Review: Cracker Barrel's Fall Menu Is The Beloved Chain At Its Absolute Best

For the fall 2025 season, Cracker Barrel partnered with country singer Jordan Davis to revitalize interest in the national restaurant chain. Around the end of 2024, Cracker Barrel's sales didn't quite meet expectations, so the chain committed itself to updating its restaurants — plus its gift shops, of course — and Cracker Barrel became unrecognizable after the chain modernized its iconic look. Its fall 2025 initiative, revolving around a slate of seasonal menu items, is part of Cracker Barrel's big push to bring in more business.

With Davis as its voice, the new campaign is titled "All the More," invoking the idea of abundance. Seasonal items available during this campaign are, appropriately, numerous, including a handful of brand new dishes as well as some returning items from years past. I tried everything available on the fall menu at my nearest Cracker Barrel, south of the Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. Based on my thoughts about this dining experience, the following are individual reviews for each item on Cracker Barrel's seasonal fall 2025 menu.

Uncle Herschel's Favorite is not new to the Cracker Barrel menu, practically defining the chain as its marquee combo until it left menus around 2022. The 2025 Cracker Barrel fall menu, however, remedied this absence, bringing the fan favorite back for the first time since then. At a $14.49 price point at my local Cracker Barrel, Uncle Herschel's Favorite allows customers to choose between sugar cured ham, country ham, grilled catfish, fried catfish, tender dippers, and — as of its 2025 return — a New York Strip Steak. That's accompanied by two eggs and a choice of sides.

I decided on fried catfish, eggs over easy, grits with cheese, and fried apples. Unsurprisingly, the catfish was the star of the show — just lightly battered, perfectly tender, and well flavored by its cornmeal batter. The tartar sauce accompanying it added the right amount of fatty tang. The eggs, by design, required some additional seasoning, but they were indeed served over easy and not overcooked. The grits with cheese were the second best thing on my plate, amply cooked and seasoned, avoiding the blandness that plagues poor-quality grits. Finally, the fried apples were sweet and indulgent, but not exceptionally so. Altogether, Uncle Herschel's favorite provides a moderate value, with the quality of options like fried catfish and grits with cheese more than justifying the fact that it costs a bit more than similar combos at competing breakfast chains.

On the permanent Cracker Barrel menu is a hashbrown casserole that consists of potatoes, cheese, onion, and seasoning. Headlining the breakfast portion of the fall 2025 menu are a couple of dishes that turn the concept of the hashbrown casserole into a meaty entree. The Bacon & Egg Hashbrown Casserole consists of a hashbrown casserole base, Colby cheese, sawmill gravy (which is distinct from cornmeal gravy), scrambled eggs, fried onions, diced tomatoes, green onions, and bacon.

What came through the most in my Bacon & Egg Hashbrown Casserole were its fried onion pieces. A bunch of them were piled on top of my casserole and they were delicious. Supplemented by the green onions, this was an extremely onion-y dish. The onions aren't overpowering, though, because they're contending with other strong flavors like cheesy potato and bacon. Rather than overwhelming, those bold flavor components complement one another nicely, bolstered by the mild but texturally soft and satisfying scrambled eggs. Simply put, this was a savory flavor bomb and one of my favorite things I tried during my Cracker Barrel trip. It's so tasty and, unlike anything else, I would argue it justifies a Cracker Barrel trip single-handedly.

The Sausage & Egg Hashbrown Casserole is practically identical to the Bacon & Egg Hashbrown Casserole, utilizing the same ingredients, sans bacon, as its base. On top of its base is not just crumbled, smoked sausage but sauteed onions, bell peppers, and green chiles too.

The Bacon & Egg Hashbrown Casserole may have been my preferred item of the two, but the Sausage & Egg Hashbrown Casserole was good enough that picking a favorite was pretty darn difficult. While this could have been a quirk of how my dishes were made or even just the bites I prepared, my sausage casserole was a little less onion-y and a little bit cheesier. A slightly milder, oilier character worked great as a backdrop for its sausage and veggie blend, which was a tad less bold and more nuanced in flavor than my Cracker Barrel bacon. All in all, it's a big ol' bowl of potato, cheese, egg, meat and veggies — anyone to whom that sounds good is probably going to love the Sausage & Egg Hashbrown Casserole.

