The Best Fast Food Items Of All Time, According To Tasting Table Staff

As a melting pot of culture, flavors, and histories, America has an abundance of restaurants available for any kind of diner. Yet, among all the options, there's one staple that remains both the most innovative and classic all at once: fast food.

Fast food has existed in the U.S. for over 100 years and is a constant in our food landscape. As such, it's become integral to how and why we eat as we do. Sometimes, fast food items are nostalgic mainstays that might as well be time capsules; other times, newer offerings seem scientifically designed to satiate the most particular aspects of our appetites. The best fast food items are a little bit of both, while also maintaining that ever-important aspect of having a consistent taste and good value for your money.

At Tasting Table, we know fast food. We stay up to date on new releases and routinely rank the menu stalwarts of chains both regional and nationwide. In compiling this list of the best-ever fast food items, we turned to our staff of seasoned food writers and editors and asked a simple question: What are the fast food menu items that you continue to return to ... or wish were still around? This is what they have to say.

Auntie Anne's is a place you might not associate with fast food, but this chain is an unsung hero of a quick service giant. Aside from the alluring smell of freshly baked pretzels wafting through the air, it's simply impossible to walk by an Auntie Anne's and not leave with a cup of Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Nuggets.

Warm, sweet, and a little salty with a classic pretzel crust and fluffy interior, Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Nuggets belong in the history books. And when dipped in the sweet cream glaze? Stop the presses. This extra layer of sweetness paired with the spice of the cinnamon and the crunch of the sugar, not to mention the steam that fills your nostrils as your teeth sink into a bite of perfectly baked dough, is genuinely life-altering.

There's an old saying about all good things coming to an end, and fortunately, there are some exceptions that prove the rule. Burger King's Croissan'wich has been a breakfast staple since 1983, which was ... well, a long time ago, alright?

It's still a perfect way to start the day — I'll even say it's rare to find a breakfast sandwich that can compete. (I said it, and I mean it.) The croissants are tasty, buttery, and flaky. The sausage (my preferred meat option) has just the right amount of grease, and the melty cheese brings the whole thing together in a glorious almost-mess. They're pleasantly and surprisingly light, and when you wash the whole thing down with that nearly too-hot coffee, you know that no matter how badly the rest of the day goes, at least you had a great breakfast.

Crunchy, crisp, and supremely seasoned, Checkers' fries are the kind of fast food side that outshines any main menu item. And Checkers and Rally's — they're owned by the same company and serve up the same fries — know it. The fries dominate the side dishes section of the menu (appropriately termed "Fries and Sides"). You can get them "fully loaded," aka covered in cheese, bacon, and ranch, plain in a Fry Lover XL bucket serving, and other ways, as well.

The addictive quality of these fries all comes down to well-seasoned batter that each fry is dipped in. The specific spice and herb blend used is kept a secret, but I wouldn't want to know anyway. And in case you're wondering, no, the frozen Checkers fries at the store are not an acceptable substitute. I want these hot from the drive-thru or not at all.

I typically associate milkshakes with the sultry days I spent playing on the lake as a kid. It was a ritual to whirl together ice cream and milk in the blender after hastily rinsing the grime off our legs. But if there's ever a reason to sip on a milkshake in the winter, it's Chick-fil-A's Peppermint Chip Milkshake. This seasonal special reminds me of Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Joe-Joe's, especially because it's made with bits of peppermint bark.

The generous heap of whipped cream on top further ups the ante, granting the shake not only additional sweetness but also another layer of texture. The cherry on top, of course, adds a juicy element to the otherwise creamy, pillowy, and crunchy textures of this milkshake. Look for it just before Thanksgiving and enjoy one before winter ends.

French fries have become the de facto side dish for fast food, and it's easy to understand why. Not only do potatoes allow for ridiculous profit margins, but they're a nice, and very filling, complement to the main course. But once you've had the Wisconsin Cheese Curds from Culver's, you might find it difficult to settle for fries again — and you won't mind that you'll have trouble finishing that ButterBurger once you've downed an order of the deep-fried, cheesy delights.

What makes or breaks a great deep-fried cheese curd is the quality of the cheese. Culver's makes good on its Wisconsin home based by stuffing these greasy golden munchies with high-quality cheese that will offer Insta-worthy cheese pulls with every heavenly bite.

You may picture menu items like tacos and burritos at a fast food joint like Del Taco, which is why I think the Strawberry Shake is so underrated. People might not even be aware the chain has shakes, let alone that they're incredible. The strawberry one is a knockout with actual strawberry pieces that help keep it from tasting too artificial.

