Reader Review: California Whopper from Burger King
I always enjoy hearing from the GrubGrade readers. On occasion I’ll receive food pics and mini reviews from you guys and sometimes your stuff might just show up in a post. Thanks to GrubGrade reader Steven for his scoop on the return of the KFC Chicken Littles and another thanks for his take on the California Whopper from Burger King:

Let's compare the promotional TV spot picture (top right pic) to the Whopper ordered by a regular patron (left, bottom right pics)
It’s surprisingly good. It certainly can be improved upon, but overall, I found it refreshing. I can’t comment on the guacamole too much, far from an expert on it, but I found it to be good. It meshed well with the Swiss cheese and bacon. It should be noted that with fast food establishments, you can never get your hopes up too high, and while one place may make this sandwich well, another may not. I’m shocked that this sandwich didn’t come out a mess. When I think of a Whopper from Burger King, they tend to overdo it with mayonnaise and ketchup. One would think the addition of guacamole would be worse, but it held together well. The lettuce and tomato were dismal as always. Overall, I like the sandwich. I’d recommend trying the California Whopper Jr. instead of the full Whopper to be on the safe side and also due to pricing (The full sized Whopper sandwich alone is quite expensive).
I had the Jr. version two days ago and loved it…surprising because I don’t traditionally like Burger King. The guac was delicious and plentiful, the bacon was crispy and the cheese was nicely and evenly melted. No comment on the lettuce and tomato…”dismal” is fairly accurate.
rad, too bad the only Burger King near me closed this Summer. I thought maybe it was getting remodeled but I don’t know.
I always like the lettuce [don’t eat tomatoes unless they are from our garden] and am surprised it gets such a bad rap.
The bacon and swiss cheese sounds yummy, but I will skip the guac. Never been a fan. Perhaps I should try it tho’. Thanks for the review!
I know BK is trying to “reinvent” itself , especially dumping the king himself.. How about having a 99 cent Whoppper Weekend?? Focus on the good stuff you serve, old school style.. ?? Just My two cents…
P.S They have never produced a real good new product in years.. They should focus on what they do well, The Whopper..And sell the sh*t out of it to everyone. 🙂
I agree. In the greater Dallas market, the BK’s have permanent signs selling 2 Whoppers for $3 every day. I have a couple when in town and would love to see them make that a regular deal everywhere.
I generally hate BK, but I do like the Whopper Jr. For some reason it takes different and better than the Whopper.
I am going to try the California Whopper Jr tomorrow and see how it tastes.
I really do wish they would get better lettuce and tomato.
I didn’t think any of the toppings had much flavor–basically they were all overshadowed by the “charcoal” flavor of the burger. I like that flavor okay with ketchup, but unfortunately this is a combination that falls flat, especially for the price of $2.35 for a junior.
Where is Mikey? We need him to chime in on this conversation about how everyone hates on BK and the need for actual reviews of the product.
You are right. I am a big BK fan and wish then sucess, guess I went off topic, but have been so dissapointed in the new offerings over the last few years. I still think The Whopper is one great classic burger. I will try this though.
I’m here, nothing much to add though since I’m reading some actual reviews of the product. Actually loving that someone dropped a “rad” in the comments.
I visited one of the BK Whopper bars where the specialty Whoppers are made in Vegas. It looked disgusting, like a low-rent place that some guy started with his life savings and used kitchen equipment from Ebay. It also was dirty. I walked away without trying anything.
Hopefully, now that Burger King has new owners, things will improve.
Well I just had the California Whopper Jr and it was semi-OK at best.
I would actually work well on their grilled chicken sandwiches, but on their sub-par meat and buns, it is just a waste of avocado and bacon.
At $2.50, I would just spring for a little Five Guys hamburger or something else. I am not convinced that this is worth a dollar more than the regular Whopper Jr.
For the BK execs who read this blog and we know you do, move the California concept to the grilled chicken. Also a mushroom and swiss Whopper/Whopper Jr would not be too bad with the cheese you use on the California Whopper.
Well said jb. A guac chicken sandwich would rock my socks off!
A bk torta? Hmmm…
semi-OK? isn’t that what OK means?
We know you graduated from Harvard, there’s no need to make a smart-aleck post about something he said. I hate it when people do that.
It makes sense to me.
No, he clearly did not just graduate from Harvard because his reading comprehension skills suck.
Semi-ok is not the same as OK. It means that it is less than OK. Just like you have passable and then barely passable. Both are passable, but one to a far lesser extent than the other.
I really do not know why you find that concept so hard to understand.
Sarcasm…
JB is not fluent in that…
Nick, clearly too stupid to realize I was not talking to Justin when I made that comment.
Meeeow.
Something tells me making a Whopper MORE slippery is not a good thing.
OK I worked for Burger King as a GM for 10 years. Awesome pay, benifits, and great people to work for. I am no longer employed their due to the fact that I got a better job opportunity. That being said, most all the comments on the new burgers are indeed correct. At least until you get to the “dismal” lettuce and tomato portionings. If I’m not mistaken, most any BK will allow you to get extra lettuce and tomatos at no additional charge on a sandwich. Just my two cents on the whole topice of conversation.
Last thing I want on my BK burger is more is more of that subpar produce.
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