8 Popular Cracker Barrel Entrees, Ranked Worst To Best

If you're a fan of Cracker Barrel, this ranking is for you. Considering Cracker Barrel serves approximately 230 million customers per year, there's a good chance these ratings will resonate with you, or someone you know. The Cracker Barrel menu is substantial, from breakfast all day to chicken, turkey, beef, pork, shrimp, seafood, salads, sandwiches, and desserts. There's also a sizable selection of side dishes, and most entrees come with two to three of them included with the meal. Plus the signature buttermilk biscuits. So how is one to choose?

I've been a food writer for eons, so I put my knowledge to the test. I headed over to my local Cracker Barrel and ordered eight popular menu items. I chose chicken, beef, and seafood, plus the recommended side dishes to go with them. While I waited for the food, I spent a nice chunk of time in the cozy, old country store. When the food was ready, I sampled the meals and judged them based on appearance, flavor, texture, and overall quality. I found some definitive highs and lows on the Cracker Barrel menu, from the main dishes to the sides. Some dishes were memorable; others I'd like to forget. Here's my honest ranking, from worst to best.

This was one of the strangest meals I've ever had. The Hashbrown Casserole Shepherd's Pie has a base layer of mashed potatoes, a middle layer of beef stew, and a top layer of hash browns. I can assure you, mine looked nothing like the picture on the menu. I'll start from the bottom and work my way up. The mashed potatoes were flavorless and gummy. They were coated with stew, but there wasn't enough flavor to compensate for their gluey texture. Next, I counted four pieces of beef in the stew — granted, the pieces were golf ball-sized. The same was true of the vegetables; I could count the carrots and celery on one hand. If peas were included (as pictured on the website), I didn't detect them. Perhaps the peas were camouflaged by the gravy.

I think the hash brown top is overkill. A canopy of fried potatoes over a plate of mashed potatoes isn't necessary. And the hash browns tasted like grease. I found the entire combination of flavors and textures unappealing. If you like potatoes with your potatoes, and are fine with a few pieces of beef in your stew, you might like this one. I did not. This meal received the worst in the ranking because it was the worst by far.

My first impression of the Classics Country Sampler was not a good one. I chose the recommended marriage of meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, carrots, green beans, and biscuits. When sampling, I found an extra chunk of meat under my meatloaf. To be honest, I wasn't sure what it was, but since it was brown and meaty, I assumed they threw extra meatloaf on the plate. The meatloaf was moist, but it fell apart easily, likely due to all the ingredients in the loaf. I liked the caramelized ketchup glaze on top, but that's about it. And truth be told, I didn't get far into the meatloaf before I discovered it was incredibly pink in the middle. I don't do pink meatloaf. Maybe it was fine, but I wasn't about to find out.

Now for the chicken and dumplings. There were three small pieces of chicken rib meat, with the tough tendon (connective tissue) ever apparent. The noodles were plump and firm, but the sauce was bland and more reminiscent of unseasoned roux. Onto the vegetables. The green beans were brown, mushy, and overly salty. The carrots were firm and flavorful, so that's where I kept my focus for the duration of the meal. This menu item ranked second to last because it was slightly better than the worst of the bunch (I'll thank the carrots for the upgrade), but not worthy of a higher position. 

I love shrimp, so I was excited to try the Louisiana Shrimp Skillet. Sadly, I was instantly disappointed, even before my first bite. The shrimp arrived swimming in a sea of sauce; the dish was more soupy than skillet-y. And as the sauce sat for a minute, the oil separated, showcasing how oily it was. The sauce had the zest of Creole (as advertised), but it left a distinguishable layer of grease on the palate.

The dish purportedly contains grilled shrimp, but my shrimp did not seem grilled. Plus, they were overcooked — curled up tight and rubbery. In terms of flavor, the shrimp was fishy. Shrimp should have a sweet taste, not a fishy one.

Now for the sides. The dish was supposed to come with parmesan bread, which I was looking forward to. Mine came with biscuits. The broccoli was mushy, and the stem ends were black. Literally black. I wondered how the vegetable made it through quality control. It was unappealing and inedible. The rice was fluffy and had good flavor, but there wasn't much of it (perhaps a scant ⅓ cup). The reason this dish ranked higher than the first two was because the initial flavor of the sauce was good, and the rice was tasty. That said, I won't be ordering it again. 

I was pleased by the appearance of the Country Fried Steak when it landed in front of me. The coating was crisp, golden-brown, and appealing. As I cut into the steak, I could tell it was nicely cooked; a butter knife sliced into the meat with ease. The steak was juicy, tender, and had good flavor.

So where did this dish go wrong? Many places. First, the gravy was thick, gelatinous, and bland. Cracker Barrel asserts the dish is served with sawmill gravy, a sausage-based gravy that should be creamy and flavorful. I didn't find it to be either. As for the vegetables, the carrots were maddeningly mushy, and they fell apart at the slightest touch. The mashed potatoes were gummy and dense. The biscuits were flaky on the outside but not light or fluffy in the center (as they should be). I did like the corn, though! It was sweet and firm and not too salty.

