5 Chain Restaurant Meatloafs, Ranked Worst To Best

There are few dishes that are as iconically American as the meatloaf. A staple in many homes, it's often made with a family recipe that's been passed down from grandparents who lived through the Great Depression and had to make expensive ingredients stretch as far as possible. I certainly remember my family's meatloaf, an easy-to-execute recipe that would successfully feed our many hungry mouths without too much hassle.

As is often the case with foods you grew up eating and remember as budget meals, I have since moved on to greener pastures, leaving meatloaf to the wayside along with steamed, unseasoned broccoli and frozen green beans. For those who can relate, you may be surprised to learn that there are many chain restaurants still serving the American staple, and even some more upscale restaurants whose chefs have reimagined the dish into more appealing plate-ups.

Although the history of meatloaf began elsewhere, as with many dishes in the United States, recipes brought from other countries have morphed and adapted over time. Although I may not have understood the dish as a child, as an adult, I appreciate its practicality. The importance of making expensive meat last longer by mixing it with cheaper ingredients, and time constraints that would make this recipe appeal to busy families. Thus, this ranking of five chain restaurants' meatloaves took me through all five boroughs of New York City as I hunted down the best one. Whether gravy-topped or ketchup-smothered, it was an exploration in American food history.

For my first meatloaf, I traveled all the way to Staten Island to visit Perkins American Food Co. Leaving the skyscrapers of Manhattan behind in favor of Staten Island's much more peaceful neighborhoods feels like an appropriate change of scenery for the dish I'm about to eat.

I'm greeted by warm service and a plate of meatloaf that looks quite appealing. It's smothered in dark gravy, with a side of garlic-coated green beans, and topped with perfectly thin and crispy fried onions. Although the Perkins' meatloaf did rank last, I found myself missing those crunchy onions on every other meatloaf I ate.

I should have been warned by the dark triangle with a salt shaker in the middle next to the meatloaf on the menu, indicating an unhealthy level of sodium — this meatloaf was just way, way too salty. It wasn't actually the meatloaf that was over-seasoned, but the unavoidable gravy that smothered it. The meatloaf itself was actually a bit sweet, with an odd, spongy texture indicative of too much filler. The salt from the gravy sucked the moisture from my body like a silica packet, my chest tightening and veins shrinking like SpongeBob trapped inside Sandy Bottom's waterless home. Needless to say, I couldn't recommend this one to anyone simply for the health concerns it proposes — but I may need to return for a side of the fried onions on their own.

The meatloaf I grew up eating was always paired with ketchup, whether mixed in or glazed over the top. I have to admit, I'm extremely biased against any brand of ketchup. I find it to be the most useless of condiments, the sweetness overwhelming everything it touches without the joy of spice. It's probably why I didn't like my mother's meatloaf, and why I found the ones smothered in gravy much more appealing.

Interestingly, Golden Corral was the only one of these five chains to put the characteristic ketchup glaze on top of their meatloaf, which is really too bad, considering it's a buffet that offers both beef and chicken gravy that are pretty darn good. The meatloaf itself has good flavor, and the fact that you can load up on this along with countless other buffet menu options makes it all the more worthwhile.

Nonetheless, I had to rank Golden Corral's meatloaf lower for the ketchup-smothering that was beyond my choice. That, and the mashed potatoes were only average. But please, heed my bias: If you're a ketchup enthusiast, you'll be able to fill up on meatloaf and whatever else your stomach craves for a very reasonable price at Golden Corral.

What makes Boston Market's meatloaf special is the glaze. Meatloaf itself is hard to make uber-special unless you're upgrading the meat to something gourmand, and by extension, more expensive. The glaze or sauce, on the other hand, is where you can take it to new levels. A basic ketchup or overly salted gravy can ruin the whole plate, but Boston Market's hickory-smoked barbecue glaze hits the nail on the head.

It's still ripe with the sweet acidity of tomato, and I suspect the barbecue sauce is probably mixed with ketchup — but I'm not mad. It's tangy with a bit of caramelized sweetness and a touch of smoke, a far superior version of ketchup that brings a lot of excitement to the meatloaf.

As far as sides, I am pleased that this one comes with cornbread. It tastes like a basic Jiffy mix, which, frankly, I'm a huge fan of — it's easy, affordable, and delicious. The accompanying potatoes and green beans are average, but the barbecue sauce glaze and little cornbread loaf make Boston Market's meatloaf a great meal.

Metro Diner is a New York-based chain with quaint, classic decorations that serves large plates of staple diner fare. The meatloaf is no exception; it comes in a massive portion size, three large slices, smothered in gravy with a side of smooth mashed potatoes and your choice of vegetable. Plus, you'll start the meal with a bowl of soup. It's a great dish and one that made me quite curious about the history of meatloaf. When it's served in such an iconic American environment — the retro diner — it just strikes a different chord.

There was nothing wrong with the plate, and I enjoyed two more meals' worth of leftovers afterward. The meatloaf was hearty and classic, clearly made with the right ingredients. The gravy was rich and herbaceous. The potatoes and vegetables weren't anything special, but made excellent co-stars. It's a solid middle ground for what a meatloaf should be, and an excellent order.

The Cheesecake Factory does many things right, from cheesecakes to a long list of burgers. It's quite impressive that, with a menu so incredibly long and in massive restaurants that serve such a large number of people, it's able to execute consistently good plates of food — and yet it does.

The meatloaf surprised me. Although it's difficult to find much variation on the meatloaf, it was the accoutrements that made it stand out. Mashed potatoes are a classic side to a variety of beefy American plates, and if they're made from a mix, which many of these chains use, they can be a bit gritty and lack the same appealing bite as those made from scratch with whole potatoes. But Cheesecake Factory makes it from scratch in a rustic style. There are nice chunks of potato, and they're perfectly seasoned. The meatloaf is smothered in a delightfully meaty gravy and a generous serving of caramelized onions. The sweetness of the onion, the savory gravy, and earthy potatoes are a legendary combination, and this plate has each component perfectly executed. Plus, it comes with a side of buttery corn to round everything out.

Cheesecake Factory has such a massive menu that making a decision can be a daunting task. However, if I get a craving for meatloaf in the future, I know exactly where I'll be heading.

The first step in tackling this ranking was finding who, exactly, is still serving meatloaf. I have to admit, I didn't expect to see the dish, which I considered very outdated, on any menu. But as nostalgic staples are known to do, the menu item is very much alive and well.

Seeking out the chains that still serve meatloaf took me to the far corners of all five of New York City's boroughs. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey, and suspect that if you live in a smaller American town or city, you'll be more likely to find meatloaf on the menu at your local diner. Give it a try — you never know what feelings a historic recipe may evoke.

To judge each dish, I focused not just on the meatloaf itself but on the components that make it well-rounded. In all of these restaurants (except for Golden Corral, which is more of a free-for-all), the meatloaf is served with mashed potatoes, gravy, and a choice of vegetable side. Thus, the mashed potatoes and gravy became just as important to the dish as the meatloaf, and in some cases made the difference. Generally, ketchup is the accepted sauce of choice, and I have to say, it's probably why I didn't like the dish as a child. I must admit I'm sorely biased against ketchup — I'll take gravy any day!