I Tried 9 Wawa Sides And Ranked Them From Worst To Best

Wawa is a Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain prevalent throughout New Jersey and nearby states — as well as a somewhat recent expansion into Florida, where it was immediately taken to with an enthusiasm to rival the Northeast. Almost, anyways. The convenience store is best known for its mouthwatering, well-ranked Wawa hoagies, which are so popular they have an annual festival of their own called Hoagiefest. But no hoagie-based meal would be complete without the inclusion of a side, of which there are numerous options. With so many available, how do you know which is the best one to accompany your hoagie (or bowl)?

Thankfully for you, there's no need to suffer through trial and error to discover which options are best. I was given the chance to try a range of Wawa sides and report my findings back here by ranking them from worst to best. Using more than 15 years of food industry background and other relevant experiences, I judged each Wawa side based primarily on taste. You can find my full methodology at the end of this article. If you want to make the most of your visit, check out these helpful Wawa ordering hacks that save you money.

I have to admit, the sheer awfulness of these seasoned black beans threw me for a loop because I've had them in some of Wawa's bowls before and really enjoyed them. It's possible this particular Wawa was having an off night, or that combining the black beans with other ingredients makes them palatable. Regardless, I really can't find anything good to say about these, which I'm pretty disappointed about.

Inside of their to-go container, the beans looked okay (I mean, they looked like beans), but the scent made me hesitate because it smelled unseasoned. In fact, the scent was more reminiscent of saltless water the beans had maybe been boiled in rather than the real deal. The moment these beans touched my tastebuds, my face wrinkled in disgust of its own accord. Not only did these "seasoned" black beans taste like they'd never been near a spice, they were also dry. This combination led to a dish that was gross and off-putting. Skip the so-called "seasoned" black beans; they're truly terrible. You couldn't pay me to eat this again. I firmly believe you're better off eating canned black beans instead.

The most important thing I learned during this taste test is to avoid everything labeled "seasoned" because the names were surely created during opposite day. Again, I was surprised because I've had the seasoned rice in bowls before and it never quite tasted like it did on its own.

From the moment I peered inside the to-go container, I knew the rice would be disappointing to some degree. For starters, it was as pale as it could possibly be, which made me think it hadn't been seasoned. There was no defining smell, and it looked a bit dry. Unfortunately, these turned out to be strong indicators of what I could expect, because the rice had almost no taste at all. I couldn't even detect hints of butter. Plus, it was very dry and crunchy, to the point where the dish was more texture than taste, if that makes sense. I definitely will not purchase the seasoned rice on future visits to Wawa. Unless you're looking for something flavorless that hurts your teeth when you try to eat it, I suggest skipping this.

I'm a sucker for a great Buffalo sauce. From oven-baked Buffalo wings to my favorite Buffalo chicken dip, I greatly prefer this hot, tangy, buttery flavor profile over traditional hot sauce. As far as the sauce itself goes, Wawa did an excellent job. It was the pairing and overall execution that was lacking, landing this Buffalo mac and cheese near the bottom of our ranking.

The Buffalo sauce was drizzled over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Alone, it was quite good, featuring a moderate spiciness heavily accented with buttery notes and a vinegary tang. The cheese sauce wasn't bad either. It tasted well-seasoned, although this could have simply been because it was mixed with the Buffalo sauce. However, that's where anything positive ends. The macaroni noodles were too big, and they had a soggy consistency, which felt incredibly gross in my mouth — as though I'd already started digesting them before I'd taken a bite. This ruined the whole experience for me, no matter the few good notes in the beginning. Because of this, I will not purchase the Buffalo mac and cheese from Wawa again, and I highly recommend you also skip it.

The Wawa mashed potatoes mark the part of this list where we go from sides I found gross, to those that I really liked. Interestingly enough, there weren't any "okay" sides in this ranking — I had strong feelings either way about all of the foods I sampled.

When I pulled the lid off the mashed potatoes' to-go container, I was greeted by a delicious buttery scent with faint notes of starchy potato. Texturally, the dish looked perfectly smooth and creamy. I was thankful to find that the texture felt just as amazing as it looked, although it did have a few miniscule solid bites of potato. I actually enjoyed this small textural complexity, however, so it didn't end up ruining the experience for me. The taste was exactly what buttery mashed potatoes should taste like, and seasoned perfectly. The only complaint I have is there was a faint, lingering artificial aftertaste, which is why this Wawa side ranked a little lower. Despite the aftertaste, I would order these mashed potatoes again if my top choices were unavailable, or if I just wanted to switch it up. You might enjoy these if you like mashed potatoes and can get over the aftertaste.

Loaded fries were one of my favorite treats when I was a teenager and young adult. These days, I tend not to eat the heartier versions (such as these chili cheese fries) too often; they're quite heavy on my stomach and can lead to digestive distress if I overindulge. However, I'm always happy to make an exception — as I did twice for this article.

