Wendy’s First Kitchen is the name given to Wendy’s restaurants across Japan. Here’s how my very first visit to a Kyoto branch went down.
I’d heard of Wendy’s as one of the big American fast-food chains, though I’ve never tried it as the brand does not exist in my home country Australia. Of course, since moving to Japan, I’ve seen chains all over the country including the major cities like Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka.
Interestingly, the chain is called “Wendy’s First Kitchen” here in Japan because it was acquired by First Kitchen whose parent is the famous Japanese company Suntory. Wendy’s in 2016 and gave it a new name to signify its new ownership.
Decent Burger
In all honesty, the burger wasn’t anything to write home about, but I will admit it was uniquely crafted which made it interesting.
The patty was something of a square shape and the taste of the cheese was quite potent.
Unlike McDonald’s which uses shredded bits of lettuce, the burgers at Wendy’s First Kitchen are actually quite packed with vegetables like whole lettuce slices and fresh white onions.
Thus, despite the overall taste being subpar, it was at the very least a rather healthy burger, or so it felt like one.
Awesome Chili Fries!
Fortunately, the rest of my meal set was absolutely immaculate!
I topped up my side order with some cheesy chili fries which were hot, crispy, and delicious!
The meat and beans tasted like some kind of Mexican burrito filling of sorts while the golden cheese was melted to perfection gluing it all together!
Super Crispy Chicken
Honestly, the highlight for me had to be this succulent piece of crispy fried chicken.
It actually impressed me how vast their chicken menu was, almost on par with the selection you’d get from KFC.
Even though I only ordered one piece of chicken, it took the longest to arrive as it was made fresh.
From the first bite, there was an amazing crunch sound and the oil that oozed out was piping hot!
Solid Drink Selection
I was actually really impressed at the drinks menu offered by Wendy’s First Kitchen.
Instead of just the usual soda range (which they had), they also offered an abundance of tapioca pearl drinks, iced coffees, and matcha lattes.
I opted for the iced black coffee which proved to be a rather high-quality blend, nothing short of what you’d expect at a specialty cafe.
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