The Chain Restaurant With The Hands-Down Best Fish And Chips

Making a classic fish and chips dish isn't always an easy task. You need to pick the right type of fish – typically a white, mild-flavored filet like cod or haddock. Then comes the batter, which needs to be flavorful and hearty enough to produce a hot, crunchy exterior while keeping the interior of the fish juicy and cooked perfectly. Last, the chips (or fries) can't be an afterthought. They should share equal billing with the fish as one of the two primary aspects of this dish.

So, when a restaurant chain sets out to make fish and chips for the masses, you might be a little weary — and rightfully so. But that doesn't mean it's impossible; in fact, some chains have actually managed to make a pretty darn good fish and chips entree. When we ranked fish and chips from five chain restaurants, we were quite surprised at our favorite choice: Cracker Barrel's Friday Fish Fry. Yes, the comfort food chain famous for its breakfast and Southern dishes has a delicious version of fish and chips. Though Cracker Barrel offers other types of fish — mainly catfish and rainbow trout — the chain uses cod as its filet of choice, and it's delicious. True to its Southern roots, it's no surprise that Cracker Barrel knows how to make fried food, and this comfort food dish isn't any different.

At around $16, Cracker Barrel's fish and chips isn't cheap. Plus, it's only available on Fridays. Unfortunately, the dish already had two strikes against it for those issues in our ranking. Upon arrival, the dish itself didn't look like much. But the four small hand-battered cod filets tasted fresh, homemade and reminiscent of a homestyle fish fry. Cracker Barrel's fish and chips also veered away from the usual with its fries — more of thick-cut steak fry than a standard English-style chip. They were more like deep-fried baked potatoes, seasoned well, and crispy on the outside while tender inside. The meal also comes with a choice of buttermilk biscuits or corn muffins. As for sides, we definitely recommend Cracker Barrel's hush puppies, as long as you're okay with a carb-heavy meals. These hush puppies are a Southern classic that's a no brainer on the menu and fits perfectly with this dish.

Rounding out our top three — and not quite as good as Cracker Barrel's fish fry — were the fish and chips from Culver's and Long John Silver's. Both serve slightly larger portions and are cheaper than Cracker Barrel, with Culver's fish and chips with two sides and a roll costing $14 and Long John Silver's $10 meal with one side and a hush puppy. Bottom line, Cracker Barrel isn't perfect and has its fair share of dishes to avoid. But if you want a great Southern version of fish and chips, then get yourself over to this restaurant chain on Fridays for a delicious fish fry.