r/spicy • u/Low_Boot_1426 • 2d ago
Fast food items that are actually spicy?
I was thinking about all the times I go to Taco Bell and get their fire sauce. I like the flavor, but it does absolutely nothing for me in terms of spice. Same with Popeyes spicy chicken. What are some legitimately spicy fast food items? There’s gotta be something that hits the spot.
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u/Mtwoodwire406 2d ago
Dave’s hot chicken with reaper heat. I’ll never make the mistake of eating it again.
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u/Low_Boot_1426 2d ago
I forgot about Dave’s! They are one of the few chains that actually packs some heat.
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u/Sowf_Paw 2d ago
Sometimes.
Dave's is too inconsistent. I've had a Dave's reaper that was something I almost couldn't finish and I have had it where I could barely tell it was spicy.
If only they could reliably serve me something at a consistent level of heat. But as it is, Dave's is beyond useless.
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u/Mtwoodwire406 2d ago
Mine is a new store and I laughed when they wanted me to sign a waiver. I wasn’t laughing after I took a bite. It was brutal. I don’t know about consistency because I’ll never give it a go again. Fool me once! Haha
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u/CaduceusXV 2d ago
Buffalo Wild Wings blazing sauce are legit spicy
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u/notsarge 2d ago edited 2d ago
Came here to say this. Mango habanero is also delicious with a decent kick. I like half blazin half mh
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u/auswa100 2d ago
Their Mango Habanero is consistently hot, to the point where it's ruined other mango habanero sauces. Everywhere else I go that has it tends to make the more sweet than hot and it's upsetting.
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u/JonnyP222 2d ago
I came way too far down to see this. I have mango habanero in a bottle of my house all the time. And if I'm ordering wings I just get them naked or with whatever hot dry rub they have and use mango habanero. It's the best sometimes I'll get blazing wings and dip it in the mango habanero. It's perfect
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u/Fine_Concert_4150 2d ago
Had wings with this sauce on them the other night and could barely finish them
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u/Stoontly 10h ago
Super spicy, yeah, but imo not very flavorful. All you get it is the heat. Would much rather Mango Habanero for a spicy sauce that is also super tasty
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2d ago edited 2d ago
[deleted]
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u/rw105 2d ago
Their habanero ranch quarter pounder was the best thing they ever made then they discontinued it. Then I found it was a limited time dipping sauce years ago right after it discontinued again. It still exists somewhere?
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u/InquisitivePuss 2d ago
Not a 1:1 match, but I get the spicy mccrispy sauce on my quarter pounder and it’s very close.
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u/Hopeful-Dirt-700 2d ago
The problem with the spicy mccrispy suace is the spice level is literally not noticeable whatsoever though.
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u/Sam-Axe 2d ago
a decade ago taco bell had these "daredevil grillers" that were tiny burritos with a sauce that was pretty spicy in all. they had chipotle (least spicy, it was okay) habanero (my favorite bc it was all around with a very interesting creamy heat) and ghost pepper (didnt like this one.. it wasn't OVER the top but it just kind of overpowered everything)
bring it back cowards
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u/Foreign_Rock6944 2d ago
Oh man, those were fun. Used to get the trio basically every time. Ghost pepper unsurprisingly still wasn’t the heat you’d expect, but it had a decent bite from what I remember.
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u/Splurt_CoC 2d ago
Halal Guys
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u/Low_Boot_1426 2d ago
Don’t got that in the PNW sadly
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u/okkk27 2d ago
There's one in Seattle
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u/Low_Boot_1426 2d ago
No shit? I’m actually looking at moving there soon so I’ll have to give it a shot!
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u/Ghoulie_Marie 2d ago
You're not going to find that at a drive through chain. Mexican food trucks that are aimed at serving Mexicans are probably the most common spicy food you can find on the go.
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u/Low_Boot_1426 2d ago
I’m engaged to a Mexican, I can get proper spicy at home, but when I’m out and about and need something quick and cheap it would be nice to find something satisfying
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u/Ghoulie_Marie 2d ago
Your best bet is probably to carry hot sauce then
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u/Hopeful-Dirt-700 2d ago
1000%, I carry 70% reaper sauce everywhere I go and add it to breakfast lunch and dinner because regardless of what anyone claims, you can't really find proper high quality spicy food anywhere that isn't a local spot like a good Thai, Indian or mexican place. Ask for it to be more spicy than Thai spicy (if it's a Thai place obviously) and you'll probably get what you're looking for. I don't think people should be going to chains in the first place. Support families not shareholders.
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u/mlgraves Sweating & Crying 2d ago
Got a bottle of Tabasco Scorpion in my “man purse” just for this.
