Plainly put, there is truly no better way to indulge yourself than with an order or
three of ready-to-dip breadsticks. While breadsticks are unquestionably a must-order,
not every stick is created equal. Let's help you avoid sub-par sticks,
and talk bread. Here they are from worst to best.
If we were ranking based on value alone, Crazy Bread may take the throne. But unfortunately,
crazy cheapness here comes with a different kind of price. These sticks are, first and foremost,
simply bland. They come warm and are seemingly made from the standard Little Caesars pizza dough,
then dunked in butter and garlic, and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
This might sound promising but, in practice, it's disappointingly bland.
The only respite from the sheer lack of flavor here comes when you dip a stick in the "crazy
sauce" — more commonly known as marinara. Not so exciting now, is it? We're a fan of anything
dipped in red sauce, though, so this is less a win for Crazy Bread and more just a fact of life.
"This is crazy crazy! Two pizzas, two free crazy breads, two free soft drinks,
all for $7.98 at Little Caesars!"
When we were all collectively throwing down for birthday parties here from ages four to six,
we didn't know any better than to chow down on the breadsticks at Chuck E. Cheese. These
carb-laden sticks would inevitably make their way to the table, but we were too preoccupied
with the somewhat creepy character show and the ball pit to really stop and taste them.
Turns out, that was for the best, because when you do really stop and taste these
parmesan-infused bad boys, there is not much to consider. The outside layer is coated in a
decently flavorful mix of garlic and butter with melted parmesan bits that have been baked on.
But once you bite past the thin outer layer, all is lost.
The bread could not be more nondescript, and it's no wonder we never stopped for
long at the table on our way to dominating everyone else at "Dance Dance Revolution."
Chicago's Pizza's breadsticks have a few key drawbacks, and the first and
perhaps most influential? They serve these sticks with nacho cheese. That's just weird.
"Our breadsticks are made fresh every day,"
says the restaurant's menu. To be fair, we believe it. They go on to describe their sticks as
"Hand-rolled, lightly salted, and baked to a golden brown [and] served with a choice
of red sauce, cheddar cheese, nacho cheese or garlic butter."
Call us traditionalists, but we generally like to limit our breadstick dip options
to marinara or garlic butter — perhaps some Alfredo sauce if we're feeling adventurous.
These cheese substitutions are potentially interesting and definitely divisive,
but they aren't wild enough to rescue the bland sticks.
Let's take a look at Fazoli's and Olive Garden's complicated, brotherly relationship. For better
or for worse, Fazoli's is often relegated to lesser-known locations — the restaurant equivalent
of hand-me-downs. This explains what appears to be Fazoli's rather severe case of a Napoleon Complex,
which has infiltrated the breadstick conversation in regards to Olive Garden.
Back in 2019, Fazoli's posted a scathing video on their company YouTube,
trashing their competitor's breadsticks while emphasizing the superiority of their own.
But does the taste match the talk? As far as we are concerned, no.
Let's be clear: Fazoli's has some above-average breadsticks. In fact,
the flavor of each stick is delicious. The only problem here? Texture. Fazoli's breadsticks
are distinctly soggy and spongy, making for a pretty disappointing experience for most diners.
In the end, this is yet another case of a little brother failing to overtake their big bro.
"You want answers?"
"I want the breadstick!"
"You can't handle the breadstick!"
Applebee's is a true outsider when it comes to the breadstick market. Italian cuisine has been
a part of Applebee's menu for many years, to be certain. However, most folks would
associate this neighborhood favorite with wings, burgers, and beer, not pizza and breadsticks.
But, in our opinion, this outsider's take on breadsticks is working,
whether they're ordered as appetizers or on the side of a pasta dish.
The real magic in these breadsticks is the outer texture. Rather than serving up
pale orders of doughy bread, Applebee's has perfected the dark, external layer which is
easy on both the eyes and the palate. These breadsticks are a must-try for carb lovers.
The all-American setting of Applebee's, with all its charm and energy, is an added bonus.
The definition of fame is the state of being known or talked about by many people,
and considering that somewhere between 675 and 700 million of Olive Garden's beloved
breadsticks are served each year, well, we'd call that famous. These breadsticks are ubiquitous
to Olive Garden as much as the Whopper is to Burger King, or the Blizzard is to Dairy Queen.
