8 Chain Restaurant Margaritas, Ranked Worst To Best

Like many other classic cocktails, the origins of the margarita are hazy at best. There are at least a half-dozen claims to its invention, and we'll likely never know the true story. All that really matters, though, is that this drink has not only survived for ages — 70 years at least, and possibly closer to 100 — but it's thrived, and only grown in popularity. This is hardly surprising, given the margarita's simple recipe: tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice. Ratios for the perfect margarita vary from bartender to bartender, and it seems there are as many riffs out there as there are humans. The basic blueprint, however, results in a classic cocktail that balances its spiritous, sweet, and sour elements to create a perfectly refreshing drink that's both complex and easy to enjoy.

Thanks to the margarita's universal appeal, it's pretty much impossible to find a bar or restaurant that doesn't offer its own version. That includes the most popular national chain restaurants, all of which have at least one — and typically several — margarita options on their cocktail menus. As a longtime bartender and cocktail creator, I'm no stranger to the ins and outs of the margarita. An abundance of curiosity led me to wonder, which of these chains delivers the goods when it comes to this iconic drink? Eight margaritas were tasted and tested against each other. One reigned supreme. Read on to see how they fared.

I'll give it to Applebee's — for six bucks, you get a lot of margarita. The chain's Cuervo Mucho line of margaritas come in hefty goblets, large enough to look intimidating and impressive when they land in front of you. When mine arrived, I believe I uttered something like "holy cow, that's massive." Half of the rim was generously salted, the other half left plain, with a fresh lime wedge on the rim.

Of all the margaritas I tasted, Applebee's was the most sour mix-forward of the bunch. I understand that high-volume chain bars can't squeeze fresh limes for every drink, and that most of these places use pre-made mix or bottled juice, which mixologists will tell you is a big mistake. Whatever margarita mix Applebee's used tasted the least like fresh citrus. It had a sweet, candied lemon-lime flavor that lacked tartness so the drink seemed unbalanced. Because of the size, too, the sour mix made up the bulk of the drink's volume, so that's pretty much all you taste. There's some tequila and triple sec in there somewhere, but it's far too diluted. I will say, when paired with a spicy bite of food, the sweetness was a nice contrast. I wouldn't order this again on its own, though.

I'll preface this by saying that Olive Garden's Italian Margarita gets props for creativity. It's hard for me to rank it higher, though, as nothing about this drink screams "margarita" to me. Cuervo Silver is the tequila used as the base, and if you really, really concentrate, you can get a little hint of agave flavor. That's tougher than it sounds, though, as there's so much sweet, juicy citrus going on that it tastes more like a fruit punch. Rather than a traditional salt rim, this drink is adorned with orange sugar, which enhances the sweetness even more. There is a tinge of tart lime on the finish, which saves this drink from being too cloying, but not enough to bring the zestiness I expect from a margarita.

The Italian part of the Italian margarita comes in the form of a shot glass full of amaretto that's served on the side. Amaretto is a sweet almond-flavored liqueur. Why you'd want to make this already sweet drink even sweeter is beyond me, but when in Rome, as they say. I added just a tiny float at first, then eventually the whole shot to get the full effect. I was actually surprised at how well the amaretto worked, until I realized that I basically just made myself an amaretto sour. Once the shot is stirred in there, the tequila flavor goes from subtle to nonexistent. This could be a dessert drink, but it's not really a margarita.

Chili's Presidente margarita is an odd one. This is the chain's signature margarita which has graced their menu since 1994, so obviously it's a beloved and popular drink. Lunazul reposado tequila serves as the base spirit — this type of tequila is my personal style preference for margaritas, as reposado has a spicier and more pronounced flavor than its blanco brethren. Chili's enhances that flavor profile even more by adding a hit of brandy, along with Citrónge, a tequila-based orange liqueur made by Patrón. The rest is sour mix.

The presentation of the Presidente is half the draw of this drink, I think, but it's also where my bafflement begins. It comes in a V-shaped martini glass, which is meant for drinks served up, but this is served on the rocks. The pile of ice in the glass makes it awkward to drink. Most of the beverage is served on the side in a cute little signature plastic shaker, which you then use to refill your cocktail glass as needed. With the amount of ice in the glass, it doesn't take long to drain it, and I had to keep pouring more every other sip. The drink in the shaker is also on ice, so it's diluting itself, then you pour it over more ice, and it dilutes even more. Even diluted, the brandy and sour mix skewed this margarita too sweet for me. It's better with a few extra squeezes of lime, but still odd.

Texas Roadhouse's $5 house margarita is the cheapest of the bunch, and it definitely overdelivers for the price. It's not going to blow you away with complex flavor, but it's well-balanced and refreshing and packs a nice little punch. If you want to bump things up to the next level, you can order a kicker for an extra couple bucks — just for fun, I got a vial of Patrón silver on the side, which when mixed in with the obviously lower-end tequila used in this cocktail, really made it pop. Even with that premium addition, the whole thing cost less than $10.