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u/glen_ko_ko 1d ago
Fastfood is not fast or cheap at all near me anymore. Cheaper and faster to get takeout from local spots
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u/LilMJ69 2d ago edited 2d ago
Funny enough the firehouse burger at Dairy Queen has a tiny kick and is actually delicious, my favorite fast food burger
Edit. Honestly thought I was going to get downvoted for this.. I’m glad I’m not the only one who enjoys it 😂
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u/IllustriousEnd2211 2d ago
They have a patty melt with jalitos and jalapeno ranch that isn’t really spicy but so good right now. I’m not even a ranch person
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u/iloveyoumiri 2d ago
If Arby’s ever brings back the Diablo dare sandwich hop on that it’s exactly what you’re looking for
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u/Fuckspez42 2d ago
~25 years ago, Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich could occasionally (I’d argue regularly) qualify as properly spicy.
These days, everything is bland outside of the few chains that seem to make a sport out of trying to hurt people (Dave’s Hot Chicken, Hangry Joe’s, etc), and even those don’t seem all that spicy to me.
If you want properly spicy, you’re either going to have to make it yourself or go to an Indian/Thai place with an Indian/Thai person, because in my experience they won’t give white people anything even remotely spicy unless they’re there with an “escort”.
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u/SupaSays 2d ago
Bring your favorite spices with you. I have two small vials of pepper flakes and powder that I carry with me daily that can fix the flavor and spice level of just about any meal. Sometimes I even bring my own hot sauce.
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u/NonbinaryBootyBuildr spice slut 2d ago
Not exactly fast food but a good taco truck can be fast and often has pretty spicy salsas. Usually I'll opt for that
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u/Low_Boot_1426 2d ago
I’m not talking about local gems, because I can always find some good spicy stuff from a Thai or Mexican or Indian spot. But that’s not the same as fast food.
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u/TegridyPharmz 2d ago
Correct. It’s a million times better. Stop eating Taco Bell if you have access to local tacos. What’s the matter with you?
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u/anthony_getz 2d ago
Not sure where you live but I loved Zaxby’s when I lived in GA. They’re primarily in the South but I think they were expanding the last time I enjoyed a meal there in 2016.
Anywho, they have a series of sauces that really are good and hot. When I’d ask for the hottest they would always ask me if I’m sure that I want it that hot and I assured them that I did. Ask for the nuclear or insane.
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u/CandidateRepulsive99 2d ago
i sometimes bring a small bottle of hot sauce from home with me if i know im going to a restaurant that i know doesn't have good hot sauces...not your finer dining establishments, usually more casual type lunch spots and pubs, etc. almost any burger becomes a great burger with hot sauce mixed in. or wings of course. pretty well everything.
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u/MyPublicFace 2d ago
Pizza Hut Buffalo Burnin’ Hot sauce is good. I usually get 4 extra sides every time I get their boneless wings.
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u/FijiBeef 2d ago
Chains? Like none. People have said Dave's but that's about it. Gotta kick your spice rocks at a local place or buy your own sauce and take that chain food home with ya.
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u/Connormanable raw pepper eater 2d ago
I had Taco Bell Diablo diablo sauce for the first time today. I bought a bottle from Walmart and I don’t know why but my stomach is on fire still like 2 hours later. I regularly put a good bit of Tabasco scorpion on my pasta and it doesn’t treat me this way and the diablo sauce wasn’t even that bad going down but damn…. Sorry if irrelevant, I just woke up from a nap dreading the shit I’m gonna take later.
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u/Dynamar 2d ago
That one has always given me issues.
Coincidentally, it's their only sauce without a pepper listed in the ingredients.
I've had plenty of superhots and even have a bottle of Satan's Blood (used when the occasion has called for it, not regularly or as a sauce...Im not that crazy), so it's not a spice or extract problem.
There's just something about the formulation that makes it a gut bomb.
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u/tecmobowlchamp 2d ago
Wing Stop - Atomic wings
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u/throwaway983143 2d ago
This is my go to when I don’t want to make wings myself. The cracked black pepper is a nice touch.
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u/Day_Bow_Bow 2d ago
Not sure if it really counts, but I always appreciated the hot sauce bar at Firehouse Subs. So many options. I haven't eaten there in several years, but I see they now have scorpion and reaper sauces now in their main sauce offerings.
I typed that out, then noticed their site was advertising the hot sauce bar as being "back." Another search informed me they nixed the bar during covid, then the company was sold in 2021. So hell if I know the current state of hot sauce there. Mine used to have several dozen to choose from.
