Discontinued Red Robin Burgers We'll Sadly Never See Again
Red Robin has had quite a number of burgers on its menu that it has discontinued. Unfortunately, when your favorite burger disappears, the temptation to visit dwindles drastically. The burgers at Red Robin are so unique that the combination of sauces and toppings makes each burger a great experience. Even if you make substitutions to try to get something close to discontinued Red Robin burgers that you've loved, it's usually impossible to get the exact flavor combination you're missing. Sometimes, it's because the right sauce isn't available anymore, but other times it's the lack of major ingredients.
In 2020, Red Robin cut 55 menu items that never seemed to return after the COVID-19 pandemic subsided and restaurants returned to normal. Having more menu items with ingredients it could mix and match reduced waste. Like at other restaurants and fast food chains across the U.S., menu streamlining seems like it's here to stay. So, we're afraid these discontinued burgers may never grace Red Robin's menu again. Many of the discontinued burgers, like the El Ranchero burger and the Smoky Jack Tavern Double burger, had unique flavors you may have grown to love. If you see one of your favorite burgers on our list, we're sorry. While you can try your hand at recreating them at home or making menu substitutions, you're likely to never experience that exact flavor combination again.
5 Alarm Burger
One of the discontinued burgers we miss from Red Robin is the 5 Alarm Burger. Back in 2013, Red Robin announced that it was bringing this beloved burger back after it polled its customers. After the chain counted nearly 250,000 votes, the 5 Alarm Burger was the burger customers seemed to miss the most. After all, Mexican-inspired burgers are some of the best burgers on any menu in our opinion.
The burger's 5 alarm heat status came partially from the jalapeño peppers and pepper jack cheese on it. However, the burger's condiments — salsa and chipotle aioli — also added to the heat component of the spicy burger. The burger also came with lettuce and tomato, which contributed to its bulky status.
There is a similar burger on Red Robin's burger menu currently — the Burnin' Love Burger. At first glance, they look the same. However, the difference is in the jalapeños. The 5 Alarm Burger used pickled jalapeños, while the Burnin' Love Burger uses fried jalapeños instead. While many people enjoy the taste of crisp, fried jalapeños, having pickled ones gave the 5 Alarm Burger more of a fresh flavor profile.
A.1. Peppercorn burger
Another discontinued Red Robin burger we miss is the A.1. Peppercorn burger. A.1. Sauce has been around since the early 1800s when King George IV's chef first created it. Of course, A.1. Sauce is delicious on steak, but it's also amazing on burgers. So, it makes sense for Red Robin to have created a burger featuring a sauce that has been beloved by many for centuries. We like that the chain opted for A.1.'s Cracked Peppercorn Sauce for added flavor. A.1. Cracked Peppercorn Sauce has all the ingredients of a regular A.1. Sauce, with an added bonus of freshly-cracked peppercorns.
Red Robin didn't stop packing great flavors into the burger with A.1. Cracked Peppercorn Sauce alone. The tasty toppings on this bad boy include crispy bacon, fried onion straws, and pepper jack cheese. It also came on an onion bun, which was an excellent choice to bring together all the flavors. Unfortunately, it disappeared from the menu in 2020. Currently, there aren't any burgers on Red Robin's menu with any type of A.1. Sauce on it, which is a shame because it brought customers in the door.
Black & Bleu burger
Red Robin's Black & Bleu got its name from blackened portobello mushrooms, crumbled bleu cheese, and a bleu-cheese-infused sauce. It also came with Dijon sauce, caramelized onions, and lettuce, which complemented the earthy flavors from the mushrooms and bleu cheese components. The Black & Bleu came on an artisan-style ciabatta bun. Beyond the normal crazy ingredient stacking Red Robin is known for, this was just a deliciously messy burger. The bleu cheese crumbles avalanched down the mountain of ingredients, and the dip-like sauce was everywhere. But the messy experience is part of what you pay for at Red Robin. Some Red Robin burgers just require giving in to eating them with a fork rather than with your hands.
Red Robin does have another bleu cheeseburger on the menu, called the Bleu Ribbon burger. It returned to the menu after popular demand, but it has some major differences. The Bleu Ribbon burger comes with lettuce and tomato, doesn't come with mushrooms, and substitutes crispy onion straws for caramelized onions. The condiments are different, too, with the Bleu Ribbon burger coming with chipotle aioli and steak sauce instead of a bleu cheese sauce and Dijon mustard. So, it's definitely a different burger, with different flavors and textures.
Blackened Bayou burger
Red Robin's Blackened Bayou burger was a unique invention. There were a lot of interesting flavors and textures going on with this Louisiana-inspired burger, which customers loved. It was a vegetable-heavy burger that came with roasted red peppers, a mix of shredded carrots and cabbage, plus something called "Angry Onions" that looked like grilled onions. Like most foods in Louisiana, it also had some spicy flavors to kick it up from ordinary to extraordinary. It came with a sauce with a spicy type of mustard called Creole mustard, and Louisiana's famous hot sauce, Tabasco. The bun was also unique in that it was a Kaiser-style roll made from jalapeños and cornmeal.
