REVIEW: Popeyes Classic Chicken Wraps

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Popeyes is back in the wrap game, and it’s not the only non-Taco Bell fast food chain that has recently made a massive order for flour tortillas. So it appears 2025 might be the Return of the Wrap… the Chicken Wrap. Besides these new Popeyes Chicken Wraps, McDonald’s will soon be re-releasing its Snack Wraps featuring its McCrispy Strips, but that’s another review for another day.

Let’s focus on these menu additions from the chicken chain, which feature Popeyes’ hand-breaded and battered Cajun-marinated chicken tender, topped with crisp lettuce, shredded cheese, and two barrel-cured pickle slices, all wrapped in a soft flour tortilla with your choice of mayo, spicy mayo, or honey mustard spread. You can also get the wraps with blackened chicken tenders if your heart so desires and you order them online.

I ended up getting the classic version with mayo and honey mustard. However, after trying both, I wish I had gotten the spicy version because perhaps the sauce’s heat would’ve excited my taste buds as they didn’t come away impressed with these flour tortilla-cloaked offerings. I’m not sure if I’ve had too many Popeyes’ Chicken Sandwiches or if I expected a euphoria similar to what I experience every time I eat the chain’s classic sandwich, but these wraps tasted ho-hum to me, which I find odd because I do enjoy the chain’s tenders.

I wonder if it’s the warm tortilla that makes all the other ingredients taste a bit flat. Because despite being applied liberally, the condiments were barely noticeable, especially the honey mustard, and the cheese’s flavor was nonexistent. With the chicken sandwich, the bun does add a bit of sweetness and is part of the taste experience, but the flour tortilla here may mute the flavors.

Although, now that I think about it, I’m not sure about that because the crunchy pickles do come through with the bites that have them. I also noticed the lettuce’s wilted flavor after it sat in a tortilla sauna for several minutes.

Finally, there’s the chicken tender, which had that familiar Popeyes taste but was overly salty. Yes, you can’t spell “you’re a fast fool for eating fast food” without “salty.” However, it was particularly noticeable with these wraps because the condiments were unable to counteract the saltiness.

While I’m not sure whether it was the flour tortilla that made these wraps taste the way they did, nothing about their flavor encouraged me to finish either one. Of course, your experience may vary. And if it does, please share your thoughts in the comments.

While they’re not very flavorful, I did find these new chicken wraps to be substantial with their long, meaty chicken strips. And, of course, Popeyes’ signature crunch is there. There’s enough to them that they could be a snack or a light meal. However, I’m not sure I want to eat them again as a snack or a light meal.

Purchased Price: $4.49*
Rating: 6 out of 10 (both)
Nutrition Facts: Honey Mustard – 661 calories, 31 grams of fat, 13 grams of sugar, 1 gram of trans fat, 64 milligrams of cholesterol, 2203 milligrams of sodium, 71 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 7 grams of sugar, and 26 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

REVIEW: Baskin-Robbins Trolli Sour Blast

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After reading the description of Baskin-Robbins’ June 2025 Flavor of the Month, Trolli Sour Blast, my mouth blasted a “blasphemous.”

Although inspired by Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers, and features Trolli lime-flavored ice cream and Trolli orange-flavored sherbet with Trolli lime-flavored swirls, it didn’t contain bits of actual Trolli gummy candy. How could a Trolli-inspired ice cream not have Trolli candy in it? That would be like having an Oreo shake without cookie pieces.

But after spewing disbelief, I spooned the colorful ice cream and sherbet and discovered that the swirls were not sticky or gooey, unlike many ice cream varieties. Instead, they were firm enough to create a texture that’s almost like gummy candy. It’s definitely a noticeable contrast to the ice cream, but not quite the same as having actual Trolli candy. I suppose having Trolli bits might be an issue, as the freezing process could make them too gummy. What also helps the swirl is that it has a sugar crystal texture, similar to sour gummies.

Those green swirls give an extra burst of lime and a pleasant sour punch that you’d expect from sour gummy candy. And that citrus lime burst is on top of the already delicious citrus and sour tastes from the lime ice cream and orange sherbet. However, while the swirls add a bit more sourness, the scoop as a whole does taste like Rainbow Sherbet.

