef's Choice Burger, which is $4.99 for the burger, $6.99 for a value meal with small fries and a small soda. When I opened the box, I was pleasantly surprised. Wrapped in paper, the burger was thick and juicy looking. Unlike most fast food burgers, the sandwich wasn't squished and all components were easily identified and the correct color. Tomatoes were orange, onions were purple, meat was brown, and bacon was a deep umber.

Unfortunately, the burger didn't live up to the look. The meat was salty, flavorless, and had a strange chemical aftertaste. The cheese was a yellow piece of plastic, and the Griller sauce was green mayonnaise. Only the bacon was partially edible. After two bites I fed it to the dogs. The fries? Let's put it this way - the Donner Party wouldn't have eaten them. An hour later, I still have mild heart palpitations, possibly from the obviously high sodium content.

For around five dollars there are much better burgers to be had. Here are five better choices, all within a buck or two of the BK bust:

Sakaya Kitchen via Facebook

​5. Sakaya Kitchen
Richard Hale's Bulgogi Burger ($6.99) is an Asian-inspired version of the classic bacon cheeseburger. Charred Angus beef gets topped with tator tots, spicy cheese sauce, pork, and spicy mayo.

BGR The Burger Joint via Facebook

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4. BGR The Burger Joint
BGR serves up burgers made from prime, dry-aged, all natural, hormone free, grain-fed beef on a brioche bun ($6.99). Add Applewood smoked bacon ($.99) and cheese (.$99) to create your own bacon cheeseburger. Inventive sides like asparagus fries ($3.89) and sweet potato fries ($3.99) and that crazy soda machine that lets you custom make a strawberry Fanta/Sprite/Diet Coke make this place worth the trip.