Even though Culver's has been around for a relatively short amount of time, this fast
food chain is quickly climbing the charts as one of the most successful chains in the nation.
We've ranked the food at Culver's starting with the worst and ending with the cream of the crop.
Although the meat inside of the Buffalo Chicken Tenders is flavorful,
the breading is so revolting that it overshadows everything else. Culver's tried to make chicken
tenders that were inherently spicy but this experiment should be deemed a failure.
The Buffalo Chicken Tenders have breading that has been seasoned with paprika,
black pepper, and chili pepper and is both too crunchy and too powdery. Biting into
one of these tenders is akin to biting a piece of chalk. The tenders are also
trying to taste like hot buffalo wings but the heat is limited and there's a strong,
off-putting aftertaste. Even if you dip these Buffalo Chicken Tenders in Culver's
tasty Chunky Bleu Cheese Dressing, you still won't be able to hide from the terrible flavor.
If you've tried the chili from Wendy's, you know how delicious it is. It features ground beef,
pinto beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, celery, and other yummy
ingredients. Culver's is another fast food chain that sells chili. Culver's version is
called George's Chili and has many of the same ingredients as Wendy's version including ground
beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, onions, and celery. Unfortunately, while the recipes are similar,
the outcome is completely different. George's Chili is more watery and the spices are muted.
George's Chili Supreme is the same lackluster chili with shredded cheese, diced onions, and sour
cream added on top. It's a little bit better but still a far cry from what you can find at Wendy's.
Vegetarians have to be overjoyed that there are so many scrumptious meatless burgers
available at fast food restaurants these days at destinations like Burger King and Shake Shack.
Culver's has a meatless burger but, tragically, it's not good at all. Their Harvest Veggie
Burger is so bland that it could make a vegetarian second-guess their life decisions.
The patty of this meatless burger is made from a combination of mushrooms, garbanzo beans, corn,
and pepper. While that sounds like it should be amazing, the patty is completely forgettable and
tastes like congealed baby food. It comes with a tomato slice, red onion, shredded lettuce,
dill pickle, and mayo but that's still not enough to distract you from the disappointing patty.
Even if you keep your expectations really low, the Chopped Steak Dinner from Culver's
will still manage to underwhelm you. It's not even as good as a high-quality frozen dinner.
When factoring in the cost, you're much better off going with the Classic
Salisbury Steak made by Banquet than ordering this menu item from Culver's.
The Chopped Steak Dinner comes with steak that's been covered by white mushrooms,
red onions, and brown gravy. You also get a dinner roll and your choice of two sides.
The main problem is the chewiness of the steak. Unless you want to give your
jaw a workout, you will not enjoy the experience of trying to eat this meat.
The other notable problem is the gravy and its lack of savory goodness.
Culver's shrimp looks like it will taste great but your mood will sour once you
pop a few shrimp in your mouth.The Butterfly Jumbo Shrimp Dinner comes
with either six pieces of shrimp or you can pay more to get 10 pieces.
Unlike the Buffalo Chicken Tenders, the breading is not the problem. The issue is the shrimp
itself. It doesn't have a fresh flavor and it has a little bit of a plasticky aftertaste.
Culver's has Shrimp Cocktail Sauce but it too is a letdown. The amount of horseradish is too light,
which causes it to have a feeble bite and taste too much like ketchup.
Don't hop out of your chair and rush to Culver's because you mistakenly thought they have something
similar to the McDonald's legendary McRib on their menu. Yes, it's sad when the McRib
disappears out of the blue but Culver's Pork Loin Sandwich is a completely different animal.
Culver's Pork Loin Sandwich has pork loin that has been expertly breaded by hand with cracker crumbs.
Unfortunately, the breaded pork loin just doesn't have much flavor. Even if you add onions, pickles,
ketchup, or mustard to the sandwich, the lack of flavor will cause you to become bored. By
the time you have finished swallowing the Pork Loin Sandwich, you will fully understand why
McDonald's douses its McRib with an overflowing amount of barbecue sauce that is extra tangy.
Take away that barbecue sauce and the McRib would be almost as boring as this Culver's menu item.
