9 Chain Restaurants With The Best Fried Shrimp, According To Reviews

Fried shrimp is the ultimate comfort food, so it's no surprise that tons of chain restaurants offer the dish on their menus. From high-end steakhouses to well-known seafood chains and spots specializing in Italian cuisine, the dish pops up everywhere and can be a great crowd-pleaser if it's done right. Some chains in particular stand out for offering versions that are perfectly golden and crispy, fresh-tasting and seasoned well, and paired with vibrant sauces.

One of the great things about fried shrimp is how versatile the dish can be. Some chains go classic with just a light breading that lets the shrimp's slightly sweet flavor shine through. Others introduce flavor enhancers into the breading, like coconut or fresh herbs, and some go a step further by adding unique twists like tossing the shrimp with veggies or slathering it in a creamy, spicy dressing. And that's why certain chains have earned a reputation for doing it better than the rest.

Being big fans of fried shrimp, we have a few favorite chain restaurants that we know always deliver stellar versions of the dish. However, we also wanted to see if others share our opinions and if there are any spots we've been missing out on, so we took to social media platforms, food blogs, and forums to uncover which spots get the most buzz for their take on the dish. According to reviews, these are the chain restaurants with the absolute best fried shrimp dishes.

Since opening in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 2000, Bonefish Grill has been impressing guests with its fresh seafood dishes, including the popular Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer. 

Bonefish's star appetizer features crispy fried shrimp tossed in a spicy, creamy sauce and garnished with sliced green onions. The tails are removed from the shrimp so that they're easy to pop in your mouth in one go. Think of it like Asian-inspired popcorn shrimp, served on a bed of lettuce, which infuses a bit of flavor into the dish. 

Diners rave about the Bang Bang Shrimp, calling it a top-tier appetizer. People love that the breading is light and crispy and that the shrimp are tender and taste ultra-fresh. Plus, the sauce is absolutely sublime — creamy, slightly spicy, and just a touch sweet. Many say it's easy to get hooked on. As a reviewer on TikTok said, "With this addictive combo of crispy shrimp and creamy sauce, you will not want to stop eating this."

Like Bonefish Grill, Red Lobster was also founded in Florida (Lakewood, to be exact), and it also specializes in seafood. Since the first restaurant opened in 1968, fried shrimp has been on the menu, and over the following decades, Red Lobster has introduced numerous shrimp dishes. One of the fan favorites is the Parrot Isle Coconut Shrimp.

Golden, crunchy, and infused with tropical flavors, Red Lobster's take features jumbo shrimp hand-breaded with a panko-coconut coating. The breading also gets a touch of Parrot Bay Coconut rum, which gives the dish its name. The shrimp are fried until golden and crunchy, and served with a creamy piña colada sauce on the side that's sweet, tangy, and offers up more coconut flavor.

Many people say Red Lobster's Parrot Bay shrimp is one of the absolute best appetizers you can order at Red Lobster. You can also get it as a main course with your choice of side if you're craving more shrimp. Diners love the flavor and the crunch that you get from the coating. As one reviewer on Instagram said, "This was really crispy and I like the coconut shreds on top." For many, though, it's the sauce that really brings the dish together and takes it to a whole other level.

With over 620 locations across the U.S., there's a good chance there's a LongHorn Steakhouse near you. Many people come just for the meat, like LongHorn Steakhouse's best-selling ribeye and the hefty porterhouse. However, many say you shouldn't sleep on the appetizers, especially the Wild West Shrimp.

LongHorn puts an interesting twist on its fried shrimp dish. It starts with plump shrimp that are hand-breaded and fried until golden. Then, they are tossed with spicy cherry peppers and garlic butter and served on a large platter with ranch dipping sauce on the side. If you're worried the dish might be too hot, you can modify it to have the cherry peppers served on the side or left out altogether. Same goes for the garlic butter.

It's pretty clear that diners can't get enough of the Wild West Shrimp, as every time LongHorn posts pics of the dish on social media, people are quick to jump in with glowing reviews. In a recent Instagram post about the dish, one commenter said, "I adore these shrimp more than my firstborn." Another chimed in with, "I'm a cook and I eat the Wild West every day." People love that the shrimp are hot, flavorful, and consistently good every time."

Where do you go when you're craving Asian flavors, but can't decide on a particular type of cuisine? For many, the answer is P.F. Chang's. The menu is substantial, serving a mash-up of Chinese, Thai, Japanese, and Korean dishes. However, for many, there's one appetizer that's a must: the Dynamite Shrimp.

If you like your fried shrimp slightly fiery, the Dynamite Shrimp won't disappoint. It features shrimp that are coated in a layer of tempura batter, fried until crispy, then tossed in a creamy sriracha aioli. One of the fun facts about P.F. Chang's that only true fans would know is that it was the first national chain to incorporate sriracha in its dishes, and now it goes through over 100,000 bottles of the sauce a year. That's a good indicator of just how popular the Dynamite Shrimp is.

According to diners, there's an awful lot to love about P.F. Chang's fried shrimp appetizer. For one, the thick batter gives a good crunch, even when coated in sauce. In addition, the sriracha aioli offers up some heat, but not so much that it sets your mouth on fire. One reviewer summed it up nicely on Instagram, calling it "Crispy, creamy, and full of flavor." Several say the dish was the highlight of their whole meal.

