The Chain Restaurant Fish And Chips We Ranked Dead Last In Our Taste Test

When you order fish and chips from a chain restaurant, you probably already have subdued expectations. If the fish isn't previously frozen, consider yourself lucky. Outside of that, you also have to trust that the restaurant knows how to batter and season its fish fillets while also maintaining quality oil that doesn't taste old and bitter. And that's before you even consider the french fries.

But, while no one expects Gordon Ramsay to be back in the kitchen preparing their fish and chips, you might be surprised that some chain restaurants do actually make a pretty good fish and chips entree. That said, Bob Evans is not one of them. When we reviewed fish and chips from five chain restaurants, the offering at Bob Evans came in dead last — and it really wasn't that close.

The Bob Evans fish fry platter, which sells for $14.99, comes with three Alaskan cod fillets, two onion rings, dill tartar sauce, a lemon wedge, and the choice of two sides and dinner rolls. The traditional choices here are, of course, fries and coleslaw, but you can also choose from other sides like mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and green beans with ham. The restaurant also gives customers the option of adding a soup or salad and a dessert for an additional $7.

Our meal seemed doomed from the start. Right off the bat, we didn't receive any condiments with our fish — no tartar sauce, no malt vinegar, not even butter for the dinner rolls. As Bob Evans advertises these condiments as coming with the meal, this was a clear oversight on the restaurant's part. Though the amount of food for the price was positive, and the fries were actually golden brown, crispy, and perfectly sized — which was a nice surprise. But that's basically where the positives stop.

The fish fillets were chewy and tasted previously frozen. Since Bob Evans doesn't mention that its fillets are hand-battered like other restaurants, we suspect they probably come frozen. The ratio of fish to chips was also all jacked up, with the platter containing around twice as many fries as fish. And while the onion rings were nice and crunchy, they lacked seasoning and were ultimately just bland. All of this could've been partially saved by a little tartar sauce — but, as we mentioned, there was no sauce to be found in our order.

If you're looking for better fish and chips from a chain restaurant, we'd recommend Culver's or Cracker Barrel. Yes, Cracker Barrel actually has some bangin' fish and chips — though the catch is they're only available on Fridays. When it comes to Bob Evans, though, we'd recommend sticking with its famous breakfast options, like the griddle stacker, and avoiding this fish and chips altogether.