12 Menu Items To Avoid Ordering From Applebee's

There are plenty of absolutely fine choices you can make at Applebee's: The chain is, after all, among those that we here at Tasting Table ranked as having some of the absolute best game-day appetizers. And seriously, who doesn't love loaded fries, pretzels, and beer cheese dip? That's what we thought!

Unfortunately for Applebee's fans and those who get dragged to happy hour every week, not everything on the menu is a win. According to some customers, several dishes are inedible and should be avoided at all costs. After all, flagging sales led to Applebee's closing more stores than they originally intended in 2023, but the powers that be remained optimistic.

So, what does that mean for you and your trip to Applebee's? What should you avoid lest you convince yourself that you never want to return there again? We did some digging to find out what customers were voicing their consistent disappointment over and found some menu items that are widely disliked. We also looked at some of Applebee's nutritional information and found that in the case of some menu items, you could be getting served up several times the recommended daily intake of things like sodium. Now, let's get into what we discovered.

There's an old saying that if it looks too good to be true, it just might be too good to be true. That's the case with Applebee's famous mixed drink specials, and here's the thing: They might be fine for the occasional after-work cocktail, but if you're in the mood for going out and treating yourself to something delicious, give this a miss. Customers on Reddit are less than impressed with these deals, with some saying that the $1 Long Island iced tea just wasn't good and wouldn't be worth the price even if it was free. 

Videos posted by those claiming to be Applebee's employees show them batch-making the chain's famous Dollaritas ($1 margaritas) by pouring bottom-shelf tequila, water, and margarita mix into a five-gallon bucket and calling it a day. Meanwhile, there are plenty of customers who confirm these bargain drinks are just not good. Some suggest you'll have to ask for half the amount of mixer to taste anything aside from sweetness, and others say some taste like watered-down sweet and sour mix.

There's a footnote to this, too. When Applebee's launched the $1 margaritas promotion in 2017, lone bartenders suddenly found themselves dealing with a line out the door, and all employees found themselves facing supply shortages, angry customers, and massive delays in service that drove many to quit.

When we here at Tasting Table ranked chain restaurant pasta dishes from worst to best, guess which eatery took the bottom spot? That's right, it was Applebee's with the three-cheese chicken penne. We're not the only ones who found the pasta pretty terrible — reviews across the web agree. Customers have complained about every aspect of the pasta, and it's commonly said that it's always undercooked or overcooked.

There are plenty of customers' photos on social media, showing pasta dishes featuring sad-looking noodles on plates. Patrons have taken to review sites to share complaints about receiving pasta without the sauce and tiny portions with very little meat. Some have even said that when it makes it to the table, it already looks as though someone's been eating it, and that's an unappetizing thought. The first bite is with the eye, after all, and the plating and presentation are important.

Others complain about being served cold pasta and dishes with flavorless, dry, and oddly textured chicken. Some say that the only good thing was that Applebee's didn't charge them for the meal, but given the sheer number of these unhappy customers, perhaps it's just better to stay away from the pasta altogether. 

Let's talk about sodium for a minute. Most Americans consume way too much sodium, averaging about 3,500 milligrams per day. Ideally, a person should be limiting themselves to around 1,500 milligrams, according to the American Heart Association, with 2,300 milligrams being an achievable improvement.

AHA experts also say that the foods you order at a restaurant are one of the biggest sources of sodium, and that's where Applebee's bacon cheddar crispy chicken sandwich comes in. Every single one of those words sounds delicious, but a look at the nutritional information shows that the sandwich (and a side of fries) has 3,670 milligrams of sodium.

You might think opting for a sandwich is a lighter, healthier option than other entrees, but let's take a quick look at other sandwiches you should probably avoid. The Prime Rib Dipper has even more sodium — 4,330 milligrams — and only slightly fewer calories and total fat content than the bacon cheddar crispy chicken sandwich. The Clubhouse Grille, chicken fajita rollup, and the sweet and spicy crispy chicken sandwich (pictured) all have more than 3,000 milligrams of sodium, which is well over what is recommended for the entire day.

Spare ribs are one of those proteins you should consider cooking more often, even though they have a bit of a reputation for being difficult to cook with and time-consuming. While you might opt to treat yourself when you go to a restaurant, you should consider skipping Applebee's ribs and riblets. That's according to one Redditor who revealed they were an Applebee's line cook and did an /IAmA thread. They said the riblets came frozen, pre-sauced, and grilled prior to serving. Riblets were also on their list of foods they wouldn't eat there. 

