Frozen Favorites From Your Most Loved Restaurant Chains, Ranked

Everyone has those specific restaurant items that they love and wish they could have much more often. But, sometimes you want those restaurant favorites without the hassle of going out to eat. Frozen options available from many of the big chains are an excellent alternative that can be prepared from the comfort of your home in just a few minutes. But not all of these chain frozen foods available from your grocery store are worth the money and time it takes to make them. How are you supposed to know which are the best options for your hard-earned money?

Thankfully for you, I had the opportunity to try seven frozen favorites from your most loved restaurant chains and rank them from worst to best. Each option was judged on taste, and I relied on my food industry experience to make my determinations. You can find a full explanation of my methodology at the end of this article.

Before I dive into the ranking, I want to preface by saying none of the seven options I tried were truly bad. However, some were definitely better than others. With that disclosure out of the way, let's get into it.

Nathan's Famous is a fast food restaurant that originated in Brooklyn and offers traditional American fare, including hot dogs, hamburgers, subs, and french fries. Needless to say, the fries are an important menu item since they're one of very few side options. And, in person, those fries are pretty amazing, so I was excited to see how the frozen option stacked up.

Unfortunately, these Nathan's Famous Jumbo Crinkle Cut French Fries don't taste like the original product they're attempting to recreate. That being said, they aren't terrible. Instead, they're just ... plain and kind of mediocre, thus their placement at the bottom of our ranking. If you put these and nearly any other frozen fries together in a blind taste test, I doubt I could tell them apart.

Despite failing as a re-creation of Nathan's Famous French Fries, I might purchase these again. But, since they lack any real seasoning on their own, I'd definitely add some before eating next time. If you're looking for very bland fries that allow you to customize at home, these aren't a bad option. But, if you're looking for already-flavored fries, there's a much better option on this list.

TGI Friday's is a chain that focuses on casual dining food like hamburgers, chicken wings, steaks, ribs, sandwiches, and, of course, appetizers. Its loaded potato skins are a popular menu item that features cheese and bacon inside of crispy potatoes.

To me, these frozen TGI Friday's Loaded Potato Skins didn't quite live up to their restaurant counterparts, and for a few reasons. These don't taste as fresh as the ones you'd get at the restaurant, and the potato's texture is a little off as a result. Plus, I don't feel like you get as many toppings in the frozen options — at least when compared to my personal experiences with the real deal. All that being said, they aren't a bad option and are one of the better frozen potato skin appetizers I've had.

Despite not quite living up to the originals you'd receive in person at TGI Friday's, I might purchase these again. I can recommend them to anyone who wants a solid frozen potato skin, but just be sure to temper your expectations slightly.

In my experience, you'll most often find Auntie Anne's locations inside of malls and other high-traffic areas (like roadside rest stops). The chain focuses almost solely on pretzels, offering them in varying sizes alongside dips, drinks, and the slightly different pretzel dog. Pretzel nuggets are one of those offerings, typically served inside tall cups for easy maneuvering while you eat.

These frozen pretzel nuggets didn't quite match the fresh version I've experienced at an Auntie Anne's location. However, they're still one of the best frozen pretzel options I've had, which says a lot since I keep other brands of these on hand in my freezer at all times — not only are they one of my favorite quick snacks, but they're also one of my children's favorites. And, in case you were wondering, my children also agreed that these were pretty good.

Since they're one of the best frozen pretzels I've had, I'll likely purchase them moving forward as a replacement to my current standard brands. I highly recommend these if you enjoy frozen pretzels, but I would skip them if you're looking for that "freshly made" taste.

Here we have another one of TGI Friday's famous appetizers. These boneless Buffalo style chicken bites feature chunks of breaded chicken that are then tossed in a spicy Buffalo sauce. They're a popular alternative to standard bone-in wing options and share many characteristics with chicken tenders.

These were the first option to come very close to what I've experienced in person. They taste mostly fresh and warm, with a savory flavor profile accented by spicy and starchy notes. There's a small difference in the frozen option versus what you'd receive at a TGI Friday's location, but that difference is miniscule at best. Generally speaking, these are excellent and among some of the best frozen wings I've had, boneless or standard.

I'll definitely be purchasing these wings again when the craving for some strikes me. I recommend these to anyone looking for a reliable frozen boneless wing option they can keep on hand at home.

P.F. Chang's is a restaurant chain focusing on Asian delicacies. Examples of items you'll find on the menu include beef with broccoli, Mongolian beef, spring rolls, dumplings, and egg drop soup. This sweet and sour chicken is another popular offering from P.F. Chang's and features breaded chicken bites, peppers, onions, and rice in a traditional sweet and sour sauce.

To me, this frozen sweet and sour chicken tastes identical to what I've received at P.F. Chang's locations. And, this means that, overall, I thought this was a delicious Asian-inspired meal that I'd definitely eat again. But the best part to me is that it was ready in less than five minutes — just pop it in the microwave, according to the instructions printed on the package, and it comes out fantastic. This is great because I often find heating up frozen foods to be a guessing game.

I'll definitely purchase this again when I'm craving something warm, filling, and mildly sweet. I highly recommend purchasing this if you're a fan of Asian-inspired dishes.

Checkers & Rally's is a drive-in fast food chain that focuses almost solely on burgers, fries, and drinks. However, you can also grab casual fare like standard hot wings, hot dogs, chicken fingers, or fish sandwiches. Growing up, Checkers fries were one of my most favorite takeout items, so it's possible I'm slightly biased here. You'll recognize these specific fries anywhere because they're a dark orange color (instead of yellow) and are heavily coated with the chain's signature seasoning.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the frozen option tastes identical to the Checkers & Rally's Famous Seasoned Fries I grew up with. If I hadn't already known these were frozen, I wouldn't have been able to tell, and I think this speaks volumes about their quality. Generally speaking, these are my favorite frozen fries, and I don't have anything negative to say about them. The only reason they didn't take the top spot was sheer personal preference.

I will definitely be purchasing these again for my household. I suggest picking up a bag of these fries so you can discover how delicious they are for yourself — trust me when I say you won't regret it.

White Castle is a fast food chain that focuses exclusively on sliders, which are hamburgers (and chicken sandwiches) that are much smaller in size than standard options you'll find elsewhere. These Classic Cheese Sliders from the grocery frozen aisle are a popular option that involves a small hamburger with cheese on White Castle's signature buns.

The reason these are ranked in the top spot is that, once they're heated up, you literally can't tell the difference between the fresh and frozen varieties. The box says "easy to heat, fun to eat," and I have to agree with that wholeheartedly. Personally, I suggest pairing these sliders with the Checkers and Rally's fries for a truly fantastic meal — and combining options is one of the beautiful things about eating frozen favorites from your most loved restaurant chains at home.

I'll definitely purchase these again and highly recommend them to anyone looking for a bite-sized burger to keep in their freezer for a snack or meal at any time. Once you try them, you'll have zero doubts as to why they ranked No. 1 in our list today.

I chose frozen favorites from your most loved restaurant chains for inclusion in this list based on availability at my local Shoprite in Vineland, New Jersey. Each option was assessed based on its overall taste as well as how much it tasted like the restaurant favorite it aimed to recreate.

To make my assessments, I relied primarily on more than 15 years of experience in the food industry. My past experiences creating rankings for Daily Meal and my time as a customer at the various restaurants represented also came into play. Although personal preference played a role in this ranking, I aimed to be as unbiased about product quality as possible.