The Chain Restaurant With The Hands-Down Best Meatloaf

Hankering for some home-style meatloaf but don't have the ground beef or the energy to make it yourself? While it's not terribly common on chain restaurant menus, a handful of places serve up this nostalgic favorite — with varying levels of success, as one Chowhound reviewer discovered. One spot came out on top of our chain restaurant meatloaf rankings, and it's the Cheesecake Factory. 

Perhaps surprisingly, there wasn't a whole lot of difference between chain restaurant meatloaves when it came to the dish itself, with many chains generally taking a pretty classic approach. That said, what set the Cheesecake Factory's loaf apart was that it dodged certain pitfalls, like excessive salt or a soppy ketchup glaze that overpowered the meat and veggies. Where the Cheesecake Factory truly excelled was in its sides. While all the chains served meatloaf with accompaniments — typically mashed potatoes and another vegetable — these add-ons proved just as important to the ranking as the loaves themselves. 

And how the Cheesecake Factory makes its food might surprise you. Unlike some chains, the Cheesecake Factory makes its mash from real potatoes rather than packaged mixes, giving a rustic feel without the grittiness of the packet stuff; a rich, meaty gravy, buttery corn, and a hint of sweetness from grilled onions make for a well-rounded plate. You could argue that it's all the more impressive that the Cheesecake Factory pulls off such a tasty dish while also juggling one of the biggest restaurant menus with nearly 250 items, mostly made from scratch.

Generally speaking, it seems that people rate the Cheesecake Factory's meatloaf pretty highly. Although the occasional influencer claims that it's just a "viral" dish, that seems exaggerated; the meat loaf gets a thumbs-up for its generous portion size, well-seasoned mix of pork and beef, and luscious mushroom gravy. Some influencers say they've been pushed to try it by commenters, and even those who admit to not typically liking meatloaf have given their approval. Reviewers also note that it isn't doused in ketchup like some chain versions.

The meatloaf has even popped up on some Reddit threads listing the best items at the Cheesecake Factory, with the restaurant's servers reportedly noting that it's a popular pick. Frankly, it's pretty hard to find people who don't like it. The biggest critique we found is that it isn't the cheapest — prices vary by location, but it can sometimes run over $25 — though you still get a hefty portion.

And if you're wondering which chain meatloaf to avoid, that would be the one from Perkins American Food Co. With an odd sweetness to the loaf and an overly salty gravy, it ends up being more effort than it's worth, according to our ranking.