Review: White Castle's New Cheddar Smoked Sausage Slider And Pretzel Nibblers Left A Bad Taste In My Mouth

I am one of those lucky individuals who lives near the line where White Castle territory begins and Krystal territory (a very similar establishment) ends. Both have items I equally enjoy, with Krystal offering a very delicious chicken slider and White Castle delivering its iconic burger sliders and generously sized breakfast sammies that are a must-try. I also appreciate that White Castle listens to its loyal cravers and offers opportunities to be heard. For instance, it's easy to give your opinion on menu items, team members, and location suggestions by calling 1-800-THE-CRAVE. And right now, customers can also help make a big decision regarding a new menu item that may be made available nationwide.

The two new White Castle innovations customers have to choose from are the Cheddar Smoked Sausage Slider and Pretzel Nibblers. The smoked sausage slider is a smoked sausage infused with cheddar, accompanied by caramelized onions, and served up on a signature slider bun. The pretzel bites are exactly what they sound like: bite-sized pretzels served with cheese sauce.

Both look incredibly enticing in signage, but looks can be deceiving. So, we had to make a run to White Castle to try them both and see which choice, if either, was going to earn our vote.

Right now the lucky test markets for the new sausage slider and pretzel nuggets are Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; and New Jersey. While White Castle isn't saying if one of the items will be chosen over the other, or if either will even make it, it is offering that both the new items would be making a temporary appearance on nationwide menus if testing goes well. And the items will only be available while supplies last. So, once they're gone, they may be gone forever.

The Cheddar Smoked Sausage slider is $1.29 and comes as one individual sandwich with no menu option listed for a combo. The Pretzel Nibblers, on the other hand, are available in a 6-piece size for $2.99 and a 15-piece size for $6.99. Both pretzel options come served with warm cheese.

Luckily, we were able to get to our Louisville location quickly enough that both options were still available. They were so new to employees, in fact, that how and where to salt the pretzels was being discussed as we ordered. So, you may have some time to hit your local store if the new items are in your area. But the real question is, will you want to? Lucky for you, we may have that answer.

The Cheddar Smoked Sausage Slider is 240 calories per sandwich. As I was handed my order of two, I was immediately surprised at the powerful scent of the smoked sausage wafting from the closed bag. It emanated a robust, smoky, and incredibly salty aroma that pointed specifically to the taste to come. Once removed from the bag, I was once again surprised at the visual. From the pictures I had seen, I expected the slider to have caramelized onion strips hanging from the bun but there were honestly none to be seen. I had to take the sandwich apart and remove the sausage to find three small pieces of onion, however they did look caramelized.

The smoked sausage was shriveled and flat, definitely not at large as a common smoked sausage. It was cut in half and about as big as a regular hot dog. On first bite I was shocked that the flavor of the sausage surrendered very quickly to the one onion that had slipped onto my palate. The onion added a nice crispness to the texture but not the sweetness one should get from a caramelized onion. Taking a bite of the sausage alone provided a high level of salt, a small level of smoke, and no cheddar at all. The salt clung to the palate aggressively, and I had to drink copious amounts of water to get it to fade, only to find the onion flavor hiding beneath. 

The pretzel nibblers are 240 calories for six, 570 calories for 15, and looked very much like one would expect. They resembled the shape, size, and appearance of buckeye candy. There were very few flakes of salt, but those that were there were satisfyingly large, as a good soft pretzel should have. I was happy that the accompanying cheese came in a cup and not a manufactured sauce packet. And overall, the selection was much more visually appealing than the smoked sausage slider, and I was glad to get to dipping.

On first bite, a strange flavor hit me, tasting almost like fried, breaded fish. I'm assuming the workers fried the pretzels in a communal oil, and White Castle does have fried fish, so it wasn't out of the realm of possibilities. I went in for a second bite, tasting the pretzel alone without the cheese, and the same strange quality came through, although this time it was joined by a couple of crispy bits of salt that snapped between my teeth. I searched through two of the nibblers and still found no real taste of pretzel, although the look and texture were certainly on point.

The cheese, on the other hand, was delightful — simply salted, a touch of spice, and creamy. I think this cheese would be great with a side of fries. But as far as pairing with the pretzel nibblers, it was sadly not enough to mask the strange presence of the fried fish flavor.

Normally I would be the last person to make this statement, but my opinion is — don't vote! What ends up on the menu will be chosen based on consumer response in the test market cities. And trust me, you aren't going to be satisfied by either of these options. Even if it's only for a short time, I don't think either the fishy pretzels or the salty sausage needs to be on the menu at all. They both left a bad taste in my mouth, figuratively and literally.

Take White Castle's general advice and "follow the crave" you already have if you're visiting the store. For me that would be an original cheese slider or one of my favorite sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast sliders. But neither the smoked sausage slider nor the pretzel nibblers deliver on the craveable taste that is being advertised. And if you do give them a try, you're going to be tasting them for quite some time, as the aftertaste on both is potent and seemingly permanent. It took a lot of water and some lemon for me to properly cleanse my palate.

The cheese, though, is worth getting. If you are ordering up some hash browns, fries, onion rings, or even chicken rings, I highly recommend asking for a side of the cheese. It's tasty and the only item that deserves a spot on the menu or in your crave case.