Ranking Nextbite Ghost Kitchen Brands From Worst To First
With food delivery rapidly becoming more popular, new ghost kitchens and virtual restaurants are popping up all the time. Typically, food from ghost kitchens can only be ordered on a food delivery app like Uber Eats, Grubhub, or DoorDash and is delivered to your front door. A popular example is MrBeast Burger, which has no physical restaurants but is available from more than 1,000 locations.
A leading name in the ghost kitchen and virtual restaurant industry is Nextbite. This company runs more than a dozen different delivery-only virtual restaurant brands and offers anyone who owns a commercial kitchen a simple turnkey solution to get up and running.
While there's a lot of great food available from Nextbite brands, not every single brand is created equal. In this ranking, we'll list all of Nextbite's current ghost kitchen brands beginning with the worst. At the end of the list, you'll discover which brand we graded as the very best.
16. Monster Mac
If you're a mac and cheese connoisseur, you may be tempted to order from Monster Mac. This brand is completely devoted to the art of mac and cheese. In fact, that's all it sells other than sides, drinks, and dessert. Tragically, despite its focus on mac and cheese, Monster Mac is a monstrous flop.
First of all, the cheese tastes completely artificial. It even has a chemical-like aftertaste. Considering that cheese is half of the mac and cheese equation, this is a serious issue. Secondly, the portion sizes are much smaller than you'd expect. The amount of mac and cheese you receive is closer to a snack size than a meal size. Instead of throwing your money away on this junk, just stock up on the highly-ranked mac and cheese brands that are available at your local grocery store. When a craving hits, heat up that store-bought mac and cheese and it'll blow all of Monster Mac's menu options out of the water.
15. Firebelly Wings
With a name like Firebelly Wings, you'd expect the chicken wings to be smoking with flavor. Sadly, this Nextbite ghost kitchen brand offers wings that are so boring that you won't be able to stop yourself from yawning. On its menu, you'll see six wing flavors: Classic, Classic BBQ, Cajun, Garlic Parmesan, Lemon Pepper, and Hot Honey. All of the flavors are massively underwhelming. The only flavor with any hint of heat is Hot Honey — and even that one is more honey than hot.
If you compared Firebelly Wings to other chain restaurant chicken wings, its wings would rank among the worst. In addition to having lackluster flavors, the lack of consistency from wing to wing is another negative that simply can't be overlooked. Even if you're desperate for chicken wings and Firebelly Wings is your only delivery option, just pick something else. The only thing the brand's wings will accomplish is to bore you to tears.
14. Veg-e-licious Burger
In the fast-food universe, meatless burgers are all the rage. The best meatless burgers are so delicious that even zealous carnivores will bow in respect. Veg-e-licious Burger is Nextbite's brand dedicated to meatless burgers — but this brand's offerings need work. These burgers may be edible but that's about the extent of the praise that is deserved.
The most important aspect of a meatless burger is the meatless patty. Veg-e-licious Burger's patties are okay but they're nothing to write home about. The real weakness of these burgers, though, is the listless bun. Even though the buns are toasted on all of the brand's burgers, the bread remains too chewy and doesn't bring any flavor to the table. To make matters even worse, the sides aren't good. Both the fries and the onion rings are way too soggy. Even if you're armed with an array of yummy condiments, there's just no way to fix the sogginess.
13. George Lopez Tacos
While there's a lot of potential, George Lopez Tacos isn't worthy of a full-throated recommendation. The tacos are actually quite flavorful and surprisingly authentic. But two relatively simple problems will overshadow your experience. First, the tacos are too small. Second, the tacos are too expensive. Add those two problems together and you have food that offers very little bang for your buck.
If you want to try George Lopez Tacos at its best, order the La Chingona with shredded pork. These tacos come with green salsa, roasted jalapenos, cilantro, diced onions, and pickled onions. The pork is slow-cooked so it's extra tasty and the corn tortillas are of high quality. Unfortunately, these tacos are so small that they'll disappear before you know it. You may think about ordering more tacos but the high price tag will dissuade you. Even though these tacos are good, you'd be better off picking a Mexican fast-food chain that offers bigger portions and a fairer price.
12. Wild Wild Wings
Compared to the aforementioned Firebelly Wings brand, Wild Wild Wings is a step in the right direction. You'll find eight flavors on the menu. Of those eight, two flavors are far and away better than all the others: Teriyaki and Sriracha Mango. Both of these flavors are bold and are fully capable of taking your taste buds on a joyous adventure. Teriyaki balances sweetness and savoriness well, while Sriracha Mango balances fruitiness with a fiery heat.
The issue with Wild Wild Wings is that the rest of its flavors are duds. For example, the Garlic Parmesan can't hold a candle to Wingstop's Garlic Parmesan. It has too much garlic, not enough parmesan, and a strange oily texture. Lemon Pepper is another flavor you may typically enjoy that Wild Wild Wings totally butchers. If you stick with Teriyaki and Sriracha Mango, you'll be fine. If you stray, you'll be in for a bad time.
