11 Items You Need To Try Your First Time At Cracker Barrel

If you're searching for the absolute best soul food restaurants in America, you'll need to visit independently-owned establishments. However, there are plenty of occasions where you may need a quick, reliable fix of classic Southern comfort food from a chain restaurant. Whether you're on a road trip or have a tight budget, Cracker Barrel should be on your radar.

People who have never tried Cracker Barrel before may have doubts about its reputation. Almost all of its locations are close to a highway exit, and a lot of its marketing relies on those blue highway exit signs that alert drivers about nearby restaurants. When Cracker Barrel is always viewed next to other fast food chains like McDonald's, it could cause people to think less of Cracker Barrel's quality.

In reality, Cracker Barrel is a quaint sit-down chain that even has a large store in the front. Diners can buy clothes, home décor, unique snacks, games, and more before or after their meal.

Cracker Barrel fans appreciate the affordable prices, hefty portions, comforting flavors, and customer service. If you've never visited a Cracker Barrel before, it's definitely worth giving it a shot.

The chain's menu is quite extensive, though, which can be off-putting for a first-timer. It's also worth noting that it has a separate breakfast menu that you can order from all day long. Read on to discover 11 menu items that you need to try your first time at Cracker Barrel to ensure you have a phenomenal experience.

One of the top dishes that Cracker Barrel is known for is its Chicken n' Dumplins. Traditional dumplings are light and airy, but you shouldn't expect that from Cracker Barrel's take on this Southern dish. Its Dumplins are thicker and chewier. As long as you're aware of this difference beforehand, you won't be disappointed by the texture.

Some of the pieces are also quite large, so you may want to split them in half with your spoon if you're not up for the challenge of fitting them in your mouth. This variation in size is a nice reminder that each Dumplin is handmade, though.

You can expect the dish to come swimming in gravy. The pieces of chicken should also be nice and tender. The gravy may not be the thickest kind you've ever experienced, but the way this dish comes together should still hit the spot.

Do be mindful that Cracker Barrel does sell a bowl of just Dumplins as a side. To get the true experience, make sure that you order the proper entrée that contains chicken. You also have the option to order the Classics Country Sampler, which contains Chicken n' Dumplins, The Best Classic Meatloaf, and Crispy Homestyle Chicken, plus two sides. That's the best way to sample all of Cracker Barrel's most famous dishes in more manageable portions.

Just by looking at the name of this dish, you can already picture a delicious, greasy, beautiful mess of potatoes on a plate. If you're hankering for some carbs covered in cheese, this side dish won't disappoint. According to Cracker Barrel, this recipe contains shredded potatoes, Colby cheese, chopped onion, salt, pepper, and a secret seasoning blend.

There's also a sauce that binds everything together, but Cracker Barrel is keeping it hush. Some copycat recipes that have tried to crack the code have had success by combining melted butter, sour cream, and condensed cream of chicken soup. With this in mind, you know the casserole will be rich and decadent.

If you're up for something a little bit heartier, Cracker Barrel also sells Hashbrown Casserole Shepherd's Pie. This dish is a full entrée, so it's perfect for diners who can't get enough potatoes. This version has a base made with slow-braised pot roast, gravy, veggies, and even mashed potatoes. It's then topped with a hash brown crust for extra potato goodness.

The only bit of controversial news surrounding this dish is that some Cracker Barrel locations are using dehydrated potatoes instead of frozen, which makes the potatoes taste gummy. If you have any concerns, you could always ask before ordering.

Who doesn't love tucking into a warm bowl of creamy mac and cheese? Many casual restaurants reserve mac and cheese for the kids' menu, but people of all ages are invited to indulge in this tasty side at Cracker Barrel.

Everyone has strong opinions about what the best shape for macaroni and cheese is. Cracker Barrel keeps its dish classic with elbow noodles. It's everything that you would expect from a basic mac and cheese. The cheesiness and saltiness make you want to keep going back in for more. One person who tried Cracker Barrel's Mac & Cheese for the first time expressed that it's better than KFC's version.

Cracker Barrel is all about taking comfort foods to the next level. As if regular mac and cheese wasn't luscious enough, you also have the option to order the Bacon Mac & Cheese. It's the same lovable dish spruced up with crumbled bacon, Parmesan, and green onions.

The plain Mac & Cheese was even tasty enough to land the number three spot in the latest ranking of Cracker Barrel's menu items. Considering how vast the menu is, this should reassure you enough to order it.

How good could a slice of meatloaf from a casual chain actually be? You'll be quite surprised once you take that first bite. If you've ever been burned before by being served a dry, flavorless slice of meatloaf, you'll be relieved to know that Cracker Barrel uses a blend of onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes to keep the beef juicy while it cooks.

