I Tried The Most Popular Menu Items At Red Robin—Here's What's Worth It
There's nothing better in life—ok there are technically many better things in life—than a perfectly cooked burger with toppings that live in harmony. The moment I heard I was heading to Red Robin, I knew I'd find my burger companion as it's debatably one of the best burger chain restaurants around. But I couldn't go to Red Robin and just try their burgers, so I decided to try nearly the entire menu, as one does. Here were my favorite menu items:
Cocktails: Red's Signature Margarita
Contrary to popular my beliefs, the Red's signature marg is *not* a radiant neon red hue. Red Robin's marg reminds me of Chili's Presidente Margarita, in that they are both totally chuggable (yes, my own word) yet strong. Margaritas tend to ride the line of too watery or too alcoholic, but these get it right.
Appetizers: Towering Onions Rings + Pretzel Bites
If you don't order the tower of onion rings, I think I can (un)officially say you did not actually go to Red Robin. The tower comes with 13 fried rings and two sauces: a "campfire" sauce which is essentially BBQ and mayo combined and ranch (Chrissy Teigen claims it's the best out of all chain restaurants). I had a huge difficulty deciding which sauce was superior, so I'll let you all decide:
I have a strong obsession with Auntie Anne's pillowy pretzels and these pretzel bites live up to the hype. This goes without me even mentioning the beer cheese which deserves to be doused on any and everything.
Finest Burgers: Black & Bleu Burger + Madlove Burger
Red Robin is known for its burgers—hence why I've made three separate sections to rate them. Finest burgers are the most expensive while Reds Tavern are the most affordable. Out of the highest brow burgers, I fell in love with the Black & Bleu burger thanks to its creamy cheese sauce and huge helpings of blue cheese. It reminded me of a blue cheese dip on top of a burger. For the blue cheese haters out there—I highly suggest the Madlove burger: It has four different cheeses on it (none of them blue: cheddar, parmesan, provolone, Swiss), a fiery jalapeño relish, bacon, and avocado. It'll burn your mouth a little bit, but the avocado will come in at the last second and cool ya down.
Gourmet Burgers: Banzai Burger
Hawaiian pizza has a bad rep, but Hawaiian burgers...not so much. The Banzai burger comes with a teriyaki-glazed patty and thick slices of grilled pineapple and is one of the best sweet-savory combos I've had in a while. Many restaurants will claim its burgers are glazed or rubbed with a flavor, but they're often so overpowered by the other ingredients you can't even taste the seasoning. That's not the case with the Banzai burger; you can actually taste the teriyaki glaze. Bless.
Reds Tavern: Cowboy Ranch Tavern
Remember when I said I couldn't choose between the sauces? This burger comes with the BBQ sauce and the ranch, AKA my dreams came true. The Cowboy Ranch burger is piled high with crispy onion straws (much better than thick onion rings on a burger) and has cheddar cheese sandwiched between the two burger patties, making it even meltier.
Sandwiches: Teriyaki Chicken
It's basically like the beloved Banzai burger, yes, I hear you. But I can explain myself. Teriyaki chicken is a bit more subtle than a burger patty so it pairs together even better than a burger. If you prefer burgers, go for the Banzai, but if you prefer chicken sandwiches, go for the Teriyaki Chicken. Regardless, you'll question why pineapple isn't grilled all the time.
Salads: Southwest Salad
I can't believe I made it this far down the list and haven't talked about Red Robin's fried jalapeño chips. The Southwest salad is loaded with these potent jalapeño coins as well as Ancho-grilled chicken, beans, avocado, tortilla strips, and the coveted salsa-ranch dressing. Learn from me and cut those jalapeños in half so you disperse the spiciness and also have enough for each bite.
Desserts: Mountain High Mudd Pie + Cinnamon Sugar Doh! Rings
If you want to be cute and pretty, go for the Cinnamon Sugar Doh! Rings. If you want to be messy yet satisfied, go for the Mountain High Mudd Pie. The mini donuts are dusted with cinnamon sugar and have the perfect crust-to-pillow ratio when you bite in, plus you get two dipping sauces. Meanwhile, the Mudd Pie is quite literally a mountain of chocolate and vanilla ice cream with an Oreo crust that then gets caramel AND fudge sauce drizzled all over it. There's nothing cute about you shoving spoonfuls of ice cream in your face, but that's not really the point, is it?
Still hungry? Check out more of Julia Tries Everything on Delish’s YouTube channel.
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