Sorry, Burger King — 3 Of The 8 Worst Fast Food Burgers Of 2026 Come From The Chain

To stay abreast of modern tastes and keep customers coming back to the drive-thru, fast food chains are constantly delivering enticing new menu items. Every once in a while, they get a hit. What often happens, though, is that the new offerings bring a brief wave of interest before disappearing from the collective memory. Burger King is in particularly dire straits this year with its newly released menu items. The chain's Maple Bourbon BBQ Whopper, Ultimate Steakhouse Whopper, and New Whopper claimed places as on our list as the worst fast food burgers of 2026.

Based on customer reviews, ratings, and discussions online, these menu items were far from hits. But things aren't all bad for the world's second largest burger chain. For one thing, any and all of these sandwiches probably score well above the discontinued 1970s Big Plain Burger from Burger King — now that was a flop. On top of that, though, the chain has found at least one fan-favorite this year with its Peppercorn BLT Whopper, which may be the best new fast food burger of 2026 so far. So why were these three burgers such fails? It mostly comes down to a lack of creativity and poor execution on the chain's part.

The Maple Bourbon BBQ Whopper takes Burger King's flagship menu item and swaps out the traditional toppings for crispy onions, jalapeños, and a sweet maple bourbon barbecue sauce. Unfortunately, the sauce is "nasty," according to customers on Reddit, and makes the sandwich "way too sweet and rich." Others say that the bourbon flavor is present, but the maple absent, with a final verdict that it tastes something like Boston Baked Beans candy-coated peanuts.

The Ultimate Steakhouse Whopper consists of a patty topped with bacon, onion rings, mushrooms, melted Swiss cheese, and a creamy peppercorn sauce. This one doesn't stray too far from other "Steakhouse" Whoppers of the past, leading to customer complaints about it being unoriginal. Many also it's priced too high — the sandwich costs upwards of $10 at many locations. Reddit users think it's overly salty and that the mushrooms "taste like nickels."

Finally, we have the New Whopper, Burger King's attempt to revamp its signature sandwich by improving the bun and mayonnaise, stacking it high with toppings, and delivering the sandwich in a cardboard carton to ensure it isn't smushed by the time it's fished out of that paper to-go bag. It's not necessarily bad, but these "improvements" have been received as underwhelming. One customer claims to have sampled the sandwich four times, writing, "It's about 1% better (new bun & mayo). I detect no other change in taste because there is NO other changes according to the BK website." While well-intentioned, it's a bland revamp that can hardly be distinguished from what came before.