It's incredibly thick and the perfect vessel to dunk the crinkle-cut fries in. (Don't knock it until you try it.) A lot of places' shakes lack the real strawberry element, so I find it helps Del Taco stand out from competitors. I'm usually a huge fan of chocolate shakes, but the Strawberry Shake is the much better offering. It's hand-blended, too, so the flavor and price truly can't be beat. It goes to show you don't need a bunch of mix-ins and toppings to make a striking shake.

In-N-Out is a Southern California rite of passage. Whether you're new to the establishment or have long frequented it, there's nothing quite as iconic as the Double-Double. It's the go-to option, superior to a plain burger or cheeseburger. It comes with two beef patties, two slices of cheese, and a toasted bun as the foundation. But it has some fresh elements to keep it from feeling heavy: lettuce, tomato, and onion.

The key, though, is grilled onion rather than raw. It offers a caramelized-like depth that makes the burger taste even more high end. Plus, of course, the burger has a layer of the classic spread — which hasn't changed since 1948, according to the chain. I've had a lot of fast food and burgers, and this is among the best you can get thanks to its freshness, value, and quality.

Without question, hamburgers are the greatest sandwich of all time. The most delicious version of a burger is a patty melt, where a cheeseburger gets topped with grilled onions and sandwiched between toasty slices of rye bread. And once upon a time, it was the greatest hamburger to ever grace McDonald's menu.

McDonald's version was called the Cheddar Melt; it leaned on a melty cheddar cheese sauce and was housed in a toasted rye bun. It first hit stores in 1988, complete with a Super Bowl ad buy to sing its praises. This limited-time burger disappeared and reappeared in the ensuing years and was last seen on U.S. soil in Central Pennsylvania back in 2014. However, this awesome McCreation lives on today in Brazil as the Cheddar McMelt, which means I know where I'm going on my next Southern Hemisphere vacation.

French fries are the undisputed go-to side in fast food. However, in its long, greasy storied history, I wouldn't say that fries have ever been Popeyes' strong suit. The chain simply has way too many other delicious sides to choose from, and for a long while, the king of them all was onion rings.

Most onion rings are heavily breaded, come packed with an undeniable crunch, and leave the actual onion part as an afterthought. Popeyes' version leaned more on a lean, crispy flakiness that worked in conjunction with the onion, instead of obscuring it. In my humble opinion, it was not only Popeyes' finest side ever, but perhaps the finest chain side dish of all time. While onion rings have sadly vanished from U.S. menus, and are long overdue for a comeback, they can still be found at Popeyes locations abroad.

Rita's Italian Ice may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of fast food, but it's one worth mentioning. Rita's is known for its flavorful ices, creamy custard, and milkshakes galore, and you really can't go wrong with anything on the menu. That being said, the best item by far is the Mango Gelati.

Featuring mango Italian ice sandwiched between two layers of vanilla custard, the Mango Gelati is heaven-sent. There is something so delectable about that fresh, icy fruit flavor punctuated by the smooth creaminess of the custard, making it perfectly craveable all year long, even on the coldest of days. When I'm not eating a Mango Gelati from Rita's, I'm thinking about eating a Mango Gelati from Rita's — it's that good.

It took me a few years of drinking coffee off and on to start enjoying the cortado, an espresso drink hailing from Spain in which the espresso flavor is bold but slightly tempered by steamed milk. Now, it's my go-to order, and if my sweet tooth is talking to me, I know that a Brown Sugar Oatmilk Cortado from Starbucks might be in order.

Topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon and infused with two pumps of brown sugar syrup, this cortado is twice as large as a standard cortado, and it contains three shots instead of two. Sure, the espresso doesn't pack as much of a punch in this version as it does in traditional cortados, but it's an immensely approachable beverage fit for the masses. If you want to branch out from lattes, this should be your first pick.

The Crunchwrap Supreme, in all its beefy, cheesy glory, is the pinnacle of on-the-go, handheld fast food offerings. Among an incredible collection of gems on Taco Bell's menu — tacos, burritos, potatoes, and bowls — this is the crown jewel.

The Crunchwrap Supreme, with its layer of seasoned ground beef and creamy nacho cheese separated from a layer of shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and sour cream by a crispy tostada shell, then wrapped inside a soft tortilla shell, is the gold standard of perfect bites. Every bite is like a symphony. I eat it with vigor and efficiency, making sure to get each crunchy bite before things get soggy inside the tortilla shell. And when it comes to that point, I accept a slightly less crunchy reality and continue enjoying each morsel. Specialty items and trendy ingredients come and go, but the Crunchwrap Supreme? It's forever.

Many of us can agree that one of the most iconic culinary inventions of all time is Taco Bell's Crunchwrap Supreme, but I would be remiss not to mention the chain's greatest feat: the Breakfast Crunchwrap — specifically the sausage variety, though you really can't go wrong with bacon, either. This beautiful example of edible ingenuity combines a crispy hashbrown, a sausage patty, scrambled eggs, melty cheese, and cream jalapeño sauce into a grilled tortilla to make one mouthwatering bite.