The Blackened Bayou burger disappeared once before, but we haven't seen it on the menu since 2012. So, we're not holding our breath that it's ever going to make a return. However, we think it's a shame that there aren't any Cajun-inspired burgers on the menu anymore since it was representative of a popular cuisine style.
Chili Chili cheeseburger
The last time we saw the Chili Chili cheeseburger on Red Robin's menu was when it made a comeback in 2013. Red Robin was trying to appease customers by bringing back their favorites that year, and the Chili Chili cheeseburger was among the blasts from the past that made it back to the menu.
The Chili Chili cheeseburger was more than your ordinary chili cheeseburger. It was more like getting a loaded bowl of chili dumped on top of your cheeseburger in a messy pile that completely hides your burger. In addition to coming with the chain's famous Chili Chili, the chili itself was topped with red onions, and shredded cheddar cheese. A chipotle aioli sauce added a smoky flavor to enhance the chili and chili toppings. All it was missing was crunch from Fritos.
When Redditor u/puppy_fan was upset not to find a Chili Chili cheeseburger on the menu in 2022, their waitress said they couldn't "get a Chili Chili cheeseburger because they're going to be making pizza now." The odd rumor of pizza at Red Robin turned out to be true with the chain partnering with Donato's Pizza. The plan was to have pizza in 425 of the chain's restaurants by the end of 2022. However, many of us have been left with no pizza and no Chili Chili cheeseburgers at the same time, which is just sad.
El Ranchero burger
The discontinued El Ranchero burger was the creation of one of Red Robin's chefs, Noel Guerrero in 2019. Guerrero is originally from Mexico, but his time living in Denver, Colorado also shows in the flavor and textural combinations he chose for this burger. If you liked the combination of creamy ranch and jalapeños, Red Robin's El Ranchero burger likely tempted you while it was on the menu. In addition to a roasted jalapeño ranch sauce, it also came with brown-sugar-sweetened candied bacon and crispy fried onion straws, which took this jalapeño ranch burger to the next level. The burger also came with barbecue ketchup, tomatoes, shredded romaine lettuce, and American cheese. The overall combination of so many classic flavors was something like the West meeting the Hidden Valley and Mexico all at once.
El Ranchero was a scrumptious burger with an inspired combination of ingredients. Some even considered it the best burger they'd ever had. The closest thing on the menu now is the Whiskey River BBQ burger except that it comes with cheddar instead of American cheese, and has BBQ sauce and mayo on it instead of BBQ sauce, jalapeño ranch, and ketchup. Plus, the bacon on the Whiskey River BBQ burger is smoked rather than candied. So, there's a lot to miss about El Ranchero.
MadLove burger
When you were looking for a burger at Red Robin with lots of fresh ingredients and gourmet flavors, the discontinued MadLove burger was an excellent option. It first appeared on the Red Robin menu in 2015, and was a work of art. The shredded romaine lettuce and the avocado slices on the MadLove burger were fresh. However, the tomatoes and red onions were marinated to provide a more intense flavor. Candied bacon and jalapeño relish provided more gourmet flair, along with sweet heat. Plus, the MadLove burger exuded cheesy goodness with not one but four types of cheese. It not only came with provolone, Swiss, and cheddar cheese, but it included Parmesan cheese crisps. The toasted bun was made from ciabatta bread, which added to its gourmet profile.
No other Red Robin burger comes close to this flavor combination, so its exit off the menu in a matter of a couple of months was a big loss. It made another brief comeback in 2017, but we're not sure if we'll ever see it again. Why give a burger such great ingredients and an intriguing name, yet take it away so quickly?
Master Cheese burger
The Master Cheese burger was new in 2018. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary cheeseburger. However, the premium ingredients elevated it beyond the norm. Rather than American cheese, it came with both extra-sharp cheddar and provolone cheeses, which came melted over the burger. Crisp dill pickle planks replaced a couple of dill pickle rounds. It came with romaine lettuce instead of bland iceberg lettuce. Plus, it came on a sweet, toasted brioche bun with bistro sauce, rather than the ordinary sesame seed bun with mustard and ketchup. The bistro sauce provided a garlicky mustard flavor for this thick, juicy burger.
The overall experience of the Master Cheese was like eating an ordinary cheeseburger but slightly better. It didn't have as many types of cheeses as the Madlove burger, but are adequate when the chain's goal seemed to be to create an elevated cheeseburger. The Master Cheese likely left the menu because it had a premium price without enough of a flavor difference to separate it from an ordinary cheeseburger on the menu. So, repeat customers weren't as likely to splurge and spend the extra $3 or $4 for a burger that didn't taste that different. It was a good idea, but we'd be surprised if we ever see it back on the menu again since it has been discontinued.
