7 Chain Restaurant French Onion Soups, Ranked From Worst To Best

French onion soup is a beloved classic. A grilled cheese sandwich dipped into tomato soup is fantastic, but there's something about combining cheese and bread and rich broth altogether in one bowl that is so heartwarming and delicious. Although it sounds simple in theory and ingredients, making a perfect bowl of French onion does require a bit of know-how, from the variety of onion you use to the kind of bread or type of cheese. A good onion jus can take hours, if not days to develop great flavor, and that may be more time and energy you're willing to commit to if you have an immediate craving for the cheesy favorite. 

Going to a chain restaurant, somewhere that has locations all over the place and is easy to access, is a quick solution to satisfy your craving, stat. But which chain to visit? Some certainly do it better than others, so we've tried out several places that are known for serving French onion soup and laid it all out. Read on to find out which were the favorites and which we wouldn't order again.

A picture says a thousand words, and this one says a lot about Applebee's French onion soup. No char on top, cheese barely melted, a pale, ghostly appearance that does not an attractive bowl of soup make.

For starters, there's just way, way too much cheese. In stark contrast to Panera's French onion soup, which has almost no cheese, this bowl made me realize that I would actually prefer a soup with just a bit of cheese, more broth, and more onions than one filled with cheap, oddly textured goo. It's in such excess that after I've finished slurping down the broth and poking at the small amount of onions and bread, my bowl is still half-filled with a glob of congealed, hardened, needless to say, unappetizing, over-processed excuse for cheese.

Beyond the cheese, there were a few other issues with this bowl that made it sit in last place. The bread was utter mush, either because it just wasn't a good bread to use or because it wasn't dried or toasted prior to being put in the bowl. The broth is okay, but it doesn't pack any really strong flavors, and the quantity of caramelized onions is severely lacking. All in all, it's not as though I expected Applebee's to have a great French onion soup; they're more known for fried appetizers and cheap cocktails than refined soups, but this one I would definitely never order again.

A picture may say a thousand words, but when it comes to food, sometimes you have to taste it to know for sure. On first appearances, the French onion soup from The Capital Grille looked fantastic. A luxurious charbroiled top, clean plate, and elegant presentation. But unfortunately, once I dug in, I was severely disappointed.

The main shortcoming was the flavor. The broth wasn't sweet or meaty; it was just... flat. Even the chunks of onion lacked much distinctive taste, and they weren't as plentiful as I'd like. The bread is mushy and falls apart, the cheese doesn't smell like Asiago or gruyere or taste like Swiss, it just congeals into a ball of flavorless goo as the broth cools. There is no nice saltiness collaborating with the sweetness of the onion; the whole thing just falls short. It's definitely a step up from Applebee's, but it still misses the mark.

It's quite disappointing given the bowl's appearance, which, on first look, I thought would taste wonderful. But alas, if there's anything we've learned from the social media era of food pics, it's that what looks good in a photo may not always taste good, too.

Morton's is an upscale event. Known for bougie cocktail garnishes, a large wine cooler, and digs that require business-casual attire, I came in with high expectations for great food. Although, to be fair, a steakhouse known for its high-quality meats may not be as motivated to perfect its soup. It wasn't a bad bowl — the broth was deliciously sweet, one of the better broths out of all the chains — but the quantity of bread and onion chunks was lacking (only two small pieces of crostini), and the cheese was a disappointment.

It comes in a small crockery, and the appearance could use some work. The cheese doesn't quite get color on top, although at least it is fully melted. The main issue was definitely the cheese, which smells mostly like Swiss with perhaps a mix of gruyere. It doesn't take long for the cheese to congeal into a ball of goo, which, after I've slurped away all that delicious broth, is left discarded at the bottom of my bowl like gum under an elementary school desk. I suspect the discomforting texture is due to either using a very cheap cheese or using pre-shredded cheese coated with additives that prevent it from melting properly.

It was a step up from Capital Grille in terms of the broth, but ultimately, the texture of the cheese was so off-putting that I likely wouldn't order it again.

I was a bit confused when I first took the lid off my bowl of Panera French onion soup, and had to double-check my order. Where was the cheese? It's in stark contrast to every other bowl on this list, which comes topped with charbroiled or at least partially melted cheese, a signature of French onion. But, given that everything is packed into disposable packaging, it's not very realistic to expect this one to come charbroiled. It's visually disappointing but not altogether surprising.

