The Restaurant Chain With The Absolute Best Meal In The Freezer Aisle

In today's busy world, frozen meals are a staple. New products emerge all the time to meet our frozen-food needs, which means there have never been more great options than there are now, but there are also just more options in general, and not all of them are good. To help you navigate crowded grocery store freezer aisles and find your favorites, we've checked in with what's out there. We've ranked 20 frozen dinner brands, and more recently, we zeroed in on a specific market by ranking 14 frozen meals from popular restaurant chains. Restaurants offer brand recognition, which may seem appealing, but it's hard to know if you're about to get an at-home version of a dish you love or a poorly executed attempt.

Asian food fans will be excited to learn of one guaranteed satisfying meal: The Korean-Inspired Pork Bowl from P.F. Chang's was our number-one pick. P.F. Chang's previously came in fourth when we ranked well-known Chinese restaurant chains — across America, the name invokes the comfort of familiarity and delicious flavors you can rely on. The pork bowl won over options from chains like Boston Market and TGI Fridays because it achieved both quality flavor and texture. Frozen meals can so easily dip into bland territory, and consistency seems especially tricky, from watery vegetables to rubbery noodles. Not only does this meal have toothsome noodles, tender pork, and veggies with some bite, but it also has gochujang sauce that's spicy but not overwhelming.

P.F. Chang's first opened in 1993 and has grown to have 300 locations in over 20 countries. With such an established following, the restaurant chain decided to offer people the opportunity to enjoy some of their favorite menu items in the comfort of their own homes, launching their frozen meal lineup in 2010. Reviews on their various meals like Chicken Pad Thai and Beef and Broccoli have been mixed over the years, but the pork bowl may indeed be more of a bright spot in the repertoire. 

On Reddit, the dish has been praised for its authentic noodles that retained a nice texture and a spicy kick. Elsewhere, customers have said this frozen meal is the best flavor of the P.F. Chang's line, has springy noodles and tender pork, is a good balance of savory, sweet, and spicy, and is something they could eat every day. The meal has also been applauded for the consistency of its noodles, as well as the portion size and delicious sauce. Some shoppers report the meal is spicy but tasty — one reviewer recommends adding a little water and cooking the bowl in the oven, which — if you have time — could give you even better texture still, adding fresh crispness to the meal's carrots, red bell peppers, cabbage, and scallions, plus tenderness to the shiitake mushrooms.