31 Popular Applebee's Menu Items, Ranked Worst To Best

For tasty casual dining, one of the most popular places to pop into for an assortment of appetizers or a wholesome meal followed by a decadent dessert happens to be Applebee's. In fact, it's such a hot spot for lunch or dinner that it's part of a pop-country song called "Fancy" Like by Walker Hayes. There's even a TikTok where you dance to the lyrics "Yeah, we fancy like Applebee's on a date night. Got that Bourbon Street steak with the Oreo shake. Get some whipped cream on the top, too. Two straws, one check, girl, I got you."

But it's not just the Bourbon Street steak that tastes fantastic at Applebee's. There's a whole host of amazing appetizers, side and main dishes, along with desserts, that are available to order. There's also a long list of fun drinks to imbibe in if you so choose. So when you open up that big menu, how on Earth do you choose what to nosh on? Well, let us help you out with some suggestions and recommendations of what we think are some awfully tasty options at Applebee's. Plan your next date night like Walker Hayes, or a fun-filled eating fest for dinner with the fam. Either way, you'll walk away from Applebee's full and happy.

The Four Cheese Mac & Cheese with Honey Pepper Chicken Tenders is another one of those food fusions that probably shouldn't be attempted. The four cheese mac & cheese tastes delish as a dish all on its own, even with chunks of applewood-smoked bacon infused throughout, but the whole flavor profile is altered and not for the better when it's topped with the honey pepper chicken tenders that are hotter than they are sweet. Honey pepper just doesn't go well with a four-cheese sauce but if separated, these dishes would taste great as standalone items. Let's hope Applebee's revises this menu item for the better. 

The grilled chipotle lime shrimp is a bit too overpowering for the Tex-Mex Shrimp Bowl at Applebee's. Served on a bed of mixed greens with helpings of cilantro rice, homemade pico de gallo, black bean corn salsa, and guacamole, there is a myriad of flavors going on and not all are good. Served with a lime wedge and topped with crispy strips, certain components of this dish taste fantastic, but when mixed all together as you do with an Irresist-A-Bowl, it just doesn't go down well. The salsa is amazing on its own, the rice is delicious, the pico de gallo tastes fantastic, but when blended together it's too many flavors and not good ones, we'll have to admit.

One word exists for this side dish most of the time — yum! But it honestly depends on who is whipping it up in the kitchen. Not enough garlicky butter sauce drizzled across the crisp yet still tender green beans and they taste like a bland garden. Blech. Get a bit too much of the garlicky butter sauce in a bite and you'll be gulping water from your glass to wash down the overpowering flavor. While they're a fantastically fine side dish most of the time, you may not get a good batch and so they can be a bit of a gamble to order.

These soft Bavarian-style pretzel sticks smattered with salt granules and baked with butter are delicious, but they're so dense that they're too much to handle. They're thicker than breadsticks, tougher and chewier, and make you work pretty hard to enjoy this appetizer. The white cheddar beer cheese may sound intriguing, but it's best to not investigate this mystery dip. The pretzel sticks taste a wee bit weird in the honey dijon mustard sauce, too. If you don't mind chewing pretty heartily on your appetizers, then you won't mind this dish, Otherwise, we suggest swapping it out for another.

If you are looking for seafood, skip the hand-battered fish and chips available on the menu at Applebee's. They're too greasy and a sad knock-off from what you'd see at an actual seafood restaurant, or even if you made fish and chips at home. Sure the fish is light and flaky, but it just doesn't taste right. If you're seeking seafood, we would try one of the other dishes like the Shrimp n' Parmesan Sirloin or the Classic Blackened Shrimp Alfredo bowl. But we do give two thumbs up to the tiny black cup of coleslaw that accompanies the bland "chips" or French fries. It's pretty good.

A delicious and beautiful blend of asiago, Parmesan, and white cheddar cheeses blanket a bowl filled with penne noodles to make a rich and creamy three cheese chicken penne dish that ranks at a solid place for us on the Applebee's menu. Grilled chicken strips plunked down atop the bed of penne noodles and dotted with bruschetta tomatoes give sustenance and texture to this tasty dish. A golden brown breadstick brushed with buttery garlic and parsley makes the perfect sidekick to this pasta dish that we think is pretty darn good. We give it two thumbs up.

The rich flavor that Fireball whisky lends to the Whisky Bacon Burger is surprising. This all-beef patty topped with two slices of pepper jack cheese, crispy onions, two strips of applewood-smoked bacon, along with lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles, is soooo tempting when checking out the menu at Applebee's. The thicker buttery Brioche bun used for this burger adds an extra dimension to this dish that bursts with flavor. The classic fries it's served with could use a bit more seasoning, but this burger really stands out on its own as one that will fill you up and quickly become a favorite.

