15 Popular Yard House Appetizers, Ranked

With over 100 draft beers, Yard House may be best known as the place where you're bound to find a brew you like on tap. However, nothing goes better with a pilsner, sasion, or IPA (or your favorite nonalcoholic beer) than some delicious appetizers.

While the menu at Yard House isn't quite as extensive as its beer list, it is still quite a challenge to decide which of the nearly 30 appetizers you should order on your next visit. Trying every app would have been too large of a feat for any individual (though we could imagine an eating contest between Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi). So instead, we are ranking some of the most popular appetizers from worst to best. There is a good mix of meat-forward as well as vegetarian items on this list with a heavy focus on cheese. Yard House does have some vegan options, including a few with alternative meat brand Gardein, but like many bar food offerings, carbs and dairy are co-kings.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

Though Yard House has over 80 locations across the U.S. (as well as in China), many people might not be aware of its California roots. Started in 1996 in Long Beach, the chain has long had vegan options, having partnered with the Canadian meatless brand Gardein in its early days. Oceano, California, is the birthplace of the American Vegan Society, so Yard House's inclusion of meat- and dairy-free options is not surprising.

The vegan wings appetizer uses Gardein Chick'n with your choice of sauce (up to two per order): traditional Buffalo, barbecue, Korean chili garlic, lemon pepper dry rub, or whiskey black pepper. I tried the whiskey black pepper with this appetizer, which costs $18.99 and has between 750-1,000 calories, depending on the sauce.

I liked the sauce with its tanginess from the whiskey glaze, but I couldn't taste much black pepper. This dish was brought out at the same time as the boneless chicken wings, and as an omnivore, it wasn't really a fair fight. The biggest difference between the two was there was no crunch to these chicken-free wings. That lack of texture was definitely a major letdown and why it's last on the list. If you go for this meat-free option, I recommend the Korean chili garlic, as it has bits of toasted garlic that would add a much-needed textural appeal.

"This is an appetizer?" I asked, confused by the enormous amount of pasta heading toward me. "This is an appetizer," said the server, nonplussed. The portions at Yard House certainly are generous, but this felt way more like an entree. Since this is an appetizer ranking, these shiitake garlic noodles lose major points for more closely resembling a main course.

The noodles were a bit too soft for my liking, as I prefer al dente, and the combination of shiitake with parmesan cheese was a bit strange. There is a healthy dose of garlic, which gives the noodles flavor, but overall it was too bland and lacking in some much-needed acidic brightness. A squeeze of lemon would have helped but not fully revived this menu item.

At $19.49 (and 800 calories), this dish is fine if you want something that won't overpower your drink and that perhaps means leftovers to take home, but there are so many other items to choose from. I would skip this one completely.

The presentation of the onion ring tower is 10/10. I watched it being delivered and realized this was not a paltry little tower but one fit for a fortified castle. That being said, I'm just not a huge fan of onion rings. They always sound good in theory, but I have yet to eat one that has really impressed me. This is especially true when you sink your teeth into a ring only to have an onion-less bite of batter or worse, the entire onion innards in one bite (that's what happened here).

I liked that the rings are beer-battered, which adds subtle flavor to the coating, but I couldn't really tell the difference between the buttermilk ranch or chipotle ranch sauce. At $15.99, it's a visual table-pleaser for a large group, but if you're dining alone or with one other person, I'd save your cash and the 1,330 calories for another menu item.

The firecracker shrimp has all the makings of a delicious dish. So I was surprised to discover I wasn't a huge fan. All of the components are tasty — the tempura shrimp, the crispy rice cake, and the mix of sweet chili sriracha and sweet soy ginger sauces — but together, they compete for the spotlight, making them all fade into one big spicy fried background.

I think where it goes wrong is topping a fried rice cake with fried shrimp. Even the most ravenous diner might find this dish way too heavy. The green onions, cilantro, and cucumber on top aren't enough to break up the barrage of fried brown elements. It's also drowning in sauce, forcing what should be crispy shrimp into a strange gelatinous mound. This dish is $18.99 and 1,320 calories. If you're looking for a similar but much better-tasting dish, opt for the crab roll stack or make your own with sushi-grade tuna on crispy rice instead.

Yard House's chicken nachos are perfectly inoffensive and have all the classic components you'd want. They include grilled chicken, pinto beans, two types of cheese (cheddar and Monterey Jack), diced tomatoes, cilantro, onions, and pickled jalapeños made in-house. Aside from the compulsory guacamole and sour cream, the chips are also splashed with three kinds of sauces: medium-spiced sauce with guajillo chilis, chipotle sauce, and tomatillo sauce.

