13 Chain Restaurant Caesar Salads Ranked Worst To Best

Hail, Caesar Salad! A simple mix of romaine lettuce, crunchy croutons, Parmesan cheese, and a creamy, tangy dressing, this dish is a popular choice as the main course for light lunches as well as a zingy side or starter for big dinners. There's a lot of lore surrounding the Caesar Salad, like whether it has Italian or Mexican origins, or if anchovies are an absolute requirement in the dressing. Chowhound can help answer all these burning questions, as well as guide you through the serious venture of having it taste just like it came from a restaurant when you are determined to make one from scratch.

But if you don't feel like trying to unearth and chisel away at all the best tips and tricks, the decision to order your favorite salad while dining out, and not bothering to dirty your food processor with a homemade dressing, is one I wholeheartedly approve. As a fellow Caesar salad enthusiast, I have plenty of experience with both making my own versions at home and consuming restaurant favorites. In this review, I visited 13 different chain restaurants to chow down on their house Caesar salads and ranked them from worst to best. Read on for which ones reigned over the restaurant empire and which ones collapsed under the glory of their stronger competitors.

While it can be inspiring and rewarding to explore new perspectives of classic dishes, there are times when an updated refresh of a tried-and-true recipe can go horribly wrong. Such is the unfortunate case of my last-place spot: P.F. Chang's Asian Caesar Salad. I have no big complaints with the bed of chopped romaine lettuce leaves. Crisp and semi-fresh with just a slight level of oxidation on the cut stems, the greens were no different than any other mid-level salad.

But the other components were a bland bore with the worst prep. Replacing the crunchy, garlicky croutons were stale and tasteless strips of fried wonton wrappers. In the very center of the salad was the tiniest teaspoon lump of half-shredded, half-grated Parmesan cheese that looked like it was collected from the very bottom of the bag right before being thrown out. It definitely wasn't enough for the larger amount of salad greens, and it had zero flavor.

The worst offender among the crew was the dressing. I'm not really sure what kind of concoction I was served. If it was supposed to be a creamy Caesar-style interpretation, it was woefully broken, separating into a thick layer of oil on top of some kind of gloopy, orange-ish sludge at the bottom. If it was supposed to have any flavor (maybe ginger or garlic?), it did not deliver. When mixed into the salad, it created an oily mess that tasted like nothing at all.

Applebee's Caesar Salad was an eyesore, with one of the saddest presentations and low-quality ingredients. No one wants to see, let alone eat, lettuce that's obviously too old, oxidized, and browned. You could tell that it probably had been a few days since the romaine leaves were first cut, as the exposed ends of the stem pieces were brown and shriveled. The more delicate leaves were soft and flabby, similar to the soggy pieces you find at the bottom of one of those salad bags you forgot you bought over a week ago. Far from fresh, the lettuce should have gone straight to a trash can rather than been served to a customer.

The dressing wasn't any better. It was incredibly thick, a very gloopy, slightly soured dressing that relentlessly drowned the limp lettuce and the scant, nearly nonexistent, tiny shards of shaved Parmesan cheese. The crisp, golden-brown croutons weren't bad, but they were nothing special. They were pretty much the equivalent of any kind of store-bought bag of garlic croutons.

With a consistent track record of disappointment, I never have high expectations when it comes to ordering unusual picks like a fresh salad off the menu at any fast-food restaurant. Why bother with a healthy alternative when you are choosing to dine at places popular for chicken tenders, burgers, fries, and refreshing Frostys? But when you're someone like me who eats salads and veggies at nearly every meal, you try and try again to hunt down the hidden gems quietly hiding behind the Whoppers and Happy Meals. So, I continued my lifelong search with Wendy's Parmesan Caesar Salad. While it wasn't the worst, it still crashed and landed at a spot close to the bottom.

The main issue I observed was that all the dry components were far too delicate for such a thick (yet tasty) dressing. The salad was composed of finely chopped romaine lettuce topped with a minuscule amount of feathery shaved Italian cheese blend. Wendy's did not use croutons — instead, they include a separately packaged bag of seasoned crouton/Parmesan crumbles, in addition to a separately packaged bag of Caesar salad dressing. Trying the tiny crumbles on their own, they were crispy and packed with flavor. But once everything was mixed together, the crumbles disintegrated into the dressing and immediately lost their crisp texture. The soft, delicate lettuce pieces also quickly became soggy, clumping together into a mass as I mixed them with the dressing.

Panera Bread's Caesar Salad was a mediocre option with a handful of small flaws. It certainly wasn't terrible, but there weren't enough redeeming qualities to help it rank any higher than on the lower end. Focusing on the cheese, the shaved Parmesan pieces were bizarrely thick, chewy, and flavorless. The black pepper and sea salt croutons were tasty, but they were small and sparse compared to the amount of salad greens. And, no, it doesn't matter that the salad came with a free side of a French baguette wedge. After reviewing the online ordering options, there is actually a choice to order "light," "regular," or "extra" croutons. In retrospect, I should have ordered the "extra" amount, and I suggest you do the same if you like your crunchy carbs.