11. Grilled Cheese Society
If you feel like rolling the dice and taking a bit of a gamble, order a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich from Grilled Cheese Society. If you get lucky, you'll get a sandwich that will put a smile on your face. If you get unlucky and roll snake eyes, you will have wasted some of your hard-earned money.
Grilled Cheese Society sells five types of grilled cheese sandwiches. The best of the bunch are The Special and The Thursday. The Special features pepper jack cheese, queso fresco, chorizo, red peppers, and roasted jalapenos, while The Thursday features Muenster cheese, blue cheese crumbles, roasted turkey, and avocado spread. When these sandwiches are at their best, the gooey cheese and the various flavors work magic in your mouth. Unfortunately, sometimes these sandwiches are so saturated and mushy that the entire experience is ruined. At their worst, the bread is almost disintegrated by the time it reaches your hands.
10. HuevoRito
It's becoming easier and easier to obtain delectable breakfast burritos from a drive-thru window. However, if you want a breakfast burrito delivered to your front door, HuevoRito could be an option. This Nextbite ghost kitchen brand has four breakfast burritos on its menu and all four are reasonably tasty. These won't be the best breakfast burritos you've ever tasted but they'll do in a pinch when you can't make your own or drive to a superior fast-food restaurant.
Their best option is the SausaRito. It contains spicy sausage, scrambled eggs, gooey cheese, potatoes, and salsa inside of a flour tortilla. If you want something less spicy, go with the BacoRito that has bacon in place of the spicy sausage. The HuevoRito doesn't have any sausage or bacon. In place of meat, it has onions, peppers, and tomatoes. The fourth and final breakfast burrito is the VegaRito. Along with peppers, onions, and salsa, it's made with vegan eggs and vegan cheese.
9. Crack't
While Crack't won't win any prestigious culinary awards, it offers fun, creative breakfast sandwiches that will help you start your day off on an upbeat note. If you're tired of the breakfast sandwiches that you have in your freezer, you'll appreciate the delightful and innovative sandwiches Crack't can deliver.
Of the five breakfast sandwiches on its menu, the two best options are the Chicken & Waffles Baby! and the Spicy Avocadaddy. The Chicken & Waffles Baby! comes with fried egg and butter on top of fried chicken. Belgian waffles are used as the bun and the entire sandwich is drenched with honey. Although eating it without making a sticky mess is nearly impossible, it's worth the potential aggravation. The Spicy Avocadaddy contains eggs, tomato slices, melty cheddar cheese, a zesty aioli sauce, and, of course, avocado inside of a soft bagel. This sandwich is so hearty that it may keep you full until dinner time.
8. Outlaw Burger
Similar to Crack't, Outlaw Burger tries to win you over with its unconventional and bold menu options. The burgers are chaotic and usually overflowing with toppings. While Outlaw Burger won't be the place you order from when you want the best burger of your life, its creations are a nice change of pace if you're fatigued by the same old burger options.
On Butch's Wild BBQ Burger, you'll discover bacon, cheddar cheese, onion rings, tomato, lettuce, and a super sweet barbecue sauce. The Clyde Club features bacon, mashed avocado, cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce, and a generous amount of sriracha ranch. When you're picking your side, skip the regular fries and the onion rings and go with the spicy fries. These fries aren't suitable for people with a feeble palate because they're spiced with ghost pepper seasoning. But if you love spicy foods, you'll really like these fries from Outlaw Burger.
7. Hatch House
If the breakfast sandwiches that Crack't sells are too adventurous or too quirky for your liking, Hatch House is a worthy alternative. In fact, while its sandwiches are tamer to the eye than the ones from Crack't, they're tastier to your taste buds. All the ingredients taste fresh and the breakfast sandwiches are safe to eat even if you're on the run.
Of the four breakfast sandwiches that Hatch House has on its menu, the Chili Crisp & Egg and the Crispy Avo & Egg are the best. The Chili Crisp & Egg has a turkey sausage patty, scrambled eggs, melty American cheese, and chili-powered aioli sauce inside the bread of your choice. Within the Crispy Avo & Egg, you'll find fried avocado, scrambled eggs, pepper jack cheese, tomato slices, and a spicy aioli sauce. If you've never eaten fried avocado, this sandwich is something you should try at some point.
6. The Big Melt
If you love the fast-food patty melts you can find at Jack in the Box, Whataburger, and Sonic, you'll adore what you can get from The Big Melt. This Nextbite brand is all about patty melts and it isn't afraid to push boundaries to create cutting-edge sandwiches that you've never seen before.
