Pickles have broad appeal; they seem to be everywhere these days, with pickle-flavored spins popping up left and right and fans snapping them up in record time. And honestly, there’s good reason for the craze—pickles are pretty tasty. So it wasn’t shocking to us when Culver’s rolled out some fried pickle offerings. We got our hands on the new menu items and this is what we thought.
Fried Pickles
First up, you can order the fried pickles as a standalone side, either as a substitute for fries or simply as a side on its own. The fried pickles themselves are solid. The coating is solid, almost the same batter Culver’s uses for their cheese curds but applied to pickle slices. It’s not overpowering and delivers a pleasantly crunchy bite. That said, I would have preferred a pickle with a stronger vinegary, dill profile. This batch wasn’t sweet, but it carried a very mild flavor. When I bite into a fried pickle, I expect the fry’s richness to balance the pickle’s tang, and that contrast wasn’t fully realized here. Would I order them again? Absolutely. They’re tasty, affordable fried pickles that are easy to snag. But if you’re particular about dill and vinegar, you might want to seek out a different option.
Fried Pickles Pub Burger
I approached this with high hopes. I really did. Yet, the Culver’s Colby jack pub burger proved to be the stronger pick. For context, this burger features fresh beef (you can order it as a single, double, or triple), cheddar cheese, Brewpub Sauce, and crunchy fried pickles, all tucked into a pretzel bun. On paper, it sounds like a slam dunk, right?
In practice, it isn’t quite there. The fried pickles—like I mentioned earlier—are fairly mild, so they tend to get overwhelmed by the beef and the saucing. Since these are buttered burgers, you also lose a bit of that initial crunch. What you end up with is a vaguely pickle-flavored bite with a touch of bite rather than a crisp pickle pop.
As for the sauce, it’s tasty and adds a touch of looseness to the sandwich, which can be appealing. A sloppy burger is often a good sign, and this one certainly delivers a bold flavor. But for the pickles to truly shine within the burger, they needed their dill and vinegar to cut through the mix more assertively.
Final Verdict
The fried pickles are genuinely good and I’d definitely order them again before Culver’s phases them out. That said, I’ve had better, so I’m not exactly going out of my way to seek them out. As for the pub burger, I think I’ll keep to my dependable bacon double before venturing into this pub-style option. It feels like this burger could have used a touch more refinement to truly shine. For now, I’m left hoping the Colby jack pub burger makes a comeback in the future.