Baskin-Robbins’ Trolli Sour Blast no doubt provides a couple of blasts. It offers a sour blast from the ice cream, sherbet, and swirl. It’s also a blast from the past, with it tasting like a Rainbow Sherbet. I guess if you’re looking for an updated take on the classic flavor, the gummy-like swirl does enough to make it a little different and worthy of a try.

Purchased Price: $3.79
Size: 2.5 oz scoop
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 170 calories, 7 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 35 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 19 grams of sugar (including 17 grams of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Sonic Cheesy Garlic Pepperoni Bites

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I’m a simple gal: “cheesy,” “garlic,” and “pepperoni” are reliably three of my favorite things, so Sonic’s new Cheesy Garlic Pepperoni Bites should have been a slam dunk for me.

But I have to admit that their appearance made me hesitate. To get a bit philosophical on you, I consider a satisfying “bite” to be something that provides a consistent experience no matter where or how you chomp into it (take Little Caesars’ Crazy Puffs, for a recent example). While the triangular shape of the Bites is fun—if you squint, it could be reminiscent of a slice of pizza, which is a neat nod to their flavor, even though it also kind of makes them look like oversized Doritos—it creates a dilemma when trying to get a balanced mouthful.

The edges of each Bite are thin and crispy, with the filling packed in a plump pocket in the center, so if you were to take just a small nibble, you would totally miss what are arguably the most important flavors concentrated in the middle. But on the other hand, a bigger bite would inconveniently threaten to explode out the hot, liquid-like insides, and that’s not ideal either.

That didn’t end up being my largest issue with these, though. When I pulled apart one of the Bites, what I found didn’t look anything like the promotional image, which shows a neat delineation of gooey white cheese and perfect little pepperoni cubes. Even worse, it didn’t look pizza-adjacent at all. Frankly, what the orange mess specifically called to mind was wet cat food. I would describe the taste as “white noise punctuated by pepperoni.”

Befitting of the filling’s sludgy, indistinct appearance, I couldn’t taste clear notes of its garlic or cheese, just a general salty savoriness that occasionally tasted particularly pepperoni-ish. On paper, the filling is made up of mozzarella and provolone cheese, pepperoni, and pizza sauce; in practice, the filling is just “blah.” The thin morsels of meat did at least come through way more strongly than I would have guessed after having to squint to find them amidst the orangey ooze. And the cracker-like texture of the outer layer, while it was admittedly more flavorful and heartier than I expected, just wasn’t a good match for the filling. I think a soft center cries out for a doughy exterior, so the brittleness felt underwhelming.

These things aren’t very filling, either—you can order three, five, or seven pieces, and I had hoped that five would be enough to constitute a meal, but even with the extra Bite I swear my friendly cashier snuck in on purpose, I hardly felt nourished afterwards.

The Cheesy Garlic Pepperoni Bites are ultimately reminiscent of pizza in only the same way that a Lunchables pizza is: not very. (If you’re noticing, I’m making a lot of comparisons here; it’s because these things are simply not interesting enough to say much about on their own.) If you’re craving garlic, cheese, and pepperoni, why not just spring for the real thing?

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: 5 pieces
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (5 pieces) 210 calories, 11 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 370 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 10 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Ragu Supreme Pizza

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When I first stumbled upon the new Ragu Frozen Pizza at a local grocery store, my first thought was, “Oh, now why is this a thing?” A random couple standing nearby echoed my confusion. The guy said, “Honey, look— Ragu frozen pizza.” To which the lady replied, “Um, nasty. No.”

And, like, I get it. Though the idea of the world’s most popular (or second most popular? I don’t know how Ragu stacks up against Prego, sales-wise) jarred spaghetti sauce putting its pizza sauce on a frozen pizza shouldn’t be repulsive, it is a little — pardon the pun — jarring. But the thing is, this is actually a Palermo’s pizza product.