The best way I can describe these is that they're plain ol' chili cheese fries. There's a slight kick of heat to them, but there's really nothing special or extraordinarily noteworthy. The chili is hearty and robust, while the cheese is appropriately rich and creamy. While I do think there was enough chili, my singular complaint is it was slightly unbalanced and could have used a bit more cheese. I might buy this again, although there are loaded cheese fries on this list I like considerably better. If you like chili cheese fries, you should like these just fine. However, they are quite greasy and heavy, so you may want to avoid them if you're prone to acid reflux (like I am).

This is one of the few Wawa sides I've previously had on its own (instead of being part of a bowl or meal). I've always had pretty good experiences with Wawa's chili, this time being no exception.

There's a nice hearty taste to the chili, featuring a complex flavor profile of sweet tomato, earthy seasonings, and savory beans and meat, through which is strewn a moderate kick of heat, of course. The smell is positively mouthwatering, with notes of tomato and chili seasoning being most dominant. A textural complexity of thick-but-smooth sauce, paired with solid chunks from the main ingredients, only adds to the great experience. The kidney beans are also nice and soft, making them easy to eat. I consider this a huge boon since I often find kidney beans in restaurant chili to be too hard, like they weren't cooked enough. My only complaint is that I would have liked to see a few more beans; otherwise, this was great. 

I'm much more likely to purchase the chili alone again, rather than the chili cheese fries from the last section. If you enjoy chili with beans and a moderate amount of spice, grab yourself a bowl. However, if you prefer a milder chili with no spice or beans, you probably won't like this.

I'm not sure if the garlic knots are a new thing at Wawa or if I just never noticed them on previous visits, but for whatever reason, I wasn't aware these were on the menu until this ranking. Judging by how well I ranked them, you can rightfully assume I'm glad I discovered them.

I could smell a light starchy scent accented with pungent garlic notes before I ever cracked open the lid of my to-go container. From the smell alone, these garlic knots promised lots of flavor — and boy, did they deliver. The flavor was predominately starchy, with heavy buttery tones, moderate garlic notes, and faint hints of salt. But the texture was what really got me: The outside of these knots was slightly harder while the interior was super-soft and the whole thing pulled apart nicely. Honestly, I don't have anything negative to say about this Wawa side. The only reason it ranked lower was preference. I strongly recommend trying these garlic knots on your next visit to Wawa, especially with the chicken noodle soup; they pair exceptionally well together.

Chicken noodle soup is a side item many places offer, but few perfect. Wawa's version was highlighted as one of the top foods to order in a previous ranking, and the earlier praise still stands — this chicken noodle soup is a classic comfort food worthy of ordering.

I rarely have this Wawa soup, but it's my daughter's absolute favorite thing on the menu, and she dutifully orders it on every single trip without exception. When I asked her why she enjoyed it so much, her response was "it feels like a kitten's cuddle mixed with a warm hug." While I'm not sure that's how I would describe it, I can only imagine this translates to a good thing. What I do know is this soup had a thin, flavorful broth with an almost silky texture that combines with thick noodles, hearty chicken chunks, and soft vegetables. The soup was well-seasoned, aromatic, and incredibly warming on what was a particularly cold day. Truthfully, I have nothing bad to say about Wawa's chicken noodle soup. The only reason it ranked lower was preference. I'll definitely buy this chicken noodle soup again, especially while the weather is still cold. I recommend trying it, and pairing it with either Wawa's garlic knots or a few pieces of homemade sourdough bread.

These cheesesteak loaded fries were as mind-blowing as the chili cheese option was unremarkable. Everything about this side dish was perfectly done, making it well-deserving of the top spot in our ranking. The only word of caution I offer is that it's quite a heavy dish on its own. It truly felt more like a small meal than a large side.

Even before the to-go container was opened, the fries emanated a thick, savory scent lightly punctuated with the hallmark notes of fried foods. They were generously topped with thin-sliced cheesesteak meat and lots of gooey cheese, while the fries held a soft texture that didn't veer into mushy territory. The flavor profile was intensely savory, with moderate notes of creamy dairy and well-seasoned starchy tones. Truly, these are the epitome of perfect loaded fries. I don't have a single bad thing to say about them.

Without a doubt, I'll regularly buy the cheesesteak loaded fries as one of my go-to Wawa sides. I urge you to try them for yourself if you like fries, loaded fries, cheese, or cheesesteaks. Once you do, you'll have zero doubts as to why these cheesesteak loaded fries took the top spot in our Wawa sides ranking.

I chose Wawa sides, as defined by the convenience chain's menu, based on their availability to me at my preferred local store in Dorchester, New Jersey. Of the sides available to me, I aimed to pick as wide an assortment as possible — while also considering what I typically enjoy — for the fairest assessment. Each menu item was judged primarily on taste, with texture, smell, and visual aesthetics playing a smaller role, especially where these aspects were particularly notable.

To make my judgments, I relied primarily on more than 15 years of experience in the food industry, during which time I cross-trained in bakeries and hot foods. Extensive past consumership of Wawa foods and previous experience creating ranking articles for Daily Meal — including ranking Applebee's sides and ranking the best Texas Roadhouse sides — also contributed. Although preference played a role in this ranking, I aimed to be as unbiased about product quality as possible.