There's a surprising amount of variety from one fast food spot to another when it comes
to spuds, but only one fry reigns supreme ... can you guess which?
We dare you not to race out for an order of fries after making your way through our ranking
of the best (and worst) fast food fries in the nation.
Has anybody ever not had an order of White Castle fries where at least half of them were
not crispy at all?
The Castle does a lot of things well, but their crinkle-cut style fries aren't one of
them.
If they're not limp then they're almost always lacking in salt.
It's definitely not an issue of just one location not having its act together either ... this
is true no matter what Castle you choose to frequent.
Yes, Dairy Queen does fries, but they probably shouldn’t.
Hit up DQ for a burger and some fries and you’ll start questioning your life choices
because you'll be paying way too much for a not-so-great meal.
Fries aren't tough to get right, but part of DQ's problem seems to be getting them cooked
completely.
And that results in nothing but sadness.
But here's the thing: Dairy Queen actually gets some points for their fries, because
you can make them better.
Use them to dip in some ice cream, and suddenly, they're…
“Perfect!”
Shake Shack is the hippest of hipster places, with lines out the door for their burgers.
The Shack had quite a blunder in 2013, though, when they switched fries from their crinkle
cut to something more in line with their image; fresh cut.
It didn't work.
They went back to the original style, and took out all the bad stuff to make a fresh-frozen
crinkle cut fry.
But it's still not very good.
Johnny Rockets fries are made with the skin on, which is awesome and really, the only
way fries should be made.
The problem starts when you add things like cheese, chili, and bacon ... which is exactly
what tends to happen when you're at Johnny Rockets.
That's when they tend to turn into a mushy mess because a lot of the time, they just
don't stand up to the topping.
Skip the chili, get the fries, and you'll skip the regret, too.
This chicken finger joint is a fan favorite any place where you can find it.
The chain serves up a fine piece of chicken and a nice signature sauce.
The fries, however, aren't great.
They're crinkle cut, but they're often soggy and inconsistent.
They taste pretty good with the chicken and the sauce working together.
But on their own, Raising Cane’s fries are, well, kind of gross.
There are certainly people walking among us who think waffle-cut fries are superior to
regular fries, but those people are wrong.
If they were right, Chick-fil-A wouldn't be the only chain selling them.
Chick-fil-A's waffle fries feel like the potato wasn't sure if it wanted to be a chip or a
fry, and this odd compromise is what we get.
If you get a fresh order that's crispy because they've been cooked a little longer, the fries
will taste pretty good.
They also pair nicely with Chick-fil-A's various nugget sauces ... which is what you'll need
to have in order to give these bland potatoes a bit of flavor.
In-N-Out Burger is known for making everything in-house, from their hand-formed burger patties
to, yes, their french fries.
The fries are hand-cut and cooked in 100 percent sunflower oil, then sprinkled with salt, which
sounds like a winning combo ... but unfortunately, they fall flat.
If you order a regular fries, they're typically pale, and lacking in crispiness and flavor.
You can go off-menu and order well-done fries, but if you have to go through that trouble
just to make your food taste good, then that’s a sign the classic recipe isn't working out.
“But, we’re working really hard.”
“You’re not working hard enough!
I need results!”
The fries here are good enough, but they're certainly not the stars of the menu.
The natural-cut fries have a little potato skin left on them for texture, which, of course,
can be a positive or negative depending on your preference.
Regular fries not your thing?
Then try the ones topped with truffle cheese and bacon.
Even with those tasty fries, we doubt you’ll be completely satisfied with your order.
Even when smothered in sauces, these fries aren’t tasty at all.
In 2018, Taco Bell introduced Nacho Fries to their restaurants.
These crispy fries are different from their burger chain counterparts in that after they're
fried, they're coated in a signature Mexican seasoning blend.
Then, they’re served with warm nacho cheese sauce.
Believe it or not, these fries deliver.
The potatoes themselves are crispy outside and soft inside, and the Mexican seasoning
blend is just spicy enough that the nacho cheese sauce dip has a cooling effect.
They’re indeed worth a try, but we have to warn you: they're only available occasionally
and they come pre-seasoned.
So if you don't love that blend of spices, it looks like you’re out of luck.
“No offense, but bad luck seems to really be following you around.”
If you go to Popeye's, you could get an order of the chain's Cajun Fries as a side to your
chicken, but honestly, you might be better off with a buttery biscuit.
The fries aren't that bad, but there are some notable flaws.
They have a crispy coating, but it seems like some sort of flour or cornstarch batter, and
the fries themselves don't have that ultra-crisp exterior you hope for ... they're actually
kind of floppy beneath the coating.
As for the seasoning, it's decent, but verges on the side of a little too salty, and if
you're going to call something Cajun, it better set our taste buds on fire.
“It’s not so bad.”
“It’s more tingly than hot.”