As for the dressing, it was too loose and thin and was way too tangy. It tasted closer to a sweet, creamy lemon dressing rather than a salty, savory Caesar dressing. Chowhound's review of all of Panera Bread's store-bought dressings has a similar complaint — the Caesar dressing doesn't have any cheese, and it is excessively tart. All around, the lemony dressing is a total miss.

While I wasn't as impressed by their coleslaw mix in my other ranking review of chain restaurant coleslaws (spoiler alert: it was my least favorite choice), BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse redeemed itself by a smidge with the House Caesar Salad they serve. The romaine lettuce base was green and vibrant, with a beautiful mix of tender leaves and sturdy stems. The creamy Caesar dressing was fairly flavorful, but it was a little too thick. It was slightly reminiscent of a mayonnaise spread, but I'd rather enjoy a Caesar dressing that's too creamy than one that's too watered down.

The other components were fine, but not very memorable — the croutons were normal and adequate, but I could have used another small handful or two thrown into the mix. And the shredded Parmesan cheese lacked flavor and didn't provide anything too special. Even though BJ's salad was not awe-inspiring, it was still a good eat.

The Caesar Salad from Red Lobster was a simple, mild option — there was nothing too bold or exciting about it, but it was still a solid menu selection with no major, unappetizing issues. There was a dynamic mix of both grated and shaved Parmesan, but there was so little of each one that I couldn't really taste either. The chopped romaine lettuce leaves were fresh, bright, and crisp with no notable warning signs that the greens were old. The golden-brown brioche croutons were my favorites in the whole lineup, as they were light and crisp in texture and beautifully buttery in flavor.

The salad dressing was a small letdown, a disappointing deviation from the rest of the salad. Based on how smooth and pure white it was, I knew there wouldn't be much personality in this more conventional version. With one taste, my thoughts were confirmed: There wasn't a lot of seasoning, so it was fairly bland and boring — which made the salad in its entirety bland and boring when mixed together.

The Cheesecake Factory's Caesar Salad had its highs and lows, which is exactly why it's ranked pretty much in the middle. Starting with the positives, the salad base was as perfect as you could ever hope for, with vibrant and crunchy chopped romaine lettuce. The creamy dressing was bold and unbridled, not holding back on the stronger flavors of garlic and anchovy. It was a thrill to finally taste a dressing that played into the iconic flavor profile of a classic Caesar salad.

On the negative end, I despised how finely grated, flavorless, and lacking the Parmesan was. It was a timid background character in the play and really didn't serve any purpose once it disappeared into the dressing after tossing everything together. The croutons should have been a delightfully unique element, as the restaurant used its in-house baked bread. However, one mouthful of their stale and chewy texture was certainly not an experience I want to repeat. Some may call them rustic, but I call them old.

Bonefish Grill's Classic Caesar Salad sure looked beautiful, but the taste did not quite match its impressive appearance. All of the individual components were prepared well and at peak freshness: the romaine lettuce leaves were crazy crunchy, the garlic croutons were toasted to perfection, there was a generous amount of grated Parmesan cheese, and the creamy dressing looked promising. And when mixed together, the salad presented a mouthwatering display served next to the complementary bread, with enough Parmesan cheese and dressing to generously coat everything without the greens getting too soggy or weighed down.

But after a few bites of the salad, the overall flavor was just ... fine. I was expecting the biggest and boldest taste, but what I instead experienced was an underwhelming dish that was good, yet not great. The dressing lacked seasoning, and despite the plentiful Parmesan, the cheese didn't deliver the salty punch I was hoping for. Maybe one more anchovy, a little more acid in the dressing, or a different brand of Parm with a saltier bite would have made all the difference.

Humble and unassuming in its Styrofoam box, the Caesar Salad from Texas Roadhouse didn't look like anything special when I first opened the container. But after mixing together the dressing with the other ingredients and taking a bite, I was more satisfied than I expected to be. It will never be the best thing I've ever eaten, but it still had some character to it. I enjoyed the crisp pieces of romaine leaves, the well-seasoned crunchy croutons, the tender shredded Parmesan, and the zesty dressing. Unfortunately, the toppings were all in short supply. I wanted more of everything: more cheese, more dressing, more croutons! I found myself fishing around the salad for just one more crouton piece or shred of cheese. A taste of each component was pure bliss, but when I can count the individual Parmesan shreds and the croutons on just one hand, there's an apparent problem. But I was grateful for the free side of delicious Texas Roadhouse rolls and honey-cinnamon butter.

