Review: Burger King's New Steakhouse Bacon Whopper Is Okay, But Don't Sleep On The Premium Sides

One of the things you should know about Burger King is that its slogan is "have it your way," and this has truly been an ethos for the fast food chain. Guests can customize every sandwich on the menu, in whichever way they prefer — holding the pickles, adding extra cheese or patties, you name it. Now, Burger King is letting you have it ... some other guests' way. 

February of 2024 brought about the launch of Burger King's Million Dollar Whopper Contest, which let fans create their own Whopper innovations. In September, three winners were picked from over a million submissions — those being the Fried Pickle Ranch Whopper, Maple Bourbon BBQ Whopper, and Mexican Street Corn Whopper. Through that same contest, however, Burger King says it has discovered what it deems as another worthy sandwich: the Steakhouse Bacon Whopper, which hit menus on March 6. Meant to evoke the flavors of an American steakhouse, the Whopper has A.1. sauce and peppercorn aioli, plus a host of other signature Whopper ingredients.

Instead of crediting this new burger to individual contestants, the Steakhouse Bacon Whopper is inspired by guest requests, and therefore does not appear to be eligible for the $1 million grand prize that the three contest finalists were vying for. Nonetheless, to see if this new menu item is a "million dollar" burger in its own right, The Takeout made sure to be among the first to try out this new Whopper. 

Burger King's new Whopper combines steakhouse favorites like A.1. sauce, crispy onions, and peppercorn aioli, all of which accompany a flame-grilled beef patty, bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce, and tomato. While the Steakhouse Bacon Whopper is not one of the three finalists of the original Million Dollar Whopper Contest, Burger King management says that the chain created the recipe based on contest submissions and comments on social media.

According to a Burger King press release, fans of the chain can expect additional guest-inspired Whoppers to grace menus later this year and beyond. Considering the countless possible Whopper-topping combinations that customers could choose from to create a new burger, the chain should have plenty of fresh ideas for new burgers going forward.

What's good to know is while this is a fan-inspired burger, guests can still customize the Steakhouse Bacon Whopper just as they can with any other sandwich offered by the chain. So, even if it wasn't created exactly your way, you certainly have the choice to refine this meaty treat to suit your preferences. 

The new Steakhouse Bacon Whopper is available nationwide starting March 6. At the New York City location where I ordered this, the sandwich alone cost almost $11, while combo meal prices ranged from $14.49 for a small up to $15.79 for a large.

Good to know: Beyond requesting topping changes to this new Whopper, there are other ways that guests can customize their meal. With the launch of the Steakhouse Bacon Whopper, Burger King is also offering premium sides with the purchase of any combo meal for no additional cost, for a limited time. So, instead of a side of french fries, onion rings, or — my preferred option — the Have-sies (Burger King's menu item that is a combo of fries and onion rings), you can now get any sandwich with a side of Chicken Fries, Mozzarella Fries, or Churro Fries to accompany the burger. This was just one more reason why I had to rush down to my nearest Burger King — not even to try the combo, but just to see if this was really an option. It seemed almost too good to be true. (Spoiler alert: It's true.) 

If you're looking for a light and wholesome meal, odds are that Burger King isn't at the top of your list. The chain doesn't score too well among the healthiest fast food rankings. That said, it's still good to know the nutritional info of anything you're eating. On the positive side, the Steakhouse Bacon Whopper has 45 grams of protein ... but it also has 890 calories, 53 grams of fat, 66 grams of carbohydrates, 1,750 milligrams of sodium, and 130 milligrams of cholesterol. 

If you're looking for something a bit less heavy that still provides carnivorous satisfaction, Burger King's Bacon Double Cheeseburger has 440 calories with over 27 grams of protein, almost 32 grams of carbs, and 24 grams of fat. The original Whopper (sans cheese) comes in at 670 calories, while the Impossible Whopper has 630 calories. But like I mentioned above, this Steakhouse Bacon Whopper is more about satisfying a craving than considering its macronutrients or calorie count. 

While I don't dislike Burger King, I'm not a fanatic of the chain's offerings ... especially the Whopper. In fact, I typically much prefer this burger's creative spin-offs — even if they're not easy to obtain, such as Burger King's Angry Whopper that was only available in Columbus, Ohio. So, when I learned that there's a new Whopper on the block, I was happy to give it a try. Bacon, Swiss cheese, A.1. sauce and peppercorn aioli? Sounds pretty good to me!

On the plus side, there's the A.1. sauce. While this sauce is added as an official Burger King partnership, it didn't taste exactly like A.1. does from the bottle — this seemed a bit sweeter, almost like an A.1. barbecue sauce. Regardless, this condiment was the highlight of the burger. Without it, this sandwich would have been seriously lacking in flavor. At first I couldn't detect the peppercorn aioli, until I realized that its flavor profile had blended with that A.1. sauce, creating a fairly well-rounded-out taste. The two sauces work well together.

The bacon was surprisingly lost among all of the ingredients. Its smokiness blended in with the flame-broiled patty and steak sauce, while its savory qualities melded with the cheese (and probably every other ingredient), and its crunch competed with the crispy onions and lettuce. I'm not one to say no to bacon, but I don't think it was necessary on this Whopper. However, I loved that tomatoes were included, as they brought some sweet freshness that was desperately needed. 

Does the Steakhouse Bacon Whopper achieve what it intended to do — recreate the iconic flavors of a steakhouse? I mean, I guess, in some regards. The A.1. sauce and peppercorn aioli certainly are reminiscent of flavors that you would expect with a steak dinner. Did this Whopper convince me that it would fit in among the best-ranked steakhouse chain burgers? No, not at all. But that's not to say the sandwich is unsuccessful.

In the end, I'm left with mixed feelings. While this isn't one of the weirdest Whoppers in Burger King history, it is somewhat unique, and it's no doubt better than the traditional Whopper (with or without cheese) ... but it doesn't top my personal favorite iteration, the Angry Whopper. If you're always one to try the latest Burger King creation, it may be worth a stop — but otherwise, it's not something I would rush to try. If I ordered it again, I would absolutely substitute the crispy onions for onion rings, calorie count be damned.

However, one clear success of this Whopper debut is the gratis upgrade of premium sides with the combo meal. I went with Chicken Fries, since I had not had them in a very long time. They were crispy and tasty, and not at all greasy. If anything, this limited-time combo meal option has reminded me how good some other menu items are at Burger King.