The broth is rewarding — and the reason this one is placed a bit higher than Applebee's and The Capital Grille. It has a good amount of large diced onion pieces, it's rich and loaded with umami, and the croutons are seasoned nicely and retain a bite even after soaking in the broth for a while. There is some cheese in the soup, a bit of shredded Asiago that has a nice salty flavor. It's actually a relief that there's not very much of it as it's more even in proportion and doesn't take over the flavor of the whole bowl.

All things considered, it's a great bowl of French onion soup if you're more interested in the flavor of the broth than the traditional cheese topping. It may not be quite as renowned as Panera's chili, but I wouldn't be against ordering it again.

The trick to making a French onion soup can be getting the cheese to float on top of the broth without using too much cheese. The chefs behind Outback Steakhouse's French onion clearly put some thought into this and came up with a great solution: A perfectly circular piece of bread is floated on top of the bread with the cheese added on top, thus creating almost an open-faced grilled cheese sandwich of bread and cheese that you can easily cut with your spoon to enjoy with each taste of broth. This design also prevents the cheese from turning into a big, gloppy mess.

The design sets it apart from each chain I've already talked about because it tastes better, but the flavor hasn't quite hit the mark. The broth is good, but not great; the cheese is still cheap and a bit chewy; and there aren't a whole lot of onions. It's a nice middle ground for French onion and not a bad order, but I'm hoping for a richer flavor in the next one.

The appearance of Longhorn Steakhouse's French onion soup is deceiving. It may not have a delicious char spackling the top, but it's actually a really great bowl of soup. The bread crumbs on top add a nice flavor and crunch, and the cheese is soft and melts in your mouth with each bite. It doesn't have a strong aroma, which leads me to believe it may be mozzarella — whatever the case, I'm just thrilled to eat some cheese that has a great texture, melts into the broth, and doesn't get hard and tacky.

There's a good amount of bread that isn't overly mushy, and although there could be more onion, it's still a good amount. The broth is rich and meaty like an onion jus that's been simmering for a long, long time. It's delicious, and all the flavors worked together.

If I were craving French onion, this is one of the bowls I would intentionally go back to. The main reason it took second place instead of first was that the first place just had such a generous amount of bread and onion, and hit all the components perfectly. But, if you're having a craving, Longhorn Steakhouse is still a great place to go for a bowl of French onion soup.

Boucherie is an upscale French restaurant chain with locations in several major US cities. I suppose it should come as no surprise that if you want to enjoy a great French classic, you should go to a French restaurant to find it. Its French onion soup may be the most expensive on this list, but it's worth every penny. Besides the beautiful presentation, the main thing that sets this one apart from all the rest is the quantity of bread and onions. The broth is rich with a deep onion flavor. The bowl is loaded with delicious slices of dark brown onions, and in every bite you get a bit of broth, a bit of cheese, and a bit of bread. The bread somehow doesn't get mushy even after the bowl sits for a bit — it has a nice spongey bite and serves as the perfect vessel for that caramel-colored liquid.

The texture of the cheese is fantastic. It doesn't congeal into a giant ball but pulls apart into neat bites that offer a bit of chew and a lot of creamy flavor. The spotted char on top blends in with all of the flavors, adding a delightful bit of bitterness along with the sweet onions.

It's perfect. Everything works together; every ingredient, down to the bread — which seemed like an afterthought in most chains — was well thought out and executed perfectly. In my book, this is definitely worth the extra $5 to $10 you might pay (depending on the time of day) compared to the others. Plus, the portion size is quite large.

French onion soup appears simple: onions, broth, bread, and cheese. How hard could it be? But mess up one of the components — broth with no flavor, cheese with an off-putting texture, bread that gets mushy — and the whole bowl may lose its appeal. I broke each bowl down by its components and ranked them according to which ones nailed, or didn't nail, each part. 

The flavor of the broth is super important — the heart and soul of the soup — but I also found that because the cheese is the first part you bite into, it's equally important that it has a good texture and taste. You don't need to spend a bunch of money to enjoy a good French onion, but if you want high-quality cheese, price is a factor.