The Chain Restaurant Mozzarella Sticks You Should Avoid If You Want Good Ones

It's hard to say no to deep fried cheese, and the miles-long cheese pull that any good mozzarella stick bestows. Since restaurant chains from steakhouses to sports bars all boast them on their menus, we tasted and ranked 8 chain restaurant mozzarella sticks according to taste, texture, breading, and cheese quality, along with the taste and consistency of any accompanying dipping sauces. Unfortunately, Buffalo Wild Wings' offerings landed in last place.

The first thing we noticed was the ultra-thick shell-like breading that practically snapped when the stick was bent in half. A good mozzarella stick should have a thinner layer of crisp that sticks to the cheese inside. The cheese was perhaps the most disappointing part, however, as it was not melted at all. Instead, it was a stiff column of string-cheese quality mozzarella — as if the ultra-thick coating created too much of a barrier to melt the cheese inside. The mozzarella sticks came with marinara sauce that, while not offensive, wasn't memorable either.

There are various eye-opening facts about Buffalo Wild Wings that don't do anything to ingratiate us to them. The chain was once sued over false claims of vegetarian options. Just as Buffalo Wild Wings fries their wings in beef tallow, the chain uses the same beef tallow to fry its mozzarella sticks. So, if you're a vegetarian looking for meat-free menu items, skip these sad mozzarella sticks. Not that we would recommend these appetizers to anyone, anyway.

Other customers haven't been impressed either. One Redditor posted a picture of the mozzarella sticks they had ordered, depicting three thick breading cylinders with absolutely no cheese inside. One responder cleverly chimed in that they should call them "NOzarella" sticks. Reviews of the mozzarella sticks from other Reddit threads likened them to the frozen mozzarella sticks you can pick up at Target.

To that effect, you'd be better off buying mozzarella sticks from the frozen section of the grocery store than the sad excuse that Buffalo Wild Wings is selling. We also tasted and ranked 7 frozen mozzarella brands, and our favorite is from TGI Friday's — a brand that happened to be our second favorite pick in our ranking of chain restaurant mozzarella sticks as well. Our favorite chain restaurant mozzarella sticks come from Outback Steakhouse. So, you can avoid shelling out the big bucks for a Bloomin' Onion and opt for the mozzarella sticks instead.

Of course, you can always make restaurant-worthy mozzarella sticks at home following out 5 pro-tips for restaurant-worthy results. You can even save yourself the mess of deep-frying mozzarella sticks with the help of your oven or air fryer. Just be sure to freeze the mozzarella sticks before baking or air frying for the ultimate crispy-gooey contrast.