8 Items You Should Avoid Ordering At Dairy Queen

Dairy Queen has a wide range of delectable products and even discontinued items we wish would make a comeback (looking at you, hot apple tart served with a nice scoop of soft serve and DQ Chipper ice cream sandwich). There's a reason it has over 4000 locations throughout the United States, but, alas, not everything can be a mouth-watering hit for the masses. We did some sleuthing to discover the worst items on the menu; we based our findings on public reviews, past Tasting Table articles, and our personal experience patronizing the chain for decades.

Some of these should be avoided because of the lack of flavor, too much flavor, inconsistency by location, appearance, and other reasons. Feel comfortable knowing that you are better off not purchasing it and saving your dollars for a more promising menu item, such as the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard. Next time you venture to DQ, you'll be that much more knowledgeable and ready to conquer the food, desserts, and drinks.

Made with actual Heath bar pieces, chocolate sauce, and soft serve, this Blizzard sounds like it would have potential. But when our writer tried and ranked 14 Dairy Queen Blizzards, the Heath iteration was dead last. Obviously, you have to be a fan of the candy bar made of crunchy toffee bits and chocolate, which isn't as popular as, say, the aforementioned Reese's cup. But that's not what factors into the poor ranking; instead, it doesn't taste like much of anything at all. You'd think the buttery, crunchy notes of toffee and the creaminess of chocolate would come in at some point, but no.

It could potentially fare better with more toffee flavor, but we can't reinvent the wheel, or in this case, the candy bar itself. And even if that were the case, the cold toffee would be way too crunchy, wreaking havoc on your teeth. The candy doesn't lend itself to a successful Blizzard as the pieces are too small and the flavor isn't strong enough to compare to the creamy, rich soft serve base.

Moving on to the next must-skip item: the Butterfinger Blizzard. This chilly treat didn't do much better than the Heath version in the Blizzard ranking. The problem again is that there isn't much Butterfinger incorporated into the concoction. Part of the candy bar's allure is that nutty, chocolate flavor combination along with its crispy, flaky interior. We just don't get that flavor or texture in this Blizzard. Although it's slightly better than the Heath because the pieces are narrowly more noticeable, it isn't enough to justify purchasing it — especially if you are a big Butterfinger fan.

The candy pieces are ground finely enough that you don't really get much of the chocolate coating exterior. Because of these factors, this is a Blizzard that simply isn't something we can recommend. One Yelp review shares the same sentiment, mentioning that they might as well have paid for vanilla soft serve because that's effectively what it tasted like. They also mention that it had a strange chemical-like aroma, which isn't something you want with ice cream, let alone any food. Another review, this time from DoorDash, says they have to pay extra for added Butterfinger because there's never enough. Save your precious dollars and get something else.

How bad can chicken strips be? Well, bad. Dairy Queen offers a Sauced & Tossed Honey BBQ Chicken Strip Basket that is supposed to be a blend of sweet and smoky, but the chicken simply isn't a good bang for your buck, and the quality isn't good whatsoever. One Facebook user mentions that the strips are deplorable because the size is so small that it's more like a nugget than a strip. They also complain that the price went up while the size went down (shrinkflation, anyone?). 

Another person on Facebook notes that they used to buy the strips, but it's simply not worth the price anymore, and the breading seems different, too. The tiny sizing and poor quality have been issues for years, and it hasn't changed. Therefore, you cannot expect a miraculous transformation if you order it anytime soon. Essentially, the nice plump strips in the photo that DQ advertises don't live up to what you end up getting. 

So, the cheese curds are more of a hit or miss item. It's a big gamble if you get them. Some people rave about them (that is, if you get a good batch — more on that to come), but the biggest criticism is the high price for what you end up getting. People say the portions are simply too small, while the cost is higher than ever. One Redditor grumbled that they paid for a large size and were disappointed with what they got.

There are clear discrepancies based on location, too; you simply don't know what you're going to get. They are supposed to be breaded pieces of cheese, but one Reddit user shares that theirs looked ... most unpleasant. They appeared very cylindrical, almost like a breaded Combos cheese cracker pretending to be a cheese curd. People speculate that the Dairy Queen ran out and swapped it with some unnamed item, but that goes along with the idea that it isn't consistent at each location. One Yelper mentions theirs was awful, with a photo of smashed pieces of curds, while another shares that theirs was still frozen in the middle.

The general consensus is that the curds are pretty pricy, not worth the dough, and you can get better ones elsewhere, such as Culver's. If you like a gamble and potentially losing out on your money for a non-edible, expensive mess, then try the curds by all means. But if you prefer a safer bet, just get something else.

