The Chain Restaurant Mozzarella Sticks You Should Avoid At All Costs

Gooey and hot from the fryer, a serving of freshly prepared mozzarella sticks is a heavenly appetizer. Made of a simple combo of cheese and seasoned breading, this classic restaurant starter perfectly sets the scene for the rest of the meal with its salty and starchy character. However, not every eatery makes mozzarella sticks that sing. In fact, according to our taste test of 8 chain restaurant mozzarella sticks, there's one you should avoid at all costs: Red Robin Cheesy Mozzarella Twists.

These morsels of mozzarella were our least favorite for three reasons. Firstly, while they had a striking corkscrew shape, the aroma of these cheesy appetizers was lacking. They simply didn't have that carby, deep-fried scent that our olfactory was hoping for. Secondly, the shade of these mozzarella sticks was unusually pale, suggesting they weren't fried for long enough to produce that distinctive golden brown color that's indicative of a rich and savory flavor. And finally, and most importantly of all, these twisty starters tasted bland. Both the panko breading and the cheese were so insipid and tasteless that even the tub of marinara served alongside them couldn't save them. You'd be better off ordering from elsewhere or preparing your own batch of homemade mozzarella sticks.

Red Robin's menu was overhauled in 2023 to re-energize the restaurant. For instance, the burgers were made 20% bigger and prepared on flat-top grills, the bread for the chicken sandwiches was changed to a bun, and new ingredients, such as pickles and vine-ripened tomatoes, were added to dishes. Meanwhile, the breaded cheese sticks were altered to include a better-quality cheese. However, this change wasn't a welcome move among some long-term Red Robin customers who described the new version as "completely hollow cheese twists" on a Reddit thread. One commenter posted, "I've been going there for years and [the mozzarella sticks have] been my favorite item and they've replaced it with something that tastes like low quality cheese sticks you'd get at some fast food place. I can't believe they got rid of them"

In our opinion, the best mozzarella sticks come from the chain restaurant Outback Steakhouse due to their best golden color and abundant filling. The v-shaped fellas, which are creatively billed as fried mozzarella boomerangs on the menu, are breaded in a flavorful spice mix combining garlic powder and cayenne pepper, which sets them apart from the other contenders.

Want to make mozzarella sticks at home? A little technique goes a long way. For example, the freezer is your secret weapon for making the best mozzarella sticks because the cold temperature sets the breading to the cheese and guarantees that it stays put when deep-fried.