9 Hidden Gem Menu Items Worth Seeking Out At Fast Food Chains

Fast food joints are a convenient way to grab a bite, especially because there are so many places to pick from. You can find a designated chain for anything from sandwiches to pizza to burgers to tacos, and there are plenty of locations out there. You likely don't have to travel far for something delicious and quick. These well-established chains tend to be famous for certain products, but they also have menu options that tend to fly under the radar — options that customers may not know exist. Or if they do, they aren't sure if they taste good or are worth the purchase.

We want to dive into this phenomenon and identify some of the best hidden gem fast food menu items worth seeking out. We selected a handful of the top food and drinks that you'll want to try based on previous Tasting Table reviews; each of these picks fared particularly well in a taste test, so we're confident you're getting a quality product. Let's discover some new eats! You've probably never tried or heard of these options before, but you'll want to add them to your must-try list.

After testing out 10 fast food hot dogs, our writer deemed Shake Shack's flat-top hot dog as the top dog (pun intended, of course). We'd consider this a pretty epic hidden gem because the chain is mainly known for its shakes and burgers. Some might not be aware that it even sells hot dogs, let alone a unique flat-top one. It doesn't look delectable, but it is. The hot dog is made of 100% beef, but it's that horizontal cut through the whole thing that makes it different from your basic dog. 

The meat is wonderfully savory and juicy with a toastiness to give it dimension, but the bun is equally impressive. It, too, is toasted to provide more flavor and a firmer structure, with a smidge of melted butter to bring richness. While you can jazz it up with customizations for a fee, such as chopped bacon or crispy onions, the plain version is a total knockout.

Five Guys is most well known for its fries and burgers — or perhaps those free peanuts that you can grab as you wait for your food to be ready. So it might come as an unlikely surprise that the chain has a hot dog on the menu. The Five Guys hot dog was the second choice in our fast food hot dog taste test, with a similar lengthwise split as Shake Shack. 

It's grilled to give it a marvelous caramelized, smoky, toasty note, but here, you can also pick from a range of free and unlimited toppings to create a meal that feels and tastes homemade. Toppings like grilled mushrooms or onions, green peppers, or jalapeños can transform the already tasty meat-and-bun combo into an even heartier and more delicious option — plus, they add more flavor and texture to the mix. Don't miss out on this filling option next time you go to Five Guys. You may want to skip ordering your favorite burger and opt for the dog instead.

You might not think that a fish sandwich from a chicken chain would be good, let alone rank high in a fast food fish sandwich taste test – but hey, here we are. Every element of the Church's Texas Chicken fish sandwich — fish, tartar sauce, and bun — is intentional and well-made. Our taste tester particularly loved how loaded the fish sandwich was with tartar sauce, ensuring every morsel was flavorful and moist. The fish sandwich is considered a star because of said tartar sauce; its blend of sweet and tangy flavors elevates the sandwich to new heights. 

Pickle fans will enjoy the pickle relish as well as the delicately sliced pickle chips, both of which enhance flavor and texture. But never fear, the fried fish itself (made from wild-caught Pacific pollock) is crisp and delectable with its seasoned breading. Nothing fishy is going on at Church's Texas Chicken. To top it all off, the buttery, soft bun with barely-there sweetness serves as a counterpoint to the crisp fish, creating a fun mouthfeel.

Del Taco offers a wide selection of items, making it hard to narrow down your order. After trying out several popular picks, the strawberry shake stood out for a couple of reasons. For one, it isn't something that seems like it would be good at a Mexican-inspired fast food chain; it seems out of place on a menu full of things like burritos and tostadas. But second and most importantly, it was absolutely phenomenal.

This underrated fast food item has real strawberry morsels that add a splendid burst of sweet, fruity flavor and a soft, yet chewy texture to every slurp. The strawberry base is more concentrated, at least compared to the chocolate shake the brand offers. The shake is thick enough that you can enjoy it with a spoon, which makes it feel thoroughly more indulgent for a fast-food creation. For the ultimate pairing, consider ordering Del Taco's crinkle-cut fries and dipping them into your strawberry shake. You can thank us later.

Taco Bell is the home of Mexican-inspired food like the Chalupa Supreme and Nachos BellGrande, so you can certainly expect things like burritos and quesadillas on the menu. Hash browns seem a little out of place, and yet they are incredibly delicious. They were actually our top-ranking fast food hash browns, beating out places like Chick-fil-A, Dunkin', and McDonald's, which are more well-known for their spud dish iterations.