When your eyes first catch a glimpse of the Crinkle Cut Fries at Culver's,
you will be reminded of those soggy, flavorless cafeteria fries you struggled to eat during your
childhood. The good news is that these fries aren't as bad as the fries from
your elementary school's cafeteria. The bad news is they're only moderately better.
Culver's Crinkle Cut Fries aren't soggy at all. Instead, they're placed in fryer
oil until they become golden brown in color and crispy in texture. Flavor-wise, though,
these fries are still lacking. With all the other spectacular sides available at
this fast food restaurant, there's really no good excuse to settle for their fries.
"Crinkle Cut Fries will make you do crazy things."
Another underwhelming side at Culver's is their Mashed Potatoes & Gravy.
If you're expecting something that's identical to KFC's version, you're bound to have a bad time.
It's not the mashed potatoes side of the equation that's the problem with this Culver's menu item.
They use Russet potatoes and real milk and the potatoes are mashed until they're fluffy.
The issue is the gravy. Instead of the extremely
savory and rich brown gravy from KFC that you've grown to know and love,
this is a thin, white gravy that will cause you to yawn. Like the aforementioned Crinkle Cut Fries,
pick a better side than the Mashed Potatoes & Gravy when you're dining at Culver's.
Sometimes the Beef Pot Roast Sandwich is decent enough, but other times this sandwich is gross.
What will determine your happiness when you order this is the status of the beef.
When this sandwich is at its best, the beef is moist, tender, and oozing with flavors. When
this sandwich is loathsome, it's because the beef is dried out and crusty. Since there's no
sauce on this sandwich, if you get crusty beef it has no choice but to remain dry.
Culver's also has a Beef Pot Roast Dinner. Though not as popular as the sandwich,
it's a better pick because the dinner comes with brown gravy on the beef,
so even if the beef is initially dry, the gravy will help to make it edible.
There's a lot to like about the Sourdough Melt from Culver's.
This sandwich features a pair of beef patties, grilled onions, and two slices of glorious
cheddar cheese that has been aged to perfection. If you eat the beef, onions, and cheese by itself,
there would be nothing to complain about. However, there's one thing that is impossible to ignore:
the sourdough bread is so weird that it ruins the sandwich.
Typically, sourdough bread isn't actually that sour. But Culver's version of this
bread took its name to heart and went way too far. Their sourdough bread is too sour and it
has a biting aftertaste that takes away from the other positive qualities of this sandwich.
For the right person, the Grilled Chicken Sandwich from Culver's makes a lot of sense.
This is the first menu item on this list that you can order without remorse.
This sandwich is perfectly okay and will surely keep a frown from appearing on
your face. Unlike a lot of grilled chicken sandwiches at other fast food restaurants,
the chicken in this sandwich is both juicy and flavorful. This sandwich from Culver's comes
with lettuce, pickles, and a tomato slice on a roll that has been lightly toasted.
The only drawback with the Grilled Chicken Sandwich is the fact that it's not very filling.
If you're hungry, you'll want to order something else. Conversely,
if you just want a quick snack that qualifies as healthy, this is a wise option. It has
only 390 calories and only eight grams of fat, while packing 41 grams of protein.
When you see the Grilled Reuben Melt on Culver's menu, you know that ordering it would be risky.
This sandwich is rather complicated and has a lot of ingredients.
Thankfully, the Grilled Reuben Melt is a success.
On this sandwich, you will discover slow-cooked corned beef, tangy sauerkraut, delectable Swiss
cheese, and Thousand Island dressing. All the ingredients are of high quality and the
combined taste is yummy. The only alteration you should consider is leaving off the Thousand Island
dressing. Without the dressing, the corned beef and the sauerkraut is able to shine even more.
Whereas the Sourdough Melt suffered due to Culver's subpar sourdough bread,
the Grilled Reuben Melt utilizes rye bread — and it's so much better.
While fast food salads are hit-or-miss in general, the salad choices at Culver's are
all above average. This chain is known for using fresh ingredients,
which is especially important when it comes to crafting a winning salad.
The Cranberry Bacon Bleu Salad with Grilled Chicken is one of Culver's most popular salads.
It contains mixed greens, grape tomatoes, dried cranberries, slices of cucumber, crumbles of bleu
cheese, and pieces of grilled chicken. Each and every morsel of this salad is a hit. If
you're unsure of which salad dressing you should select to go on top of this salad, you can't go
wrong with Culver's French Dressing. Featuring tomato, lemon juice, garlic, onion, paprika,
and other spices, this succulent dressing manages to be both sweet and acidic at the same time.
