We tried Popeyes' new pickle menu and it's the real dill
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Popeyes has a new pickle-themed menu, and no, it's not an April Fools' joke.
The big picture: The fried chicken chain added pickle-flavored wings, pickle-glazed chicken sandwiches, fried pickles and pickle lemonade to its locations this week.
- The items are only available through May 5, Popeyes told Axios.
Popeyes pickle menu taste test
Carlie and a friend dined at a Popeyes in Metairie, and Kelly and friends got delivery in South Florida. We're both pickle people.
- We spent about $25 to get one of everything on the pickle menu.
Pickle lemonade: This was the most controversial item. Kelly liked it, and Carlie didn't. It tasted like lemonade with several shots of pickle juice.
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- You can get it chilled or frozen aka daiquiri style. We both tried it chilled. The Louisiana location was out of frozen when Carlie visited.
- Carlie's in a pickle fan Facebook group (yes, she's a freak), and they seem most interested in the frozen version.
Wings and chicken sandwich: Both of these are the regular Popeyes option with a spicy pickle sauce. Solid alternatives to the classics, in our opinion.
- If you're not into spicy food, beware this has a kick. Kelly, a bit of a spice wimp, needed sips of the sweet pickle lemonade to handle the heat.
Fried pickles: These are pickles fried in Popeyes batter and they absolutely taste like Popeyes. Just like the fried pickles at Sonic have Sonic's slightly sweet batter.
- The Popeyes staffers encouraged us to dip them in ranch.
- Kelly liked them but wished they were crispier, while Carlie wanted more pickle and less Popeyes batter.
Overall, we liked the food and thought it was a fun meal. If you enjoy Popeyes and pickles, this is going to be a big dill (har har) for you.
Pickles trending nationally
Pickles are having a moment right now, and two other brands shared April Fools' Day pickle product launches with Axios.
- Dutch Bros Coffee, which has 1,000-plus locations nationwide, released the "Pickleback Rebel" this week, which it describes as "a dill-iciously bold new energy drink for pickle lovers and curious customers alike."
- Wonderful Pistachios announced the official rollout of its new Dill Pickle-flavored No Shells.
Zoom in: Manufacturers also are making limited edition pickle-flavored items. Candy-wrapped pickles are trending.
- Pickle bun sandwiches are taking over TikTok (hello, pickle poboys), and pickles are skyrocketing in popularity on GrubHub.
- Plus, there's pickle beer.
Popeyes' Louisiana roots
Zoom out: Al Copeland started Popeyes in Arabi, a suburb of New Orleans.
- He was a colorful character known for his flamboyant lifestyle, philanthropy, massive Christmas light display and spat with vampire novelist Anne Rice.
- Restaurant Brands International, which also operates Burger King and Firehouse Subs, bought Popeyes in 2017 for $1.8 billion. The chain has more than 3,500 locations around the world.
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