The best restaurant appetizers are so tasty you’ll order one even though there’s literally no way you’ll be able to finish your entree OR order dessert. There’s no way in hell I can eat an entire Outback Special with a big-ass baked potato and a caesar salad—but that’s not gonna stop me from ordering a Bloomin’ Onion to kick off the meal, that’s for sure.
Well, you can’t get a Bloomin’ Onion at the grocery store (yet), but you can get a lot of other chain restaurant appetizers to enjoy before dinner or all on their own. From Chinese buns to wings sans boobs, here are the best restaurant appetizers we’ve tried in our taste tests.
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- Wow Bao Mongolian-Style Spicy Beef
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Wow Bao opened in Chicago in 2003, and now you can get their tasty buns at a grocery store near you. When we taste tested frozen bao, two varieties of Wow Bao buns made our ranking, but the Mongolian beef filling was our favorite. It’s sweet and savory and has a little bit of heat, but not enough to alienate people with gentler palates. If you don’t do red meat, we also recommend their teriyaki chicken buns.
Read the full ranking of the best bao buns
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- TGI Fridays Boneless Chicken Bites Buffalo Style
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Boneless wings from the freezer are never quite as good as boneless wings fresh from a restaurant fryer (unless you own a restaurant fryer, in which case, invite us over for the “Big Game,” plz). But we really, really love the Buffalo sauce on these TGI Friday boneless chicken bites. It’s actually spicy and you get a lot of it—no naked nugs here. The best restaurant appetizers at home should at least resemble what you’d get out in the world, and these really do.
Read the full ranking of the best boneless wings
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- P.F. Chang’s Home Menu Orange Chicken
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Okay, orange chicken is more of an entree than an appetizer—unless you stick little frilled toothpicks in the chicken bits. Voila. One of the best restaurant meals is suddenly one of the best restaurant appetizers at home. If you’re a fan of P.F. Chang’s orange chicken, we’re pleased to report that the grocery store version is pretty faithful to its inspiration. The sauce is sweet, but it has dimension—you can taste ginger and oyster sauce along with citrus juice and corn syrup. Serve it with rice to make a meal or go rogue and make it an app. It’s your house, dammit!
Read our full ranking of the best orange chicken
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- TGI Fridays Mozzarella Sticks
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Frozen mozzarella sticks don’t have a great track record. Where’s the cheese pull? And why does the breading always taste like old garlic powder? TGI Fridays makes one of the few versions we can actually recommend—the cheese has a nice, creamy flavor and the panko breading is crispy-crunchy without being too dang dense. TGI Fridays did us all a solid by making a serviceable version of one of the best restaurant appetizers of them all.
Read the full ranking of the best mozzarella sticks
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- TGI Fridays Poppers Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapeños with Raspberry Habanero
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Is there anything more delicious than a jalapeno popper? How about a jalapeno popper that comes with really good sauce and that you don’t have to leave the house to eat? TGI Fridays strikes again with this must-buy frozen app. The breading isn’t too dense. The cream cheese is plentiful. And that dipping sauce? It’s pretty damn addictive. I don’t know anyone who would be mad about finding these on the game day snack table. Just make sure to have some TUMS on hand for your gastrically challenged friends.
Read the full ranking of the best TGI Fridays frozen appetizers
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Hooters Texas-Style Dry Rub Smoked Wings
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We get it. The “delightfully tacky” atmosphere at Hooters isn’t for everyone. But don’t let the shorty shorts and translucent support hose turn you off of their frozen wings. We liked all four varieties, but the Texas-style smoked wings really knocked our bras off. The meat is juicy and smoky, and the dry rub tastes like the flavor dust on really good BBQ potato chips. This is one of the best restaurant appetizers at the grocery store because it honestly rivals what you’d get if you’d dined out. That’s rare!
Read the full review of Hooters frozen wings
Credit: Liv Averett / Hooters
- Red Lobster Rosemary Parmesan Biscuit Mix
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If you’ve ever stuffed your purse full of Cheddar Bay biscuits at Red Lobster (only me?), this is the best restaurant appetizer for you. No, these are not Cheddar Bay biscuits—this mix makes parmesan rosemary biscuits, but we promise they’re better. They’re fluffy and super savory, and one box of mix makes ten biscuits. No more smuggling!
Read the full ranking of the best store bought biscuits
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!