Mt. Vesuvius burger
In 2010, Red Robin held a contest, which allowed kids to create a burger to help support the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The sale of each burger would support child safety throughout the organization. After an Iron Chef-style cook-off with the top nine kids from an original base of thousands of entrants, judges named the Mt. Vesuvius burger the winner. The creator of this magnificent burger was a 12-year-old boy from Wichita, Kansas, named Donovan Duggins. He not only had his burger appear on Red Robin menus, but also got to visit Universal Orlando, received a $100 Toys "R" Us gift card, and received a year's worth of gift cards to Red Robin.
The burger was quite a sophisticated one which surprisingly contained tangy, earthy bleu cheese crumbles. Duggins also added a personally created lava sauce that had a BBQ sauce and hot sauce base, spiked with garlic powder and paprika. The burger also came with bacon and provolone cheese, with a sesame seed bun being the bun of choice. We'll likely not see this burger again since it was for a specific cause. However, we'd not be surprised if BBQ and bleu cheese find their way together again on another Red Robin burger in the future since it's such an unusual yet delightful flavor combo.
Prime Chophouse burger
The last time we saw Red Robin's Prime Chophouse burger was during its 2011 return. It's a burger with lots of strong, bold flavors. In addition to an onion bun and fried onion straws, this burger contains provolone cheese and mushrooms that have been sauteed in horseradish. The burger comes with two strong sauces that pack a punch to go alongside the horseradish flavor: a bold steak sauce and tangy country Dijon sauce.
Since it was so popular, we don't understand why Red Robin took it off the menu. The closest thing you can find to the discontinued Prime Chophouse burger is probably the Sautéed 'Shroom burger, but the only thing it has in common is mushrooms that aren't cooked in horseradish, and the onions are caramelized instead of fried. Gone, too, are the bold flavors of all the Prime Chophouse sauces. The kitchen may be able to get close, but they're not likely to have the right sauces to actually recreate the Prime Chophouse burger with substitutions. If you attempt this feat, you may need to bring a stealth bottle of horseradish with you next time you dine.
Ramen burger
Ramen burgers made their debut on the world stage at a food stand called Shimamoto's in 2013. The concept was intriguing enough that there were soon copycat versions everywhere. Red Robin finally jumped on the craze in 2016. If you were one of the first 22 college students to order the burger on one particular April day, you could have bought it for the cost of a package of ramen ($0.22). Those of us who remember scrounging up change for a cheap package of ramen during our college years can appreciate how many college kids were thrilled about that kind of deal, especially since the Ramen burger packed a lot more flavor and energy than the typical cheap bowl of ramen straight out of the package.
The bun for the Ramen burger was made out of ramen noodles. However, the inside had more than just a burger. It was stuffed full of the type of fresh ingredients you might add to a bowl of ramen if you're not a starving college student. These ingredients included chili-flavored slaw made from basil, cabbage and carrot shreds, and sliced onion. Teriyaki sauce and chiu chow aioli gave it more of an Asian flavor. If you're not familiar with chiu chow, it's a garlicky Chinese chili sauce. There's currently a petition up at Change.org that begs for the return of the Ramen burger, but Red Robin doesn't seem to be listening.
Santa Fe burger
Red Robin's discontinued Santa Fe burger packed a lot of flavor, and wasn't for people with wimpy taste buds. The burger came stacked high with Southwestern ingredients like fire-roasted poblano peppers, guacamole, and pepper jack cheese. Plus, it included crisp lettuce and crunchy tortilla chip strips, which provided a satisfying textural contrast with the soft onion bun. Caramelized onions and ancho mayo completed the flavor profile. Poblano peppers and ancho peppers (dried poblanos) are hotter than bell peppers, but milder than jalapeños. However, they are combined with pepper jack cheese for a little heat.
We've seen Santa Fe burgers on lots of burger menus, but we're not sure if you'll ever see it at Red Robin again. If you were looking for a burger with lots of oniony and peppery goodness, or one with Southwestern or Mexican ingredients, this burger was a great choice. You can kind of recreate it with the guacamole from the Guacamole Bacon Burger added to the Scorpion burger (minus the pickles). However, the flavors and spice levels would still be a lot different, and you'd have to get your crunch experience from fried jalapeños instead of tortilla crisps.
Smoky Jack Tavern Double burger
2017 was the year of the Smoky Jack Tavern Double burger. It was part of Red Robin's Tavern Burger lineup. These burgers all come with double meat and Bottomless Steak Fries. While you'd expect the burger to be huge with two patties, each patty was kind of small, but the Bottomless Steak Fries made up for that. The burger gets its name from its smoky Campfire sauce and pepper jack cheese. The smoky sauce was one of the best parts of this burger. Other ingredients on the burger include pickles, red onions, and lettuce.
Along with the Smoky Jack Tavern Double burger, the Campfire sauce has disappeared from Red Robin's menu. So, the only way to get the sauce anymore is to make your own. Lots of people have tried their hand at making a copycat version of Red Robin's Campfire sauce since it was so tasty. We like Miriam Hahn's version, which includes chipotles in adobo sauce, chipotle Tabasco, and hickory smoke barbecue sauce to give it a smoky flavor. Plus, she adds Worcestershire sauce and mayonnaise. The burger is gone, but the sauce lives on.