Utz Quality Foods

Update Reviews, 2021

Can't. Stop. Eating. Utz. Pub. Mix.

I think that sums this up nicely.

Pub Mix.

"Looking for the perfect snack to serve at your next party or get together?  Our Utz Pub Mix is a sure crowd-pleaser. This savory blend of honey mustard twists, cheddar cheese twists, honey roasted sesame chips, oriental rice crackers, pretzel stix, nacho bagel chips, and worcestershire rye chips is "crunch-tastic". 

Danger. Danger. Danger.

This mix, which I have reviewed before, and know I like, just spells, D-A-N-G-E-R to me.  The container claims to be 20 servings (!), which, um, perhaps you can not tell, but this is NOT a big container.  I don't have any idea where they get 20 from, even assuming small snack size portions.

I blame my mother for picking it up when I was visiting.  

It really does have everything going on.  There are many products like this out there, but what sets the Utz one apart is that it is actually, um, good?  Every element actually is decent.

I'll start with the most boring, and work my way up to the ones that I think are the best.  But really, I had no problem eating any of these, alone, or as a mix.  #addicting.

• Pretzel stix: Even the basic pretzel sticks, er, "stix", were good, although they are just pretzels.  Extremely buttery, crispy.
• Worcestershire rye chips: These are ok, good for what they are.  Nearly all of these were in-tact, full round pieces.  They taste a bit like Chex mix from the Worcestershire flavoring.
• Nacho bagel chips: Probably my least favorite thing of the mix, they are ok, but not really my thing.  Strangely no whole ones anywhere in the container, all were broken.
• Cheddar Cheese Twistix: Great form factor, zesty, cheesy.  If you want cheesy things, these are good. Sorta tasted nacho though which is less my favorite.
• Honey Mustard Twistix: Yum.  Same twisty form factor as above, very savory, salty.  Sometimes WAY too addicting.
• Oriental rice crackers: Good!  Just rice crackers, assorted shapes, but crispy, not stale, and well flavored.
• Honey roasted sesame chips:  I always want to like these, in snack mixes or random brands we buy, and just usually don't like ... any.  I don't know why.  Well finally some I like - in this mix!  Super sweet, larger than most, crunchy, slightly savory from sesame ... just very very good.

Add it all up?  Yes.  DANGER.  Let's just say, this is not 20 servings for me.

****.

Utz Poker Mix: The Ultimate Blend with a Touch of Spice.

"It's no bluff when we say that Utz® Poker Mix is sure to be a winner at your next gathering or game night! This blend contains an assortment of Rice Crackers, Pretzels, Honey Sesame Chips, Cajun Corn Sticks, Chili Cheese Corn Jax, and Wasabi Peas with a touch of spice!"

Next up, "poker" mix.  You know, different from what you eat at the pub ... This mix was a mixed bag.

The downside?  It was VERY pretzel heavy, with pretzel twists in a variety of shapes, plus big darker pretzel rods.  Given that I am "eh" on most pretzels, the fact that it was more than 50% pretzel was definitely a downside.   The regular ones were nicely buttery, but still not my thing.  The dark ones turned out to be pumpernickel, which was as least unique.  If you love these, Utz produces a standalone version of these as well.

But the rest was good.  The asian rice crackers and honey sesame chips were the same as in the Pub Mix, and I liked them there, and felt exactly the same about them here.  The rice crackers came in a few shapes, and were well seasoned.  The honey sesame chips were sweet, crunchy, and fatter than the shapes found in other mixes, but I liked that too.  They too are available as a standalone product.

New to this mix were the cajun corn sticks and wasabi peas.  The corn sticks were fine, good crunch, zesty seasoning, a nice shape to add to the mix.  The wasabi peas were top notch, exactly the kind I like, great zing.  I never found any chili cheese corn jax ...

Overall, I enjoyed digging through it for all the pieces I liked, and may or may not have left behind a barrel of pretzels for my mom.

***+ overall.

Update Review, June 2017

Several years ago, I discovered Utz at Phat Philly, as I wrote about in my original review of the chips.   I tried a few varieties, thought they were good, and, moved on with life.  I love snack foods, and the chips were good, but, I didn't go seeking out more products.

And then I tried the pub mix.  I love snacks in general, but my absolute weakness is mixed snacks, where I can rummage through a mix, picking out the items I want most at that moment (hello, Chex mix, in all its varieties!).  The pub mix delivered on this as well.

So I took a step back to finally learn about Utz.  They are based in Pennsylvania, which I knew.  But I didn't know they are the largest independent privately held snack maker in the US.  Nor did I know that they started as a husband and wife, in the 1920s, with her making chips by hand in their house, and him delivering them to stores.  I think they've come a long way since then, like buying Zapp's, who's unique flavored chips I've tried before.

