I Tried And Ranked Every Appetizer At Red Robin

I'll never be able to say the words "Red Robin" without singing the commercial jingle — "Reeed Robin, yuuumm." It's certainly catchy marketing, but that's not the only thing the restaurant can boast about. And I'm not even referring to its bottomless sides or the Freckled Lemonade that had a chokehold on me as a high schooler when I used to visit the chain after choir concerts. Rather, this piece is going to talk about an oft-overlooked section of Red Robin's menu: the appetizers.

Admittedly, I've never had any of Red Robin's appetizers before, despite the wealth of time I spent at the chain in my adolescence. I decided to rectify that oversight today by sampling all of Red Robin's appetizers, and I'm pleased to report that they're pretty good — I even found some surprising offerings in the mix. I ranked the appetizers based on their taste, texture, and how they compared to other appetizers I'd had before. Here's how they performed. 

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

You read that right — Donatos pizza is an appetizer. Ordinarily, I would call that a pretty genius invention, an easy way to basically get a two-in-one meal experience. Pizza to whet the palate, and perhaps a burger after? Sign me up! You can choose between a 10-inch pepperoni pizza or a 10-inch cheese pizza at Red Robin; I'm a pepperoni gal, so I went with that. Unfortunately, it failed to impress.

I should also say that I've never been a big fan of Donatos' pizza, so I wasn't wholly surprised that this didn't do the trick for me. It's not the most flavorful pizza in the world, and it's obviously very thin, which is always the case with Donatos. There was a hefty amount of pepperoni on it, though, which I definitely appreciated, but there are far better appetizers on Red Robin's menu, in my opinion. 

The Shrimp 'N Chip Basket appetizer at Red Robin seems a little out of place, does it not? It's certainly not something I would expect to see on a casual sit-down menu at a spot that doesn't specialize in seafood, so I was a bit wary of it from the jump. Fortunately, I wouldn't call the shrimp and chips basket bad, but it didn't impress me enough to get higher than second-to-last place here. 

The texture of the shrimp wasn't the greatest. Though the exterior was nice and crispy, the shrimp itself was a little chewy and tasted fishier than I'd like. However, the chips were fantastic. They were thick, crunchy, and super flavorful — I'd get this appetizer for the chips alone. But since its star component didn't deliver, I can't give the dish too much praise. 

I've had my fair share of mozzarella sticks. They're typically my favorite appetizer — can you blame me? Who wouldn't love fried, melty cheese? I'll give a pass to the lactose intolerant consumer, but I'll never understand why anyone else would eschew the culinary masterpiece. Given all that, though, it probably goes without saying that my mozzarella stick standards are high. 

Unfortunately, despite their inarguably fun shape, I didn't find myself very endeared to Red Robin's Cheesy Mozzarella Twists. Their shape just didn't allow the typical standout qualities of a mozzarella stick to shine. It prevented the cheese from pulling very much; moreover, the exterior could have been crispier. The marinara sauce was also pretty standard. Don't get me wrong, I still downed a couple of these bad boys — after all, even a so-so mozzarella stick definitely isn't bad. But in the face of the rest of the appetizers I tried, this one failed to stand out. 

So, I'm not sure Red Robin's Queso Fundido should be called "queso fundido"; "white queso" would be a more apt name. Queso fundido typically has a spicy meat in the mix, like chorizo, and it's often served in the dish it was cooked in, with a hot, bubbly top. Plus, it's often served with tortillas or thick chips, as it's a relatively thick melted cheese. 

This didn't totally miss the mark. The cheese was a little smoky and a little spicy, but it wasn't as thick as I'd expect from a queso fundido. The chips were definitely on the thin side, and though they didn't break in the queso, which further signified that the queso wasn't very thick. Had this dish just been marketed as chips and queso, it probably would have received a higher ranking here — but because it didn't fully live up to its "queso fundido" moniker, I couldn't rank it above eighth place. 

I ultimately placed Red Robin's jalapeño coins — its fun (but cheese-less) take on jalapeño poppers — in seventh place due to my own preferences. I'm just not much of a jalapeño girl. If you do like jalapeños, though, this might be the perfect Red Robin appetizer for you.

Aside from the jalapeños being a little chewy, these were pretty good bites. They'll definitely satisfy a spicy craving. The portion size was also very shareable, which I appreciated, and the exterior offered a good crunch. Ranch made for a great pairing; it mellowed out the spice a bit without making it disappear. I liked all of the following appetizers more, but again, I'll chalk that up mostly to personal preference. Sorry, Red Robin!

I always love when a restaurant serves both salsa and guacamole with its tortilla chips — thank you for not making me choose between the two dips! Ultimately, I only ranked this as low as sixth place because it's a pretty standard, no-frills appetizer; however, this version was quite good. I liked the chips, and though they were on the thin side, they didn't break in either the salsa or the guacamole. 