If you’re not familiar with Palermo’s Pizza, well, actually you are, I promise. You’ve probably seen — if not eaten — either a Screamin’ Sicilian, a Connie’s, an Urban Pie, a Surfer Boy (lo of the Stranger Things tie-in), or, god forbid, the recently released Cheez-It Pizza. I’ve had and enjoyed many Screamin’ Sicilian pizzas (they used to have some great specialty ones), and a couple of the Urban Pies and the Surfer Boy pies generally receive pretty favorable reviews. The point is there’s a decent track record.

But, so, what does the Ragu bring to the table in this engagement? Is whatever it adds any better (or worse) than standard frozen pizza sauce?

The new Ragu Pizzas come in four flavors — Cheese, Combination (Italian sausage and pepperoni), Pepperoni, and Supreme (Italian sausage, pepperoni, green, yellow and red peppers, onion, and black olives) — and all are served on “a flaky, pizzeria-style crust.” Weirdly enough, they make sure to call out that all use a “Ragu-inspired” sauce, and not just, you know, Ragu. Interesting distinction! For this review, I tried the Supreme.

This was one of the most boring, uninspired frozen pizzas I’ve ever had. It wasn’t bad; it wasn’t good. It was utterly unforgettable. The crust was bland, of medium thickness, and devoid of any real flavor. The cheese was the same. The toppings were standard, mid-tier frozen pizza fare; I didn’t notice any punch from the onions or peppers — they were mostly just mushy. The pepperoni and sausage chunks were salty and chewy. I think the whole thing had, like, five black olives on it. Ho-hum. But what about the star of the show, the Ragu-inspired sauce? It was… there. It tasted red. It was a little sweet, I guess, but not oppressively so. It was, in a word, generic.

And really, that’s the tale of this pie: the most generic-tasting frozen pizza I’ve had in quite some time. I wouldn’t buy one again; with 8,000 frozen pizza alternatives available — some of which are actually good — there’s no point in this one existing. Sorry, Palermo’s. Better luck next time. (PS. How about “next time” means bringing back the Screamin’ Sicilian that had jalapeños and bacon and chicken with a ranch sauce? That thing was worth buying.)

Purchased Price: $5.99
Size: 23.15 oz
Purchased at: Hy-Vee
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/5th pizza) 320 calories, 16 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 680 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Fritos Lime & Jalapeno Flavor Twists

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I went on record last year stating that one of the biggest conundrums in the chip world (chip-iverse?) is the lack of new Fritos Flavor Twists varietals, and it seems the powers that be have heard my (our) call.

Less than a year later, after being stagnant for over a decade, the company has now dropped two consecutive new flavors. The first is a Cheddar Buffalo that was exclusive to Dollar General, a store that doesn’t exist where I live, and now, just ahead of summer BBQ season, Lime & Jalapeño.

Since it’s already been established that I’m a Fritos Flavor Twists freak, I’m not going to bury the lede here: these are excellent. For those familiar with the Frito-Lay brand, these are essentially a hybrid of three existing corn chips, and the marriage is divine. Combine Flavor Twists’ immaculate corkscrew form factor with the Tostitos Hint of Lime seasoning and the gentle peppery kick of Spicy Jalapeño Fritos Scoops, and you’ve given your tongue the blueprint.

The profile leads with a strong, citrusy lime jolt before leaning into a mild but flavorful garlic-y spice that makes way for a strong corn chip finish with a touch of creaminess. As more addictive twirly chips get devoured, the lime takes a bit of a backseat, and the peppered spice starts to build, with that buttermilk-y creamy tang developing more and more.

These chips aren’t sweet in the way that Honey BBQ are, but there’s enough of a sweetness emanating from the lime that makes them extremely dynamic. If you dislike lime-flavored chips, and I know that can be divisive, then these won’t be for you. But for anyone who enjoys that distinct fruity taste with a touch of creamy heat and the perfect snackable crunch, these are pure Fritos fusilli fun that should be picked up before they’re inevitably gone.

Purchased Price: $5.89
Size: 9 1/4 oz
Purchased at: Nob Hill
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (23 pieces, 28g) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 140 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, less than 1 gram of total sugars, 2 grams of protein.

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