Jack-In-the-Box serves both plain and curly fries, but we'll stick to their standard french
fries for the purpose of this review.
The straight-cut spuds are crispy, not too salty or bland, and have a deeper potato flavor
than those served up at other chains.
That being said, there is a bit of an artificial flavor to them, and a sort of greasiness that
begs for ketchup or a dipping sauce.
And, though they're tasty when they're piping hot, as soon as they get cold, their texture
becomes spongy and dry, which makes them a pain to consume.
There's nothing more difficult to cook perfectly than the thin fry.
It's as much of an acquired taste as the fresh cut thick fry a lot of popular chains use.
But Steak 'n Shake does two things very well ... they're consistently crispy, and they're
consistently hot.
Shoestring fries might not be your thing, but at least you know what you're getting,
which is a plus.
And as a bonus, you can request to have them covered in cheese sauce, which automatically
makes them ten times better.
Wendy's has the set up for what seems, on paper, like they'd be perfect fries.
The fries are cut from whole potatoes and left skin-on, and they're fried in vegetable
oil and seasoned with just a bit of sea salt.
But there's just something missing.
The fries are crispy outside, yes, but they don't have the moist, fluffy interior we crave
in a fry of this width ... instead they're curiously dry.
They also don't have a lot of flavor.
Bojangles does a lot of things right.
One of those things is all-day breakfast, another is great chicken.
And finally, they make a wonderful, seasoned, flat steak fry.
The easy way to season something is to make your seasoning overwhelmingly salt-based with
some heat ...you'll find that at a lot of restaurants that claim to serve seasoned fries
... but not here.
At Bojangles, the true Cajun kick really shines through in each bite.
It's just a great fry, no ketchup needed.
We're going to go out on a limb and say that most A&W diners visit the place for its root
beer.
But this eatery also makes delicious french fries.
Although they’re not the best we've had, we wouldn't turn them down, and we definitely
wouldn’t share them with a friend, either.
“There are several sacred things that you don’t ever mess with.
One of them happens to be another man’s fries.”
The skin is left on and the light salt and pepper seasoning is a perfect pairing with
the obligatory root beer float.
So to dip or not?
That's up to you.
In a world of generic fast food french fries, Arby's curly fries are an outsider.
They're a bright orange color and when every other fry plays it straight, Arby's look like
corkscrews.
The bold, yet not-overwhelming, peppery seasoning pairs up perfectly with Arby's roast beef
sandwiches.
Most of the time, Arby's curly fries have an extra crispy texture to them, though you
may get the occasional random fry that could have used a little more deep fryer lovin’.
Either way, they’re superior in all aspects, hands down.
A taco place with great fries?
This doesn’t make sense.
But you know what Del Taco is?
Familiar.
Their crinkle cut fries have a taste you've had before ... just like the ones mom made
for you on a Wednesday night.
They're not trying to be anything fries shouldn't be, like one of those other taco joints we
can think of.
Their inviting flavor makes a trip to a taco joint just for fries so worth it.
“I’m hungry.
Let’s get a taco.”
Burger King employs a strategy that includes a classically uniform and crisp food fry,
but made thick, like a hand-cut restaurant fry.
Burger King's fries are made from real potatoes, but they utilize potato starch, rice flour,
and a few other choice ingredients to boost the crunch factor and seasoning.
What they're missing is flavor.
Unfortunately, these fries can be a little bland.
Drenching them in ketchup definitely helps, and they're by no means bad, but Burger King's
fries aren't the best of the bunch.
A lot of people may not realize that Wingstop even sells fries, but it turns out this is
one of the best items on their menu.
They start with hand-cut potatoes, which are then fried until crispy and tossed with the
chain's signature seasoning blend.
The seasoning adds a light salty, peppery, and sweet bite to each fry, bringing out the
caramelized notes of the fried potato.
That being said, they do have a homemade vibe, meaning some fries remain softer while others
get extra crunchy and browned ... it's a textural wonderland.
Add a side of dipping sauce if you're feeling fancy, and these hearty fries can be your
whole meal.
Every fast food chain on the planet should be second-guessing their fries because of
Five Guys.
Hand cut fries?
Check.
Generous helping?
Check.
These fries have the perfect amount of salt on them every time and have a texture that
sits right in the sweet spot of being crispy without being dry.
Sure, they might cost more than whatever sad potatoes Burger King is handing out, but buddy,
they are so worth it.
This isn't some hipster list where we name something you've never heard of and declare
that to be the greatest.
Some things are classics for a reason, and that can definitely be said of McDonald's
fries.
Each fry is skinny, with a thick layer of crispy potato yielding to a moist, fluffy
interior.
The ratio of crunch to soft is spot on.
They're the perfect combination of potato, savory beef flavoring, salt, and crunch.
It’s not hard to understand why everyone loves their fries so much.
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