The Popular Side Dish You Should Avoid Ordering From Denny's At All Costs

Most breakfast fans would agree that a highlight of any good diner breakfast is the hash browns. Those crispy potatoes can really elevate a meal and they can often make up for other subpar parts of their breakfast. Potatoes really are delicious, versatile treats. The hash browns at Denny's are consistently ranked fan favorites and even some professional chefs like them. That said, it's worth noting that the hash browns at Denny's are not made fresh. Based on commentary from several sources online, they're not even made from frozen. They're dehydrated and then rehydrated in store before cooking.

No one expects fast food or diner food to be cutting edge cuisine, but it's not wrong to expect hash browns to be made from fresh potatoes. When Tasting Table ranked the six worst breakfast items at Denny's, we had to give the hash browns a spot. It's not necessarily because they don't taste good, it's because of what we learned about them. Denny's doesn't use fresh potatoes. Frozen hash browns seem like an acceptable alternative but Denny's doesn't even do that. It uses dehydrated potato. It was as much of a shock to us as anyone else to learn that Denny's rehydrates its hash browns. The lack of freshness and the questionable value are hard to overlook.

In one Reddit post, a former Denny's cook points out what he sees as quality issues at the chain, listing rehydrated hash browns near the top. A separate Reddit thread detailed the process. "So our hashbrowns come in a box, then you gotta fill it up with hot water and let it sit and soak for a bit in the fridge. After, we take it out, and put on the griddle." This was also confirmed in a Quora post.

We're not saying Denny's hash browns can't be tasty, but not everyone is enamored with them. One Reddit comment cut to the chase pretty quickly by calling them heinous. Other Redditors who saw a Denny's breakfast on an old episode of "Breaking Bad" explained the unappealing look of the potatoes by saying "it's Denny's," and that's just what you get. Reviews on sites like Wanderlog and Tripadvisor mention issues ranging from the hash browns being overcooked to being over-salted. Combined with the fact that they are just rehydrated potatoes from a box, the hash browns really start to lose any luster they may have once had.

If you're in the market for diner hash browns that really hit the spot, Waffle House is often called out as the best of the best. Its breakfasts beat out not just Denny's but IHOP, too. Of course, if you're in the mood for hash browns, you don't have to go to a diner. We've ranked not just fast food hash browns in the past but frozen hash browns you can make at home. If you really want the best hash browns, we think homemade is the best, and we have plenty of tips to ensure crispy hash browns that you'll love.