I Tried Applebee’s New O-M-Cheese Burger, Here’s My Honest Review

I might be a food snob, but I also love a fast casual chain. I love the laminated menus with all the bright pictures. I love the option to add even more booze to a schooner full of some fruity cocktail. I find comfort in the predictability of the food. And, while most of the time said food is fairly uninspired, you can find some real bangers on the menu every now and then. That’s what we were looking for when we stopped by our nearest Applebee’s to taste the new menu items.

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My colleague, Gwynedd Stuart, has already waxed poetic about the Lemon Parm Chicken. And you’ll soon be hearing about an appetizer we really loved from my other colleague, Ariana Losch. But right now I’m here to talk to you about the O-M-Cheese Burger. This limited time burger is made with an all-beef patty topped with American cheese, applewood-smoked bacon, and spicy honey mustard—and it comes served atop a pool of molten, gooey queso and melted cheddar.

Sounds kinda amazing, right? But is it? Read on, for I have thoughts on the matter.

New Applebee’s Burger!

Applebee’s O-M-Cheese Burger

Pros: It’s a cheeseburger served cut in half with the cut sides face down in melted cheese. That’s pretty incredible. Major kudos to the Applebee’s R&D department for really going there. It is super fun to eat. You feel like an absolute gourmand swiping a fistful of burger through a puddle of cheese. The bun is soft and surprisingly not too greasy. The meat has a savory charred flavor. And the cheese on the plate is the perfect consistency—not too liquidy but it also doesn’t immediately solidify into a chewy disc. Also, it’s affordable. It’s only $11.99 and it comes with fries. That’s legitimately cheaper than some fast food burger and fries deals. And you won’t get a platter of melted cheese from any of those spots.

Cons: My main issue with this burger is a strange sweetness. It just creeps in at the end of a bite and it’s confusing. It might be the honey mustard. But it also might be the bacon. We really couldn’t pin it down. I’d add some umami-filled ketchup to counteract that sweetness a bit. Also, I definitely could not eat this whole burger by myself—not just because it’s a lot of food. The pure decadence would become overwhelming after more than a half of the burger.

Credit: Liv Averett / Applebee’s

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

About the Author

Hi! I’m the editor-in-chief of Sporked. I will never turn down a fresh-shucked oyster but I’ll also leap at whatever new product Reese’s releases and I love a Tostitos Hint of Lime, even if there is no actual lime in the ingredients. Why you should trust me: I have been writing about food and beverages for well over a decade and am an avid at-home cook and snacker. I began my career writing about fine dining and recipes, moved into cocktails and spirits, and now I talk about groceries. If you can eat it or drink it, I’ve probably written about it. What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s dried okra. Appleton Farms prosciutto from Aldi. Some sort of Trader Joe’s cheese (I’m into the aged gouda at the moment). Frozen waffles (usually the Eggo Cinnamon Toast Minis). Spindrift water (loving the Cosmopolitan right now). Favorite ranking: Smoked salmon. Imagine me as Scrooge McDuck but instead of coins I’m diving into a vault of slippery smoked salmon slices. Pure joy. I also found some real steals in that taste test! Least favorite ranking: Canned oysters. I had such high hopes for this but it quickly became a chore. The kitchen smelled like an uncleaned aquarium.