Other Reddit threads have customers comparing the riblets to McDonald's weird yet inexplicably recurring McRib, while others posted that they mistook one photo for a picture of brownies. You don't need to be a pitmaster to know that brownies and ribs should be distinguishable from each other, and still, others liken them to a more disgusting sort of Salisbury steak. Applebee's riblets are widely condemned for being chewy, gristle-filled meat slabs, with the only favorable comment suggesting that sometimes they were edible. The ribs are not any better — customers have an assortment of complaints, such as the dish being dry. 

Everyone knows that French onion soup tastes better at a restaurant than when you make it at home, but according to plenty of Applebee's customers posting on social media sites, that doesn't extend to Applebee's. In many cases, Applebee's managed to mess up the French onion soup so badly that it's just hilarious. One Redditor posted that they ordered the soup, and Applebee's forgot the actual soup, sending them a soup container of just a slice of cheese and a crouton. 

We might be able to write that off as a one-time mistake, but others who have shared pictures of unappetizing, stringy cheese draped over equally unappetizing bread say that they've gotten half-filled bowls, while those responding to the complaint point out that the soup looks so bad, that's probably for the best. Some posts say there's a distinct lack of onions, and the crouton looks like something that's already passed through the human digestive tract. Believe it or not, that's a common critique. 

If you ignore our advice and manage to eat the bowl of soup, it's also worth noting you're getting 1,250 milligrams of sodium with that. That's not far off what the American Heart Association recommends eating in an entire day, so while we understand the allure of a hot, hearty bowl of French onion soup, it shouldn't be this one.

Ordering a salad might seem like a healthier alternative to some other dishes. That's not the case with Applebee's salads, though, especially the quesadilla chicken salad. That has 4,630 milligrams of sodium — way more than the American Heart Association's ideal daily limit of 1,500 milligrams — as well as 153 grams of fat, 2,240 calories, and 17 grams of sugar. For that particular salad, the nutritional information does not include any dressing.

Now, there's the oriental chicken salad (pictured). Sure, it looks delicious, but keep in mind that the version with grilled chicken comes with 2,050 milligrams of sodium, 1,440 calories, and 90 grams of fat. Switch to crispy chicken instead, and you'll get slightly less sodium but more fat and calories. Sure, you could try to remove some of the ingredients, but as some health-conscious Redditors point out, a lack of healthy salads that can be ordered off the menu means it's easier just to stay home and make your own.

Some Reddit users also point out that Applebee's is still using a word that has largely fallen out of favor: "Oriental." Many stopped using it as far back as 1999, and today, the word is acknowledged as being a term that encompasses stereotypes and racism and is a catch-all that implies a complete lack of interest in delving into the varied cultures and history of the East.

Going out to a restaurant to eat when you have to remain gluten-free can be a bit of a nightmare. While there is one steakhouse chain with a reliable gluten-free menu, it's not Applebee's. In fact, there are plenty of Redditors who say Applebee's is not the place to go at all if you're concerned about gluten. Of particular concern is anything that's fried, as some say that the same oil is used for frying everything, regardless of what it is.

Others note that some of the foods that have been marked as gluten-free — including the wings — aren't because they're fried. Even foods that are labeled as gluten-free are perhaps more accurately described as "gluten sensitive," and other Reddit users who have shared their experiences at Applebee's suggest that because so much is prepackaged and prepared in advance, even doing things like removing croutons from salads can't be done. 

One Redditor even said that when they asked about gluten-free options, they were told that they were better off going elsewhere. That, at least, gives points for honesty, especially considering how easy cross-contamination can happen in a commercial kitchen.

When Tasting Table's sister site, Mashed, did a ranking of Applebee's menu items from worst to best, the four-cheese mac and cheese with honey pepper chicken tenders took the worst spot. Reddit is full of photos from customers who received an entree that looks like it has got to be a joke. And it's been that way for a long time: Back in 2017, one Redditor responded to a particularly sad photo of this entree with the observation that it was the perfect example of bad food that was leading to decreasing sales and closing restaurants. 

Others called it an April Fool's Day joke served every day, compared it to the sort of microwaved dinner that comes with plastic wrap, and noted that it seemed to be cheese-flavored water. The other end of the spectrum is when customers are served a dish that looks entirely cheese-free. And it's not a rare case, either. 