Red Robin's Everything Caesar Salad was a fun and playful spin on the classic Caesar salad, a delicious update that succeeded where P.F. Chang's interpretation failed. The Everything Caesar dressing was creamy and super flavorful, made with ingredients typically found in an everything bagel seasoning mix, like garlic, onion, and sesame seeds. I could also taste a little cracked black peppercorn, which provided a big, bold finish. The pieces of romaine lettuce were green, fresh, and crisp, and there was a decent amount of nicely toasted, sizable oven-baked croutons.

The one major complaint I had here was that the large pieces of shaved Parmesan were scant, had a semi-rubbery texture, and lacked flavor. But even though I wasn't too happy with the choice and preparation of the Parmesan cheese, the rest of the salad was an enjoyable experience overall.

Who knew that a casual family entertainment venue filled with Skee-Ball games, air hockey machines, virtual NASCAR racers, and migraine-inducing neon lighting would serve a professionally prepared Caesar salad that earned a spot in the top three? The dressing was packed with flavor and, despite being a little on the thicker side, perfectly coated the fresh romaine lettuce leaves that kept their refreshingly crunchy texture. And I absolutely was obsessed with how much cheese was in the salad. With copious amounts of shredded and grated Parmesan, Dave & Buster's spared no dairy expense with this dish. I have been so bummed out with the lack of salty, cheesy Parmesan thus far, so D&B absolutely delivered the ultimate happiness to this close-to-desperate curd nerd.

But there was one ultimate flaw, an obvious error when you are eating such a simple salad with a small list of components. Some of the garlic croutons were on the edge of being too browned in the oven. There was a distinct aftertaste of slightly singed garlic and burnt bread when I ate a few of the toastier pieces.

Rightfully ranked in second place, the Caesar Salad from Outback Steakhouse gave my first-place spot a very epic run. I'm not the only one to favor this salad — Chowhound also recommends choosing it over the restaurant's Blue Cheese Pecan Chopped Salad in a list of dishes to avoid at Outback Steakhouse. Photogenic from the start, Outback Steakhouse's Caesar Salad was ready to conquer with a well-prepared crew of components that all brought their A-game. The salad base was a boldly green mix of romaine leaves and sturdy stems. Some of the more tender tips of the romaine leaves were getting a little soft, a minor concern given that the majority of the lettuce was fine.

There were tasty croutons aplenty, and all were expertly toasted and seasoned incredibly well. Freshly shredded Parmesan, rather than the prepackaged, rubbery shaved cheese used in many of the other salads, provided a feathery, tender alternative that still carried a lot of sharp, salty flavor. The indulgent dressing was a dynamic condiment with memorable tasting notes of roasted garlic, anchovy, lemon, and mustard. I enjoyed how the dressing also included even more grated cheese, as well as a mischievously playful dash of cracked black peppercorns.

The best Caesar salad on my list was dressed to impress for the win. It was an impeccable example of a delicious, well-balanced salad with bold flavors, pleasing textures, and a fresh look. More closely analyzing each component, there isn't anything that jumps out as having a flaw or complaint. I have absolutely no arguments over the state of the lettuce — while many of the poorly ranked competitors had issues with old and browned pieces, and even some of the top restaurants had a few issues here and there with freshness, the bright and crisp romaine leaves and stems of the salad were in perfect condition.

The croutons were a fairly classic preparation, with a garlicky taste and crisp bite. As for the cheese, the shaved Parmesan was thin enough that it didn't have the chewy, rubbery texture of the thicker shaved Parmesan pieces many of the other restaurants used. Lastly, the dressing was rich and creamy, but it wasn't excessively thick. The flavor was bold and proudly celebrated the unique zing of a Caesar dressing without any one ingredient overpowering the others. It was delicious, and I'm already excited to order it again the next time I'm treating myself to a casual steak dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse.

There were a handful of procedural rules to establish initially to ensure fairness across each restaurant. Since I was getting takeout, I asked that the dressing be on the side for each salad I ordered. That way, I would be able to toss all the components together directly prior to consuming to ensure equal freshness. I also opted for all plain salads and did not order any meat or seafood to be added. While some restaurants provided complimentary bread or biscuits, that was not a deciding factor in judging the salad ... though they were greatly appreciated!

I judged the salads first based on individual components: the lettuce, cheese, croutons, and dressing. Each component was analyzed by taste, smell, texture, and freshness levels. It's always a difficult assumption to make whether certain food items are prepped entirely in-house or bought pre-made, so I eliminated that aspect from my analysis. Once I judged the components individually, I then focused on the balance of all of these ingredients when combined. I also enlisted my food professional husband, and fellow Caesar salad obsessive, to taste-test each salad with me, as I value his expert opinion and solid arguments when deciding the final ranking.