When ordering from The Big Melt in the morning, the Rise-N-Shine Melt is the perfect pick (via The Big Melt). This patty melt features a pair of fried eggs sitting on top of a burger patty, bacon, gooey American cheese, and multiple tomato slices. If you want to kick things up a notch at dinnertime, opt for the Southwest Melt. Beyond the burger patty, the patty melt is blessed with chorizo, queso fresco, pepper jack cheese, and spicy pepper. This bad boy may light your lips on fire but you'll love every moment of it. Just be sure to have a tall glass of milk at your disposal in case things get too heated.
5. Lucky Dragon Fried Rice
A virtual restaurant brand that concentrates only on fried rice? While that may sound like too narrow of a scope, your mind will be changed once you taste what Lucky Dragon Fried Rice has to offer. Yes, the only food on this brand's simple menu is fried rice, but after your first bowl, you won't need or want anything more. The rice is not only scrumptious, but it's also really filling.
The Classic Fried Rice at Lucky Dragon Fried Rice is filled with eggs, vegetables, and your choice of protein (pork, chicken, beef, or shrimp). If you order the Spicy Fried Rice, they'll pour a secret sauce on your fried rice that's extremely hot. If you're not brave enough to tackle that amount of heat, the Yum Yum Fried Rice comes covered in a yum yum sauce that tastes like a combination of mayonnaise, ketchup, and paprika. Don't want meat in your fried rice? Lucky Dragon Fried Rice will substitute extra veggies in place of the protein.
4. CraveBurger
While there are multiple Nextbite brands that can deliver burgers to your front door, CraveBurger is the cream of the crop. The charbroiled beef patties are a step above the rest and on par with some of the better fast-food burgers you'll come across. Furthermore, the sweet potato tots are a fantastic side that you can get instead of fries or onion rings. They have a crispy exterior and erupt with flavor when you take a bite. You can use a dipping sauce but these tots don't need any help to take you to sweet potato heaven.
As far as their burgers are concerned, you can't go wrong with any of the five on the brand's menu. For instance, the Classic Cheeseburger may not sound too enticing if you judge it on its name alone but it's loaded with bacon, cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce, and CraveBurger's house sauce in addition to the outstanding charbroiled beef patty.
3. Miss Mazy's Amazin' Chicken
Chicken sandwiches are exploding in popularity at fast-food restaurants. You might not have heard of Miss Mazy's Amazin' Chicken, but this brand sells chicken sandwiches that can compete with the best. The chain also sells chicken tenders that are comparable to the better fast-food tenders.
The menu of chicken sandwiches at Miss Mazy's Amazin' Chicken includes a regular version called Miss Mazy's Special, a spicy version called The Spicy Chick, and a breakfast-ready version called Flyin' South that features eggs, bacon, and gravy inside of the sandwich. All three are delicious but the breakfast sandwich is especially amazing. The chicken tenders are available in regular or spicy. While both are worth trying, the spicy tenders are just a little better. If you don't want to settle for fries, you can instead opt to get fried pieces of mac and cheese as a side. It's even yummier than it sounds.
2. TZKI
The most imaginative of all the Nextbite ghost kitchen brands has to be TZKI. On its menu, you'll find a variety of food options inspired by Mediterranean cuisine. Remarkably, everything on the menu is so good that it easily compares to what you would find in a sit-down Mediterranean restaurant. As an added bonus, the food is healthier than what you'd typically find at a fast-food eatery.
The two main options at TZKI are bowls and pita wraps. The bowls feature everything from chicken shawarma to crispy chickpeas to charred carrot hummus to falafel. Of the wraps, the Lamb Gyro Pita Wrap is the best choice. It has lamb gyro meat, hummus made from beets, and various fresh vegetables. All four of the TZKI's sides are marvelous. Specifically, the Crispy Harissa Chickpeas have a memorable texture and taste, while the Cucumber Tomato Salad is an extremely healthy menu item that also tastes stupendous.
1. HotBox by Wiz Khalifa
You know that Wiz Khalifa is an award-winning hip hop star. But in addition to his musical talents, did you know that he also has great taste in the culinary world? The outstanding food available at HotBox by Wiz Khalifa is proof of just that. He said that he worked with chefs and approved all of the food. Considering the menu has hit after hit, that's a really impressive feat.
While the wings at Firebelly Wings and Wild Wild Wings aren't notable, HotBox by Wiz Khalifa has wings that you'll order again and again. These wings are ginormous, juicy, and available in either hot or mild. Mac & Yellow (an ode to his hit song Black and Yellow) is mac and cheese with an extra serving of cheesy goodness. You'll also find chicken sandwiches (both regular and spicy), a burger, and more deliciousness on the menu. As a cherry on top of your epic meal, be sure to order the So Baked Hybrid Cookies that combine everything you love about cookies and pretzels in one caramel-coated masterpiece of a dessert.