The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
Wendy's recently debuted a new sweet treat in Canada called the Cinnabon Pull-Apart and as a lover of cinnamon buns, I felt it was my duty to try out the new offering and see how it compares to a Cinnabon product itself.
The new item is made of "warm, buttery dough bites baked together with world-famous Cinnabon cinnamon and topped with their signature cream cheese frosting," which sounds pretty incredible in theory, so I was eager to see how it was executed.
To do so, I picked up a Cinnabon Pull-Apart at my local Wendy's in the west end of Toronto and also grabbed a classic Cinnabon at Dufferin Mall.
Here's how the two compare.
The Cinnabon Classic Roll
The Cinnabon Classic Roll.
My first bite of Cinnabon reminded me of why it's such a classic treat: it has the perfect balance of flavours and textures.
While the outside ring of the bun is a touch on the tougher side, it's a necessary texture to prevent the soft inner rings from getting dried out and hard. Getting a bite of both textures together makes for a delightful mouthful, but of course, there's nothing better than getting a bite of that ooey-gooey centre spot that's chewy in the best kind of way.
As well, the sugar at the bottom of the bun takes on a pleasantly gritty texture that makes for a fun crunch whenever you get a bit of the caramelization in your bite.
As for the taste, while a cinnamon bun is of course a sweet treat, it doesn't blow you away with sugar, which is always appreciated.
The cinnamon flavour shines through and is complemented by the sweetness and slight tang of the cream cheese frosting. It's overall just a delicious pastry that my partner and I happily split as an afternoon snack and one I would absolutely order again.
Rating: 5/5
Price: $6.49
Wendy's Cinnabon Pull-Apart
Wendy's Cinnabon Pull-Apart.
After having the Cinnabon to remind myself of what it was like it was time to try out the new menu item for Wendy's.
"We created a unique spin on a classic cinnamon roll with each ooey gooey bite of deliciousness," said Hayley Kianoff, Manager, International Culinary Innovation at The Wendy's Company.
I had high hopes for this treat given that I love Cinnabona and Wendy's, but I was pretty let down by the new product.
While it was easy to pull bites of the snack apart with my fork, that's pretty much the only thing it had going for it.
The bread tasted a bit stale and hard and lacked the diversity of texture in the Cinnabon product. As well, while this treat does have a cinnamon taste to it, it's on the fainter side and it's really just the overly sweetened icing taste that's coming through.
Although the two items allegedly use the same icing, the Wendy's version tasted much, much more sugary and I'm not sure why. In my opinion, it tastes more like cupcake frosting than anything else.
Given its price and taste, I would not order this again, but if someone gave it to me for free, I'd eat it.
If you do want a sweet treat while you're at Wendy's, I highly suggest grabbing their Homestyle French Toast Sticks that come with a dipping sauce of maple syrup — now that's good stuff.
Rating: 2.5/5
Price: $4.49
However, if you are interested in trying out the Wendy's item, you might want to wait until next week to get in on a deal they're having.
On March 25, Canadians can grab the new Cinnabon Pull-Apart with a small hot coffee for only $5 at breakfast, which runs between 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. local time.
"The Cinnabon Pull-Apart is also available all day in a custom party pack of six for $25 to share," notes the company. "Perfect for office meetings with colleagues or as a treat for the whole family."
The Cinnabon Pull-Apart aside, Wendy's has some of my favourite breakfast items out of all of the fast food chains in Canada, so while I can't endorse their latest sweet treat, I 100% think you should check out their English Muffin Sandwiches.
Enjoy!
These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.