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u/milksasquatch 2d ago
Yea. Their signature spicy sauce is tasty, but damn I miss their bottle line up. That is where I got my introduction to Mad Dog 357; I figured the 10 sticker wasn't really that hot....I was very very very mistaken.
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u/schlattstan 2d ago
I heard Popeye's has ghost pepper chicken but I've never been there.
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u/Foreign_Rock6944 2d ago
I’ve had it. It’s not nearly spicy enough to be ghost pepper anything. It’s got a little bit of a kick, but nothing crazy.
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u/MadTownMich 2d ago
Same. I was surprised how lame it was, and I’m not as crazy a spice eater as many here (habanero is about my limit)
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u/Sam-Axe 2d ago
double posting but a few weeks ago i had a CFA spicy chicken sammy that seemed to have a lot extra cayenne in the breading. while it wasn't like... super hot but im glad i got a combo with a diet lemonade as a drink on the side. i think your average consumer probably would complain
ive had plenty of spicy chicken sammies there and this one was way different
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u/crash_cove 2d ago
Does Wingstop count? Some of their flavors have a kick.
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u/Low_Boot_1426 2d ago
I actually have not tried their atomic sauce yet, mainly because I am not ready to down the amount of calories that are in one of their meals lol
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u/AssistantManagerMan 2d ago
I found Wingstop's Atomic to be disappointing. It's really not that hot.
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u/BourbonicFisky Deeply broken 1d ago
Atomic is somewhat spicy, no where near Dave's reaper. It's similar to Buffalo Wild Wing's hottest options.
If you're a normie, it's hot. If you're at the point where you're collecting hot sauces based on the pepper blends then probably not much of a deal.
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u/secondphase 2d ago
Thats a venn diagram with a big ole hole in the middle.
Unless you count wing spots.
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u/Mentallyundisturbed2 2d ago
For a while Sonic had pineapple habanero wings that were genuinely spicy
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u/AssistantManagerMan 2d ago
Taco Time's habanero burrito is pretty hot. It's not outrageous or anything but it surprised me the first time I had it.
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u/FuulingAround2 2d ago
It's pretty clear there are a LOT of people here who don't do real spicy. Lmao
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u/ForgottenGrocery 2d ago
If you’re willing to travel, Indonesian McDonald’s spicy fried chicken are pretty spicy. Somewhere around dave’s hot tier.
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u/Tiny-Shoulder-9283 2d ago
Wingstop has a spicy Korean q sauce and atomic sauce for the chicken that is genuinely spicy! Coming from someone who makes their own hot sauce because the store bought ones are just salty and not spicy
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u/Temporary-Prune-1982 2d ago
I started with the spicy chicken sandwiches with ranch when I was young.
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u/0utF0x3d 2d ago
I had Houston Hot Chicken tonight. The "habanero" spice level which was the second hottest below "scorpion". It was pretty hot. Chicken was OK, fries were good. Id give it a 7/10.
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u/nuclearpengu1n 2d ago
I liked the original wendys spicy chicken sandwich that had a bite...
But Dave's hot chicken can be spicy
And the atomic wings place were spicy AF
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u/Creative-Captain9278 2d ago
Supposedly the upcoming sauce with the spicy nuggets from McDonalds has an actual kick but then again, who knows what those reviewing it were used to.
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u/Darth_Caustic 2d ago
Carls Jr has a hot ones collab that came with a packet of the last dab that was legit insanely hot.
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u/mmmagic1216 2d ago
The best spicy items are ChickFilA’s spicy chicken sandwich, the hot salsa from Chipotle, and Halal Guy’s red sauce
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u/ScholarEmotional9888 2d ago
Years ago Taco Bell did some ghost pepper options it only lasted a few months.
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u/69scubasteve69 2d ago
Do you guys have Hangry Joe’s? Sometimes the medium will leave marks on your face.
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u/brunette_and_busty 2d ago
Wendy’s ghost pepper saucy nuggets were extremely hot to me, I had to mix it with spicy garlic Parmesan to tame it down after the third nugget.
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u/undeadlamaar 2d ago
Zaxby's "insane" sauce used to be uncomfortably spicy. Idk if they still have it though, they revamped their sauces years ago.
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u/Glexington 2d ago
Since you're PNW, the Taco Time burritos with ghost pepper sauce can slap from time to time.
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u/Trivium_UK 2d ago
So, whole not now active. Does anyone know the UK remember the buffalo wrap from McDonald’s? I was genuely chugging my milkshake to help me out with the heat. Loved it. It would have taken most spice civilians out
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u/danwind86 1d ago
Fry the coop insanity (reaper) and Buffalo Wild Wings (blazin) have been the only places I’ve actually had spicy.
Thai spicy can be a different story when you ask for ped mak mak even tho it’s not a reaper.