Buttermilk pancakes came in first on our ranked list of nine popular Cracker Barrel breakfast items, so it's safe to say Cracker Barrel knows how to make a solid sweet breakfast entree. Anyone coveting such a thing will find that the Butter Pecan French Toast Bake is a mouthwatering option on the fall 2025 menu. It consists of thick bread soaked in vanilla custard, topped with cheesecake filling, and baked. That can come with a praline pecan streusel topping and/or a butter pecan syrup. I had mine with both. Each order includes either sausage or bacon. It's also one of five items making its debut for the fall of 2025.

Clearly Cracker Barrel is prioritizing quality over quantity in the seasonal sweet breakfast item department, because the Butter Pecan French Toast Bake is more than just a curiosity — it's a truly awesome sugary treat. Stretching the bounds of what even constitutes French toast, each bite is soft but dense, and rich in cheesecake flavor. Without syrup, my French toast bake was more like a bread-ier cheesecake, the pecan flavor admittedly mild. Texturally, the streusel topping provided a satisfying, crunchy contrast. Even if it lacked a bit of pecan flavor, I found the idea of a French toast-cheesecake hybrid plenty impressive on its own, and even tastier with its nice, rich syrup. For anyone with a tolerance for excess sugar, the Butter Pecan French Toast Bake is highly recommended.

The Herb Roasted Chicken is one of a few dishes intended for lunch or dinner on the Cracker Barrel fall 2025 menu. It's also brand new at Cracker Barrel. One order consists of a seasoned, oven-roasted half chicken, slathered in a lemon herb butter sauce. That's accompanied by mashed potatoes and another side.

Altogether, the Herb Roasted Chicken may not be the flashiest seasonal item at Cracker Barrel, but it still surprised me. A roasted chicken just isn't going to blow anyone away — nevertheless, Cracker Barrel managed a flashier-than-usual take on a staple dinner entree. Its flavor, of course, comes courtesy of that lemon herb butter sauce first and foremost. As advertised, it's buttery rich and even a little thick like a gravy, with a prominent lemon flavor. Ample spices both in the sauce and on the chicken deepen that flavor. As it should be, the chicken itself is fall-off-the-bone tender. Few are going to predicate their Cracker Barrel trip on ordering this, but anyone on, say, a group outing who might prefer a comparatively lighter roasted chicken will find that this absolutely hits the spot. Emphasis, however, is on comparatively — slathered in a rich, buttery sauce, the Herb Roasted Chicken still falls well outside of health-food territory.

Whereas most of the seasonal items on Cracker Barrel's fall 2025 menu creatively combine their ingredients into a wholly new creation — the Butter Pecan French Toast Bake may well be the first of its kind, for example — also available is a simple Slow-Braised Pot Roast. It consists of tender rib meat, carrots, onions, celery, peas, and mashed potatoes in a thick gravy, accompanied by a side.

It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the pot roast sort of pales in comparison to its flashier counterparts. It's not disappointing by any means, but it doesn't do much to separate itself from how another restaurant might make the same dish. The meat is chunky but soft, and its flavor is mild and comforting, lacking pomp but landing in that warm blanket-esque territory occupied by, say, a classic chicken noodle soup. While it was my least favorite item of the bunch, it wasn't bad, and it definitely does belong. Anyone who prefers an old standard over something flashier can rest assured that there is one such item among Cracker Barrel's seasonal fall offerings.

On the lunch and dinner portion of Cracker Barrel's fall 2025 menu is a third hashbrown casserole entree. Whereas its two cousins pile breakfast foods on top of a hashbrown casserole base, the Hashbrown Casserole Shepherd's Pie replaces the pie crust of a standard shepherd's pie with a sort of flattened hashbrown casserole topping. Underneath that flat, crispy, cheesy hashbrown is the Slow-Braised Pot Roast. That's all topped with sour cream, diced tomatoes, and green onions.

To me, this kind of split the difference between the regular pot roast and the incredible hashbrown casserole entrees. Like the pot roast, I found the Hashbrown Casserole Shepherd's Pie on the milder side. But both the hashbrown topping and the sour cream added some zhuzh to the overall experience, complicating the straightforward pot roast flavors just enough to make the Hashbrown Casserole Shepherd's Pie the superior dish. That said, its watery consistency did dampen the crust's natural crispiness a bit. For connoisseurs of a comforting pot roast, this item is just interesting enough to warrant checking out, but for those seeking the tastiest foods Cracker Barrel has to over, there are a few better options on the fall menu.

Moving into the desserts portion of Cracker Barrel's fall 2025 menu, customers can choose between two options, each of which is an assemblage of sweet buns in a small skillet. Perhaps the more creative item is the Butter Pecan Sticky Buns, consisting of five sweet dough swirls coated in a butter pecan sauce and praline pecan topping. Like each other butter pecan item on the fall 2025 menu, the Butter Pecan Sticky Buns are debuting at Cracker Barrel as of this promotion.