Chips (regular, kettle, or even lard based) and pretzels are their primary products, but they also make puffs, popcorn, tortillal chips, pork rinds, snack mixes, even crackers and dips.  This time around, I tried a snack mix, and pretzels.

Barrels

"When you’re ready to party and entertain, there’s nothing better than Utz Snacks – and we’re totally down with that! That’s why we make giant barrelfuls of all your faves, so you don’t run out!"

Utz makes a number of different snacks packaged in barrels, including all the crowd pleasers: cheese balls, caramel corn, pork rinds, and, savory snack mixes.   The mixes are dubbed poker mix, pub mix, and party mix.  I have no idea how they decided which mix is more "poker" appropriate vs "pub", as all are a mix of assorted shapes and flavors of pretzels, corn snacks, cheesy snacks, and chips.  The "Party Mix" is more chip focused, with 4 different types of chips in the mix, but the other two are near equals in variety, just with totally different choices.  Party Mix also comes in smaller sized bags, for when barrels aren't quite what you need.

Pub Mix.

"When you’re ready to party and entertain, there’s nothing better than utz pub mix. Contains honey roasted sesame chips, nacho bagel chips, oriental rice crackers, pretzel Stix, seasoned pretzel twistix, and Worcestershire rye chips."

I had the pub mix, although I was not in a pub.

I really liked this the.  I liked each element for different reasons, and although they combined together nicely, I preferred to just eat one type at a time.  The sizes of each item made for easy eating, only a bite or two each, and I liked the variety of shapes, as it encouraged my picking through the mix in a way I enjoyed.

I was amused how my choice of items changed based on mood.  Some days, I *really* wanted the cheesy nacho bagel chips, others I adored the sweet sesame chips, and others, I just wanted simple rice crackers.  The only item I never wanted?  The pretzels.

Sticks: Pretzel Stix, Cheddar Cheese Twistix, Honey Mustard Twistix.

The only element I didn't care for was the simple "pretzel stix", since I just don't care for pretzels.  They were, well, pretzel sticks.

The "seasoned pretzel twistix" were two varieties, honey mustard and cheddar cheese, both about the same length as the pretzel sticks, but twisty-style, and not really pretzel-y, as in, they didn't have a white interior and brown exterior, and they were softer.  I liked both flavors, although I didn't realize the honey mustard was supposed to be honey mustard until I read this description.  It seemed more like ... herby?  The cheddar cheese ones were coated in orange powder, that of course got all over my fingers, and had a good (fake) cheese quality to it.  Still, these were my last two picks, besides the pretzels, and not an item I ever found myself digging for.

Chips: Honey Roasted Sesame, Worcestershire Rye, Nacho Cheese Bagel.

There were three types of "chips" - honey roasted sesame chips, round flat nacho flavored bagel chips, and round flat darker Worcestershire rye chips.

Most of the chips were broken into smaller bits, but even full size pieces were still bite size.  The sesame ones were the only sweet element in the mix, and I appreciated them for when I felt like something sweet rather than savory, and I liked the texture from the seeds.  I also sometimes kinda loved them mixed with the cheesy elements, in a Chicago popcorn kinda way.  Overall, the honey roasted sesame chips were probably my first pick.

The Worcestershire rye chips reminded me of the flavors of Chex mix, and made me quite nostalgic for my mom's homemade Chex mix.  They were particularly good used as crackers with some soft triple cream cheese.

The bagel chips were cheesy just like the twists, but better coated, and had a tiny bit of additional zesty (I guess nacho?) spicing to them.  These were often my favorites, when I was looking for something besides the sweet sesame chips.

Oriental Rice Crackers.

The final element is oriental rice crackers, in an assortment of shapes, sizes, and colors.  They were fairly standard rice crackers, slight soy sauce flavor, good enough, but not particularly interesting.

Typical Handful.

Most of the chips and twistix were broken pieces.  The rice crackers and pretzels seemed less prone to the breakage.  The distribution of items was great, nothing dominated (I hate it when mixes are majority pretzels!).

This shows a typical handful, in terms of assortment, and piece sizes.

Country Store Pretzel Stix.

I also tried a barrel of just pretzel sticks.  I didn't seek these out, obviously, since I didn't like them in the mix.

These tasted exactly like slightly bigger versions of the stix found in the Pub Mix.  I'm not sure what made these "Country Store", or what was different, besides the size.  Meh to these, but I'm not one for hard style pretzels anyway.

