Culver's Fans Still Want This Burger And Its Sauce Back

Of all the fast food chains in the country, Culver's reigns supreme in the Midwest. There's something that makes Culver's ButterBurgers so delicious — and the cheese curds, custard, and Swiss melt rank as some of the most popular Culver's menu items. But beyond all the recommended orders, there are fan-favorite items that have disappeared from Culver's menus over the years. One of them is the Pepper Grinder Pub Burger.

Originally released as a limited item back in 2013, this burger had an everything-seasoned bun with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, garlic, and onion. The meat was Culver's classic ButterBurger patty (with the option to make it a double or triple), plus two slices of smoked bacon. It also included Swiss and cheddar cheese. But the secret was in the sauce, literally — a mayo-based blend that was heavy on the peppercorn flavor.

Since its debut over a decade ago, the Pepper Grinder Pub Burger has only been on the Culver's menu a few times — a couple months in 2015, 2023, and 2025. But that was enough to steal customers' hearts (and mouths). There are multiple Reddit threads dedicated to bringing it back; some fans on these say that "the sauce was amazing" and that "it was so good I went back today and got another one." In a YouTube review, creator The Endorser gave the burger a 93/100. He recommends getting a side of fries to dip into the sauce; and one commenter suggests adding onion rings on top.

The Pepper Grinder isn't the only limited-time pub burger Culver's has released. Other fan-favorites are the Colby Jack Pub Burger, which has crispy onions and A.1. pepper mayo, and Pretzel Haus Pub Burger, with bacon, cheddar, pickled onions, and mustard bistro sauce. The 2026 menu also included a Jalapeño Jack Pub Burger in the summer and the Fried Pickle Pub Burger with — you guessed it — fried pickles, a pretzel bun, and brewpub sauce (a similarly peppery mayo).

Unfortunately, not many other fast food chains make a similar burger. You could try the Shake Shack Black Truffle Burger, a limited-edition menu item that's available as of fall 2026. While it won't be as peppery, the truffle mayo could have an adjacent flavor. Burger King also had two limited-release burgers this year, the Peppercorn BLT Whopper and Ultimate Steakhouse Whopper, which featured peppercorn sauce. But you might be better off just making a copycat version of Culver's burger yourself by cooking a simple smash burger recipe and adding some peppercorn sauce.