Altogether, I thought the Butter Pecan Sticky Buns made for a nice sweet treat — not quite transcendent but solidly satisfying. Their standout quality was a textural contrast between soft bread and crunchy pecan, especially given the generous portion of nuts included in the topping. Another nice thing about the dish was a layer of thickened sauce on the bottom of the pan, which added a sticky, candy texture. That said, the prevailing flavor was more of a general sweetness than anything specific, so those textures were the best thing the sticky buns had going for them. They were enjoyable, but probably not worth ordering over the incredible Butter Pecan French Toast Bake, for instance.

Almost identical in formulation to the Butter Pecan Sticky Buns is the Cinnamon Roll Skillet. It consists of five mini cinnamon rolls in a small metal skillet, coated in a generous helping of cream cheese icing.

While cinnamon rolls may be less creative than Butter Pecan Sticky Buns — and otherwise, the creative items on the Cracker Barrel fall 2025 menu beat out their more normal counterparts — I liked the Cinnamon Roll Skillet quite a bit more. Anyone ordering this probably knows what a cinnamon roll tastes like, and simply put, these are really delicious cinnamon rolls. Texturally, they're just dense enough to have some heft, but satisfyingly soft on the whole. Just like a good homemade cinnamon roll recipe, their flavor balances sugar, cinnamon, and cream cheese in the right proportions. There's really not a whole lot more to say other than that anyone who likes a good cinnamon roll should try the Cinnamon Roll Skillet.

Rounding out the Cracker Barrel fall menu are two drinks, one of which is a Brown Sugar Latte, making its debut in 2025. Cracker Barrel was one of 12 chains that offered a seasonal fall menu in 2024, and that included a French Toast Latte. So, new kinds of sugary espresso drinks were already well within the chain's wheelhouse. In addition to espresso and steamed milk, the Brown Sugar Latte includes sweet brown sugar sauce, whipped cream, and a drizzle of butter pecan syrup. Customers can order it either hot or cold. I went with hot.

The best thing about my Brown Sugar Latte was its appearance. It came in a tall, thick mug, and amplifying a visible sense of indulgence was an abundance of syrup dripping down the mug's sides, pooling on a small plate below. Unsurprisingly, however, its flavor wasn't quite on par with a latte from a baseline cafe, and its coffee aspect just tasted like cheap coffee. As unfair as it might be to compare Cracker Barrel to a business specializing in coffee, cafes are abundant enough nowadays that quality lattes are pretty widely available. Nevertheless, knowing that it's not going to blow anyone away, the Brown Sugar Latte is a worthwhile addition to any Cracker Barrel breakfast. Its brown sugar and lightly pecan-tinged syrup flavor is just distinct enough to warrant ordering over a standard latte, and its awesome presentation is what really justifies its existence.

Perhaps more appropriate at lunch or dinnertime than the Brown Sugar Latte is the Wild Berry Tea, which can be ordered individually or in a half-gallon jug for larger groups. As with the latte, fall 2025 marks the first appearance of the Wild Berry Tea at Cracker Barrel restaurants. Compositionally, it's the chain's baseline iced tea with the addition of a so-called wild berry flavor.

First and foremost, I thought my Wild Berry Tea delivered as a straight up solid Southern sweet tea. For better and also maybe for worse, a good sweet tea should be pretty darn sugary. I found that my Wild Berry Tea's sugar quotient satisfied, prevailing over but not overpowering the naturally bitter tea flavor. Its berry component provided more of an accent than coming through as a defining characteristic, but that worked for me. As a high-quality sweet tea with just a little something extra for the fall season, the Wild Berry Tea accomplishes precisely what it should, and does so excellently.

To try every item on the fall 2025 menu, I dined in at my nearest Cracker Barrel, located adjacent to the Silverton Casino Lodge just south-ish of the Las Vegas Strip. I ordered every item in one go during this visit. My girlfriend accompanied me and tried everything too, so I ran many of my thoughts on each dish by her. But she didn't share any opinions before I had stated mine, so all my thoughts are entirely my own.

I did mention to my server up front that these items were for the sake of a review, simply to explain why we were ordering so much more food than two people would typically order. Given the considerable quantity of food, I didn't try any more than two or three bites of any one dish. Nevertheless, I made sure those bites were representative of them, including every ingredient. My assessments are based on notes I took while dining in the restaurant.