Many chains start with a signature dish or food concept, but Yard House began with beer. Yard House has a seriously impressive beer selection, but there's also a great selection of modern pub fare to help soak up all the drinks. If it's fried shrimp you're craving, the Firecracker Shrimp gets rave reviews.

As the name suggests, the Firecracker Shrimp offers a kick of heat, but there's so much more going on with the dish than just your standard spicy fried shrimp. To start, the shrimp is tempura-battered and fried, then it's tossed in a sweet chili sriracha sauce and piled onto a crispy rice cake. It also gets drizzled with a sweet soy ginger sauce and garnished with green onions, red pepper threads, and cilantro.

Diners say Yard House nails the execution of its fried shrimp dish. One reviewer on TikTok said, "The breading on these — perfect. Soaks up all the sauce." As for the flavor, they said, "It's like a sweet and sour sauce with just a little kick." People also love how substantial the dish is with its combo of shrimp and a crispy rice cake. One fan commented on an Instagram post about the dish, "My favorite go-to appetizer. It fills me up — no need to order anything else."

Your meal at Olive Garden will inevitably start with the chain's never-ending breadsticks, but after that, you may be tempted to move on to some appetizers. If you want the best of the best, many say the Shrimp Fritto Misto is the way to go. In fact, it earned the top spot in our ranking of every Olive Garden appetizer.

Olive Garden goes big with its fried shrimp appetizer, offering up more than half a pound of seasoned, hand-breaded shrimp, along with onions and bell peppers that are also breaded. Everything is lightly fried until it's nice and crispy, and it's served with marinara sauce and spicy ranch dressing on the side. The substantial size makes it an excellent dish for sharing, and according to many diners, it also delivers big on flavor.

Our reviewer noted that this dish is addictively good, with its light, herb-infused coating on the shrimp and vegetables, and its tasty dipping sauces. And we aren't the only ones who think this dish is an absolute winner. One fan on Facebook said, "I think this is Olive Garden's best work," and several people commented that it is indeed one of the chain's best dishes. Several also recommended using it as a topping on Olive Garden's fettuccine Alfredo for a next-level dish.

Outback Steakhouse may be famous for its Bloomin' Onion appetizer, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best appetizer on the menu. For many, that's actually the Bloomin' Shrimp.

The concept is similar, but instead of an onion, you get shrimp that are coated in the same spice mix and breading, then fried until they're a deep golden color and crunchy on the outside. They also get drizzled with Outback's signature "bloom sauce." The chain also gives you extra sauce on the side for dunking.

Earlier this year, we ranked seven of Outback's most popular appetizers, and the Bloomin' Shrimp earned the number one spot. Our reviewer noted that it tastes even better than the Bloomin' Onion thanks to its great balance of crispy coating and juicy shrimp inside. On TikTok, a diner noted, "I love the zesty kick that the sauce adds as well." 

Like many steakhouses, Ruth's Chris also offers seafood, and one dish that many diners say is an absolute must-try is the signature Spicy Shrimp appetizer.

Ruth's Chris does things a little bit differently than other chains with its version of spicy fried shrimp. For one, the shrimp are butterflied before being battered and deep-fried. That extra surface area means you get more of the delicious crunch on the outside. In addition, the shrimp is dressed New Orleans style in a spicy, creamy sauce. It's garnished with sliced green onions, cucumbers, and red peppers, and you get a lemon to squeeze over the dish.

To say that people love this dish would be an understatement. One fan posted on Facebook, "I legit had a dream about the spicy shrimp from Ruth's Chris Steak House last night." Another enamored diner commented on an Instagram post about the shrimp, "I love, and I mean love, this appetizer. I even ask for extra spicy sauce on the side and dip my filet steak in it." For many, the combination of the crispy shrimp and creamy, flavor-packed sauce is a solid 10 out of 10.

The Cheesecake Factory is famous for having the most extensive menu of any chain restaurant. There are over 250 menu items to choose from, which can make it difficult to decide what to order. In terms of appetizers, though, many say that choice is a no-brainer, as the Thai Chili Shrimp is absolutely delicious.

There's nothing overly fancy about the Thai Chili Shrimp, and that's what so many people love about it. You get juicy shrimp that have been battered and fried, then tossed with a spicy garlic aioli. The tails are removed, so you can go to town popping those bite-sized shrimp into your mouth. The serving size is also pretty substantial, so it's great for sharing. Then again, based on what diners are saying, you may just want to keep it all to yourself.

The reviews for the Thai Chili Shrimp are overwhelmingly positive, with many loving the texture of the breading and the flavor of the spicy aioli. One reviewer on Instagram described the shrimp as "crispy with just enough kick." Another reviewer on TikTok said, "Probably some of my favorite fried shrimp I've ever had ... they're so bold, spicy, and addictive." 

Tons of chain restaurants offer fried shrimp, but to find the best versions out there, we knew we had to turn to the people who know best — diners. We already had a few chains in mind that we know from experience serve some stellar fried shrimp, so we started with those and scoured the internet for reviews to make sure that we're not the only ones who think the shrimp is to-die-for. We also branched out to other chains to see if there were any that get rave reviews for their take on the dish.

When searching for reviews, we wanted to make sure our information was as up to date as possible, so we only looked at comments from within the past year. Sites we scoured included TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, and food blogs. Some of the criteria we looked at included the freshness of the shrimp, the crispiness of the batter, the overall execution, and the flavor. These are the chain restaurants that were mentioned repeatedly for having amazing fried shrimp dishes.