The Chain Restaurant With The Hands-Down Best Fried Shrimp, According To Reviews

Getting seafood from a chain restaurant can be a mixed bag, but sometimes, it can be downright amazing. Fried shrimp is the most common seafood item sold at these establishments, likely because it's the most widely available seafood in the United States. To find out which chain has the very best fried shrimp, Chowhound decided to lean on popular opinion. We went through dozens of reviews online, including those found on food blogs, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Reddit, among other platforms, to find the chain restaurants with the best fried shrimp. According to our findings, Florida's very own Bonefish Grill has the best, and it is all thanks to its signature appetizer of Bang Bang Shrimp.

Considering Bonefish Grill also made an appearance on our list of chain restaurants with the highest quality seafood, this finding doesn't come as much of a surprise. The chain consistently serves up fresh seafood that's cooked to perfection with bold, flavorful seasonings. The chain's Bang Bang Shrimp is a universal favorite among almost all the reviews we saw, with each plate offering plump shrimp coated in a light batter and deep-fried until golden-brown and crispy. As if that's not enough, the shrimp is served with Bonefish Grill's notoriously addictive Bang Bang Sauce — a sweet, spicy, and creamy concoction that will have you sopping up every last drop.

Bonefish Grill's Bang Bang Shrimp has been a crowd favorite ever since the dish debuted in 2007 at the legendary Taste of Syracuse festival. At the launch, the lines of people trying to order grew so long that they blocked off parts of Water Street. It's only grown in popularity in the years since then. Today, numerous copycat recipes have popped up.

Some diners online have called the Bang Bang Shrimp one of the best appetizers in the world, with many reviews highlighting the freshness of the shrimp and how well the batter goes with the sweetness and heat of the Bang Bang Sauce. Others have talked about how addictive the shrimp tastes, and how easy (and tempting) it would be to have an entire order to yourself. Many of the top reviews on Yelp confess to going to Bonefish Grill solely for the Bang Bang Shrimp. 

So, if you haven't been to a Bonefish Grill yet, make it a priority to order the signature fried shrimp appetizer. The chain restaurant is also known for its handcrafted cocktails — its old fashioned is unexpectedly fancy — so make an evening of it. If you drop by on a Wednesday, you might even get the shrimp at a discount, depending on your location.