9 Chain Restaurant Sides We'd Much Rather Order Than The Entrées

Any experienced diner will know that sometimes the best item on the table isn't the entrée. I've tried dozens of delicious side dishes as a frequent customer of chain restaurants, and sometimes, the side is so spectacular it overshadows the mains entirely. Whether it's an incredible bread starter or a unique accoutrement to your entrée selection, some sides are so great that they're the main reason customers keep coming back — even if it's one of the many chain restaurants that overcharge customers.

To make sure you never miss the best item on the menu, I've compiled a list of my nine favorite chain restaurant sides and appetizers. Covering a range of cuisine styles, prices, and sizes, these varying side dishes were selected based on my personal tasting and review of each menu. Stick around until the end for my full methodology. After reading this article, you may just find your next dream item.

There's no way I could create a list of the best side dishes without mentioning one of the most popular and beloved starters of any chain restaurant: the Olive Garden breadsticks. When the first Olive Garden opened over 40 years ago, breadsticks were introduced as a way to keep customers happy while waiting for their entrées. This decision turned out to be a huge win for the company. As the chain has grown to almost 900 locations worldwide, the popularity of these iconic breadsticks has grown too.

The flavor and execution of these breadsticks are simple enough: Each breadstick is served warm and soft, with a buttery and garlicky coating on the top. What makes these breadsticks special is that they are always served fresh, ensuring that they never taste stale or bland like the bread services at many other chain restaurants.

As a bonus, these breadsticks are free and unlimited with your entrée order at Olive Garden, and can also be purchased separately for around $4.99, depending on location. As one customer explains, "Olive Garden is known for their breadsticks. It's like the main reason people go there. It's the selling point." While it's hard to imagine that any Olive Garden customer hasn't tried a breadstick by now, those who haven't will certainly want to take advantage of this free bonus the next time they dine there.

Since opening its first location in 1993, P.F. Chang's has grown into a massive restaurant chain that serves customers at over 300 locations in more than 20 countries. The restaurant is known for its expansive menu, which pulls inspiration from a variety of Asian cuisines but primarily focuses on Chinese food. While the restaurant has become famous for its wok-style entrées, I believe the best menu item is a starter: the Hand-Folded Crab Wontons.

These crab wontons are prepared similarly to crab rangoons, with a fried exterior encasing a delicious filling of creamy crab, bell peppers, green onions, and served with sweet-and-spicy plum sauce for dipping. This side is a slightly more expensive option, costing $8.39 for three pieces or $14.79 for six pieces. Regardless, the taste and quality of these hand-folded friend bites are worth it in my opinion, as they're perfectly crispy on the outside, and creamy and hot on the inside. Also important is that P.F. Chang's employs real crab meat in its mixture instead of the more commonly used imitation crab. P.F. Chang's offers an impressive assortment of items throughout its menu, but for me, this side is the item that steals the show whenever I eat there.

Cracker Barrel is a restaurant that brings families and friends together to enjoy a classic and nostalgic dining atmosphere. Even with 660 locations across 44 states, each Cracker Barrel maintains a warm atmosphere, with a quirky interior and an expansive menu that brings customers authentic country hospitality. Diners can enjoy everything from the all-day breakfast items to several fish, beef, pork, and poultry entrées. However, in my opinion, the best item on the menu is the Loaded Hashbrown Casserole.

Hash browns are a great side to any breakfast, but this Loaded Hashbrown Casserole takes shredded potatoes to a whole new level. Cracker Barrel's potato casserole is creamy, cheesy, and hearty, while still maintaining the crisp texture of the shredded potatoes. Each portion is served hot with melted cheese and bacon crumbles on top, which gives an extra boost of savory flavor in every bite. In addition to ordering as a side dish, you can get a standalone order of the Loaded Hashbrown Casserole for $3.69, which is a price well worth it for this delectable meal.

Applebee's provides a place for customers to be "Eatin' Good in the Neighborhood." With over 1,500 Applebee's locations currently operating in 11 countries and territories around the world, this restaurant chain has become a popular choice for its casual atmosphere, well-portioned entrées, and inexpensive drinks. The menu here is standard American-casual, but among Applebee's long list of sides, such as mashed potatoes, french fries, and salads, the chain offers one option that stands out from the rest: Chicken Tortilla Soup.

I was initially disappointed by the small portion size the first time I ordered this side, as it costs $9.99 for a small serving. However, though the size may be minimal, the flavors are robust and impressive, with each bite delivering a smoky, hearty flavor and a substantial amount of chicken and vegetables in the tiny cup. While I do wish the portion was larger, this soup has earned its place as my favorite dish at Applebee's.