Original Review, February 2015

The other day I reviewed Phat Philly, a cheesesteak shop in the Mission.

Along with their signatures cheesesteaks and fries, they also carry a few Philly classic treats, like Tastycakes and Utz Chips.  I hadn't ever heard of Utz before, but apparently they are a big thing in Philly, and they make a variety of chips, pretzels, and snack mixes.  Since I always love trying new varieties of chips, I couldn't resist grabbing a bag to take with me, to enjoy later.

"The Crab Chip"

"Dive into the unique and delectable flavors of Utz "The Crab Chip" Potato Chips. Inspired by the rich culinary heritage of the Chesapeake Bay, these chips capture the essence of the region's love for seafood. Each chip is infused with a special blend of seasonings that create a savory and slightly spicy taste, reminiscent of a mouthwatering crab feast.

Crafted with care and precision, Utz "The Crab Chip" Potato Chips offer a delightful crunch that will keep you coming back for more. The flavors are perfectly balanced, allowing the natural sweetness of the potatoes to shine through while delivering a hint of Chesapeake Bay-inspired seasoning. Whether you're enjoying a beachside picnic, hosting a backyard cookout, or simply seeking a snack to satisfy your seafood cravings, Utz "The Crab Chip" Potato Chips are a must-have."

I had to pick the most interesting sounding flavor: crab.  What on earth is a crab flavored chip?

It turns out, the answer is: a chip seasoned with Old Bay.  So no, they did not taste like crab.  Instead, they tasted like Old Bay.  Or basically, like a barbecue chip.  They looked like a barbecue chip too, in color.  They had the same slightly sweet, slightly tangy thing going on that a barbecue chip does.  If you gave them to me without a label, I'd say they were just a slightly different barbecue.  The seasoning was very heavy in the salt, perhaps too much.  But besides that, I was intrigued enough to easily finish the bag.

The chips themselves were decent, thin sliced, crispy.  Not kettle style exactly, but not certainly not baked.  Better than most brands at this price point.

I ate several of them plain to taste the flavors, but then decided to try something out.  In my head, I thought, "well, people eat chips with dip" and "I love my barbecue chips dipped in onion dip, or even yogurt, and these are basically like barbecue chips".  So, yes, I wanted to dip them in something.  I'd just finished a crab louie salad, which is what made me inspired to dig the crab chips out of my pantry in the first place, as I wanted more crab.  If crab goes with louie dressing in a salad, and chips go with dip, then, doesn't it follow that crab chips would be great dunked in louie dressing?  Don't judge.  They were awesome this way.  Creamy dressing, tangy chips ... perfect.  The bag stood no chance once I discovered this combo.

I wouldn't go out of my way to find Utz chips, but if I were ever somewhere that had them again, and I wanted a crunchy, salty snack, I'd get them again. ***.

Salt 'n Vinegar.

"Embark on a tangy adventure with Utz® Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips. Crafted with the perfect balance of zesty vinegar and savory salt, these chips deliver a bold and tantalizing snacking experience that is sure to satisfy your cravings. Each chip is thinly sliced and expertly seasoned to create a crispy texture and a burst of tangy flavor in every bite. The combination of salt and vinegar creates a taste sensation that will leave your taste buds tingling with delight. Whether you're seeking a flavorful snack to enjoy on your own or looking to add some excitement to your next gathering, Utz® Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips are the ultimate choice. Elevate your snacking game and let the zingy and savory flavors transport you to a world of deliciousness."

 Well, I found Utz again :)

This time, I was craving salty, so salt 'n vinegar it was.

Again, basic crispy, thin style chip.  They somewhat reminded me of classic Lays.  Tangy vinegar was the prominent flavor, with some salt.

Nothing wrong with these, but not particularly exciting.  ***.

Sour Cream and Onion.

"Treat your taste buds to the creamy and tangy goodness of Utz® Sour Cream & Onion Potato Chips. Each chip is perfectly seasoned with a savory blend of sour cream and zesty onion, creating a flavor combination that is both bold and satisfying. The crispy texture of these chips adds an extra layer of enjoyment with every bite. Whether you're snacking on the go, hosting a gathering with friends, or simply satisfying your cravings at home, Utz® Sour Cream & Onion Potato Chips are the go-to choice. Discover the delightful taste that has made this flavor a classic favorite among chip lovers. So, grab a bag and let the creamy and tangy flavors tantalize your taste buds."

 These looked exactly like the salt 'n vinegar.  That is, they had no visible specs of something green indicating onions, nor white powder indicating sour cream.

And ... they tasted pretty plain.  Not even very salty.

I do like the thin style, but these were majorly lacking in the flavor department.  **+.