You either love coleslaw or you hate coleslaw. If you hate it,
you shouldn't order it at Culver's. Even though it's really, really good for what it is — it's
still coleslaw. If you love coleslaw, you owe it to yourself to try this Culver's yumminess.
The two main ingredients are cabbage and carrots. From there,
Culver's adds a number of other ingredients including vinegar, egg yolk, garlic, paprika,
and sugar. The result is a coleslaw that has a deep, rich flavor along with enjoyable bursts
of sweetness and sourness. Since Culver's has such dull fries and mashed potatoes,
don't hesitate to sub those sides out and replace them with coleslaw.
Culver's has a Crispy Chicken Sandwich that is sure to satisfy your taste buds.
This sandwich boasts of breading that is "Southern-style". In addition to the pickles,
Culver's version has lettuce and tomato. Take a bite and you'll be thrilled by the
juicy chicken and the breading that tastes like it's been blessed with
the optimal amount of garlic powder and onion powder. The toasted bun is also a highlight.
Why isn't the Crispy Chicken Sandwich higher on this list? While everyone would agree that
this Culver's menu item is tasty, it's only a run-of-the-mill chicken sandwich compared to
the best fried chicken sandwiches that are available at other fast food restaurants.
The vast majority of people will adore Culver's Mushroom & Swiss ButterBurger,
however there are sure to be a few objectors. Everyone will agree that the beef patty,
two slices of Swiss cheese, and the toasted and buttered bun
are all excellent. The mushrooms are the only questionable aspect about this burger.
Culver's cooks their white mushrooms with salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, butter,
and oil. As a result, these mushrooms have a stronger flavor than what is traditionally found
inside of a mushroom and swiss burger. If you want to take some of the focus off of the mushrooms,
consider adding mayo to your burger. You can get the Mushroom & Swiss ButterBurger with one,
two, or three beef patties. If you're starving, you should opt for two or three
patties because the version with only one patty is relatively small.
"Welcome to delicious."
While the Buffalo Chicken Tenders are a disaster, that doesn't mean you should give up on Culver's
handheld chicken options. In fact, their Original Chicken Tenders might be their most universally
loved menu item. From the littlest of children to the wisest of grandparents,
everyone will agree that these things are yummy. The golden exterior is excellent and the juicy
white meat in the middle is equally as delicious. If you're ordering for a large group of people,
the safest plan at Culver's is to just order a whole bunch of these tenders.
When you have one of these Original Chicken Tenders in your fingers,
the most difficult decision you will have is which of Culver's sauces to dip it in.
The BBQ Sauce is deliciously smoky and adds a fun amount of sweetness.
Alternatively, the Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce offers an entertaining whirlwind of flavors.
Culver's Chicken Noodle Soup is so tasty that you will legitimately be shocked the
first time you taste it. The Chicken Noodle Soup from Culver's contains egg noodles,
celery, carrots, onion, garlic, parsley, pepper, chicken broth, and tender chicken chunks. Dark
meat chicken is used in their recipe, which means the meat is extra savory and extra flavorful.
Culver's has other soups on their menu that are worth ordering
including Stuffed Green Pepper Soup, Potato with Bacon Soup, Tomato Florentine Soup,
and Broccoli Cheese Soup. The Chicken Noodle Soup is better but these are also worth trying.
The only soup you should actively avoid at Culver's is their Boston Clam Chowder Soup.
It's a poor imitation of the clam chowder you can find in Boston and elsewhere on the East Coast.
The Culver's Deluxe is the most diverse burger you can find at this fast food restaurant.
It has a lot going on but at the end of your meal, you'll be happy that
you selected this burger. Get it with two patties and you'll be filled to the brim.
Under the bun, you'll find tomato slices, red onions, pickles, American cheese, and
mayo. The two ingredients that will really stand out from the rest are the cheese and the onions.
Culver's American cheese blows every other store-bought American cheese out of the water,
while the onions add a hint of sweetness that will keep you grinning. If you're eating on the run,
stick to getting one or two beef patties on your burger. The Culver's Deluxe with
three beef patties needs to be eaten with caution, as it has a tendency to fall apart.
