The new Wendy's pretzel burger named as 2013's Burger of the Year by Time magazine in the United States will be available in Tauranga from tomorrow.

Featuring an artisan pretzel in place of a traditional bun, the pub-style Wendy's Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger –retailing for $8.90 – will be available across Wendy's 22 outlets nationwide from Friday, including Tauranga's Cameron Road branch.

Featuring a soft artisan pretzel in place of a traditional bun, the pub-style Wendy's Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger –retailing for $8.90 – will be available in Tauranga from tomorrow.

In a statement to media, Wendy's says the Kiwi version will feature 100 percent locally produced ingredients including a toasted artisan pretzel bun, fresh Quality Mark prime beef, Manuka smoked bacon, natural cheddar cheese and warm cheddar cheese sauce, sweet and creamy honey Dijon mustard, spring salad mix, tomato and red onion.

Wendy's social media administrator Sam Stretch says there will be some uncertainty about what a pretzel burger is – but he is in full credit of it.

'It's a very new product to NZ, there's never really been anything like this before…it's opening those doors for NZ.

'There is a bit of uncertainty about what a pretzel burger is and we're really going to try to push the applications of it.”

Sam says it is the 'nicest thing I've tried from a fast-food joint in a long, long time”.

'It's kind of sweet and salty and nice and chewy at the same. It compliments all of the other ingredients really, really nicely.”

Sam says Wendy's will be making evaluations on how well people take to the burger before making any decisions on how long it will stay on the menu.

Wendy's CEO Danielle Lendich says the NZ-owned franchise is hoping for a positive reception for the pretzel burger here.

'It's a bit different here as us Kiwis aren't as familiar with soft pretzels as they are in the States, so our challenge will be getting our customers to try it.”

However, those thinking of purchasing the burger should keep in mind the nutritional information with Stuff.co.nz reporting the burger contains 680 calories, 36 grams of fat and 1110 milligrams of sodium.

This is more than KFC's notorious Double Down, which contains 540 calories.

The Wendy's Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger will be available for a limited time from lunchtime on Friday, February 21, with a retail price of $8.90.