ranch Archives - Best Fried Pickles

March 14, 2023March 14, 2023

The Pearl

Final Score: 83.00

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Notes
At the time of this review, an unrelated restaurant in Columbus, Ohio holds the #1 spot in the fried pickles rankings. Many restaurants in Columbus serve them, but from what I’ve seen, the Midwest just does fried food better. So what happens when a restaurant based in Columbus brings their fried pickles to Tampa Florida? Does that Midwestern quality carry over?

I present The Pearl, a restaurant, tavern and oyster room whose flagship location is in Columbus, but with a new location in Tampa. And they serve fried pickles comparable to those I’ve had in the midwest. They were presented in the form of wedges, not chips or spears. This was ok because the amount of juice each packed was impressive. They were also small enough to eat in one bite like a chip and the flavor was so vibrant. I loved them. They tasted more citrusy than usual? Definitely a plus. The only critique would be that it could have had a bit more breading to give a nice crunch, but the flavor is ultimately what matters at the end of the day. I’ll be going back.

This place is a must.

https://thepearlrestaurant.com/locations-menus/tampa/

February 15, 2023February 15, 2023

Blush Wine Room

Final Score: 80.00

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Notes
Blush Wine Room is located in a shopping area called “Krate” in Wesley Chapel, Florida. It’s like a bunch of shipping containers converted to restaurants in a giant parking lot. Seeing fried pickles on the menu for Blush was a surprise. I hadn’t planned on eating fried pickles there, in fact, I was going to eat them at another restaurant a couple Krates over.
But yet, as the #1 fried pickle reviewer in the world, it’s my duty to try them all. And Blush blew me away.
These fried pickle chips were perfectly crunchy and juicy and so poppable. Eating them all was an easy feat. And soon enough, all the space I had reserved for dinner was gone. They also carried a perfect aesthetic, too perfect. Almost like frozen food? Every chip was so identical and golden to one another. It was quite sus.

But honestly, I’m rating the fried pickles as they are. Doesn’t matter if they were from frozen or not (this is speculation). They slapped and you should get them.

https://www.blushwineroom.com/

January 17, 2023January 17, 2023

Texas Roadhouse

Final Score: 39.00

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https://www.texasroadhouse.com/

Notes
I reviewed Texas Roadhouse fried pickles years ago and gave it a 60/100. After revisiting, I had to drop the score. These fried pickles looked good but didn’t provide pickle flavor at all. There was the classic fry taste taking the spotlight with nothing to contrast it. Some of the pickles were very thin, even to the point that a ton of them had holes in the center of them. The basket of fried pickles was left unfinished for a table of three, which is kinda of rare on this fried pickle journey. I understand that the quality may vary between each location, but it is better to have the lowest score listed on this site, than to have the highest review and ultimately let people down.

December 20, 2022December 20, 2022

The Globe Hotel

Final Score: 31.25

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https://www.thegloberedbank.com/

Notes
This one hurts to write. The Globe Hotel in Red Bank, New Jersey is where this fried pickle journey began. Years ago, these spears looked much different and were perfectly fried. They were in the top 5 for as long as I can remember. But the top 5 needs to be retested every now and then.

The spears were bigger than I remember. Quite massive. But the breading just didn’t stick at all. There were a couple of alright bites, but ultimately everything just fell apart upon lifting it off from the plate. Leaving a breading salad. The other food was very good though.

December 1, 2022December 1, 2022

Revolution, Gastropub

Final Score: 49.50

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Notes
Revolution, Gastropub in Morristown NJ, presented what looked to be an incredible batch of fried pickles. But the breading to pickle ratio was completely off. The structural integrity of the outer shell was damn near perfect, but there was barely any pickle on the inside to contrast it, leaving a lot of fried breading taste lingering. The breading itself could have been seasoned a bit more too.

Side note: The menu said it comes with a side of ranch, but what actually came some type of tzatziki sauce (I think). Kind of sour, but it was good though.

https://revolutionmorristown.com/

November 27, 2022

Nicholas Barrel & Roost

Final Score: 62.00

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Notes
Nicholas Barrel & Roost in Red Bank NJ avoided the chips vs spears standard and served up some fried pickles in the shapes of poppers / bites. The breading was a bit under-seasoned but the pickle itself was packed with flavor. These were very easy to eat and every bite was an explosion of juicy goodness. The outer shell gave an impressive amount of crunch. The restaurant itself was very nice and upscale and the staff and service were on point.

https://www.barrelandroost.com/

November 7, 2022November 7, 2022

Engine No. 9

Final Score: 75.00

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Notes
Engine No. 9 in St. Petersburg, Florida is well known for their burgers. So I was excited to find out that they serve fried pickles spears too. Making fried pickle spears is a challenge and most restaurants opt to serve chips because of this. Engine No. 9 passed this challenge with flying colors. They were incredibly crunchy and for the ultimate test, the pickles broke cleanly. A bad pickle spear will usually slide out of the breading. It was served with a jalapeno ranch. The burgers are delicious as well.

https://www.no9burgers.com/

October 20, 2022October 20, 2022

Walk-Ons

Final Score: 46.25

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Notes Walk-Ons is a really fun sports bar with some amazing menu items. Surprisingly though, the fried pickles didn’t have any flavor and were extremely greasy. At the bottom of the basket was a pool of grease leaving all of the fried pickles to lose their crisp and become soggy. The amount of chips was very generous but eating them was not fulfilling.

https://walk-ons.com//

October 12, 2022October 13, 2022

Buffalo Wild Wings

Final Score: 56.00

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Notes

This is probably the 10th time I’ve tried these in the past few years (spanning across many states). The fried pickles at Buffalo Wild Wings do not stand out in any way. They are mostly soggy and many of the fried pickles were doubled up. Which led to some being ultra soggy. The chain restaurant is very consistent though. Every location delivers the same experience, but that experience is always a small let down. I know they can do better.

Side note: The southwestern ranch was really good but that’s not supposed to be the focal point.

https://www.buffalowildwings.com/

September 21, 2022September 21, 2022

Cracker Barrel

Final Score: 80.25

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Notes
New on the menu in August 2022, Cracker Barrel’s country fried pickles are excellent. The best fried pickles as of writing for a chain restaurant. I shouldn’t be surprised considering half their menu is fried goodness.

The chips themselves were incredibly juicy and tasted amazing without any dipping sauce.

By default, they are served with a side of ranch. The waiter, however, recommended we also try the new dill pickle ranch (typically used for other dishes). Why is it not default? We’re not sure. It worked really well.

If you ever visit a Cracker Barrel, the fried pickles are a must.

https://www.crackerbarrel.com/