Iconic American hamburger brand, Wendy’s, is coming to Guildford, opening today, Tuesday 28th November. The new restaurant is located at 12C North Street in Guildford town centre, between Decathlon and The Entertainer. This is the first Wendy’s to open in Surrey.
The VantagePoint Team was invited down to try the food…
The old Mothercare unit has been smartly refurbished, with a modern, bright new look. There’s a fun ‘Guildford’ mural on the wall, colourful tiling and a mixture of tables and booths, all finished with stylish wooden tabletops.
As you enter there are intuitive screens to order on the right, then you’d follow the restaurant round to collect your food at the back. Continuing around the room brings you to a condiment station, and drinks fountains where you can customise your soft drinks with different flavours (such as cherry or vanilla Coca-Cola!).
We ordered a selection of items to be able to provide you with a proper review. Burgers ranged in price from £4.99 up to £8.69, and the sides started from £2.99 up to £4.99. Meal deals, with a burger, a side and a drink were available too.
We tried 4 of the burgers, all of which were delicious:
- Dave’s single – quarter pound square burger patty, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, ketchup and mayo on a toasted bun. This was a tasty burger, and the right size to still feel like a treat without being too large. The burger had a good meat to topping ratio and the beef was clearly good quality, with a delicious, chargrilled flavour. Toppings were crisp and fresh and the burger didn’t fall apart as it was being eaten.
- Dave’s double – the same as above but with TWO quarter pound square burger patties. This is a large burger (and not the biggest on the menu – there’s also a triple!) with the same fresh toppings and good quality beef. Definitely one for larger appetites!
- Baconator – two quarter pound square burger patties with 6 slices of smoked bacon, American cheese, ketchup and mayo. Another large burger, this time without salad. Apparently this is one of the most well-know menu items and we can see why – incredibly bacon-y and very cheesy.
- Chicken Sandwich – a breaded chicken burger, inside a toasted bun with lettuce, tomato and mayo. The chicken was cooked well, keeping it moist and the coating was not at all greasy, a great classic! There’s also a spicy version of this, with a spicy coating on the chicken which we’d be keen to try on a future visit.
We also tried a selection of sides:
- Spicy Chicken Nuggets – 8 small pieces of chicken breast, coated in a medium spicy coating. These nuggets were smaller than the offerings from other chains, but we were glad to see real chicken meat inside, these were not greasy and had a pleasant medium heat level.
- Beef Chilli Cheese Potato – a baked potato, topped with Wendy’s chilli and cheese. The only fast-food restaurant locally to serve a baked potato, and it made a nice change. Cooked to be soft enough to eat with a fork, and topped with a mild chilli full of beans and peppers. This made a nice change, and a good ‘healthier’ option but we think that we’d miss the fries!
- Baconator Fries – fries topped with chopped up smoked bacon, a cheese sauce and cheese. These were very indulgent and had a nice smoky quality from the bacon. Luckily the toppings didn’t make the fries too soggy.
- Chilli Cheese Fries – fries topped with the same mild chilli, and cheese. The combination of the hot salty fries with the rich, spiced chilli was very moreish, and another dish that sets Wendy’s apart from their competitors.
- Normal Fries – classic fries made from potatoes with the skins on, deliciously salty, hot and not greasy. The perfect side for some of the larger burgers as we think the loaded fries are almost a meal in themselves!
We were very full, but we powered on in order to give you a thorough review and tried both the vanilla and chocolate Frosty (milkshakes). These come with a spoon rather than a straw as they’re very thick at first! Neither flavour was overly sweet, or particularly strong tasting but pleasant. The texture did definitely require a spoon but within about 5 minutes had melted to the point that it could be sipped through a straw.
The VantagePoint Team really enjoyed our meal, noting the obvious quality and freshness of the ingredients, as well as the slightly different menu to the norm, setting Wendy’s apart from their competitors. Wendy’s boast that they only serve fresh beef, never frozen, and these square burger patties highlighting that they do not like to cut corners!
We spoke with Faisal, the franchise owner, and Sophie, the general manager who were both looking forward to the grand opening on Tuesday. We’d highly recommend that you pop down and visit on Tuesday, say hello to the team, try the fantastic food and if you’re fast enough (first 50 customers) get a free Wendy’s t-shirt! A great new addition to Guildford!