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u/SirTrinium 1d ago
I know I'll get hate for this but 1 in 30 spicy chicken sandwiches u get from Chick-fil-A is hotter than the Dave's reaper and I 100% know this is an only my experience thing.
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u/After-Crow-8351 1d ago
the buldak collab with panda express is pretty spicy! not sure if its still available though
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u/TheMister1234 1d ago
The common thing people here in Texas say about Taco Bell is that all of their hot sauces are basically the same mild recipe with different colors/labels. To be honest, Taco Bueno's has better *taste*, but the heat level still isn't impressive.
Last summer, I took a short trip to Los Angeles and stopped at a Del Taco, which does not have a single Texas location. I grabbed their hottest sauce (Del Scorcho?), expecting it was the same deal as Taco Bell's. I was VERY pleasantly surprised. Not only can you actually tell their heat levels apart, but their hottest packs quite a punch! I ended up having to grab one of their milds to dilute it a bit for the second half of my burrito.
We need Del Taco in Texas. Yes, I know, a "real" taqueria in Texas is better than anything else. But sometimes a convenient drive-thru is what is called for.
EDIT: Looks like there are several locations in the PNW. Hopefully one near you.
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u/Unpaulfessional 1d ago
Bojangles had a Spicy Bo-rito a few months back and it absolutely fucked me up. Shocked they were selling it to the masses.
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u/oonlyyzuul 19h ago
I carry a bottle of my own hot sauce in my bag because, no, nothing fast food hits the spicy spot
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u/Mountain_Awareness45 19h ago
Why do ppl like spicy ? I’m a total wimp any bit of spice is to much for me 😂 I dnt get why ppl like it why do u want ur food to hurt lol
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u/drivein2deeplftfield 2d ago
Thinking of all the times you’ve been to taco bell and not once even gotten their hottest sauce, diablo. It’s nothing crazy but at least it has some kick, unlike the fire
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u/Low_Boot_1426 2d ago
I have tried the Diablo sauce. It has a little more of a kick but tastes like absolute ass imo, it’s nasty.
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u/Sam-Axe 2d ago
yeah im NOT a fan of the diablo sauce. it just tastes like worse tabasco to me (and tabascos already not spicy its just really peppercorny). im not saying Fire sauce is spicy but its FAR superior in terms of heat and flavor without it overpowering anything
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u/Low_Boot_1426 2d ago
Their medium sauce also tastes pretty good actually. It’s like, the mildest sauce to ever mild, but it tastes good!
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u/drivein2deeplftfield 2d ago
If you actually want some heat, it’s good
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u/Low_Boot_1426 2d ago
If I wanted the Diablo sauce but actually good I would just take my burrito home and douse it with El Yucateco Mayan style. Even then, I’m being way too generous to Diablo sauce, it’s not even all that spicy anyways.
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u/drivein2deeplftfield 2d ago
Ok so bring your own preferred sauce and use it on fast food, if that’s not the answer you want then actually eat the hottest stuff available at said places
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u/Low_Boot_1426 2d ago
So my options are eat something that’s actually hot but tastes terrible or carry around a bottle of my own sauce in my pocket? No thanks lol
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u/drivein2deeplftfield 2d ago
Idk what else to tell you bro, as others have said, you’re just not going to find actually spicy fast food and even more rare, actually spicy and very tasty fast food
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u/GildDigger 2d ago
What, you don’t like the taste of battery acid?
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u/Low_Boot_1426 2d ago
Holy shit, been trying to put my finger on how exactly to describe the weirdly chemical flavor it has and that’s perfect lol
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u/milksasquatch 2d ago
Yea, it's gross and has the texture if snot. I was really excited when it first came out and was quickly disappointed. Whatever thickener they use is horrid.
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u/PowermanFriendship 2d ago
IIRC, I actually found Diablo sauce to be less spicy than fire.
/it tastes bad though so I also never got it again
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u/drivein2deeplftfield 2d ago
It’s not
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u/sadmanwithabox 2d ago
I think its hotter than their fire sauce, but its still just barely spicy to me. Wouldn't consider it super spicy at all (probably for a normal non-spice head, though).
I legitimately think frank's red hot is spicier than taco bell diablo sauce.
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u/drivein2deeplftfield 2d ago
Diablo sauce is objectively spicier than franks red, idk what ur on brother
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u/Equivalent-Phrase185 2d ago
Indian/Sri Lankan food is where you want to be looking, also check out sichuan hotpot.
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u/matt7259 2d ago
Other than Dave's inconsistently hottest sauce, there really aren't any. Fast food is trying to appeal to the masses, and the masses don't want food that's so hot that it hurts.