Culver's is known for its fantastic frozen custard — and that's no accident. The chain
takes great pride in that custard. It's slowly churned throughout the day to
keep it creamy and just slightly warmer than regular ice cream. If you walk inside of one
of the chain's restaurants, you can see the custard being churned right before your eyes.
The custard-based options at Culver's are virtually limitless.
Possible options include everything from a Vanilla Waffle Cone to a Caramel Cashew Sundae,
to a Chocolate Shake. That said, if you want to try Culver's frozen custard at its best,
strongly consider purchasing a Blueberry Cobbler Concrete Mixer.
This incredible dessert begins with their delicious vanilla custard and is joined by
blueberries and granola clusters that are extra crunchy. The sweet and rich custard mixed with
the tart berries makes for a wondrous treat, while the granola adds a delightful texture.
The Wisconsin Swiss Melt is like Culver's Sourdough Melt except for one big difference:
this sandwich actually tastes really good. The Wisconsin Swiss Melt uses the same rye
bread that can be found on the Grilled Reuben Melt instead of their horrendous
sourdough bread. It's truly a night and day difference that cannot be overstated.
What's the difference between the Wisconsin Swiss Melt and a traditional patty melt?
A patty melt usually has caramelized onions, while Culver's uses grilled onions on this sandwich.
Additionally, the rye bread in a traditional patty melt is sometimes grilled with mayonnaise.
Instead of mayo, Culver's butters their rye bread before grilling it. But, essentially,
you can consider this sandwich to be this restaurant's version of a patty melt.
"Behold! One crispy onion ring to rule them all!"
"I'll follow you anywhere."
Not only are their Onion Rings great when compared to the Crinkle Cut Fries,
they're actually the best fast food onion rings in all the land. You could go to every
other fast food chain in the United States and you won't be able to locate better onion rings.
The secret to Culver's success when it comes to these rings begins with the fact that they use
real onions. Some chains make their onion rings with onion paste or onion flavoring
but you don't need to worry about that if you go to Culver's. Their rings come from whole onions
and aren't fried until you place your order. The batter is tasty and contains a variety of spices
including paprika. You can dip these rings in ketchup or mustard but they're
so scrumptious that you really don't need to use any dipping sauces at all.
While Culver's may have iffy shrimp, there's nothing wrong with their North Atlantic Cod
Dinner. In fact, it's better than anything you can find at Long John Silver's and many
other national seafood chains. If you're craving seafood and you want to get it
quickly from a drive-thru window, head to the nearest Culver's and order this menu item.
The North Atlantic Cod Dinner comes with multiple pieces of golden cod that have been cut,
battered, and fried by hand. While most seafood in the fast food world is greasy,
that's not a problem with this fish. That allows for the focus to remain on the
delicious fish that somehow manages to taste better and better with each proceeding bite.
Culver's also has some of the best tartar sauce you've ever tasted, which will only add to the
joyous meal. In addition to the fish, this dinner comes with a warm roll and a pair of sides.
While buying cheese curds from a fast food chain may sound like a strange idea,
don't let that stop you when you visit Culver's. Their Wisconsin Cheese Curds are so amazing that
you'll remember them for the rest of your days as the best cheese curds you ever ate.
The Wisconsin Cheese Curds are made from a combination of white and yellow cheddar
cheese that comes directly from a dairy farm in their home state of Wisconsin. These bite-sized
goodies take a ride in a deep fryer until they are golden in color and sufficiently crunchy.
The correct way to eat Wisconsin Cheese Curds is to pull them apart so you can bask
in the glow of the gooeyness before you pop these lovely things into your waiting mouth.
"The Original" ButterBurger is the main reason why Culver's deserves to be regarded as the absolute
best chain burger restaurant in the country. The name suggests that butter is the key ingredient
in the burger meat, but the butter in the name actually refers to the butter that goes on the
bun. The buttery bun is carefully toasted to add the perfect texture. Popular toppings include
pickles, onions, ketchup, and mustard. It's also not a bad idea to add cheese to your ButterBurger.
You can order this burger with single, double, or triple patties.
No matter what you decide to put on this burger, you will love it
and you'll be in agreement that this is the best menu item at Culver's.
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