While you can count on finding waffles on the menu at just about every sit-down diner in America—not to mention in the freezer aisle in every grocery store—it’s surprisingly hard to find waffles on the menu at fast-food chains.
Which is a shame, because what’s not to love about a great waffle? It’s got the sweetness, it’s got firm, sometimes crunchy ridges and a soft, warm interior. Plus, the pockets can hold butter, syrups, sauces, fresh fruit, or whatever sounds great to your taste buds. Can pancakes do all that? Hardly. They can also double as bread for sliders, as one famous fast-food chain knows.
Hard to find as the fast-food waffle can be, we found a half-dozen restaurant chains with waffles on the menu right now. So, if you find yourself craving a bite, don’t you start waffling yourself: make a decision to head to one of these spots today.
White Castle has an impressive and unique slate of breakfast offerings these days. All of their breakfast foods naturally come in charming slider-size, so you can enjoy a sandwich or three and experience a full range of flavors without experiencing a full-on stomach ache.
Among the breakfast-type sliders you can get from White Castle are the Belgian Waffle Slider and the Chicken & Waffles slider, and you can also just order Mini Belgian Waffles.
When you get a pair of waffles with syrup, that’s a mere 280 calories, so go ahead and make White Castle’s little waffles a side to your other breakfast eats. Like, say, an Original Slider with Egg & Cheese.
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Jamba, famously serving fresh juices and smoothies for 30 years, has so much more than that now, including Belgian waffles and some amazing treats made with the light and crunchy breakfast treat. Belgian waffles are those big ones that are usually made with yeasted dough for a fluffy texture. You can get a classic hot waffle with, or go for one of the new bowls. Jamba offers two Belgian waffle parfaits packed with fresh fruit and granola served with Greek yogurt or coconut whip.
Press Waffle Co. is kind of an unusual chain. It has only a handful of locations—eight at last check — and they are spread out across Texas, Missouri, and Colorado. And you won’t find a freestanding Press Waffle restaurant, but rather a food court-style counter in malls or marketplaces.
Definitely do find a location, though, as this chain’s from-scratch waffles are superb. They have offerings like The Cristo, which is a Montecristo sandwich served on a waffle, a Happy Camper, which is fire-toasted marshmallows on waffles, a chicken and waffles offering, and more.
And what’s more, you can also enjoy ice cream and milkshakes at most Press Waffles locations, and great local coffee, too.
At the time of this writing, there are only three Chick-in-Waffle locations operating, but per the chain’s website, three more are coming soon. And one of those, in Mesa, Arizo., is supposed to be here very soon.
What’s the secret to the success of this upstart fast-food chain with a toehold in Missouri and Arizona? It’s a rich, tasty “BUBBLE waffle” that serves as the base of many amazing dishes.
The unique shape of the waffle, which approximates large bubble wrap such as you’d use for packaging glass or other fragile items, creates pillowy pockets of tasty dough that pair wonderfully with flavors like Asian Chili, KC BBQ, and Canadian Buffalo.
Granted, it’s arguable whether or not Wild Eggs can be called fast-food or quick-service food, but considering you can order pickup meals from this chain, which currently operates in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, we’re going with it.
We’re going to highly recommend you order the Chicken & Waffles. This dish consists of a “seasoned chicken-infused waffle,” Nashville Hot chicken breast meat, chopped bacon, and buttermilk maple syrup. If you need some more protein after that, add an egg on top for a dollar fifty more.
At the time of this writing, there are a handful of Bruxie locations in California, one in Athens, Georgia, and more on the way. So while you may not have heard of this small fast-food chain yet, chances are good that in coming years it will be much better known.
And it will be known for its waffle sandwiches. Right now, Bruxie offers four different Fried Chicken Waffle Sandwiches: The Original, The Crispy, Kickin’ “Nashville” Hot, and Buffalo Chicken. There are also sides, salads, and more, but the sandwiches are the crux of the matter.
We turned to the Reddit community for some comments on Bruxie and found high praise like: “Bruxie is my current favorite chicken and waffles spot” and “the sandwich was delicious!”