It's also worth noting that this entree comes with 3,260 milligrams of sodium, 1,350 calories, and 55 grams of fat ... assuming, that is, all of the entree makes it to the plate. For something that's pretty consistently condemned as being among Applebee's most disappointing meals, that's just heartbreaking — especially considering you can make a decadent mac and cheese at home, add some chicken tenders, and have something much better.

We're going to talk about sodium again because there's another major offender on Applebee's menu. This time, we're going to look at burgers, specifically the Whole Lotta Bacon Burger. Everyone loves bacon, sure, but if you're looking at this option while trying to keep tabs on your sodium intake, you should know that the burger and a side of fries come with 3,660 milligrams of sodium. That's more than the average daily sodium intake of Americans and the recommended amount by the American Heart Association. The quesadilla burger with fries comes in a close second, with 3,470 milligrams of sodium. 

There are a couple of other things to consider here, too, and that's the fact that you're probably going to order an appetizer, too, right? It's difficult to judge just how much sodium you're going to get when you order an appetizer to share with the table, but some of the choices on Applebee's menu are so high that we felt we'd be remiss if we didn't mention them. The Classic Combo has 5,560 milligrams, and the Neighborhood Nachos have either 4,510 milligrams or 4,390 milligrams when ordered with — respectively — beef or chicken. 

Ever walk out of Applebee's feeling very, very thirsty? That's one of the short-term side effects of getting too much sodium, along with a spike in blood pressure and bloating. That's some food for thought.

Steak lovers might find it hard to resist their favorite meat on the menu, especially when accompanied by inevitably mouth-watering images. But the only thing worse than not having your favorite food is having that food ruined by a bad experience, and according to countless customers, that means you're going to have to skip Applebee's steaks. Some even go as far as to report that when they ordered the steak, it looked and tasted completely unlike any other steak they'd ever had, and no, that was not a good thing. 

Reddit is full of photos of Applebee's steaks that seem to suggest that one of the biggest problems is that they're not cooked properly. Medium steaks are uniformly brown and dry throughout,  and when one Redditor posted a photo of a truly delicious-looking steak, they were immediately called out for trolling. Others said they knew it wasn't Applebee's because it didn't look like shoe leather and actually looked better than Applebee's advertising photos.

Redditors are much more willing to believe that improperly cooked pieces of meat that don't actually look like steaks are from Applebee's. The chain's steaks are likened to hamburgers, Salisbury steak, and McDonald's McRib patty without the sauce.

Although Applebee's was awarded the title of "America's Favorite Boneless Wings" in 2024, Reddit users expressed dismay. In other threads, customers are quick to point out that ordering boneless wings at Applebee's is just the adult equivalent of ordering chicken nuggets, and they're not wrong. Why would you go to a restaurant and order something that you can definitely make at home?

Even limited edition boneless wings — like the Cheetos variety — get a lot of hate on Reddit, with some saying that when they went to order them, their waitress just told them not to. It makes sense, too. Not only are photos of these could-be-delicious little nuggets covered in way too much oil, but a glance at the dipping sauces shows that the Buffalo sauces come with 2,700 milligrams of sodium. 

Applebee's regular wings get some hate on Reddit, too. Customers aren't a fan of the texture that comes as a result of being served when they're covered in sauce, and some suspect they're microwaved to be reheated. Others have complained that the wings tend to be on the small side, that the sauces just don't cut it, and, to be fair, half the fun of chicken wings is the sauces.

First, let's take a look at the guidelines: The American Heart Association says that men should limit their sugar intake to 36 grams per day, and women should limit theirs to 25 grams daily. When you take a look at Applebee's nutritional information, you'll see that a lot of the desserts and drinks exceed the daily recommended limit. The Cinnabon Mini Swirls have 155 grams of sugar. The Triple Chocolate Meltdown? 87 grams. The Oreo cookie shake and the Sizzlin' Butter Pecan Brownie have — respectively — 72 and 71 grams. Even the kids' chocolate shake has 94 grams. The Berry Merry Colada has 82 grams of sugar, and to put that in perspective, a Red Bull has 27 grams.

If you're monitoring your sugar intake, you might be tempted to opt for a fruit smoothie instead. While it might sound like that's a great alternative, the sugar content in those ranges from 93 grams (in the Strawberry Colada Smoothie Swirl) to 55 grams (in the mango smoothie). And the mango, passion fruit, and peach lemonades all have 72 grams of sugar.