The Worst Chain Restaurant Shrimp Basket Tastes Like It's Straight From The Freezer

When you order fried shrimp at a restaurant, you want the quality and flavor to match the price. The dish should have a perfectly seasoned, crispy coating that reveals tender, juicy shrimp beneath. The dish should never be overly oily, tough, rubbery, or overcooked. Unfortunately, when Tasting Table ranked eight chain restaurant shrimp baskets from worst to best, we found that one from a popular chain restaurant tasted like it was straight from the freezer.

Applebee's Double Crunch Shrimp is described as fried shrimp that are crisp and golden brown. Though the chain has a fairly expansive menu, the shrimp is one of only three seafood dishes available, and the company makes no overt claims on its website as to the shrimp's quality or origin. Maybe we shouldn't have had high hopes, especially since Applebee's ribs left an unpleasant aftertaste. But somehow, we still ended up being disappointed. The presentation of the dish was lacking finesse, with the different elements tossed together in the container with little regard for appeal.

The shrimp were stuck together, which made it seem like they were frozen shrimp that were not pulled apart before being battered and fried. The batter itself was very under-seasoned to the point of being completely bland, and the shrimp inside was rubbery and overcooked. The only parts of the meal that were enjoyable were the fries and tartar sauce.

There may be some items on the Applebee's menu that are worth the price. For instance, its Still Together Sips cocktails will please any drinker, not just gin lovers. That said, many customers think that the quality of its food has gone downhill over the years. In a 2021 Applebee's review posted to Tripadvisor, a diner cautioned, "Don't order their Double Crunch Shrimp," going on to say, "I used to love [the shrimp] but something has happened and now it's awful. [They] are smaller and ... underneath the so-called crunch is this gooey stuff. The shrimp were barely edible. So I took the coating off and just ate the shrimp and I just about lost it. I can't even begin to describe the awful taste."

Food influencer Sarah Margaret Sandlin posted a TikTok review of Applebee's Double Crunch Shrimp in April 2025. She asked the waitress which entree was the least popular, and was told it was the shrimp. She found that the dish did not have much flavor, and she understood why it was the least popular menu item. One commenter pointed out that the shrimp "looks freezer burnt." Another TikToker posted a video in August of 2025 comparing what they ordered versus what they received. They showed an image of the dish on the restaurant's menu, and then compared it to the sad, soggy-looking pieces they received, saying, "I should have known better." If you're craving delicious, crispy fried shrimp, you're better off making your own at home rather than wasting your money at Applebee's.