5 Chain Restaurants Serving The Best Meatloaf, According To Reviews

When it's not making you think of Will Ferrell yelling for his mom in "Wedding Crashers," meatloaf can bring to mind plenty of memories of sitting down to a family meal and sharing a big hunk of meat with your loved ones. Fortunately, if one can't return to those classic family dinners, there are a few chain restaurants that can at least provide that familiar and delicious taste. Whether or not they've utilized the key to better meatloaf, these restaurants seem to know what they're doing when it comes to cooking this comfort food staple. It's a generally simple meal, usually consisting of pork or beef, eggs, and the item that you can't make meatloaf without — ketchup.

While there are of course a few variations among their recipes, these restaurants seem to have smartly kept it simple. They've followed the age-old wisdom of letting meatloaf be meatloaf, and satisfied diners have taken to the internet to sing their praises. Some of the chains on this list might seem like fairly obvious candidates to churn out a good old-fashioned meatloaf, but there are definitely a few surprises as well. Maybe they're not partaking in all 17 easy ways to elevate meatloaf, but whatever they're doing, it's working for them.

What is meatloaf if not a hearty slice of cheesecake without cheese or cake? OK maybe it's not like cheesecake at all, but it turns out that the folks at Cheesecake Factory sure can whip one up to dang near perfection. You'd be forgiven if you happened to miss the meatloaf option among the other entries in the massive menu, but don't make the same mistake at your next Cheesecake Factory visit.

According to reviews, there's a reason why you'll find it under the name 'Famous Factory Meatloaf.' Be sure to come in hungry and ready to chow down, as numerous reviews praise the generous portion size you'll receive. Of course there's also plenty of acclaim for the taste as well, which caused one Yelp reviewer to pound out exclamation marks to write "Meatloaf was the bomb.com!!!" 

Another reviewer claimed that they had never been let down by ordering Cheesecake Factory's meatloaf, a consistency that's nice to know exists as we all navigate this crazy and unpredictable world. The secret weapon for the dish may be the brown gravy that one satisfied diner claimed was in a different class compared to the average gravy.

It may not be the first place that comes to mind when someone says meatloaf, as Facebook users have lamented that the dish doesn't get the attention it deserves. However, pair it with the right Cheesecake Factory appetizer, and you're off and running to a fabulous meal.

When a restaurant sets one of its founding goals as serving "bear-sized" portions, you can almost guarantee that you'll be taking part of your meatloaf meal home in a to-go box. Unlike Cheesecake Factory, Black Bear Diner seems like the exact kind of place where one would come across a killer meatloaf. Thanks to a recipe that uses a mixture of ground beef and sausage before topping it off with beef gravy and crispy onion straws, Black Bear follows through on those expectations.

One Yelper pointed out that the meatloaf isn't exactly what grandma used to make thanks to the addition of sausage and what they suspected was fennel in the gravy. However, that didn't stop another reviewer from describing the meal as "wholesome," and another proclaiming that Black Bear's meatloaf was the best they had ever eaten at a restaurant.

For those who aren't looking to be eating a meal big enough for two, there appears to be an option for a smaller order. But if you're ready to throw down a full-sized order, as one TripAdvisor reviewer from the UK was, you'll be leaving with a full belly and taste buds tingling with home-cooked taste. It's a dish that has received the highest of praise, with another TripAdvisor user writing of their experience, "My Dad had the meatloaf, which he said was 'almost as good as my wife's' ... NO SMALL STATEMENT."

When your meatloaf is good enough to get Guy Fieri to say "Diners across the world have to take a lesson from this one," it's safe to say that you're doing something right. Regardless of whether it contains any of the 13 ingredients that Fieri swears by, the celebrity chef was won over by this offering from Metro Diner — and he's not alone in his opinion. The griddle-seared fan favorite has gathered quite a following over the years, including a Yelper who doesn't even care all that much for meatloaf.

Made with a combo of ground beef, turkey, and pork, it stands out among Metro Diner's other well-received offerings like the Chicken Pot Pie and Fried Chicken — which says quite a lot. Claims of the Iron City Meatloaf being "out of this world" or the best someone's had in a while pop up frequently on the chain's Yelp pages. 

Over on TripAdvisor, one reviewer apparently tired of sifting through a layer of ketchup to get to their meatloaf was appreciative of Metro's "outstanding" offering. That shouldn't come as a surprise for anyone who has come across the recipe online, as ketchup is nowhere to be found on the ingredients list. That fact may fly in the face of meatloaf traditionalists, but for others, it's not a deal-breaker, and even elicits a rallying cry. As one Yelper wrote, "Stop reading this review. Right now. I mean it! Go to Metro Diner!"

Telling someone that Cracker Barrel has a great meatloaf will get the same response as telling someone that water is wet — namely, some variation of "Well duh." Among the Cracker Barrel hacks that you need to know is that the meatloaf should be your go-to order when you're looking for a dinner that will remind you of your childhood.

Reviews saying that the meatloaf is some variation of "Like my mom used to make" has been a recurring theme so far, but with its emphasis on old-timey appeal, it takes on an even deeper meaning at Cracker Barrel. Even when it comes to something as simple as the iconic decor. But rather than toss out a merely adequate meatloaf and let nostalgia do most of the heavy-lifting, when it comes to taste, Cracker Barrel puts out an offering that any grandma would approve of.

One frequent diner praised the chain on TripAdvisor, writing that the dish is "always moist and delicious," and another on Yelp made the bold proclamation, "This is the only place I will eat meatloaf." Made with tomatoes, onions, green peppers, and a classic ketchup topping, Cracker Barrel isn't exactly reinventing the meatloaf wheel — but its a great example of letting a traditional offering speak for itself.

Logan's Roadhouse prides itself on being a "come as you are" restaurant, and there are few things that emphasize being a casual dining spot more than offering up a dish like a good old fashioned meatloaf. That being said, it's not exactly presented in the most traditional way, as it's served with a brown gravy, mushrooms, and beer-battered onions on top of it — and that's not even mentioning the Meatloaf Roadies slider option! 

Though steaks take the main billing at Logan's, those in the know are well aware that the meatloaf is a solid offering. This includes a TripAdvisor user who claimed they headed to their nearest Logan's for the best of reasons — specifically, "I had that meatloaf on my mind." Another veteran of the dish claimed in their 5-star review that they'd never had a bad dinner when Logan's meatloaf was involved.

Fans also include those who didn't know about Logan's meatloaf game when they walked in the door. One Yelper wrote that their husband was treated to a pleasant surprise of getting the best restaurant meatloaf he'd ever had, and another's review included plans to go back and get the meatloaf on their next visit. So, it may be a bit rowdier than the traditional diner setting or sitting at grandma's table for Sunday dinner, but if you're in the mood for a good time and a big hunk of meat, don't rule out Logan's Roadhouse.

The first step in our process involved looking up which chain restaurants actually serve meatloaf. From there, the list was whittled down to chains that consist of at least 10 locations to make sure we were choosing establishments that people of different areas could frequent. The choices were cut down even further by looking at news reports and any other articles that happened to highlight a particular restaurant's meatloaf. Finally, with the main premise of the article centered around customer reviews, sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor were relied upon to obtain diner feedback, and to make sure they corresponded with other rankings.

Upon looking at an individual chain, different locations from various regions were examined to make sure we were getting the complete picture, and not letting one location determine our viewpoints. Lastly, the personal experience of the writer was taken into account, admittedly more for the experiences at the restaurants listed as opposed to a close encounter with the establishment's meatloaf. And that friends, is how this list came to be.