Review: Applebee's O-M-Cheese-Adilla Burger Proves There Is Such A Thing As Too Much Cheese

Applebee's supplies the neighborhood with an ample amount of quality burgers. How do I know they're both ample and quality? Well, I've tried every single burger on the chain's menu — from a classic hamburger to more inventive picks like the Whisky Bacon or Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger (served with a cup of tomato basil soup). It's a variety that caters to all taste buds, and as of August 31, the chain is beefing up its lineup even more with the O-M-Cheese-adilla Burger.

If you're familiar with Applebee's burger shenanigans, then you probably already guessed this new monster of a creation is a cross between the restaurant's Quesadilla Burger and its viral O-M-Cheeseburger. It's a mashup I certainly didn't see coming after originally eating my way through the burger menu, but one I'm more than happy to give a shot. With cheese piled on top of even more cheese, combined with the Tex-Mex (rather than straightforward Mexican) flavors I enjoyed in the Quesadilla burger, how bad could it possibly be?

So I geared up for yet another Applebee's trip, in pursuit of its latest burger installation. Let's see if the burger captures the appeal of both its predecessors, or if there really is such a thing as too much cheese.

I didn't waste any time with this new burger, showing up on the afternoon of August 31 to try it. I dined in, and paired the new O-M-Cheese-adilla Burger with just a Diet Coke and the cheese-soaked tortilla chips that come with it. No obligatory side of fries here, like what was served with every other Applebee's burger. Instead, we're going all-in on the Tex-Mex theme.

Eating this burger is no easy task — you will get messy doing so — but I tried to keep my fingers and thoughts as clean as possible as I tasted it. First and foremost, when judging the O-M-Cheese-adilla Burger itself, I took note of ingredients, various flavors, and, of course, the cheese appeal. It deserves to be taken as it is, after all, but I also couldn't help but compare it to the original Quesadilla Burger and the O-M-Cheeseburger. I also considered where it would have fallen in the ranks of my complete Applebee's burger taste test. With a fan favorite on both sides of its family tree, it certainly had some big, cheesy shoes to fill.

Did I mention this thing is messy? I'd place it in the same category as sloppy Joes and saucy ribs — the kind of meal I typically only eat in the comfort of my own home. I think it comes with the territory, though, when we're talking about a dish that's roughly 50% ooey-gooey cheese.

It starts with a classic Quesadilla Burger, meaning two crisped-up, cheddar-cheese-stuffed tortillas serve as the buns. Inside, a beef patty is joined by Mexi-Ranch sauce, Applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce, pico de gallo, and pepper Jack cheese. The O-M-Cheese part of the equation comes from a cheddar cheese and queso blend at the bottom of the hot skillet. White corn tortilla chips also get the queso treatment, plus pico and cilantro. Count it up, and that equals four different cheese sources, making the dish plenty cheesy and prone to falling apart on contact.

Marinating in the soupy, mild-tasting queso, the quesadillas didn't hold up, and many tortilla chips became soggy before I could save them from the cheese bath. I eventually resorted to eating everything with a fork. And while I wish it ended there, some of that chaos continued in the flavor. Most bites were pure cheese and greasy beef, with cameos from smoky bacon bits. Meanwhile, the bright pico, Mexi-Ranch, and pepper Jack flavors that made the original Quesadilla Burger so good were drowned out by endless cheese pulls and an overall heaviness.

The O-M-Cheese-adilla Burger is interesting. It draws you in with its relentless cheesiness and the fact that it's essentially three dishes in one: a quesadilla, a burger, and a platter of nachos. However, I think Applebee's may have gone one step too far. On paper, combining the concepts of the Quesadilla Burger and O-M-Cheeseburger sounds like a great idea. In reality, though, two rights don't always add up to another right.

Dare I say, I think this is simply too much cheese. I didn't know such a limit existed, but the chain seems to have found it. And with so much going on, you lose the original magic of both burgers. The fresher tastes of the Quesadilla burger are hard to enjoy when you're wading through a boatload of queso and carbs. At the same time, part of the reason the O-M-Cheeseburger works is that the burger build is simple — just a patty, cheese, bacon, and a hint of honey mustard. That allows the lava-like cheese to do its thing without becoming too much of a good thing. The new burger, on the other hand, crosses that line, and its quesadilla "buns" simply aren't built for the job; a true burger bun holds up much better.

Without a better balance of ingredients and flavors, this burger falls behind both originals in my book. It probably would have wound up in the seventh place spot of my Applebee's burger taste test, only ahead of the oversimplified classic burger and cheeseburger.

The O-M-Cheese-adilla Burger officially made its way to participating Applebee's locations on August 31, 2026. It arrived in tandem with a few other new menu items, including O-M-Cheese Chicken Nachos and a collection of spooky sips for fall. The burger itself is available for dine-in only, which is probably for the best. I can only imagine what that cheese bath would look like after sloshing around in a to-go box. The O-M-Cheese-adilla Burger is also listed as a limited-time feature, but Applebee's did not give a completion date for the promo.

The burger is available as a standalone entree, and prices may vary by location. However, it's also currently included in the chain's 2-for-$25 deal, which famously includes one full-size appetizer and two entrees.

As for nutrition facts, I wasn't able to find that information published online yet. But to give you some indication, the Quesadilla Burger sits at 1,180 calories by itself. Meanwhile, the O-M-Cheeseburger packs in 1,500 calories on its own. I would imagine the O-M-Cheese-adilla Burger lands somewhere in the middle, or is perhaps even more calorie-dense than the O-M-Cheeseburger.