REVIEW: We Tried (Almost) Everything At Chick-Fil-A's Little Blue Menu

Chick-fil-A is beloved for its chicken sandwiches and nuggets. But what would you think if the world famous chain started selling, say, cheeseburgers? What about wings, onion rings, or even specialty pizzas? For those bold enough to ask such questions, there's a resounding answer: Little Blue Menu. This Chick-fil-A offshoot restaurant, located in College Park, Maryland, serves double duty as a retailer of the chicken chain's classic favorites as well as a testing ground for its culinary innovations. We're talking sweet potato tater tots, cinnamon rolls, and an exclusive line of dipping sauces, among plenty of other things.

Little Blue Menu might be best classified as a concept restaurant, but it's rooted in Chick-fil-A history. Its name comes from the actual little blue menu used at the chain's original location back in 1946 and its options tend toward fast food classics, albeit with a signature Chick-fil-A twist. The specialty offerings that are whipped up here may one day make it to its stores across the United States — or not. And since there's only one location, we had to visit and sample some of the unique menu items ourselves. Here's what we thought.

Your eyes don't deceive you: Little Blue Menu has pizza. The restaurant offers classic plain cheese, pepperoni, and white pies, but we were intrigued by the specialty options on the menu. First up was the Loaded Potato Pizza, which always makes for a decadent bite. We enjoyed the tender roast potatoes and salty bacon on the top of the pie. It's a rich combination that would be especially great when you want some comfort food to fill your belly.

All of the pizzas at Little Blue Menu come in an 11-inch size and customization is only available for toppings, although we liked the suggested combination of potato, bacon, and sauce in this recipe. Next time, we'd add extra bacon to balance out the super creamy ricotta alfredo sauce and the buttermilk ranch drizzle on top.

For fans of Buffalo chicken, this pizza is for you. As you might suspect, it features Buffalo sauce and buttermilk ranch drizzled over the top of Chick-fil-A nuggets. You can add extras like waffle fries or pickles, but we liked the combination of heat and creaminess from the two sauces. The chicken, shredded mozzarella, and marinara sauce were nice background ingredients, but the sauces were the stars of the show. It also has lemon pepper seasoning, although that was harder to pick out among the other flavors.

This was the spiciest of the pizzas on the menu, which might be a factor if you're ordering for young kids or those who just like less heat. It ended up being too spicy for our elementary-aged testers, although the adults thought it was right in line with what you'd expect for medium-heat buffalo chicken.

We were most excited to try the Chick-fil-A Pizza, which brings together all of the best parts of a chicken sandwich from the chain and puts them on an 11-inch pie. It starts with savory chicken nuggets and thick-cut pickles followed by a generous drizzle of Chick-fil-A sauce over the top of the melted mozzarella cheese. You can add your favorite dipping sauce from the chain or waffle fries, although they'll cost extra.

It has the same thin crust as the other pizzas from Little Blue Menu, plus a marinara pizza sauce base. The sauce was solid — nothing out of the ordinary, but allowed the toppings to shine. This was our favorite item at Little Blue Menu and what we would expect to get the most attention if it were brought to other Chick-fil-A locations.

That's right, Chick-fil-A is venturing into burgers at Little Blue Menu. It's one of only two Chick-fil-A affiliated restaurants that serve burgers, although a few others used to have burgers on the menu over the years. The Signature Burger at Little Blue Menu has the same thick-cut pickles that people love on Chick-fil-A sandwiches, plus a new burger sauce that is creamy and savory at the same time. It's on a brioche bun and comes with white American cheese, plus shredded lettuce.

The patty is what really stands out on this burger, especially compared to those at other fast food restaurants. It is large and charbroiled for maximum flavor. You can add bacon and an extra patty if you want to upgrade to an even larger sandwich or add a slice of tomato for some extra veggies. But as-is, the Signature Burger was plenty filling for us. Little Blue Menu even offers a gluten-free bun for those who prefer that option.

 Bacon lovers, Chick-fil-A's got you. At first, we weren't quite sure what distinguished the Bacon Burger from the Signature Burger with bacon added, but after a few bites, it was obvious that the thick cheese on this sandwich was quite a bit creamier. On the ingredients list, the yellow American cheese was the only difference between this sandwich and the signature version, which has white American cheese. 