With all of that atop somewhat flimsy tortilla chips, it's a bit much. Like the tempura shrimp dish, the inner portion of the chips did not retain any crispness, which instantly downgrades nachos. The chicken was tender and well-seasoned, and I enjoyed the pickled jalapeños and guacamole, but there was nothing special about this appetizer. The dish costs $20.99 and has a whopping 2,580 calories. If you're craving nachos, I advise you to skip this version and opt for the poke nachos.

Onion rings are low on my favorites list, but if I'm craving a bar food that also happens to be a fried ring, calamari is my go-to. The fried calamari at Yard House is crisp, light, and not chewy — all vitally important when judging this dish. It was well-seasoned, and the sprinkle of parsley added a nice visual touch.

The tomato sauce was not too sweet and had a bit of spice. The roasted jalapeño tartar sauce, however, was a tepid bowl of mushy sadness. Everything about this sauce was unappealing: the texture, the flavor, and the temperature. Tartar sauce, like onion rings, has never wowed me, but somehow the addition of the jalapeño did not add a kick of spice, but instead just gave the sauce a bizarre mouthfeel. Many of the sauces on the menu, including this one, are made in-house daily. I'm not sure if I had gotten a bad batch, but the sauce alone is keeping this dish from ranking higher. It's priced at $18.99 (990 calories) and is a much smaller portion than most of the other appetizers, so much less of a budget-friendly option as well.

This is one of two tuna dishes that I sampled during my visit, and unfortunately, the worst of the two. It combines many ingredients I love, and usually, it would be really hard to dislike something that has avocado, edamame, nori, and my favorite herb, cilantro, but something about this dish just doesn't feel cohesive. It's the antithesis to the carb-heavy pretzel, but it goes too far because it's lacking in textural character. 

Like the tempura shrimp, the addition of cucumber doesn't add enough crunch, and I wondered if I was being fed the haute version of pureed baby food. The plate was also drowning in a collection of sauces, including wasabi soy sauce. Had wonton chips been served on the side, or if it was atop a crispy rice cake, this dish would've ranked much higher for me, but without any toothsome qualities, here it remains. This dish is $18.49 and has just 550 calories, so it is a much lighter option, but that's not enough reason to order it.

When I saw this appetizer, I assumed it was spinach artichoke dip, but unfortunately, it is sans artichoke. What makes this an issue is that since this dip has been a fan favorite for several decades, the artichoke is expected. Omitting it cheapens the dish. It also removes an important textural aspect. Spinach is soft; cheese is soft. Canned artichokes, while not hard, per se, have a meatier mouthfeel, especially when up against extremely soft foods. The crunchy tortillas are not enough to make up for the lack of artichokes, and since Yard House is a California-born brand, it's an even bigger faux pas since almost all artichokes grown in the U.S. come from California.

All that aside, melted cheese and spinach are hardly a bad combination. This dish uses feta, Monterey Jack, parmesan, and cream cheese. Beyond artichokes, this dish could use some spice, whether garlic or horseradish (or both, in my opinion) to add some depth. It contains 800 calories and is priced at $19.49, which is steep for such a simple dish.

Another big win for presentation, this giant pretzel is an absolute must for a large gathering. Few things pair better than pretzels and beer, so this appetizer is also a bar-side staple. The pretzel had a slight crunch on the outside and was soft on the inside. I was happy to see that it wasn't drowned in butter like so many iterations of the Bavarian classic are wont to do. Instead, it comes with two sauces: Yard House hazy India Pale Ale (IPA) beer cheese (which is, of course, made in-house), and spicy brown mustard.

The beer cheese was my favorite of the two with its tanginess that perfectly pairs with the pretzel or any brew you choose. I also enjoyed the mustard, which I'm pretty sure was Gulden's mustard, but according to the chain's website, it uses horseradish mustard, which I would have preferred. The pretzel has 1,230 calories and costs $16.99, which in my opinion, is pretty steep for a fairly simple dish, but if you're craving carbohydrates, it's hard to beat this pretzel.

We've reached the second attempt with a crispy rice cake, and this one is in it to win it. This dish is a deconstructed/reconstructed take on a California roll. But, unlike most California rolls, the Cali roll stack uses real crab instead of imitation crab. This makes a huge difference in flavor as well as mouthfeel, vastly improving upon a classic sushi favorite. Unlike the tempura shrimp, the crispy rice cake adds a lot of valuable texture. Like many of the dishes on this list, the crab and the plate itself were too heavily sauced. It would be great to see Yard House adopt Sweetgreen's sauce-level preferences because the river of sauces has turned quite a few potentially solid dishes into a drowned mess.

I liked the addition of baby tomatoes and the briny burst from the masago fish eggs. If ordered with a side salad, this appetizer could be a satisfying meal as long as you go light on the sauce. This dish is priced at $18.99 and has 970 calories.

