Restaurant Chain Fried Pickles Ranked Worst To Best, According To Customers

Tangy and juicy, pickles are a common addition to fast food options such as burgers and hot dogs. This can be attributed not just to their flavor but also their acidity, which cuts through the richness of the other ingredients, offering a palate-cleansing element that enhances the overall taste of the dish. However, despite being a staple of the fast food industry, traditionally pickles haven't appeared as a separate menu item at restaurants. That is until fried pickles came along and changed the game.

To transform pickle slices into a crispy, golden snack, restaurant kitchens coat them in a seasoned batter, typically made with a mixture of flour, cornmeal, and various spices like cayenne pepper and paprika. They then submerge them in hot oil, where the batter is turned into a golden, crunchy shell. The end result is an irresistible combination of a crispy exterior and a tender and zesty interior. The refreshing morsels of savory goodness are usually served with a flavorful dipping sauce and enjoyed as a shareable prelude to the main meal.

Whether you're a seasoned fried pickle connoisseur or an absolute newbie, there's always room for a new culinary adventure. To guide you along your quest, we have scoured community reviews to bring you a roundup of the best and worst renditions of the dish served at chain restaurants. Check it out!

A lot can go wrong with fried pickles. They can be too bready and tasteless or under-battered and greasy. They can also be over- or under-seasoned. With the tagline "Share 'em or keep 'em all to yourself. We won't judge," you would expect the Logan's Roadhouse fried pickles to make a lasting impression on your palate. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be the case. Served with the chain's Roadhouse Ranch sauce, the hand-breaded pickles haven't exactly captured the hearts of deep-fried food enthusiasts.

The biggest complaint by far is that Logan's Roadhouse's fried pickles are too salty. While we all taste salt differently, whoever came up with the chain's recipe for the snack obviously has a very high threshold for the seasoning. One disgruntled reviewer complains not just about the taste of Logan's Roadhouse's picked fries but also the chain's service and prices, saying, "Food is awful, fried pickles were so salty you could barely eat them, waited 40 min for my food, wayyyy overpriced!!" Another diner agrees about the excessive salt on the pickles, commenting, "Started with appetizers fried pickles & mozzarella sticks but couldn't eat pickles they were so salty."

Sonic Drive-In's Pickle Fries aren't the classic circular pickle chips sold at other restaurant chains. Just like their name suggests, the pickles are cut into the shape of fries before being coated in a light tempura batter and fried. For good measure, the side is served with a buttermilk ranch sauce.

Re-released in September 2023, the chain's fried pickles have come and gone over the years to the frustration of some diners. For instance, in April, one exasperated X user (on the platform formerly known as Twitter) tweeted, "It's criminal for Sonic to not bring back the pickle fries for summer." While Sonic has paid heed to the clamor of its devoted patrons by reintroducing the appetizer, it's unclear whether this time the fried pickles are here to stay.

The reviews for Sonic Drive-In's Pickle Fries have been mixed. Food Rankers has rated the snack at a high 8.5 out of 10 for its delectable flavor, slight crispiness, and lack of any greasiness. On the downside, the reviewer points out that some of the fries can sometimes be overcooked. Other patrons draw unfavorable comparisons between the snack and Sonic Drive-In's discontinued PICKLE-O's, with one reviewer saying, "Whatever you do, do NOT under any circumstances let Sonic convince you to try the pickle fries they currently have on their menu. They are inedibly bad." A Reddit reviewer agrees, saying, "Mine didn't look anything like the picture and tasted like sweet pickles. I was personally disappointed."

While we may not all be on the same page when it comes to Hooters, their fried pickles stand out as some of the finest among restaurant chains. Handmade to order — so you know they haven't been sitting around McDonald's style — the savory side dish is served with the chain's tangy dipping sauce. The fact that numerous websites have tried to recreate the chain's fried pickle recipe only adds to its appeal. While no recipe is the same, most of them seem to call for a mix of whole wheat and all-purpose flour, vegetable oil, buttermilk, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, and, of course, the star of the show — dill pickles.

The fried pickles at Hooters have received glowing reviews from the chain's patrons. One content diner praises the tangy snack, saying, "The fried pickles were hot, crispy, and not greasy at all. They were served with an appropriate amount of dipping sauce (extra at that!) and were full of salty goodness. These are among some of the best fried pickle chips I've had anywhere. For real." Another satisfied reviewer agrees, advising: "If you've never had them, you must try them ... so yummy."