The yellow variety seemed thicker than the white and didn't meld quite as thoroughly with the burger sauce or toppings. We liked this because it provided sharper taste in the end. But because the cheese is so creamy, we'd suggest ordering extra bacon if you want that to feature more prominently on this burger. It was delicious as-is, but it was the combination of cheese and bacon that made it work.

If you need a little extra heat, the Spicy Bacon Burger brings it. Little Blue Menu doesn't offer many spicy sandwiches, so this is your best bet if you want that tingle on your taste buds. It features grilled jalapeños and pepper jack cheese, which melts and combines with the burger sauce slathered on this sandwich. 

The addition of bacon takes this burger to a different level. It doesn't add heat, of course, but the extra crunch pairs beautifully with the sauce and cheese combo. Like the other burgers from Little Blue Menu, it has shredded lettuce, a tasty patty, and a brioche bun. But it's the combo of the spicy cheese, jalapeños, sauce, and bacon that make this a standout favorite among the burgers.

If the spicy bacon burger is for heat-seeking diners, this option is for the cheese lovers. The Cheese on Cheese burger combines shredded white cheddar with thick-cut yellow American cheese. The white cheddar is put on the griddle to add crispiness — an awesome touch, and something we hadn't seen done with other fast food burgers. Like other Little Blue Menu burgers with melted cheese, the American slice on this one melds with the burger sauce to create a creamy and savory concoction.

The Cheese on Cheese was the messiest sandwich we sampled at Little Blue Menu, so be ready with plenty of napkins. It also has the same tasty pickles as the other burgers, and we'd consider adding a slice of tomato or bacon the next time we went with this sandwich.

The Traditional Bone-In Wings at Little Blue Menu are crispy and juicy, but come unsauced. This is intentional so that you can coat them in your preferred flavor or dip them to keep things a little bit neater. It was just the right amount of coating and tasted similar to other chicken from Chick-fil-A, although smaller. You'll have to eat around the bone, but that is to be expected with wings.

There are plenty of sauce options and an 8-count wing order comes with two complementary sauces and the 16-count has three sauces included. They're packaged separately and you'll have to add the sauce yourself after pickup or delivery. The wings are fried in peanut oil, so be aware of this ingredient if you have allergies or sensitivities.

The Bone-In Sweet Kick Wings are tossed in a sweet and sour-inspired sauce that also has hints of garlic. There is an 8-count and 16-count order available, and you can add on extra sauces for dipping. The wings are sauced pretty generously, though, so you'll only need more if you want a different type of flavor.

The sauce ingredients list includes honey and sugar as well as garlic and soy sauce — all of which came through. The result is an Asian-style sauce that is distinctly different from other menu options from Chick-fil-A or Little Blue Menu. Be ready for a little bit of heat thanks to chiles, jalapeño pepper puree, and cayenne pepper puree, but the sauce's spiciness is balanced well with its sweeter elements.

The Traditional Boneless Wings were our favorite and the most versatile wing option on the menu. They're still very juicy and have the same savory coating that you'll get on Chick-fil-A's other fried chicken. Like the bone-in version, they come without sauce, which lets you customize the flavor how you want it and puts the sauces center stage yet again — nothing wrong with that.

You also have the option of adding lemon pepper or Old Bay seasoning to these wings. Since the only Little Blue Menu (so far) is in Maryland, this wasn't exactly surprising — and we selected it. We particularly enjoyed the combination of Old Bay seasoning and Garlic Parmesan dipping sauce (more on that in a bit), but the beauty of these wings is that you can experiment with your own sauce combinations. When it comes down to it, that's what boneless fried chicken — in wing, nugget, or popcorn form — is all about.

We preferred the boneless version of the Sweet Kick Wings to the bone-in option because it was considerably easier to eat without making a mess. These came with the same sweet and sour sauce, but the garlic element was a bit more noticeable here because we weren't focused on eating around the bones. Bites with the jalapeño seeds intact brought quite a bit of heat, but the Buttermilk Rach dipping sauce balanced things out. If you like just a little bit of spice, we recommend pairing these wings with a creamier sauce.

The boneless wings come in 10-count or 20-count sizes. You'll get two sauces or three sauces included in the order, but you can always order extra if you want even more options or want to really slather your wings in sauce.

