Winter menus are ready to warm up diners

Chilly, snowy weather calls for warm, comforting menu items. | Photo: Shutterstock. Photos in story courtesy of the brands.

Winter weather was in full force these past few days, and with the snow and cold came the launch of warm and cozy menu items. But these rollouts are just the beginning, as there are several months of winter still ahead and many chain restaurants are still in holiday mode, offering packages and specials for Christmas and New Year’s. 

Cheesy Dipping Burritos with Creamy Garlic Sauce star at Taco Bell. 

Creamy Garlic Sauce has been a hit with Taco Bell customers so the chain is officially pairing its Cheesy Dipping Burritos with the condiment. The warm, snack-sized burritos are filled with melted cheese for optimal cheese pulls, along with a choice of grilled marinated steak or slow-roasted chicken. They are sold as a pair with the garlic sauce as one option; Creamy Chipotle Sauce and Nacho Cheese Sauce are available for dipping, too. Taco Bell also brings Steak Garlic Nacho Fries to the menu, piled with marinated steak, warm nacho cheese, pico de gallo, shredded cheddar and a drizzle of Creamy Garlic Sauce. 

Cheddar Smoked Sausage Sliders and Pretzel Nibblers are both in test at White Castle locations in Cincinnati, Louisville and New Jersey markets. Both items lean into the chain’s focus on snackable formats. The slider features smoked sausage links infused with cheddar cheese, layered on a slider bun with caramelized onions. The bite-size soft pretzels come with a container of cheese sauce dip. The success of the regional test will determine if the items roll out nationally. 

Soup is always a welcome winter warmer and Jinya Ramen Bar has guests covered with its Tokyo Yatal Classic. The clear chicken broth is layered with pork chashu, a seasoned egg, spinach, green onion, chopped onions and a slice of naruto (Japanese fish cake), served with thin noodles and finished with crisp nori. Customers who purchase a bowl of Tokyo Yatal Classic can receive a limited-edition ramen spoon featuring Demon Slayer characters Tanjiro Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma or Inosuke Hashibara. Also debuting are Crispy Chicken Wings tossed in a sweet-sour sauce and garnished with cabbage, cilantro and chili slices. 

Jinya Ramen Bar offers Tokyo Yatal Classic this winter.

Gigi’s Butter Cake joins the permanent menu at Maggiano’s Little Italy for the holiday season. The dessert is a house-made butter cake topped with warm brown butter glaze and served with fresh strawberries, whipped cream and a dusting of powdered sugar. The Italian casual-dining chain is also promoting its restaurants as a gathering place for the holidays with family-style meals. Specialties like Calamari Fritté, Rigatoni “D,” Rigatoni alla Vodka, Beef Tenderloin Medallions and “The Grand” Chicken Parmesan are on offer, along with desserts such as Chocolate Layer Cake and classic Tiramisu. 

Korean fried chicken chain Bonchon puts a modern spin on comfort food with three new limited time offers. And none of them involve chicken. Manduguk is a Korean dumpling soup with mushrooms, onions and egg, finished with sesame oil and scallions, while Omurice is fried rice with sausage, red bell pepper and onions, stir-fried in soy-garlic sauce and topped with a fluffy Korean-style omelet. Last up is Sotteok Sotteok, a street food skewer composed of crispy, chewy rice cakes and sausage coated in Bonchon’s sweet-and-spicy Yangnyeom sauce.

Street food-inspired Sotteok Sotteok is new at Bonchon. 

Krystalmas is Krystal’s way of celebrating the holidays with value promotions all through December. Daily deals include $1 sliders and Glaze Bombs (doughnut holes), Patty Melt specials, Holiday Steamer Boxes, the comeback of the chain’s holiday stuffing recipe and a Coca-Cola Sweepstakes.

Heat-and-Serve Holiday Feasts are available from Metro Diner. The choices include roasted turkey or baked ham with sides such as mashed potatoes and gravy, steamed green beans or street corn, cornbread stuffing or mac & cheese, cranberry sauce and Hawaiian dinner rolls. The meals are geared to one, four or eight diners. 

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, fast-casual Stonefire Grill is offering limited-time $13 Meal Deals and $5 Kids Meals. Among the entrees in the $13 deal are a Personal BBQ Chopped Salad, Personal Superfood Fiesta Bowl, Personal Pulled Pork Meal and Personal Grilled Chicken Breast Meal. Each comes with a breadstick and a dessert of Carrot Cake or Original Cheesecake. The kids’ selections include pasta, grilled chicken breast, a 7-inch cheese or pepperoni pizza or chicken strips; baby back ribs can be ordered for $4 extra.