Like any Taco Bell item, the Breakfast Crunchwrap is insanely customizable. Adding the breakfast salsa or your favorite hot sauce will only elevate this dish to levels of unknown greatness. Take it one step further by adding bacon, and you'll have created one of the best fast food breakfast items there is.

Taco Bell's greatest fumble may be the discontinuation of the Meximelt. Whether you grew up eating it during its prime in the 2000s or have snagged it during one of its reappearances on the Decades Menu, you know what a delicious treasure it is. Featuring the chain's signature seasoned ground beef, a melty three-cheese blend, fresh pico de gallo, and a warm flour tortilla, the Meximelt is the perfect combination of a taco and a quesadilla.

While some non-believers think the Meximelt is nothing but a soft taco, true fans understand that there's something extra unique about the gooey cheese pull and soft, warmed tortilla of this specialty. Fans love to grab it when it returns periodically and will attempt to create their own versions using customizations on the Taco Bell app.

I don't remember the first time I tried a Cheesy Gordita Crunch. But I do know that every time I eat one, it's like I remember every one I've ever had. For me, no other fast food item comes close. A good one has a soft bite, never gummy or mealy because all is cleansed by spicy ranch. Then, the crunch of the shell. Generally, I really appreciate restraint, so it goes a long way that Taco Bell doesn't have an entire mess of cheese in between the flatbread and the shell. Crisp lettuce, ground beef — it unites all of its flavors in a superb design of satisfaction.

First appearing as a limited-time item in 2001 before becoming permanent due to its popularity, it's only been updated a few times, so its classic bite is sort of like a time machine. A Cheesy Gordita Crunch can carry you back to the days when an incoming age of tech innovation felt more hopeful than anything else. It's a shame that there has been so much debate in recent years about the rising cost of this menu item, but all the same, this flatbread-wrapped taco remains unique, indomitable, and delicious.

My university is known more for its basketball prowess than for being great on the gridiron, but back in the 1990s, there was an extra reason to root for Tar Heel football — the 99-cent Carolina Classic from Wendy's. The regionally exclusive burger was sometimes offered at that deeply discounted price the day after UNC got a win.

As the name implies, it was made Carolina-style, referencing a local way to top burgers and hot dogs — with chili, coleslaw, chopped onions, and yellow mustard. (Cheese is optional but preferred.) I still crave that combo, so I was delighted to hear Wendy's still brings it back from time to time, with the burger reappearing now and again at certain locations in the Carolinas.

With most fast food burger joints, the "standard" burger is relegated to value menus and kids' meals. Not so with Dave's Single from Wendy's, which is still a go-to classic even with so many other options on the menu.

The quality of the patty itself is peerless, juicy and flavorful in a way that is only possible because of Wendy's never freezing its meat. The toppings are generous and likewise feel fresh and high quality. Mayo joins the typical duo of ketchup and mustard; you get an actual piece of lettuce rather than pathetic, soggy shreds; and the slice of tomato is always thick and covers the whole burger. Not only can Dave's Single go toe-to-toe with other fast food chains' fancier and more elaborate burger offerings, but it bests most of them.

Look, I can hold a grudge for years, and there are a lot of things I'm still salty over. The ending of "Final Fantasy XV." The train wreck that "Game of Thrones" turned into. And the discontinuation of Wendy's Fresh Stuffed Pitas.

They showed up in the late 1990s, and they were glorious. At a time when your fast food choices mostly involved a lot of different burgers, Wendy's pitas were something deliciously different. The image above is from a commercial, and believe it or not, they actually looked like that. The Chicken Caesar was my go-to: It was super fresh, made to order, and had massive chunks of chicken and crunchy lettuce, not to mention dressing I'm not ashamed to admit I could still drink by the gallon. Whatever happened to Wendy's pitas? Some people still want to know. (It's me. I'm people.)

The formula is simple: buttery Texas toast, two juicy beef patties, caramelized onions, a creamy pepper sauce, and a double dose of Monterey Jack cheese. You could call out any one of those ingredients as the reason that the Whataburger Patty Melt deserves icon status in the realm of fast food burgers. And while I have plenty of praise for the toast, cheese, and generous portion of beef, this burger's success comes from the sauce and the onions.

First off, think of how many fast food burgers actually deliver sweet, juicy caramelized onions. Second, the spicy, rich sauce that holds this patty melt together is a magical mix of mayonnaise and smokey chipotle peppers that can't quite be recreated elsewhere. It's so good, Whataburger bottled it and began selling it on its own.