Both of the dips were standout offerings, in my opinion. The guacamole was exceptionally creamy, which I adored, and though I think it could have used some more tomato and red onion, it was nice and limey. The salsa had a nice kick of heat to it, and it wasn't chunky in the slightest — depending on your salsa preferences, that could be a positive or a negative. You won't necessarily be surprised by anything with this appetizer, but it has a 100% chance of satisfying a chips-and-guac or chips-and-salsa craving, and it deserves praise for that. 

One appetizer that did surprise me was Red Robin's Zucchini Fries. This is not something I'd ever order on my own — not because I dislike zucchini, but because it would never catch my eye on a menu. If the same goes for you, take a little step outside your comfort zone and get these as a starter the next time you hit up Red Robin. You won't be disappointed. 

Not only were the zucchini fries incredibly crispy, but they were also pretty flavorful. The breading was well-seasoned (ranch was the perfect pairing), and the interior was recognizably zucchini, but it didn't shout about itself. Moreover, the texture of the actual zucchini was great. It was tender without being mushy — a nice contrast to the crispy exterior. If you want to try something more veggie-forward — and honestly, shouldn't we all? – this would be a good appetizer to check out. 

While we're on the subject of appetizers that surprised me, this one takes the cake. I know fried pickles have enjoyed their fair share of time in the spotlight, but I've never given them a chance at stealing my heart. Why would I? I don't like pickles in the first place (I know, I know), and while a fried food is always endearing, I still would never choose this one among an array of menu options.

Still, I couldn't deny that these ultra-crispy fried pickles are pretty darn good. My one complaint — and the one reason they were relegated to a fourth-place spot instead of earning a higher place — is that they were far too salty for my liking. Still, I don't think that's a huge offense, and the fact that I enjoyed these fried pickles anyway is definitely saying something. They didn't turn me into a pickle girl, but if you already like pickles, there's no doubt you'll be a fan of this offering. 

These top three appetizers all hold a special place in my heart, both in general and when it comes to Red Robin specifically. First up is my third-place choice, the chain's Pretzel Bites — I'm a fiend for anything pretzel-esque, so as long as these lived up to their name, they were sure to rank high on this list. Indeed, they did. 

Even better than the bites, though, was the beer cheese dip that was served alongside them. There's nothing better to dip pretzels into than beer cheese, in my humble opinion, and this one was great — plenty flavorful without being too salty and unassuming enough to let the malty flavor of the actual pretzel come through in droves. The pretzels were also soft with a tiny bit of bite, exactly as a soft pretzel should be. If you, too, are a pretzel lover, don't hesitate to order this app. 

What do I love more than pretzels? Boneless wings. You can't blame me — meaty, crispy, and flavorful, it's really difficult to go wrong with a boneless wing, and Red Robin's are a pretty good version. The chain offers several rub and sauce flavors. I stuck with the traditional Buffalo sauce (which the chain calls Buzz wings). The wings are served with the same chips that the Shrimp 'n Chips basket has, and though I was a little wary of that inclusion at first, I came to enjoy it.

The wings had a nice bit of heat to them, but they weren't overwhelming, especially after being dunked in ranch dressing. They were texturally good, too; the outside had a nice bite without being too crispy, and the inside was nice and juicy. Yes, the sauce softened the chips a little, but the chips retained enough body that I didn't really mind. If you typically get boneless wings as an appetizer, you definitely won't be disappointed by these, though nothing could top my number one choice. 

I'm picky about my onion rings, and it's not every day that I'd give the appetizer the top spot in a ranking. But Red Robin's deserved it — they had all the qualities I look for in a good onion ring, and I'll admit, the fun, tower-style presentation definitely added to the appeal. Red Robin offers two sizes of this appetizer. The Onion Ring Shorty comes with six rings, while the Towering Onion Rings come with 13. 

Of course, the rings themselves were delicious. The exterior was crispy, crunchy, and pretty flavorful (though I may have preferred some more seasoning). Even more importantly, the interior was as tender as can be. One of my biggest pet peeves with onion rings is when the whole onion pulls out of the breading after taking a bite. That didn't happen here, and I was wildly grateful. The rings come with Campfire Mayo and ranch, and each dipping sauce complemented the appetizer very well. It's certainly a crowd-pleaser!

Obviously, this taste test started with ordering every appetizer at my local Red Robin. I tried them sequentially (yes, this was basically the only food I ate that day!) and evaluated them based on how they compared to one another and other appetizers I've tried before. 

There were some pleasant surprises in the mix — namely, the fried pickles and the zucchini fries — and some unfortunate disappointments (like the queso fundido), but my top choices absolutely earned their rankings and were among the better appetizers I've had at casual sit-down chains.