Review: Buffalo Wild Wings Predictably Nails Its New Sauces And Flubs Everything Else

Any sports fan has their go-to sports bar, and if you're a big wing-eater, your favorite sports bar may well be Buffalo Wild Wings. I'm a general fan of the spot — in particular, its 2025 March Madness menu was quite an impressive and cohesive release that I still think about on occasion. If you're a regular patron of the chain, you'll notice some new menu offerings, each of which sounds appealing in its own right. But are they worth it? 

Buffalo Wild Wings' melange of new items seems a bit random when they're placed next to each other. Among the lineup is a boozy beverage, an approachable appetizer, a fiery sandwich, and two new sauces. There's not a cohesive theme or any seeming rhyme or reason as to why these particular items were released simultaneously; nevertheless, I was excited to try them. Keep reading to see how they stacked up. 

I frequently do taste tests of fast-casual restaurants, so I have a pretty good idea by now of what the industry is capable of, and I tend to hold every fast-casual spot to the same standards. Moreover, I've tried enough Buffalo Wild Wings items to know what the chain can do — and what its pitfalls are. I've previously reviewed and ranked all of the chain's non-chicken offerings and was disappointed by most of them, but again, its 2025 March Madness menu was stellar.

So, when considering how these items measured up in the grand scheme of things, I looked at their performance against similar items at other fast-casual chains, as well as other items available at Buffalo Wild Wings. Personally, I'll always stick with the wings when visiting the chain. That's where it shines, and I often find that trying to expand beyond that niche has mixed results, which was exactly the case with this tasting. 

Pricing of menu items will vary by location, but here's how much each costs at my Portland, OR store. The newest drink, a Boozy Dunkin' Cold Brew, was $11. The King's Hawaiian Cheeseburger Sliders cost $12.99 and came with four sliders. The Kickin' Chicken Sandwich came with fries and cost $16.49, and I was not charged for the side sauces. 

It's unclear how long the new menu items will be around for; on Buffalo Wild Wings' website, the only item specified as being available for a limited time only is the Sweet Chili Crisp sauce. If you're dying to try the new items, I recommend heading in sooner rather than later, as you never know how long they'll stick around. It's also possible that the company is waiting to see how the items are received before deciding whether to keep them on the menu. 

To start, I tried Buffalo Wild Wings' newest appetizer: its King's Hawaiian Cheeseburger Sliders. Sliders feel like a staple on any sports bar menu, so it's a little surprising that Buffalo Wild Wings waited until now to give them a spot. Each appetizer comes with four sliders (a little over $3 per slider) and, honestly, until I did that math, I had pretty neutral opinions of this offering. In retrospect, I don't think they're worth $3 each.

The Hawaiian rolls are definitely the star of the show here. The patty is incredibly thin, and I couldn't tell there was any sauce on the sliders (which advertise having Golden Fire sauce added). The cheese was nice and melty, and the grilled onions were definitely present, but each felt like a small bite. You could easily make juicier sliders at home. This app could probably be enough for a duo dining out, but it would be spread thin among more than two people. But, still, I won't call the sliders bad — they were fine, and I ate two. They just weren't impressive and are a little pricey for what you get. 

My opinions of the Kickin' Chicken Sandwich — which comes with a chipotle-BBQ dry-rubbed crispy chicken patty, pepper jack cheese, chile-lime slaw, pickled hot peppers, and a bacon aioli — were similarly middling. I ate most of it and didn't have any complaints, but again, I wasn't wowed. It didn't feel like anything worthy of much fanfare, and I wouldn't get this over other sandwich options at B-Dubs.

The dry rub gives the sandwich a kick, but it's nothing unbearable. That said, I didn't love it, but I'm also not the biggest fan of dry rubs in general. My favorite part of the sandwich was the slaw, which brought a cool, crisp crunch into the equation. I think the sandwich would have been lost without the slaw. However, the peppers didn't make an impression, and I didn't notice the bacon aioli at all. I wouldn't call this sandwich anything crave-worthy, and I doubt anyone would be majorly impressed by it, but it was good enough for me to eat the majority of it. 

I wanted to love Buffalo Wild Wings' Boozy Dunkin' Cold Brew, which contains Dunkin' cold brew, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Kahlua, Baileys Irish Cream, vanilla, and a topping of whipped cream, sprinkles, and chocolate sauce. It's an undeniably cute offering — the "D"-shaped sprinkles on top were absolutely adorable — but I found it to be lacking. I usually love coffee cocktails (espresso martinis are my personal favorite), so perhaps I had different expectations walking into this tasting. Still, though, I ended up having no more than a few sips of this.

I drink my morning coffee black, so I'm no stranger to a strong cup. This, however, suffered from being way too bold and bitter. When you're blending coffee and a spirit — two very strong drinks — you need something to mellow it out if you want it to be approachable. A slightly sweet, creamy element keeps coffee cocktails from having too niche a target audience. Alas, this cold brew didn't do much to mitigate the coffee and spirit, so those were all I tasted. The whipped cream on top was a welcome mediator, but it didn't do enough to lift the whole drink out of heavy territory. 

After trying the above menu items, I was excited to be back in a territory where I knew Buffalo Wild Wings was likely to shine. Its sauces are always on point (though, obviously, whichever you prefer will vary depending on your own taste buds), and I was excited to try the two new heat-forward menu options. First up: Sweet Chili Crisp.

This sauce blends together chilis, garlic, crispy onions, and honey, and I have to give major kudos to Buffalo Wild Wings for this item — the company got the proportions absolutely spot-on. You'll go on a journey tasting this sauce. Sweet honey hits right out of the gate, along with a hefty punch of umami that builds throughout the bite. Then, you get the heat from the chilis at the end, and it teeters on the edge of being too sharp while always staying in approachable territory. I ended up dipping a slider and fries into this sauce, and it complemented both very well. I'm dying to try this on some boneless wings. If the chain ever chose to bottle it, I'd happily buy it. 

Last but certainly not least is Buffalo Wild Wings' Lemon Pepper Hot Sauce, a deceptively simple mixture of BWW's Lemon Pepper dry rub and its Original Buffalo Sauce. I do want to address the chain directly here: Why on earth haven't you done this before? Please make a habit out of mixing and matching your sauces and dry rubs — this was a delightful surprise that packed the heat.

Of the two sauces, this is the hotter option, but not by too much. The heat lasted longer after tasting this one, which some consumers will like and others won't; personally, it didn't sway me one way or the other. The flavors here, though, were stellar. A lemony, peppery zing cuts through the hot sauce to bring tang into the equation. The result is a sauce that exudes heat (without being mellowed by honey, like the previous sauce), but also manages to be refreshing due to the lemon. I liked the multifaceted tasting experience this sauce offered, and I'm excited to see whether Buffalo Wild Wings continues to experiment with its sauces in this vein in the future. 

Listen, I hate bashing on the chain — I really love the wings at Buffalo Wild Wings, but unfortunately, I think that's where the company should stay. There are obvious advantages to expanding a menu beyond a singular type of cuisine, but the results (at least in B-Dubs' case) are hit or miss. The chain has nailed some of its non-wing offerings, but more often than not, I walk away wanting. 

All of this is to say, if you find yourself at a Buffalo Wild Wings and specifically don't want wings, I don't think you'd be upset by ordering the new sandwich or sliders. They'll fill a belly, and while you won't be wowed, you're unlikely to regret it, either. You can totally find better elsewhere, though, even if that "elsewhere" is in your own kitchen. But, hey, don't let me make your decisions for you — now that you're more informed, you get to decide whether the new menu items are worth seeking out.