I found the Texas Roadhouse margarita mix to be a cut above many others. They bottle and sell the stuff, so it obviously has its fans. The store-bought version lists Persian lime juice, blue agave, and orange oils as its main ingredients. Whether the restaurant uses the exact same product is unclear, but whatever they do use is wonderfully tart with a dimensional citrus character. The tequila is what puts this cocktail in the lower half of the rankings. It's unexceptional, though inoffensive — but the lack of tequila flavor really reared its head when I added the Patrón and realized what was missing. Still, this is an easy-drinking, tasty margarita and a bargain if you're on a budget.

Most drinkers head to the Yard House for beer, but the chain has an admirable cocktail program in addition to its dizzying selection of brews on tap. The restaurant offers lots of creative variations on the margarita, but the house recipe is very traditional: blanco tequila, orange liqueur, citrus agave, and lime. Tart and refreshing without being one-dimensional or unbalanced, the Yard House margarita is an excellent example of the classic drink. What I really loved about it was the layers of citrus. The orange and lime play off one another beautifully, and it finishes with a bright, zesty tang.

That said, even with a happy hour discount, it's the most expensive margarita on this list. I didn't feel like it was a waste of money, however — it's a delicious, well-crafted, and thoroughly enjoyable cocktail. When compared with some of the other drinks, though, I'd probably seek out the others first to get a comparably delicious margarita and save a buck or two. If you find yourself at Yard House, and aren't in the mood for a beer, I would definitely recommend giving the house margarita a try.

The Cheesecake Factory is known for two things: cheesecake, obviously, and its massive, labyrinthine tome of a menu. I find the restaurant's abundance of options overwhelming, so the streamlined happy hour offerings are like a breath of fresh air. One of the happy hour cocktails is a classic margarita: silver tequila, agave, and fresh lime (there's definitely orange liqueur in there, too, though it's not listed as an ingredient).

What struck me most about this cocktail was its texture. It's silky-smooth, almost luscious on the palate. There's a pleasing roundness to it that makes it feel very elegant. The flavor is fairly well-balanced, though I did find it to be slightly too orange-forward. While this contributed to its enjoyable richness, it did dampen the tartness of the lime somewhat, and the tequila flavor faded a bit into the background. Even so, this is a top-tier house margarita, and one that I'd happily order again.

Outback Steakhouse was my first stop on this margarita journey, and its Sauza Gold Coast margarita set the bar high. I was fairly shocked by this, as Sauza Gold is typically not the style of tequila I go for. It's a mixto tequila, which means it's not 100% blue agave, and in fact can include up to 49% of other spirits and additives. Even with this unimpressive base spirit, though, this drink ticked so many of my margarita boxes that I couldn't deny its appeal.

Despite the fact that Sauza isn't my favorite tequila, I appreciated that I could actually taste the spirit here. This was the most tequila-forward of all the margaritas I tried. I didn't realize how rare that would be at the time, but looking back, I kept remembering this one more and more fondly. Tart, bright, zippy, and strong, this was the perfect refresher on a hot afternoon. This shows that you don't need to splurge on top-shelf products to make a great cocktail — a good recipe and solid craftsmanship go a long way.

Here's the cocktail that earned the crown: The Zen Margarita from P.F. Chang's. Everything about this drink was perfect, and my enjoyment started with the first sip and lasted until the very last drop. Lunazul blanco is the tequila used here, which is an excellent value spirit you'll often find in the wells of decent bars — it's one of the more affordable 100% blue agave tequilas on the market. For a cheaper spirit, it's remarkably smooth, and sets the tone perfectly for this drink.

When the margarita arrived, a rich orange aroma filled the air from the float of Cointreau. As I took my first sip, I got a sharp hit of salt followed by that deep Cointreau flavor, which was quickly met by a shock of tart lime, a touch more orange to round things out, and a subtle herbal agave finish. This is a layered, elegant, sophisticated margarita that drinks like a far more expensive cocktail. It's the perfectly balanced interplay of the vibrant lime juice and sweet orange liqueur that stands out in this drink, something none of the other margaritas achieved. I've had margaritas at plenty of fancy cocktail bars that cost twice as much and didn't deliver near the same quality. Thanks to the Zen Margarita, I'm thinking that P.F. Chang's is going to be a regular happy hour destination for me.

As a longtime bartender, bar manager, and cocktail creator, I have years of experience crafting and tasting margaritas. I took a trip to each of these restaurants and ordered their house, specialty, or happy hour margarita, with no adjustments or substitutions. To keep things on an even playing field, I always opted for rocks and salt, except in one case in which a sugar rim was part of the drink's recipe. 

I tasted each margarita and noted anything remarkable about it, focusing on the drinks' flavor, quality of ingredients, and balance. A good margarita, in my experience, should perfectly straddle the line between sweet and sour, have a detectable but not overpowering tequila flavor, taste tart and refreshing rather than cloying, and have a satisfying body instead of being thin and watery. Each margarita was ranked according to these criteria.