If you're a die-hard chicken fried steak fan, I suggest you skip the mashed potatoes and biscuits (you won't be missing anything) and enjoy the chicken fried steak with a side salad. This meal ranked fifth because the steak was nicely cooked and flavorful, and the corn was sweet and firm, but it didn't rank any higher because it had too many flaws.

I was surprised when I received the Fried Catfish with hush puppies meal from Cracker Barrel. There were two large catfish fillets boasting a nice, golden-brown coating. Two hush puppies were nestled on top of the fish, making for a pleasant presentation. I liked the flavor and texture of this fish. The coating was nicely seasoned, and I liked the batter-to-fish ratio. The fish itself was fork-tender and perfectly moist. I didn't really need the tartar sauce, which was mayonnaise-rich anyway.

The picture on the menu shows three hush puppies with this meal, and I received two. Truth is, I was fine with that because the hush puppies were greasy and dense, like fried mashed potatoes. If you're anticipating crispy, fluffy hush puppies, you will be sorely disappointed. As for the greens, the turnip greens were overcooked — they lost their luster and were mushy and bland. The ham in the turnip greens was so finely shredded that it was wispy. Not the way I enjoy ham. The carrots were fine, but too soft for my liking.

This meal ranked fourth because I liked the fish — the portion was sizable, the breading was flavorful and crisp, and the fish was moist. It didn't rank higher because the fish was the only good thing on the plate.

When the Herb Roasted Chicken was placed in front of me, I started laughing. The shape of the bird resembled someone lounging, lying back, resting their head on their hand. Perhaps I'm being silly, but it was funny. This oven-roasted half chicken supposedly comes in a citrus-herb sauce, but I didn't detect that. The chicken meat was moist and flavorful, and I enjoyed this bird. I found the skin overcooked and chewy, but roasting the chicken with the skin on added great flavor.

The half chicken comes with two sides, so I ordered what was pictured on the menu — mashed potatoes, broccoli, and two biscuits. The mashed potatoes arrived as a solid mass; they weren't creamy or fluffy at all. I didn't think the potatoes had much flavor either. The broccoli was nicely seasoned, just slightly overcooked. At least the stems weren't black like one of the previous meals.

This meal made it to the top three because the chicken was nicely seasoned and moist. I didn't care for the skin or most of the side dishes, which is why it's not higher up in the ranking.

Cracker Barrel's Saucy Chicken Sandwich is a fun one. I was surprised by how big the chicken breast was — it was hanging over both sides of the roll. The crunchy chicken coating was crisp, flavorful, and not too greasy. The chicken was moist, tender, and perfectly juicy. I was surprised how well it was cooked compared to some of the other items in this ranking. The toasted buttermilk roll was topped with mayonnaise and pickles, both piled into the middle of the bottom bun. Once I spread them out, the mayo added creaminess, and the pickles added crunch and tang to every bite. For the sauce, I chose Carolina Gold BBQ, and it was delicious. The sauce was smoky and tangy and complemented the other elements of the sandwich. I found myself dipping the steak fries in it, too.

Speaking of the steak fries, I really enjoyed them. The thick-sliced potatoes were nicely deep-fried, meaning they were crisp on the outside and fluffy in the center. I liked the darker, crispy ends of the fries as well. In terms of flavor, the fries were nicely seasoned without being oversalted. This meal came in second for a reason — the flavors and textures were great, and it was a joy to eat. It didn't come in first because I liked that meal better.

Now we're talking. I really liked this Smokehouse Grilled Chicken from Cracker Barrel. Two lean chicken breasts were seasoned with a smoky, Southern-style spice blend and then grilled to perfection. There must be a hint of sugar in the seasoning because it caramelized nicely on the grill. The smoky flavor of the herbs and spices elevated the flavor of the (otherwise bland) meat. The chicken was crisp on the outside and moist in the center — as grilled chicken should be. I would order this chicken again, but would reconsider my sides.

I ordered this chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans to resemble the meal pictured on the menu. Sadly, the green beans should have been called lackluster beans because they weren't emerald in color at all. They were also incredibly soft and falling apart. As for the mashed potatoes, as was the case with the other dishes, they came as a dense clump of potato puree without much flavor (beyond salt).

I'll be ordering this menu item again, but I'll swap in a house salad and fruit for the mashed potatoes and green beans. This meal came in first because it was the most flavorful of them all, and the texture of the chicken was great.

For this ranking, I purchased eight Cracker Barrel menu items with their suggested sides. In all cases, I chose the side dishes pictured on the menu. I did that for consistency and because, in some cases, Cracker Barrel provided the recommendation. I ordered all the meals to-go, so I could take them home and truly dive in. I was home in fifteen minutes, so the food was still piping hot.

I ranked each menu item on its appearance, flavor, and texture. To judge the proteins, I considered the texture of meat and whether it was moist, dry, crumbly, or chewy. I did that with all proteins, including chicken, beef, and seafood. For the side dishes, I judged them not only on flavor, but also on texture and appearance. If the vegetables were dense and clumpy, I ranked them accordingly. If they were lacking color or mushy, I took note. Since many of these menu items are quite popular, I felt compelled to provide an honest ranking. There's no need to waste money on unpalatable food.