Although this information isn't advertised on the official Cracker Barrel menu, copycat recipes have pointed out that the chain also includes cheddar cheese and Ritz crackers in its meatloaf. While these inclusions aren't totally bizarre, they're not common in many folks' family meatloaf recipes. The cheese adds an extra layer of creaminess while the Ritz crackers create a buttery flavor.

No meatloaf is complete without the sweet and savory glaze on top that makes your mouth water just thinking about it. There's nothing more disappointing than eating meatloaf with a thin layer. Cracker Barrel cooks the meatloaf in a way that develops a gorgeous crust on the outside while still having plenty of juicy sauce underneath for more flavor. Some customers were  delighted to announce that it tasted just like a nice homemade meatloaf.

There's nothing more American than serving a giant skillet of cinnamon rolls as an appetizer. It may seem strange to have your dessert before your meal, but if you're a fan of Texas Roadhouse's cinnamon butter and rolls, then the concept will seem a little less strange. The presentation is great because everyone loves a rustic cast-iron skillet.

Each skillet comes with six gooey cinnamon rolls, so it can feed a large family or group of friends. You can also try to take down the whole thing with only one friend or partner. No one judges at Cracker Barrel.

The most unforgivable sin that many casual restaurants and bakeries make when serving cinnamon rolls is not pouring enough icing on top. The good news is that Cracker Barrel's cinnamon rolls are far from dry. Even though each roll has a perfect coating of icing on top, there's still a lovely pool at the bottom of the skillet if you want to dip each bite for extra sweetness.

The cinnamon and butter mixture is also gooey throughout the rolls. You don't have to worry about the unappealing crunchy or dry bits that happen when the butter ratio is too high or too low. First-timers agreed that this skillet was about on par with Cinnabon's famous cinnamon rolls.

What could be more flattering than an international traveler declaring that Americans know how to cook after eating a simple breakfast at Cracker Barrel? People from other countries may like to tease Americans about our heavy meals, yet they become believers as soon as they take that first bite. The dish that made one British man sing his praises for all of America was The Country Boy.

This meal is on the breakfast menu, but don't let that stop you from ordering it any time you want. Cracker Barrel doesn't gatekeep breakfast like other chains, such as McDonald's. When you order this dish, you'll get three eggs cooked the way you like, biscuits and gravy, and a giant slice of sugar-cured or country ham or sirloin steak tips tossed in a buttery garlic sauce.

What makes this dish so magical is that it truly does hit the spot at any time of the day. Pancakes will always be an American treasure, but you have to be in the mood for something so sweet. The sirloin tips and slice of ham make this dish feel more appropriate after breakfast hours.

Don't forget about the two breakfast sides as well. At Cracker Barrel, you can expect the usual breakfast fixings, such as bacon, pancakes, and toast. However, you can also treat yourself to some unique side dishes, like Fried Cinnamon Apples. You can even throw caution to the wind by ordering a side of catfish fillet or chicken tenders.

Fried chicken is something that all foodies take seriously. The competition couldn't be fiercer. The Popeyes chicken sandwich is so coveted that there are plenty of copycat recipes to save you the drive (or literal fight) to get your hands on one. Meanwhile, Cracker Barrel's Crispy Homestyle Chicken  can be enjoyed with a calm, welcoming vibe in the restaurant while you bite into a crispy, flavorful boneless chicken breast paired with two sides.

For those of you who like ASMR food videos, Cracker Barrel fried chicken is crispy in each bite. This is true even for folks who ordered their chicken to go. Somehow, the chain has created fried chicken that can maintain its crunch in a steamy plastic container. One woman also mused that the chicken didn't taste greasy and oily, which is a common fried chicken pitfall.

Good fried chicken needs to be seasoned enough to stand on its own. Cracker Barrel definitely passes this test. However, if you love sauce on your chicken, Cracker Barrel offers six sauces: Buttermilk Ranch, Honey Mustard, BBQ, Carolina Gold BBQ, Nashville Hot, and Country Comeback. These sauces are listed under the Crispy Tender Dippers, but your waiter will be happy to bring you some sauces for your Crispy Homestyle Chicken as well.

For those unfamiliar with Cracker Barrel's country-fried steak, this dish also goes by the name chicken-fried steak. Chefs take a high-quality cut of beef and bread and fry it like chicken. They use a mallet to not only tenderize the beef, but also to thin it out so it cooks evenly and reaches a safe internal temperature while frying. This ensures that the breading doesn't burn.

People usually eat fried chicken on its own, but country-fried steak comes with a luscious gravy on top. The gravy is simple with steak drippings, butter, flour, milk, and seasoning. This is what you can expect when you order the Country Fried Steak from Cracker Barrel.