Warm pockets sound like a good way to beat the winter chill, and Freshii’s are the edible kind. The new lineup of hot sandwiches wrapped in whole wheat tortillas includes Chipotle Steak with sauteed mushrooms, sharp cheddar, crispy fried onions, green onions and a creamy chipotle sauce; Spicy BBQ Chicken composed of chicken, bacon, aged cheddar, BBQ sauce, cilantro and pickled red onions; and Chicken Pesto Cranberry, a combo of roast chicken, basil pesto, dried cranberries and melted cheddar.

Cheez-Its add crunch to a sandwich at Big Dave’s Cheesesteak.

Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks introduced the Cheez-It Cheesesteak, a sandwich with a good helping of crunch. It combines halal sirloin beef, melted Cooper Sharp white American cheese and sharp cheddar, all sandwiched on an Amoroso roll from Philadelphia, which is encrusted with crispy Cheez-It crackers. The LTO is $12.50 for a 6-inch cheesesteak.

Two limited-time entrees have joined the core menu at Vicious Biscuit. The Firebird, formerly known as the Chicken Bacon Ranch, features a fried chicken breast tossed in Frank’s Hot Sauce, topped with thick-cut bacon, pickles and a drizzle of ranch dressing on a scratch-made buttermilk biscuit. The SEC is a Sausage, Egg & Cheese breakfast sandwich with a choice of chicken or pork sausage and a buttermilk, cheddar jalapeño or gluten-free biscuit. 

Bite-size waffles are the latest addition at Dirty Dough. The treat concept partnered with Golden Waffles to create Waffle Bites in four variations. For the Churro version, the bites are coated with cinnamon-sugar and layered with dulce de leche and waffle syrup, while the Funnel Cake version has a sugar coating and topping of cherry pie filling and whipped cream. Peanut Butter Sundae Waffle Bites are layered with peanut butter, chocolate drizzle and peanut butter cups, and Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch has a coating of chocolate-hazelnut spread and sprinkling of colorful mini chocolate candies.

Dirty Dough’s Waffle Bites. 

A slate of winter specials has arrived at Polly’s Pies. Highlights include Honey Butter Pancakes and a Honey Butter Pecan Sticky Bun, a Pesto Chicken Parmwich, Snickerdoodle Cheesecake, Slow-simmered Chili and Ham and Turkey Dinner plates. There are also two new Lunch & Munch options: the PollyBurger and Turkey Day Sliders. 

Sunny Street Café goes all in on comfort with its winter menu. Breakfast Nachos pile homemade corn tortilla chips with queso, egg, chorizo, pico de gallo, crema and smashed avocado, while the Queso Breakfast Burrito pairs cheesy eggs, bacon, potato and smashed avocado with queso, pico de gallo and pickled onions. There’s also a Turkey Melt made with grilled turkey, Monterey Jack cheese, cheddar, tomato and chipotle mayo on toasted sourdough, and on the sweet side, a Maple Pecan Muffin and Butter Pecan Pancakes. Salted Caramel Cold Brew is new on the beverage side.

Bagel menus are experiencing a renaissance of sorts and Spread Bagelry is joining the trend through a collaboration with Black-owned Honeysuckle Provisions. New limited-time seasonal specials include a Sweet Potato Bagel, a Sweet Heat Standard Sandwich layered with a vegan black-eyed pea scrapple patty, house-made hot honey and cheddar cheese, and Epis Garlic Parsley Cream Cheese inspired by an herbaceous Haitian green seasoning. To sip, there’s a Chili Yam Molasses Latte. All are available through Dec. 31.

Sweet potatoes and black-eyed pea scrapple flavor the menu at Spread Bagelry. 

Jeff’s Bagel Run spotlights the beverage side of the menu through a partnership with Red Bull on three Jeff’s Jolts. Included is the Sunrise Charge made with Red Bull Coconut Edition topped with desert pear cold foam, Paradise Surge with Red Bull Yellow Edition and Tropical Thunder with Red Bull Yellow Edition crowned with vanilla cold foam. 

Pulled Shiitake Filling is new at Guzman y Gomez, created as a vegan-friendly option for burritos, tacos, bowls and breakfast items. It’s made with marinated, slow-cooked shiitake mushrooms that are seasoned with a signature blend of spices. First debuting at the chain’s Australia locations, the filling is now available across all Chicagoland units.  

Acai concept Sambazon added Protein Yogurt Bowls to the menu for a limited time at select locations. The two LTOs include the Passion Fruit Yogurt Bowl made with organic acai and Greek yogurt, topped with mango, pineapple, almonds, passion fruit puree and honey, as well as the Banana Crunch Yogurt Bowl with a base of acai and beet root-infused Greek yogurt topped with granola, strawberries, banana chips and honey. Prices start at $9.96. 

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Pat plans and executes menu, food and drink stories for Restaurant Business and hosts the weekly Menu Talk podcast. She provides in-depth coverage of chefs, trends and menu innovation.

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