An American woman who tried Greggs for the first time while visiting the UK has claimed one of the brand’s most iconic items tastes ‘off’ – although one still got top marks
Greggs is a beloved bakery chain in the UK. Millions of us love tucking into a sausage roll or one of the chain’s many delicious bakes for lunch, and the doughnuts and other sweet bakery items on offer aren’t to be sniffed at either. In fact, Brits love Greggs so much that we can become quite territorial over it, arguing with anyone who claims that the pastry isn’t perfectly flaky, or that a freshly baked hot sausage roll isn’t one of life’s finest pleasures.
One American woman, therefore, took a big risk when she posted a video on TikTok sharing her “honest review” of what she described as “British fast food”, which turned out to be Greggs. Karissa’s video featured several of the most popular items from the Greggs menu, including a sausage roll, a steak bake, a Tottenham cake, and a pizza slice.
While Karissa did praise several aspects of the items she tried, there was one part in particular that she couldn’t stand – and she gave one of the most iconic foods a dismal 4/10.
The woman began with the legendary sausage roll, which she gave a respectable 7/10. She described the pastry as “pretty flaky” and praised the sausage for being warm, as well as “decently seasoned”, summing it up as “pretty buttery and fresh for fast food pastry”.
Next up, she tried a portion of the Southern-fried chicken goujons, noting for her American viewers that a goujon is essentially the same thing that they would call “tenders”. She gave these a 7.5/10, praising them for being “not too breaded” and giving credit to Greggs for the “free sauce” she got to dip her chicken into.
Karissa then tried a Tottenham cake at the request of her TikTok followers, who demanded she buy one. Tottenham cake is a classic traybake made with simple vanilla sponge and topped with distinctive pink icing. They’re often quite nostalgic for us Brits, but Karissa wasn’t keen.
She said: “Everyone told me to try their Tottenham cake, which is basically just a sponge cake with pink icing. The icing was fruit-flavoured or something – it was kind of artificially sweet. And the cake was a bit dry. Maybe it’s more for kids.”
But the classic item Karissa really didn’t like was the steak bake. A popular choice among Brits wanting something heartier than a sausage roll, Karissa claimed “something in the gravy tasted off” to her, and she didn’t like that the overall flavour was “almost a little bitter”.
She gave the steak bake a measly 4/10 as she said the steak itself was “pretty chewy”, which put her off when combined with the other flavours she didn’t like. However, she did praise the pastry for being “flaky and warm”, just like the sausage roll.
Finally, Karissa tried a slice of pepperoni pizza and some cookies. She gave the pizza a 5/10 because it wasn’t warm and was “a bit dry”, and the triple chocolate cookies got a 6/10 for having a “ton of chunks” but still being “super dry”.
Commenters on Karissa’s video were quick to point out that Greggs is not a fast food chain, but rather a bakery. Greggs does not keep food hot once it is cooked, as food kept and sold above room temperature is subject to 20% VAT, which would make Greggs’ products more expensive.
While this is great for keeping costs down, it does mean that you have to get lucky and pick up your sausage roll when they’ve just put a fresh batch out if you want it to be piping hot. This explains Karissa’s cold pizza, which would have been warmer if she’d been luckier with her timing.
One commenter said: “Greggs is a go-to for mostly for cheap comfort food. It’s not the best quality, but it’s cheap and good for on the go!”
Another added: “Calling Greggs fast food feels wrong… like, that’s a chain bakery.”
And the TikTok account for Greggs itself also responded, writing: “Justice for the steak bake!”
