I'm a Brit who went to Wendy's for the first time and now I prefer it over McDonald's

My first impression when I saw Wendy's in Camden was an eye roll. Camden is stereotypically known as an alternative place, and Wendy's had refashioned its logos to fit the cliché.

I'd heard of Wendy's before through Insider's "Food Wars" series and my boyfriend who had traveled to LA, but I had never tried it. I've eaten at American chains like KFC and McDonald's before, and I was curious to see how it would compare.

Wendy's opened its first UK chain in June 2021, as reported by Restaurant. The website also reported that Todd Penegor, the CEO of Wendy's, told investors that as of March 2023, they currently have 30 locations in the UK but are hoping to increase this to 45 by the end of the year.

It didn't look bad from the outset, so I decided to take a step in.

In my experience, fast-food chains in Camden can sometimes be quite untidy and dim, so I was pleasantly surprised to see how clean and bright the store was.

I liked the fact that there's a choice, unlike some other chains I've visited, as it caters to everyone.

The service was extremely quick – I got my food exactly a minute after I placed my order. I had visited at 1 p.m., and despite the lunchtime rush I still got my order in almost an instant.

The orange juice was good, but a standard one you could buy from the grocery store.

In my experience, whenever I get a fast-food burger, they skimp on the toppings and don't evenly spread the sauce.

Wendy's was nothing like this. It had a generous amount of salad, and every bite was complimented with its sauce.

The square burger patty was cooked well and topped with a slice of cheese. Overall, it felt like great value for the price.

I'm personally not a fan of cheese sauce as I find it tastes like chemicals, so I was pleasantly surprised with the real cheese.

To me, it seemed the fries were cut freshly and not frozen, and they were cooked just how I like them — crispy but fluffy on the inside.

I really enjoyed the cheesy fries and liked them more than KFC or MacDonald's fries.

I ordered the chocolate-flavored Frosty, which I thought tasted like a watered-down milkshake rather than chocolate ice cream.

I personally didn't like it, but someone who doesn't enjoy rich and heavy desserts would probably enjoy it.

The food tasted fresh, and I appreciated how much salad my burger had.

The restaurant was also clean and accessible, and the staff were polite. I'd definitely choose Wendy's burgers over McDonald's, but perhaps next time I'll grab dessert somewhere else.