We Tried 15 Popular Fast-Food French Fries To See Whose Were Best — Here's How They Rank

"I'm fully prepared for y'all to come after me in the comments, but I fear I do not love the waffle fry."

Hello, folks! It's been awhile since we ranked a bunch of something, but we decided it was time to get back in the game by way of numerous drive-thrus. So, we visited every popular fast-food restaurant in the vicinity and tried their french fries so we could rank them all.

BuzzFeed

For the record, we did this on a Tuesday afternoon in Los Angeles. We tried our best to map out restaurants in close range to each other, but decided that it would take too long to collect 'em all before trying them, so in the interest of fairness and freshness, we taste tested each establishment's fries immediately after they were given to us.

Apple

We'll list the fries in the order we tried them, and at the very end, you'll find our final rankings, which are a combination of our individual scores. Here are the only ground rules we set:

BuzzFeed

If you wanna watch the video of us trying and ranking the fries — here it is!!!

Without further ado, let's get to discussin' our findings...

BuzzFeed

Carl's Jr./Hardee's (1:48 p.m.)

BuzzFeed

Chris: Tough to go first with nothing to compare it to, but it's a solid fry, and I really like that they keep some of the potato skin on 'em. Very solid start. 7.3.

Krista: I fully went in expecting to have to rate these taters below a 5, but I was pleasantly surprised. They were SO FRESH. And, let's be real, freshness ups the taste of ANY french fry. However, these did have a nice outside, and they didn't taste like they had been submerged in week-old grease, so I gave them a solid 7.

Total: 14.3

Five Guys (2:16 p.m.)

BuzzFeed

Chris: Maybe it's because I've only had the Cajun fries from Five Guys, but these were lacking flavor for me. They tasted borderline healthy, which is probably a great thing nutrition wise, but I'm going to have to score it a 5.6.

Krista: I felt like calling the cops, truly. Sorry Five Guys, but not only were these fries expensive (I know they give you a LOT but still), but they really just were mushy, not fresh, and lacked flavor. 5.5 for this experience is still high, IMO.

Total: 11.1

Wingstop (2:21 p.m.)

BuzzFeed

Chris: The look of concern I got from the cashier when I asked for just fries without wings was really something, but these fries are top-tier. I often order these extra crispy, but even without ketchup or Wingstop's glorious ranch, it's so well seasoned that I must score these babies a 9.2. 

Krista: Seasoned fries are my ABSOLUTE FAVE, so it's no surprise I really liked these. I could have done with the outside being a little more crispy, but the flavor was allllll there, so they get an 8.1 from me.

Total: 17.3

Jack in the Box (2:48 p.m.)

BuzzFeed

REGULAR FRIES:

Chris: These things were FRESH. The freshest of all the fries we got from anywhere during this testing. Can't promise every Jack in the Box will give 'em to you fresh out the fryer, but ours were fantastic. Hot, crunchy, salty — elite. Reflecting on 'em now, as I write this, I feel like I should give a higher rating than I did at the time, which is an 8.6.

Krista: WHOA. WHOA. WHOA. This was an early and surprising turning point in the game. I SEE YOU JACK IN THE BOX!!!! I'm from Kansas, where Jack does not live in his box, so even after living in LA for eight years now, I have only been here once. I may go back again. Probably not for burgers, but just to try my luck at getting fries this good again. Fresh, tasty, crisp. 8.3

Total: 16.9

CURLY FRIES:

Chris: Admittedly, I'm not a HUGE fan of curly fries, but I did enjoy these. They were also well seasoned, and there were some good, bouncy spiral ones, so I gave 'em a strong 7.2.

Krista: As president of the Arby's curly fry fan club, I could get behind these curly fries from time to time. There weren't enough plump, boingy (Chris already said bouncy so I was trying to think of another adjective!) ones, and so the half circles were kind of crispy and not as good. Still a solid 7.5.

Total: 14.7

In-N-Out (3:15 p.m.)

BuzzFeed

Chris: Arguably the most controversial fries of them all! We got a fresh batch and they delivered. They're the most potato-y tasting fry you'll ever have, with an amount of salt that wasn't overwhelming, which I think calls for a 7.8.

Krista: Salt, salt, where is the salt, In-N-Out?????? They were fresh, so they get points for that. I prefer them animal style, and now that I am looking back on this, I am shocked I actually ranked them a 7.8. That seems high because in my memory they were in the 6-range. But, alas, the video we have doesn't lie. So, I will say my higher rating is because they were fresh and the outside was nice and crisp.

Total: 15.6

Chick-fil-A (3:36 p.m.)

BuzzFeed

Chris: I'm scared of the response I'm going to get for this because I know how much people love Chick-fil-A fries, and I thought I did, too, but this was the first time I've ever had 'em without a bevy of dipping sauces, and they were remarkably plain. Like, not a single grain of salt??? Did I get a bad batch? Is this the norm when you don't dunk 'em in Polynesian or BBQ sauce first? All I am going by is what I had during this test run and sadly it's a 5.9, and that's being generous.

Krista: I'm fully prepared for y'all to come after me in the comments, but I fear I do not love the waffle fry. Don't get me wrong — Chick-fil-A is great, but I have never gotten a fresh batch of their fries, and these ones were mushy as well. 5.8 

Total: 11.7

Popeyes (4:07 p.m.)

BuzzFeed

Chris: These are "Cajun" fries so they really bring it with the seasoning. They may have been the most flavorful fry of them all. Their crusty (in a good way) exterior is really enjoyable — this is definitely an underrated fry! 7.9.