You may think that the taste could be weird, but many first-timers have described the experience as similar to a hamburger. It makes sense since the beef is thin and tender, while the breading acts like the bun. It's certainly a vastly different experience from getting a thick sirloin fresh off the grill, but you'll have fun trying this unique pillar of Southern cooking.

Outback Steakhouse will always have a special place in our hearts for inventing the Bloomin' Onion dish (which has plenty of copycat recipes), but other casual chains have caught on to the hype and developed equally brilliant takes on the fried onion. Texas Roadhouse has the Cactus Blossom, Chili's has the Awesome Blossom, and Cracker Barrel has the Onion Petals. The major difference between Cracker Barrel and these other chains is that, instead of presenting an entire fried onion that you rip apart, Onion Petals come in perfect bite-sized pieces ready to pop into your mouth.

When YouTube star Binging with Babish tried the Onion Petals, they had been sitting in a steamy takeout container for quite a while. He was shocked by how crunchy they remained throughout the journey. Despite the Onion Petals not being as fresh and crispy as they would be in the restaurant, he still awarded this appetizer a rare 10 out of 10.

The Onion Petals have a flavorful breading that makes the onion pieces delicious enough on their own, but Cracker Barrel also gives you a country comeback sauce for dipping. For the uninitiated, comeback sauce is tangy, savory, and a little spicy. Cracker Barrel is keeping its signature sauce recipe secret, but a basic comeback sauce contains mayonnaise, hot sauce, ketchup, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and an array of spices. There's nothing more delightful than dipping a hot, crunchy onion petal into a cool sauce packed with perfectly balanced flavors.

There's something titillating about a special that's only available once per week. Cracker Barrel has great daily specials, including pork chops, chicken and rice, and even a fish fry. However, the one special that deserves a spotlight is the Oven-Baked Broccoli Cheddar Chicken. This casserole is only available on Wednesdays, so you have to time your visit if the dish sounds appealing.

Cracker Barrel adds thin chicken breasts to a casserole dish and piles on some broccoli florets, an incredible cheese sauce, and crumbled Ritz crackers on top. The chicken is thin and tender enough to cut through with a fork. Unlike similar chicken casserole dishes that use diced chicken, Cracker Barrel's version with whole chicken breast ensures that you'll get enough chicken in each bite.

Ritz crackers are a beloved casserole ingredient because they add some much-needed texture and a buttery flavor. The cheese sauce does a lot of heavy lifting to blend the ingredients and keep everything moist and delicious. While this certainly isn't a healthy dish, you can feel good about getting some greens into your hearty Cracker Barrel feast.

Binging with Babish critiqued Cracker Barrel's biscuits by saying that they tasted as if they came out of a can. He still would eat a whole basket, but not enthusiastically. If you've ever watched cooking shows like "Chopped," then you know that a talented chef can turn a basic ingredient into something spectacular with some creativity. Cracker Barrel took its biscuit dough and created a new menu item that diners can order as an appetizer or dessert: the Biscuit Beignets.

You can't go into this dish expecting a Café Du Monde experience, but it will still make your taste buds very happy. While ranking Cracker Barrel's appetizers from worst to best, the Biscuit Beignets were the clear winner.

It may seem simple, but when has fried dough of any kind ever done any of us wrong? By using biscuit dough tossed in cinnamon sugar, the beignets have more body in each bite. They're thick without being tough. You'll get a satisfying crunch from the exterior, while the interior remains inviting and soft. Of course, no fried dough would be complete without a generous sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Cracker Barrel would never stop there, though. The Biscuit Beignets are delightful on their own, but you have the option to dunk them in a sweet butter pecan sauce. You may end up ordering some as an appetizer and then circling back for more once it's time for dessert.

Everyone has their own unique palate. While I let my taste buds help steer my research, I tried to avoid tailoring this list solely to my personal preferences. I did some digging into various social media platforms where people posted videos trying different Cracker Barrel foods for the first time and gave their honest reviews. I also made sure to read the comments to see if that dish caused a stir.

For example, one dish that didn't make the cut is Cracker Barrel's Slow-Braised Pot Roast. While it's easy to find plenty of people who love this dish online, there's about an equal amount of folks who hate it and regret spending money on it. One common critique is that the serving size is too small, which goes against Cracker Barrel's standard generous portions. Others complained that there aren't enough veggies and that the broth is too fatty.

I also gained valuable insights from the YouTuber Binging with Babish, who has built an impressive career as an online celebrity chef. His YouTube video "I Ate Everything at Cracker Barrel Across The Country" combined his extensive culinary knowledge and childhood nostalgia as he revisited dishes he ate as a kid.

With this strategy, I narrowed down the options on the menu to present the most beloved Cracker Barrel items that most people could agree are outstanding. The goal was to find the safest dishes that newbies could order and expect to have a fabulous dining experience.