Ready to feel old? SpongeBob SquarePants premiered—wait for it—25 years ago in July 1999. To celebrate its silver anniversary, Nickelodeon teamed up with Wendy’s to bring one of the most iconic features of the cartoon off the screen and onto the menu: the Krabby Patty. Not only did the chain create a burger for the occasion, but it also comes with fries and a limited-time, on-theme Frosty to boot. After seeing the Krabby Patty Kollab Meal all over my Instagram feed since its launch on October 8, I had to find out if it was worth the hype. Read on for a food editor’s honest review.
Wendy’s Just Launched a SpongeBob-Themed Krabby Patty Meal—Here’s My Honest Review
You’re *not* ready
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Published Oct 10, 2024
Taryn Pire/Wendy's
1. The Burger
- What Is It: a quarter-pound fresh beef patty, two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion and “a super special secret sauce,” all on a toasted bun
I love the fact that Wendy’s kept the Krabby Patty sauce ingredients under wraps for the The Krabby Patty Kollab Burger. (Seriously: The ingredients aren’t listed, only the allergens.) As much as I wanted to bang on the front counter and say, “ravioli, ravioli, give me the formuoli,” I refrained. One of the allergens is egg, so I think it’s safe to assume the sauce contains mayo. It tasted like typical pink, tangy burger sauce but with a more pronounced mustardy/pickle-y high note. I also appreciated the double dose of cheese for an extra creamy bite. The onion, lettuce and pickle offered much-needed crunch.
2. The Frosty
- What Is It: vanilla Frosty with pineapple-mango flavored purée swirl
I wanted the Pineapple Under the Sea Frosty to be my favorite part of the meal, but sadly, it wasn’t. It did smell incredible; I took the lid off and was whacked with the aroma of juicy mango. But the flavor was unfortunately pretty tame, and I had to dig to the bottom of the cup to reach the swirl, so it mostly just tasted like vanilla soft-serve until the end. I think if the purée’s texture was thicker, it’d be easier to stir and combine with the Frosty. (It would have been nice to have a drizzle on the sides of the cup, too.) Once I got to the bottom, the flavor was more intense, sort of like a mango Dum-Dums lollipop. I wish it was more pineapple-y, maybe with some shreds of fruit à la Dole Whip. Not bad, but not revelatory.
3. The Fries
This timeless side was divine as usual, or at least since Wendy’s launched its Hot & Crispy Fry Guarantee in 2021. In my experience, the skin-on fries always come just salty enough, piping hot and with a good mix of soggy (my favorite) and crispy spuds. I love them so much that they placed third in my ranking of the best fast food fries. They may not have been zhuzhed up SpongeBob-style, but I wasn’t mad about it.
