The 6 Most Missed Applebee's Menu Items, According To Customers

Applebee's is one of the largest casual dining restaurant chains in the world, operating in 11 countries and territories. Thanks to its wide variety of offerings, which include American, Mexican, Asian, and Italian fare, along with unique fusions of each — like the fan-favorite chicken wonton tacos — it's diverse enough to impress even the most eccentric diner.

If you're planning a group outing with picky eaters, the popular menu items alone will probably do the trick, let alone the remaining nearly 50 or so options. It's for that reason that Applebee's constantly contends with quality over quantity, frequently introducing limited-time menu items while discontinuing others. As you can imagine, it's hard to maintain quality when you're trying to please everyone, and if we're being honest, it's resulted in quite a few items to avoid ordering from Applebee's.

That said, the chain's culinary team churns out just as many, if not more, worthwhile innovations — the viral Tex-Mex quesadilla burger being one example. And, don't get us started on Applebee's archive of discontinued menu items, many of which have cult followings. For a taste of what Applebee's has cooked up over the years, here are the some of the most missed menu items, according to customers.

The barbecue brisket tacos at Applebee's were a fan favorite for nearly a decade before being abruptly removed from the menu in 2021. They featured shredded beef barbacoa, sweet Memphis barbecue sauce, pico de gallo, a blend of cheddar cheeses, and crispy onions drizzled with Mexi-ranch sauce in a flour tortilla. Applebee's was allegedly forced to slim down its menu during the pandemic due to a huge decline in sales and decided to discontinue items that weren't selling well or took more time to prepare.

Despite the chain's reasoning, customers were less than pleased with this item's removal. "I want my freaking brisket tacos. It's so hard to find something so delicious," one person said in response to a Reddit post about the announcement. Another self-proclaimed "Brisketeer" went so far as to launch a petition to bring them back, saying, "Before our world was turned upside down by a corporate decision to disrupt and disparage the very nature of our being, humans came together over a plate of Brisket Tacos at Applebee's for a very affordable $8. Life was good, and the tacos were tasty."

In the end, however, the petition amassed fewer than 100 signatures, and the only recourse for customers has been to make copycat brisket taco recipes. If you want the real deal, you have to fly to a Canadian location where they're still on the menu.

Once upon a time, Applebee's brought together two iconic foods: an egg roll and a cheeseburger. The appetizer featured savory ground beef and melty cheese stuffed inside a crispy egg roll wrap. In other words, they were the perfect indulgent combination. "I miss the cheeseburger egg rolls so much. They were my favorite and the mustard dipping sauce reminded me of McDonald's hot mustard," someone on Reddit lamented in a 2021 post. It's unclear when Applebee's discontinued them, but there's evidence to suggest they was brought back at least once before being discontinued permanently.

In 2017, a petition was launched to have them reissued. "Imagine the horror I experienced when my server informed me that a fan favorite at Applebee's, the Cheeseburger Egg Rolls, would be discontinued," it read. The petition gained 540 supporters before being closed, possibly because Applebee's finally reintroduced them for a limited time. They were gone by 2021 and have not reappeared on the menu since.

We're not sure when Applebee's first released the Veggie Patch Pizza, but according to internet murmurs, it was between the late 1990s and early 2000s. We found lots of copycat recipes online and talk about it being one of people's favorite menu items. "I completely forgot about that! That was a favorite!! Can you post the recipe?" one person commented on a Facebook post. 

If we go by their recipe, the Veggie Patch Pizza was thin-crust with pizza toppings like artichoke hearts, chopped spinach, Alfredo sauce, a Parmesan-Romano cheese blend, mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, and minced garlic. The post has over 60 comments, so they're not alone in missing this Applebee's menu item. 

In a clear fit of nostalgia, a Reddit user asked, "Well they don't make it anymore, and I'm just wondering if anyone knows anyplace I can get something similar?" And in an Applebee's Yelp forum from nine years ago, someone asked, "Is the veggie patch pizza back on the menu? I won't be back until it is."

"Still ain't been right since Applebee's took the apple chimi cheesecake off the menu," someone commented on a Threads post about discontinued menu items that still haunt you. The missed menu item was a chimichanga-and-cheesecake hybrid, composed of creamy cheesecake and caramel apples inside of a fried, sugar- and cinnamon-dusted tortilla, topped with an apple compote and served with vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel. 

"I worked at Applebees in '00 & these were so popular:.( so good!=," said a reply on Threads. We do know it was discontinued sometime prior to 2017 because Applebee's brought it back that year. And, what's interesting is that, since vanishing from the menu, it's inspired numerous copycat recipes. 

On a Facebook post by Applebee's that teases the return of a fan-favorite menu item, "Please let it be the Apple Chimicheesecake!" was a repeat request. Though sadly, Applebee's chose to reissue another menu item instead. We're unsure whether they'll bring it back, but at least there's this list of the best cheesecake in every state.

When Applebee's discontinued its Sriracha Shrimp, the backlash was so overwhelming that it was forced to issue a direct response. "We're sorry that you're missing the sriracha shrimp!" an X post from 2018 read. Panko-crusted, tossed with sriracha chile-lime sauce, and served atop crispy wonton strips, the Sriracha Shrimp had been around since 2015 before falling victim to the chain's ever-changing menu.

Some of the replies to the X post include "I Think About This Appetizer All The Time. I Used To Buy This Appetizer [Every] Other Day, Sometimes [Every] Day." and "I loved [Applebee's] Sriracha Shrimp so much. My taste buds exploded and the world got still and quiet!" Meanwhile, a 2023 Reddit post by someone who allegedly hadn't eaten at Applebee's in nearly 10 years said, "I am now 27, and I've been thinking about the sriracha shrimp lately, same with my peers. Kind of a shame they discontinued it awhile ago."

The Loaded Fajitas came with your choice of chipotle-seasoned steak, chicken, or shrimp, tossed with fajita vegetables, Mexi-rice, and hot queso garnished with bacon and cilantro. They were served with warm flour tortillas, a cheddar cheese blend, guacamole, lettuce, sour cream, and house-made pico de gallo. Applebee's introduced them in 2019, though for reasons unknown, removed them from the menu by 2024. "I rarely eat here and discovered they got rid of the fajitas. WTF Applebee's," someone posted on Reddit that year.

A similar sentiment was shared in a 2025 Reddit post, with one person saying, "Will they ever bring back the fajitas? It was the only thing I liked there. Ever so often I check their online menu to see if they've brought them back yet, and I'm sad each time I see they haven't." Sadly, if you're looking for Loaded Fajitas, you'll have to head north to Applebee's Canada. The closest thing Applebee's America offers is a Chicken Fajita Rollup. Or, you can accept the Loaded Fajitas' fate and try one of these fajita recipes instead.