It's hard to beat the Chick-fil-A waffle fries, which are also available at Little Blue Menu, but the new concept restaurant has another fry option that might appeal to those who want to switch things up. We can't say that we liked these more than the waffle fries, but they were better than fries we've tried at other fast food chains. They're thick cut and have a nice crispy exterior, plus a tender inside. The order comes in a lidded clamshell container rather than a fry box. Since Little Blue Menu caters to pick-up and delivery, this is a nice convenience to keep the fries from dumping into the bottom of the bag.

The only dipping sauces available for the fries are ketchup, mustard, and mayo. While these are traditional choices for fries, we think a specific fry sauce — or maybe even a few more options like Chick-fil-A sauce — would really make this menu option stand out.

Maybe fries aren't exactly your thing, or maybe regular potatoes don't quite cut it for you. Enter the bite-sized Sweet Potato Tots, a Little Blue Menu-exclusive side. We recommend ordering the burger sauce, which costs extra, for dipping these bad boys. Ketchup, mustard, and mayo are also good choices, but they won't bring these little bites to glory.

Our only issue with these tots was that they ended up a little bit soggy thanks to the packaging. If we enjoyed these fresh out of the oven, the exterior would be crispy and perfect for dipping in one of the included sauces. But the hot tots were packed in a lidded box and ended up a little bit soggier than we wanted. Given that Little Blue Menu is geared toward delivery and takeout, it might need to rethink how to package this side to keep them crispy. The flavor was spot-on, though, and we'd try these again when we were planning to eat at the tables right outside the restaurant.

The Little Blue Menu Onion Rings were the largest side portion of the options that we tried. We could have happily shared one order between two people as a side. It's no joke — look at the size of these things. The rings have a good balance of sweet onion interior and breading, which adds extra texture and flavor.

As with other fried sides, ketchup, mustard, or mayo are the primary dip options, but we didn't need any dipping sauces to enjoy these onion rings. They proved to be a solid addition to the Signature Burger for a little extra oniony flavor and crunch. While they were solid overall, we still don't think the rings — or any Little Blue Menu-specific side — compare to Chick-fil-A's hallmark waffle fries, so don't skip your regular order of those if you decide to drop in.

Want a sweet treat for breakfast or after your meal? Little Blue Menu has a Cinnamon Roll on the menu just for you. It's quite big and enough for two people to share, although we wouldn't blame you if took the whole thing down yourself. The icing is tasty and thick, and was even better when we popped the treat in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it up. It comes in a cardboard box that can go directly into the microwave without melting.

It's a good version of a cinnamon roll and made without nuts. There aren't any special ingredients or flavors that set this dessert apart from others at similar restaurants — it's a no-frills, tasty option that you'll enjoy if you like cinnamon rolls as they're meant to be.

Little Blue Menu has one other unique dessert: its Lemon Pie Bar, which is fresh and bright and tastes just like a lemon custard pie. We liked the sweet pie base, which was somewhere between a crust and a shortbread cookie. The crust has a buttery taste that works well with the lemony sweet pie portion. It's pretty soft and doesn't support the bar as a handheld treat, so we recommend eating it with a fork or spoon instead. 

We would have liked a little bit more powdered sugar on top, but we won't be filing any complaints — the dessert was plenty tasty as-is. The lemon pie portion was the best part and especially smooth. Lemon bars from other fast food restaurants can be grainy and overly sugary, but this version was a nice balance of sweet and tart. Like other modern versions, it has more lemony tang than the original lemon bar recipe, which makes it that much more enjoyable.

Chick-fil-A is known for its dipping sauces, but so it makes sense that Little Blue Menu has a few of its own to mix things up. You can still get the full lineup of Chick-fil-A sauce offerings, but many of the Little Blue Menu-specific items, such as the wings and the burgers, only come with Little Blue Menu sauces in the online ordering system. The flavors were intriguing: White BBQ, Buffalo, Buttermilk Ranch, Bleu Cheese, and Garlic Parmesan.

Naturally, the best sauce depends on what you're pairing it with. We liked the Garlic Parmesan paired with the pizzas, which also include garlicky crusts. The White BBQ worked best with wings, although it was a surprise favorite for dipping fries as well. Buttermilk Ranch and Bleu Cheese were both creamy delights, and served well as additions to the Sweet Kick Wings to help tame the heat. The Buffalo sauce is the same one that's on the Buff-lo Ranch Pizza, which is understandably what it paired best with. We also really enjoyed the burger sauce, but unfortunately it's not available as a separate add-on. In all, Little Blue Menu's sauce game is on point — exactly what we'd expect from a Chick-fil-A creation.