Marriage Bites! With Mike and Jess

Applebee’s put a bacon cheeseburger inside a crunchy wonton taco, so naturally Mike and Jess had to try it. Did the mashup work, or should burgers and tacos stay in their own lanes?

They also mourn the dishes they can’t get anymore from closed restaurants, build their ideal three-drink lineups, and argue about whether Cracker Barrel deserves a stop on their next trip. Plus, the meatballs at Strada make a strong case for best bite of the week.

Mike and Jess try Burger King’s Loaded Jalapeño Original Chicken Sandwich, a chaotic combination of American cheese, jalapeño sauce, crispy jalapeños and Burger King’s famously long chicken patty. While Mike sees the potential in the sandwich’s spicy concept, Jess delivers a surprising verdict on its questionable chicken.

Along the way, Jess reveals how she turns cleaning into a cardio workout, avoids a friend in public and encounters a massive group of Pokémon Go players. Mike reflects on a special moment shared with his father and son before finally revealing the embarrassing habit he teased at the beginning of the episode.

Plus: shrimp rankings, another brutal gout attack, the rising price of fast food, sandwich planning and one deeply troubling flossing confession.

Mike and Jess try Jersey Mike’s chicken salad and put another popular fast food item to the Marriage Bites test. Along the way, they debate their very different food preferences, share their latest fast food opinions, and get sidetracked by everything from burgers and soda to the best things they ate all week.

This week on Marriage Bites, Mike and Jess head back to Panda Express to find out whether the viral Cantonese BBQ Brisket lives up to the hype. Along the way, they talk about an impromptu beach day, their favorite sushi orders, rediscovering memories from their pre-kids adventures, and why recording the podcast helps them reconnect with parts of their relationship they don't think about often. Plus, they break down what worked, what didn't, and whether Panda Express' newest menu item is worth ordering again.

"I thought cheesecake was basically a big bowl of Gouda."

Mike finally tries cheesecake for the first time after avoiding it for more than 40 years. But before the taste test, he and Jess revisit the Long Island neighborhood where they first lived together, sharing forgotten memories, old apartment stories, and how going back to a familiar place can instantly bring the past rushing back.

Plus, they rank terrible ice cream flavors, debate tiny spoons, and give their honest review of The Cheesecake Factory.

What happens when two people accidentally spend 20 minutes debating cake, pie, rainbow cookies, Disney, and whether "wet-ass pastries" should become official podcast merchandise?

In this episode of Marriage Bites, Mike and Jess take another delightfully unplanned detour through food, family memories, parenting, and New Jersey life. What starts as a review of Nothing Bundt Cake's limited-time Strawberry Cheesecake Swirl quickly turns into debates about cheesecake, local bakeries, pizza, Disney vacations, superheroes, and why Mike believes pie is objectively superior to cake.

Along the way, they share stories from family weddings, childhood baking memories, discover a new milkshake shop opening nearby, and somehow invent what might be the strangest merchandise idea the podcast has ever produced.

If you've ever gone out for dessert and somehow ended up talking about literally everything else, this episode is for you. 

"That was pork belly."

"No, it wasn't."

And just like that, another Marriage Bites episode is underway.

Mike and Jess kick off Shake Shack Month by reviewing the BBQ Boneless Baby Back Rib Sandwich, which somehow leads to debates about pork belly, barbecue sauce, whether nachos count as a meal, and why every child waits until you're placing an order to ask 700 questions.

The conversation also covers disappointing restaurant meals, all-gender bathrooms, Ryan's calendar obsession, social media's ability to sell hot dogs, and the accidental creation of what might be the worst merch idea in podcast history.

The sandwich was excellent. The barbecue sauce was divisive. The marriage remains intact.

Mike and Jess return to Taco Bell with one mission: order an absurd amount of food and see if the AI drive-thru can survive the experience.

What follows includes:

• A caramel empanada explosion inside the car

• A surprisingly emotional discussion about onions

• Mike discovering Jess has been secretly stockpiling Godiva chocolate

• An unexpected breakdown of NBA triple-doubles

• Taco Bell chicken nuggets somehow stealing the show

• Jess becoming weirdly good at talking to AI

The Triple Double Crunchwrap sparks one of the couple’s most passionate food debates yet: hot vs. cold toppings, wet vs. dry food, and whether nacho cheese is secretly ruining society.

Also somehow discussed:

Airplane sandwiches, Dean Blandino, Tiger King memories, and why Mike cries during every episode of Shrinking.

A completely reasonable Taco Bell episode.

Mike and Jess return with one of the most chaotic food weeks in Marriage Bites history. Between business trips, sick kids, a cat surgery, a $176 Carmine’s steak riding New Jersey Transit, and a Panera “salad stuffer” that completely broke their brains, this episode spirals in the best possible way. The two debate whether fruit belongs inside bread, relive Jess’s legendary fast food ordering disasters, and uncover the emotional damage caused by fake crab cakes. Also, somehow, “poppers” become a recurring topic for way longer than expected. It is messy, hilarious, sleep deprived energy from start to finish.

In this episode of Marriage Bites, Mike and Jess take a nostalgia-fueled trip to Wendy’s to review the new-and-improved Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Is it still the late-night legend they remember, or has time (and better chicken sandwiches) changed the game?

They also debate dream franchises to own, best mall food court meals of all time, and why old-school video stores still live rent free in their minds. Plus: plane snacks, prom prizes, and a passionate anti-mayo rant.

In this episode:

• Wendy’s spicy sandwich gets a full breakdown
• Franchise dreams: Jersey Mike’s vs Sweetgreen
• Mall food court nostalgia hits hard
• VHS tapes, Blockbuster memories, and rewinding culture
• Best thing they ate all week: Jersey pizza wins again