While The Cheesecake Factory is primarily recognized for its namesake item, this restaurant is also known for its massive menu of over 250 entrées, appetizers, sides, and desserts. Even with such a large menu, the food at Cheesecake Factory is made fresh each day, ensuring that quality is at the forefront of every meal at each of its 371 restaurants. While I love many of the dishes here, my favorite by far are the Avocado Eggrolls, which are both refreshing and unique.

These egg rolls feature a crispy exterior that is perfectly balanced with the refreshing interior of avocado, sun-dried tomato, red onion, and cilantro. The combination of the fresh vegetable filling and the satisfying fried casing makes for a satisfying bite that doesn't feel too heavy. In addition, the tamarind-cashew dipping sauce served with this dish adds another level of sweet, tangy flavor. This dish is not inexpensive at $17.95, but it's large enough to enjoy as an entrée if you have a lighter appetite.

If there's any side dish that's earned a place in the side dish hall of fame, it's the Cheddar Bay Biscuits from Red Lobster. Since opening its first location in 1968, the brand has become known as a great place to dine on fish and shellfish at competitive prices. Despite Red Lobster filing for bankruptcy in 2024, the chain is still keeping its head above water and now operates over 500 locations – down from 700. While I appreciate the seafood dishes at Red Lobster, the true star of the show is the restaurant's starter, which has been a part of the menu since 1992.

Every entrée at Red Lobster comes with two house-made Cheddar Bay Biscuits, which are served warm and feature a buttery taste with strong notes of garlic and herb. The crunchy exterior and fluffy interior are rich and cheesy, and the small size makes it easy to eat a few without filling up before your meal. One customer shared: "It's so good, the outside is crispy and it's soft and fluffy inside. Also buttery with a good cheese and garlic flavor, well seasoned altogether." As a bonus, customers can buy an extra half dozen for $7.99, which is a choice I would recommend, as these biscuits are the strongest dish on the menu.

Chili's Grill & Bar has become a massive restaurant chain known for serving heaping platters of food and inexpensive drinks at over 1,600 locations. If there's one thing Chili's is famous for, it's the combination meal options like the Triple Dipper, which allows customers to customize their meal with three appetizers for $17.89. While there are plenty of mouth-watering choices to select from, my favorite by far is the restaurant's famous Fried Mozzarella side dish.

If you order this item expecting a classic mozzarella stick, you'll be surprised (in a good way). Each piece of fried mozzarella is massive, with a crumbly exterior enveloping a massive chunk of warm, gooey mozzarella. This ratio allows for the cheese to take center stage, and it makes each bite more gooey and fulfilling than a typical stick. On its own, three of these fried mozzarella sticks cost $11.29 and six cost $15.69, and customers can select if they prefer marinara sauce or ranch to accompany. One Chili's employee raves: "We don't do sticks, we do bricks. I love watching people be amazed by the mozzarella pull... THAT'S why Chili's is awesome!" For the size and the value, this fried mozzarella dish remains my favorite item to recommend — and to order — when I'm at a Chili's.

Last, but certainly not least, is another iconic side dish: the Outback Steakhouse Bloomin' Onion. While this dish is often replicated at other restaurants, it was Outback co-founder Tim Gannon who invented the famous Bloomin' Onion with the help of food scientists and inspiration from traditional Japanese vegetable cutting techniques. At the time of writing, Outback Steakhouse reportedly sells over 8 million Bloomin' Onions each year, making it one of the restaurant's most successful menu items.

What makes this appetizer special is how the batter is seasoned with 17 spices, allowing each intricate slice of the fried onion to pop with a savory, salty, and crispy coating. This balances perfectly with the natural sweetness of the cooked onion, and the creamy, slightly spicy dipping sauce also adds a kick of flavor. As one customer raves, "... I can't think of any situation that isn't directly improved by the addition of a bloomin onion." For $11.99, this appetizer is truly an item that you must try at least once in your life, as it shines above the rest of the Outback Steakhouse menu for both originality and execution.

As an experienced food reviewer and frequent diner at a plethora of chain restaurants, I curated this list based on years of experience trying dozens of different side options. For this article, I classified sides as any accompanying dish to a main entrée, which could be labeled by the restaurant as a side dish, an appetizer, an extra, or a free table starter. These items were selected based on factors such as the product's originality, flavor, value, and how much they stand out above and beyond the regular menu at these chain restaurants. All of these items had been tried and reviewed by me before making this list, and I have ordered each item more than once.

Prices and item quantities mentioned in this article are based on the website listing for each restaurant's location located closest to my home in New York City. For select items, I used customer reviews to help provide additional insight and support for why these sides are so special, but customer reviews were not used to influence the items selected on this list.