The Best Menu Item At Applebee's Is Actually A Dessert

Applebee's has been a neighborhood favorite for comforting all-American food, happening Happy Hours, and low prices since 1980. Their expansive menu is an eclectic selection of items that run the gamut from sweet to savory, and modern fusion to classic dishes. Tasting Table ranked Applebee's most popular menu items based on the taste, texture, and the execution of each dish, to help you make the best decision on your next visit. 

And somewhat surprisingly, the best menu item at Applebee's is a dessert. We ranked the iconic triple chocolate meltdown first. True to its name, the triple chocolate meltdown is a decadent chocolate cake, filled with gooey fudge, and drizzled with even more hot fudge. It's served with a hefty scoop of vanilla ice cream for a creamy, cooling contrast to all the hot chocolate lava. 

This hot and cold contrast was one of the major factors that led to its top ranking, in fact. Likewise the impressive depth of texture — a bouncy, light cake oozing with hot fudge dances on the tongue. And while the triple dose of chocolate may sound like a bit too much, the overall sweetness offered the perfect amount of richness. Plus, the delicious-tasting vanilla ice cream helped balance out the chocolatey notes with its own robust aromas.

Molten lava cakes are beloved, individually sized desserts served everywhere from fine dining restaurants to Domino's Pizza. While you might consider them classics, chocolate lava cake is actually younger than Applebee's itself, originating in France in the early 1980s and brought to the U.S. in 1987. It's worth noting that Applebee's recipe is as classic as they come. But, as with any popular recipe, molten lava cakes have diversified over time, gradually incorporating new and exciting flavors and textures. 

There are plenty of great lava cake recipes that veer from the established form in all sorts of fruity and savory directions. If chocolate fudge filled chocolate cake is too much for you, our recipe for Valentine's Day chocolate-raspberry lava cake swaps the typical chocolate ganache for these delicious Bonne Maman raspberry preserves. So you get a fruity, tangy flavor to complement the richness from the chocolate as well as a more jelly-like consistency alongside a bit of crunch from the raspberry seeds.