While I'm not one for fast food, given the choice I'd have to say Wendy's is my favorite. I actually saw one open in Yokohama right before I left Japan, but I didn't get a chance to try it. Little did I know, the menu is totally different! My go-to has always been chicken nuggets and frosties, but to my surprise you can't even get a frosty in Japan! Wendy's Japan features a more upscale menu than its American counterpart, called "Wendy's First Kitchen". While there may not be any frosties, there's plenty of other delicious looking food to make up for it!
Burgers
A typical Wendy's burger in America looks something like this:
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| Average Wendy's burger |
As you can see, even the buns look more gourmet, and the lettuce looks crispy and fresh! They also serve Japanese-inspired burgers, with fried chicken, finely chopped cabbage, and traditional Japanese flavors.
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| Chicken "tatsuya" burger (soy sauce and mirin flavors) |
Here's a more "unique" creation, a patty smothered with mushrooms and cheese, if you're into that kind of thing.
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| Mushroom melt burger |
They even feature pretzel buns on their premium burgers! Now that's class.
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| Premium pretzel burger with bacon |
Wendy's may be known for their square patties and double/triple-stacked burgers, but you've probably never seen this "wild rock" burger with patties for buns!
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| Wendy's Japan's "Wild Rock" burger promises to deliver juiciness and freshness with two patties in place of buns. |
Soup
Wendy's Japan even has soup, and not just the standard chili! They also offer beef stew, shrimp bisque, tofu clam chowder, and Hokkaido corn potage, all of which can be served in bread bowls.
Fries
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| Macao curry fries |
Wendy's fries are definitely my favorite due to their thickness, but why stop the toppings at just ketchup? Let's take it to the next level with "premium potato", with curry sauce and melted butter.
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| Rich butter fries |
These floats and smoothies are all generously topped with real fruit! You can also enjoy a Japanese style ice cream sundae served with mochi (sticky rice cakes), agar gelatin cubes, and syrup covered adzuki beans.
If that doesn't hit the spot you can also order French toast, also offered in Japanese style.
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| French toast with Hokkaido soft serve and adzuki beans |
But wait, there's even more!
Pasta
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| Shrimp and avocado genovese |
Who would ever think of eating pasta at a fast food burger joint? Not only does Wendy's Japan's pastas come in variety, they look pretty good, too!
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| Creamy meat-based sauce with beef cheek. |
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| Linguine with fermented mentaiko and shredded nori |
Drinks
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| Carlsberg beer |
Wendy's Japan even offers alcoholic drink for a refreshing happy hour.
Chicken Nuggets
Of course Wendy's Japan also features chicken nuggets, which are also my favorite choice of nuggets at fast food places. Here's what they look like in America.
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| American version of chicken nuggets |
Comparing it with the Japan equivalent in the picture, it looks like their version is a little crispier.
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| Wendy's Japan's chicken nuggets |
Salad
Last but not least, you'll find a healthy (portion controlled!) salad on the menu. No nachos or fried chicken here! Wendy's Japan offers two salads, both served with grapefruit dressing.
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| Green salad with asparagus and grapefruit dressing |
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| Salad with red cabbage, okra, and grapefruit dressing. |
Admittedly, Wendy's America offers more choice, and even more gourmet, salads in comparison to Wendy's Japan. Fresh okra, anyone?
Let me know if you'd like to see more menu comparisons in the future (Burger King, Dominos, Taco Bell, etc.)! I'll write more if it becomes a popular post! You can find out more about Wendy's Japan
here (Japanese only). Which of these Wendy's Japan menu items are you most excited to try?
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