Convenience stores have started going bigger with their fried food options in 2020. Arteries be damned ¡ª the move is clearly to embrace jumbo, greasy items.

Ministop has recently taken a hot food staple ¡ª the corn dog ¡ª and pumped it up. The new ¡°Big Dog¡± (?213 after tax) has a good 20 percent of the frankfurter protruding out of the mochimochi (springy) fried batter casing. There¡¯s nothing particularly enhanced about its flavor, but Ministop¡¯s made-to-order offerings always deliver great quality. This was already the best konbini corn dog on the market, and now you can get even more of it.

Meanwhile, Lawson¡¯s two newest deep-fried creations are also bigger than most convenience store items. Its fried croquette and menchi katsu (?160 and ?180, respectively) each cram a lot of flavor beneath their crunchy exteriors. The former loads up on white sauce and pork, while the latter pairs a mix of ground beef and pork with a consomme soup center. The menchi is the highlight, though either will fill you right up.