A good chili dog is a comfort food for many, but that's the key word here: good. A bad chili dog, on the other hand, can be a huge bummer. As we said earlier, Dairy Queen is a highly popular retailer has thousands of locations, so it's feasible that it's unattainable to control quality in every single one. The chili dog is one such item that is hard to get right at DQ. One typical issue we found is that people are served the chili cheese dog without the cheese. Multiple people show images of what looks like dark sludge guised as chili, no queso in sight.

There's much discourse about the product on a Reddit thread where the original poster says that the chili-covered hot dog is a letdown. Other responses confirm that the food looks terrible, while others say that the chili appears to be burnt and resembles the charred scrapings from the bottom of the chili pot. Worse yet, one comment says the chili gave them food poisoning. In a Facebook post where the person actually got toppings like onions, people still say it looks like slop. Skip this dish, especially if you're someone who likes to eat with your eyes.

If you aren't familiar, MooLattes come in three flavors: mocha, caramel, or vanilla. It is made with coffee (and the designated flavor ingredient from the three we just mentioned) blended with the rich soft serve, ice, and topped with whipped cream. When made well, these are a true delight. But there's a reason we didn't pick a specific MooLatte to highlight here, as the main qualm is the fluctuating quality, no matter the flavor.

Although you can pick from mocha, caramel, or vanilla, it's the drink's consistency that grinds people's gears. One person on Reddit says they are a regular Dairy Queen MooLatte orderer, but it varies every time — not something you want. They say that sometimes it tastes like crushed ice, without the richness of the soft serve. This makes it watery with a most unpleasant runny consistency. Other times, it's almost too creamy with way too much soft serve, and so thick that the only way to eat it is with a spoon. Sometimes, they get the chocolate drizzle (on the mocha flavor) and other times not, even though it's always supposed to be added as a garnish.

One Reddit user talks about a bad experience where it took 20 minutes to get their MooLatte, despite it not being busy and there being plenty of workers on staff. The drink was then left on the counter to begin melting. It's a risk to order the blended beverage and not worth the trouble.

We love a fresh cheeseburger. That gooey piece of cheese wedged between the bun and burger patty is proof that you don't have to create a complicated dish for it to be scrumptious. Dairy Queen's Original Cheeseburger comes with a real beef patty, sharp American pasteurized process cheese, pickles, ketchup, and mustard, on a toasted bun, which sounds like a hit in theory. But when we ranked popular fast food cheeseburgers, DQ's was at the absolute bottom of the list. The problem is that the burgers are mediocre and don't stand out in terms of taste or quality compared to other quick-eat joints.

One person on Facebook mirrors this sentiment, saying that the burgers are lousy. Theirs came not fully cooked and missing the ketchup. One writer mentions the cheeseburger was one of the worst burgers they had that year, reporting that it was dry and lacking in any flavor. People also note that the burger has a funky smell to it. There's not much to like about the DQ cheeseburger; you're much better off grabbing one from BurgerFi or In-N-Out Burger.

There are plenty of places to find the best fries in the U.S. that are masterfully made, fried to perfection, and scrumptiously seasoned. But Dairy Queen isn't on that list. There are constant problems with DQ's fries. People complain that spuds came to them cold, not fully cooked, and even soggy. All of which are quite displeasing. Yes, some people may prefer a softer, limper fry, but nobody wants a soggy one (which implies wetness). One Facebook user said they found a bobby pin in theirs, and that the quality of Dairy Queen continues to go down; that's not to say the bobby pin is a common occurrence, but it does exemplify how there's not much quality control.

Much like the DQ burgers, the brand's fries are the rock bottom pick in a fast food fries ranking (which is saying something, given the list of over two dozen options), because of their limp, unsalted state. One Reddit user comments that the fries have potential, but only if you get them immediately after they come out of the fryer. But good luck with that, as we noted previously, cold food is a common complaint at DQ. The Redditor goes on to say the fries are no good if you wait even one millisecond too long, while another says the DQ fries are the worst tier fries out there.

These items were determined by scouring public opinions on channels such as Facebook and Reddit, as well as food reviews on websites such as Yelp and TripAdvisor. We also consulted previous Tasting Table articles and rankings where Dairy Queen fared poorly, as well as our own personal experience visiting Dairy Queen. Each item had multiple negative reviews and reactions to warrant its place on this list. Although some of these foods may have the occasional fan, the consistent negative reviews imply that avoiding these DQ products is the safer choice.