I visited Yard House's Times Square location in January, and Miguel's queso dip (so named for a chef on staff) was one of the first dishes I tried. Since it was extremely cold, a giant plate of warm cheese was just what I needed to shake off the winter chill. I like that it's paired with both tortilla chips and soft tortillas, allowing diners to try variations. There is a bit of spice from the roasted poblano peppers, guajillo chili, and chipotle sauces, but it's not overwhelming.

I really enjoyed the combination of cheddar, pepper jack, and queso blanco, with the cheddar adding a good amount of zing. My only complaint is there doesn't seem to be an option to add ground beef to this dish, which would make it even more delectable, as would a few steamed sweet peppers on the side to bring in some brightness and a little nutritional value. This dish is $18.99 and not shockingly, has 1,560 calories.

I've been lucky enough to taste fresh Wisconsin cheese curds in the Badger State. In their fresh form, they should squeak when you bite into them, but when fried they should just be soft and gooey. Yard House's take on this Midwestern favorite is a solid homage to the dish.

The batter was not overdone, and the cheese curds were melty on the inside. This dish came with two sauces, horseradish aioli, which gave the signature nasal burn you expect from the zesty root vegetable, and hot honey. The spicy honey was an unexpected but fantastic choice. As much as I enjoy horseradish, I never went back to the aioli after trying the cheese curds with the honey. It gave the curds a sweet and sour sauce-esque taste. While it might seem like a strange choice at first, it's not much of a stretch given that among the tips for the ultimate cheeseboard is to include honey. The portion size is just right, and the price, $16.49, reflects the smaller amount. This dish has 1,980 calories but is definitely worth the splurge.

Finally, a vegetable takes center stage. While the hearty appetizers were wonderful, I began craving lighter, healthier dishes to counteract the heavier ones. Enter the chicken lettuce wraps. The wrap filling is served in a fried wonton cup with chicken as well as tofu and green onions and has housemate sweet chili sauce and spicy peanut vinaigrette on the side. I completely ignored the wonton cup and went straight for the lettuce. It was crisp, and since the sauce is served on the side, it was the perfect amount since I was in control of how much I added to each bite.

I didn't even realize that this dish had tofu, which is a testament to how tender the chicken was. I really enjoyed a light pouring of both sauces but much preferred the sweet chili sauce with the wraps. At $18.99 and 730 calories, you get two kinds of protein, a vegetable, full sauce autonomy, and even a bit of fried carbs.

These are some of the best boneless wings I've ever had. They are super crispy with a sweet and spicy Korean chili garlic sauce as well as bits of crunchy garlic on top. I had them toward the end of the afternoon when I was nearly stuffed to the gills, but I couldn't resist a couple of extra bites.

Ultra crispy on the outside, the chicken was tender on the inside and cut into perfect bite-sized pieces. A limit does not exist for how much garlic I desire in a dish (or at least, I haven't found it yet), and if you, like me, adore garlic (one of many popular root vegetables), you will love this dish. It's served with a side of ranch sauce, which was basic but fine. To be honest, it doesn't need accoutrements since the wings are so flavorful on their own. The wings are $18.99 and come with the same sauce choices as the vegan wings (Buffalo, whiskey black pepper, barbecue, and lemon pepper dry rub), but unless you have a garlic allergy, Korean chili garlic is the only right decision. The calorie content ranges between 770 and 1,010 calories, depending on the sauce.

The poke nachos were the first appetizer I tried and my standout favorite. Comprised of marinated raw ahi tuna atop a bed of crispy wontons with avocado, serrano peppers, nori, sesame seeds, cilantro, green onions, and a light drizzling of sauces, this dish hits every note. It's refreshing, but also filling, has a big diversity of flavors and textures, and is really easy to eat. The general manager of the Times Square location, Tavares Milfort, sat down and had a few chips with me. Not only did he tell me this was his favorite dish (to which I agree), but he also said that the poke is sliced fresh every morning (as well as throughout the day). Staff members are also instructed to ensure each chip on the plate has a bite of poke.

The freshness is a major part of this dish's appeal, and the light touch of the sauces is what keeps it from becoming soggy and overpowered. The poke nachos are $21.99 and contain 880 calories.

I went into this tasting with an open mind and a plan to rank the dishes by their overall appeal. This included their visual appeal, and since a few appetizers had such grand presentations, those scored bonus points for creativity. Of course, taste was the leading factor as well as texture. I also took price into account, but since most of the dishes had a similar price point, this was a much lower consideration.

I also tried to picture what type of diner would order each dish as well as the intended demographic for Yard House customers. This location attracts office workers for happy hours as well as holiday parties, large groups of tourists for dinner, and corporate as well as celebrity private events. All of those groups would enjoy a high level of presentational flair, but it must also taste great.