Taco Bell takes the cake because of its fantastic crunchy exterior, while others can be a bit soggy or too oily. Rather than leaving an oil slick on your lips and an unpleasant oily aftertaste, this hash brown has a neutral flavor with a slightly buttery profile to make it stand out. It tastes like fried potatoes, which is what most people are going for, and is harder to find at a fast food joint than you'd think. Reviews mention that they also appreciate the size and price to make it more enticing for your next purchase. Be prepared to be thoroughly impressed with this random Taco Bell item.

Papa John's is one of the front-runners for fast food pizzas, along with other chains like Pizza Hut and Domino's. Next time you're ordering your favorite pizza pie, consider tacking on the large chocolate chip cookie for a treat. The name could use a revamp because it's not necessarily a cutesy little cookie; it is a skillet-like family-size dessert cut into eight pieces — much like a pizza. 

This underappreciated find is so incredible that our writer said it blew their expectations out of the water. It was ranked as our second-best fast food chocolate chip cookie, as if you needed further proof of its deliciousness. It has a slightly crispy edge with a doughy center that makes the perfect combination if you prefer a chewier dessert. The amount of chocolate chips and value for the size are also notable qualities. This cookie tastes as impressive as it looks, so we're not sure why it's not talked about more. While some slices are unevenly sized, you can always cut them into smaller pieces.

People head to Panera for things like a hot cup of coffee, soup tucked into a sourdough bread bowl, or one of the many sandwich offerings. But people probably don't go there for, or even know about, its smoothies, particularly the peach and blueberry smoothie with almond milk. After sampling over a dozen Panera drinks, the aforementioned smoothie received top marks because of its consistency and taste. It has peach and mango puree as its flavor foundation, along with white grape juice, passion fruit juice, and blended blueberries for dimension, while almond milk acts as the milk base.

Now, admittedly, it's not the most beautiful beverage we've laid eyes on, but that's yet another reason why it's such a sleeper hit. You wouldn't know how good it is by merely looking at it. Our writer was particularly impressed with the thickness that made it seem substantial, almost like a luscious ice cream shake. In addition, it's a vegan smoothie — which not only makes it accessible for a wider audience, but makes that creaminess all the more impressive.

When you think of a fast food English muffin, Dunkin's version probably doesn't come to mind. The chain is known for its range of coffee drinks and donuts, but its vegan products (namely the English muffin) aren't on people's radars. When we tried a range of vegan Dunkin' menu items, the fluffy, fresh-baked good made it to second place, just after the incredibly popular hash browns. The muffin is shockingly soft and delicate, but denser than the airy English muffins with holes that you might be used to. 

The soft texture and bite make it a standout to use with the company's rich avocado spread. Ask for it to be toasted to give it a slight firmness or leave it as is for the softest results. These English muffins are quite unique and memorable, yet not something the average customer likely orders. But they're a hit for those in the know, as people on Reddit have said they want to buy packs of them. It's not the most exciting menu item, but you never know when you'll want something from Dunkin' that's familiar, not sweet, and, as a bonus, vegan.

Subway is all about the sandwiches, which allow customers to tailor their meals to their liking. While there are online discussions about people's favorite Subway sub, the breakfast options don't get much love — let alone the Black Forest ham, egg, and cheese sandwich, which was our top choice among all the breakfast menu items. People don't seem to go to the chain for brekkie all that often, but perhaps they ought to start. 

The eggs are still scrumptious despite being premade (you don't get that rubbery texture that sometimes occurs in fast food breakfasts), but the all-star is the fresh bread and that smoky Black Forest ham. The egg and your choice of cheese give it a rich mouthfeel, while the ham brings the savory profile to the forefront. It's not the most conventional breakfast, but it works, fills you up, and tastes fantastic. Just make sure to eat it the day of, as the bread gets quite hard by the next day.

There were a few things we considered to classify something as a hidden gem. The item had to be somewhat unexpected for that particular eatery and its specialty, or the food had to be overshadowed by other well-known items from the brand or by a plethora of other menu options — making it something most people don't really order or even know about. 

We also wanted to select a range of items and eateries to give you some fun and tasty picks from various places, rather than focusing on a couple of top chains. In addition to being a hidden gem, each item was tested by someone on the Tasting Table team and had to be well-received or ranked highly in a taste test. We also backed up some of our findings with public opinions or reviews that we located on social media or review websites.