Applebee's onion rings are one of the best appetizers on the menu. They're fairly heavily breaded and dotted with seasonings — but not too breaded — and come with a couple of different dipping sauces. This amazing appetizer consists of thick rings of onion that don't skimp on flavor. One thing we really love about this appetizer is that the onion rings aren't greasy. Sometimes when you have thinly sliced onions, there's more breading — too much, if you ask us. But these onion rings are the perfect pairing of crispy breading and thick onion slices that don't drip with unwanted grease.

Even though it definitely is not a steakhouse and most definitely is not widely known for its sirloin steaks, Applebee's sirloins really are delicious. They come as a 6-ounce sirloin or an 8-ounce sirloin and are lightly seasoned before being plunked down on the grill where they cook until these USDA Select top sirloins are juicy and a mouthful of yumminess in every bite. This menu item also is served alongside healthy steamed broccoli and luscious garlic mashed potatoes with bacon bits. This definitely is a hearty meal so make sure you're good and hungry before ordering this menu item.

If you're working hard at eating healthy and find it's difficult to stick to a decent diet while eating out, maybe even impossible, then look no further than Applebee's grilled chicken breast. This juicy and ample slab of white meat is crisscross grilled to perfection over an open flame so the seasonings soak right in. It's served with a side of steamed broccoli so you're getting in your greens for the day, along with a not as healthy, but pretty darn tasty pile of garlic mashed potatoes with real bits of skin and bacon blended in. You could swap the taters out for garlicky green beans or a side salad if you'd rather.

You probably wouldn't expect this type of dish to appear on the menu at Applebee's, but the Prime Rib Dipper sandwich is a delicious offering off the menu at this casual dining restaurant. Featuring thinly sliced prime rib meat adorned with grilled onions and melted American cheese, the toasted cheddar roll it's served on makes for a mouthful of deliciousness in every bite. The housemade herb-laced mayo and French onion au jus for dipping bring a savory taste with every single bite as you've never experienced. Served alongside seasoned classic fries, the prime rib sandwich is a must-try on your next visit to Applebee's.

If you simply can't decide between seafood or steak, you don't have to at Applebee's with its Shrimp n' Parmesan Sirloin. It's the restaurant's version of surf 'n turf, and this menu item finds a seasoned and grilled 8-ounce USDA Select top sirloin smothered with sauteed blackened shrimp and a creamy lemon butter Parmesan sauce. This dish bursts with flavors that compliment one another and will satisfy your desire for seafood and steak. It's served with healthy steamed broccoli and a heaping pile of garlic mashed potatoes brimming with bits of bacon. Simply put, you can't go wrong with this dish.

As an alternative to heavier salads, Applebee's offers rollups, which are a delicious and healthy alternative. Two menu options are modeled after salads while the third option is the Chicken Fajita Rollup, and it's exactly what it sounds like. A white flour shell is stuff full of juicy chipotle chicken, crisp lettuce strips, a blend of cheddar cheeses, and house-made pico de gallo and served with Mexi-ranch dipping sauce and classic fries. It's a fun way to eat a combo of chicken quesadillas and chicken fajitas in a rollup format. It definitely has some kick to it, so be sure to have a thirst-quenching drink on hand.

The same grilled chicken breast that stars as the main entrée now is sandwiched between two tasty Brioche buns and smothered with hearty melted cheddar cheese as the bacon cheddar grilled chicken sandwich. Topped with strips of smoky bacon, crisp lettuce, tangy onion, tart pickles, tomatoes, and barbecue bacon ranch sauce, this incredibly tantalizing sandwich will fill you up and is ever so slightly a healthier pick of a menu item than the beef burger version. Served with a side of seasoned fries, this sandwich ranks high on our list of dishes you absolutely have to order.

A trip to Applebee's isn't complete without an order of tried and true mozzarella sticks off the appetizer section of the menu. With a crispy golden brown exterior infused with seasonings and melted strings of warm ooey-gooey mozzarella cheese on the inside, don't be surprised if your table argues over who gets the last one. The eight sticks served with marina sauce or housemade ranch dressing just isn't enough, to be honest. You just might need to order double to keep everybody happy — they're that fantastic! The next time you visit Applebee's be sure to order a batch and savor every bite, of course, after you plucked your share off the plate before anyone else can grab them.