Krista: As a little behind-the-scenes moment here: We had now been in the car for well over THREE HOURS. Chris ran in to get these because they don't have a drive-thru as I sat in the brutal LA heat in the car just marinating with six bags of half-eaten fries. Popeyes took at least 15 minutes to prepare these, so I feel like my mental state was not good when I entered this taste test. I kept saying the fries tasted like Popeyes fried chicken, so that probably means they use the same grease. I gave them a 6.9, but no lie, as we kept driving I kept thinking about them. Something was addicting, and I think now I would probably rate them a bit higher.

Total: 14.8

Shake Shack (4:17 p.m.)

BuzzFeed

Chris: Despite looking beautiful and angelic in the photo, we unfortunately got a cold, stale batch. They had some good flavor though, so I'd imagine that they're pretty good when fresh. 5.4.

Krista: 10/10 on presentation, but taste? It just didn't cut it. They had no flavoring whatsoever. That's all I gotta say. 5.4

Total: 10.8

Arby's (4:28 p.m.)

BuzzFeed

REGULAR FRIES:

Chris: I don't know if it was just an off day for crinkle fries or what, but these weren't really hitting the spot for me. In fairness, Arby's only claims to have "the meats," and they don't boast their fries, so maybe they're not a top priority. 4.9

Krista: Arby's, I hate to do this to you, but stick to the curly fry. It's your staple. These crinkles were just bland. They also could have been a LOT fresher. 5.2

Total: 10.1

CURLY FRIES:

Chris: These were much more impressive than their regular ones. They weren't particularly fresh tasting, but they reminded me of an onion ring in flavor, and I give 'em a solid 7.

Krista: In the words of Lloyd Christmas, "YOU TOTALLY REDEEMED YOURSELF!" Here we go, 8.2. Nice bounce, good seasoning, and a great crispy outside to inside potato ratio.

Total: 15.2

Burger King (4:41 p.m.)

BuzzFeed

Chris: AS USUAL, BURGER KING IS SLEPT ON BY EVERYONE. Burger King has really, really good french fries even though for some reason you rarely hear folks hyping them up. Crispy potato with just the right amount of salt. A round of applause and an 8.5.

Krista: After not being to a BK in years, I didn't believe Chris when he said they have top-tier fries, but HE WAS RIGHT: TOTALLY SLEPT ON. They were fresh, the seasoning was really great, the outside was perfect, and the inside has a pretty large amount of potato, which I appreciate. 8.7

Total: 17.2

McDonald's (5:07 p.m.)

BuzzFeed

Chris: It's tough to avoid biases because I've had McDonald's fries a thousand times in the past and they're a classic, but I did my best to only consider this particular batch, and still, they were damn good. It wasn't the freshest or most heavily salted I've ever had, and yet, they were tasty enough to earn an 8.8. 

Krista: I went in as unbiased as I could...as if I hated McDonald's fries, but there is something about them that draws me in like a fly to the light. They just hit the best. They came out fresh, which definitely upped their rating, but they just make a good fry, period. 9.8

Total: 18.6

Kentucky Fried Chickens (5:32 p.m.)

BuzzFeed

Chris: Shocked to have a burning hot, super fresh, crispy, quality fry from a chicken spot! It did seem to lack a little seasoning, but I give 'em a 7.5.

Krista: They went and burned my tongue!!! I appreciate the made-to-order freshness, but sometimes even that can't compete with a lack of flavor and salt. They were OK overall, so I gave them a 7.

Total: 14.5

Wendy's (5:55 p.m.)

BuzzFeed

Chris: I'm not sure if we seared off our taste buds or something at this point, but these were also unsalted. Pretty hot and fresh, great crunch, but flavorless, and therefor a 5.8. (That said, I wouldn't have even noticed if I were dipping 'em in a Frosty as God intended.)

Krista: I was disappointed at the lack of salt. I typically am not opposed to a Wendy's fry, but if we are speaking to flavor and freshness, it just didn't make the cut this time, unfortunately. 5.2

Total: 10.4

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Chris: I think any of these establishments are capable of coming in at #1 on the right day, with the right batch of fresh fries. That said, the top five are in a tier of their own and deserve to be respected as such. 

Krista: This little experiment proves what we have all known all along: Fries really need to be fresh — and I think this shows which places need to work on making sure their customers always get a fresh batch! That being said, I keep randomly thinking about Popeyes fries. In my head, I'll be like, Yes, you loved them. Go get some NOW. Then 10 minutes later, I'm like, No, they really weren't good; they tasted like chicken. So, I think I have french fry fog in my brain. It was too much, and my car still smells like a cherry air freshener mixed with stale fries. 

*Also, Taco Bell was not selling their fries — we did try to include them.*

HERE'S HOW THE FINAL RANKINGS LOOK (available in text below the image as well):

BuzzFeed

15. Arby's (regular fries): 10.1

14. Shake Shack: 10.8 

13. Wendy's: 11

12. Five Guys: 11.1

11. Chick-fil-A: 11.7

10. Carl's Jr./Hardee's: 14.3

9. Kentucky Fried Chicken: 14.5

8. Jack in the Box (curly fries): 14.7

7. Popeyes: 14.8

6. Arby's (curly fries): 15.2

5. In-N-Out: 15.6

4. Jack in the Box (regular fries): 16.9

3. Burger King: 17.2 

2. Wingstop: 17.3

1. McDonald's: 18.6

Wanna watch our rankings of the fries LIVE as they happened??! Watch our lil' vid here:

@cehudspeth

Overall rankings are at the very end, sorry in advance for the controversial Chick-fil-A fry takes🧂 @Krista Torres

♬ Sunroof - Nicky Youre & dazy

Who makes your favorite fast-food fries? Let us know in the comments, where we're sure there will be super chill dialogue and no strong opinions or hostility at all!

HBO