But why have Olive Garden's breadsticks grown so beloved? In our opinion, these breadsticks aren't
even the best on the list. The bread can be a bit too doughy at times and the outer layer lacks that
delicious crunch seen in other breadsticks. However, there is magic in the topping.
After being rubbed with melted butter, Olive Garden uses its own special blend of garlic salt
to coat the breadsticks. To be clear, this is not the type of garlic salt you can grab at any old
grocery store, but rather a special and secretive blend that has blown the minds of Americans.
Was Marco's CheezyBread ranking affected by their blatant use of a Z
instead of an S in the word "cheesy?" Who's to say? All we know is that, beyond the name,
Marco's Pizza CheezyBread brings the breadstick fire. Truly more of a pizza-breadstick hybrid,
the CheezyBread comes as a single large pie, inviting hungry eaters to tear away one stick
at a time, dip it in either the marinara or ranch that it's served with, and go to town.
We were pretty convinced this cheesy bread was a serious contender in stick space just by looking
at it. The dough is complex and well-cooked, a perfect compliment for the crisped cheese
and oil on top. However, if we weren't sold before, we were absolutely convinced that
Marco's should move up on the list after reading many a devoted diners' review on Tripadvisor.
It's clear that people love these things, and who are we to argue?
Similar to their attitude about pizza pies, Pizza Hut proudly proclaims that
"nobody does breadsticks like the Hut." Since we already know that, actually,
other companies do out-pizza the Hut from time to time, we were curious about the
accuracy of this breadstick statement. Ultimately, it held up as medium-true.
These breadsticks are longer and more plain than some of their competition,
but they are reminiscent of Pizza Hut's overall flavor, which is a plus.
In fact, when you dip these sticks into their marinara side sauce and start chewing, you may
just be fooled that you just took a bite out of your favorite slice. However, if you intend on
digging into Pizza Hut's breadsticks, we recommend that you avoid ordering a pie as well. Frankly,
you won't need it. These breadsticks are by far the most massive and filling option on the list.
Our mouths started watering when we read the name of this iconic side — anything that incorporates
both garlic and cheese into a title is a bit of a win from the get-go, at least in our book,
so "Garlic Parmesan Breadsticks" is about as good as it gets.
The taste was just as good as the title. These sticks are served lined up in a box,
and part of the fun of sharing them is that each has its own authentic-looking shape,
which also means there is always a definitive "best breadstick" in any given batch.
The outer crust of Papa John's breadsticks is crispy and textured,
while also seamlessly similar to its inside, which is more airy and dynamic than we expected.
Even though both garlic and parmesan are the namesake flavors of this side,
the aftertaste is strictly garlic. Of course, we're not complaining about that.
Especially when dunked in the "pizza sauce" side, these sticks are among the greatest.
"I love their breadsticks!"
"Their breadsticks are like crack."
If you've had a Domino's pizza, then surely you know that this chain has perfected the
art of crust. Their bread is iconically salty — literally and figuratively mouth-watering.
So it only makes sense, then, that Domino's would excel at a bread-based dish. They have several
options that are in the breadstick realm, from bread bites to bread twists to the most delicious
staple of all: stuffed cheesy bread. If you're anything like us, you became very familiar with
the cheesy bread in the wee hours of the morning, the sun rising over your college dorm room.
Their success, we think, goes beyond just the bread to the simple amount of ways they
find to incorporate cheese into this delicacy. There's melted cheese crisped up on top, plus
there's gooey cheese oozing out the middle. Even after this cheesy bread has been out at a party
for a few hours and cooled, you can't go wrong with its greasy, salty, lactose-heavy essence.
Here's an underdog story if we've ever heard one. Blaze Pizza is a notoriously low-key
chain that markets itself as a healthy chain pizza option, a branding move that may or may
not have worked against them in the past. During the last year, though, Blaze Pizza
used the pandemic to its advantage and launched their brand new cheesy bread in December 2020.
And it's nothing short of amazing.
Blaze's cheesy bread is reminiscent of some of the less-successful competitors
in that it comes served as a pie, literally made from a pizza round that's then folded in half,
cooked, then topped with incredible cheese. The freshness of this dish's ingredients, though,
is what sets it apart. Oregano and oil ooze off the mozzarella and the bread underneath remains
thin enough that it doesn't dare to steal the show from other ingredients. It's a total win.
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