TastingTable Ranks 11 Chain Restaurant Nachos From Worst To Best

Nachos are a go-to item on many menus from chain restaurants in the U.S. and the folks at Tasting Table set out to rank 11 of them from worst to best based on fresh ingredients, crunchiness, and overall taste. Here’s the list of their choices.

11. Taco Bell Nachos BellGrande – the Nachos BellGrande at Taco Bell are larger than their regular beef nachos, but they don’t justify the price as these nachos showed up as the worst choice in the list. TastingTable tried the chicken version as well as the beef, and they recommend ordering the smaller size nachos with beef and adding jalapeños.

10. Taco Bell Loaded Beef Nachos – Taco Bell Loaded Beef Nachos feature firm and crunchy chips with refried beans, reduced-fat sour cream and nacho cheese sauce, but are topped with enchilada-style red sauce instead of tomatoes. The reviewer said the cheese had a plastic taste and texture and both Taco Bell nacho offerings were very disappointing.

Yard House Chicken Nachos – these nachos were “perfectly inoffensive” with tender chicken and guacamole, but the chips were not tasty or crispy. That’s why they check in at #9 on the list.
Hard Rock Café Legendary Pulled Pork Nachos – the Hard Rock nachos feature a bed of tortilla chips and layers of black beans, pico de gallo, jalapeños, pickled red onions, scallions, and melted Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses with lime crema in place of sour cream. Unfortunately, the pulled pork was dry and stringy and these were not recommended.
Pink Taco Chicken Nachos – Pink Taco Chicken Nachos feature pickled jalapeños, black beans, cilantro, pico de gallo, avocado salsa, Mexican cream, and red chile sauce along with a house cheese blend. The chicken was tender, but had an odd flavor and there weren’t enough jalapeños. The reviewer recommended leaving out meat completely or try them with al pastor or carnitas.
Hard Rock Café Legendary Steak Nachos – these were better than the Hard Rock Pulled Pork Nachos, but not by much. The steak was chewy and rubbery and the standout ingredients were the guacamole and crispy chips.
Hard Rock Legendary Chicken Nachos – another Hard Rock variation, these had creamy cheese and tender white meat chicken that wasn’t dried out. They were a solid choice, but not entirely flavorful.
Pink Taco Carne Asada Nachos – the steak in these nachos was seasoned well, but was rubbery and not tender. They were constructed with the same ingredients as the Pink Taco Chicken Nachos, but the reviewer said you might want to skip the meat on these as well.
Rosa Mexicano’s Signature Red Chile Chicken Nachos – these feature Chihuahua cheese, black beans, guacamole, pico de gallo, pickled jalapeños, and cojita cheese. The portion size was small and as a delivery item the chips and additions weren’t packaged separately. They are high on the lis because of the excellent flavor.
Margaritaville Volcano Nachos – the presentation of these nachos sets them apart as they are served in a volcano tower smothered with fiesta cheese queso sauce and beef and black bean chili. On top is sour cream, pico de gallo, pickled jalapeños and fresh guacamole and these came in second place.
Yard House Poke Nachos – rated the best in the TastingTable poll, these feature raw ahi poke tuna, wonton chips topped with avocado, nori, sesame seeds, serrano peppers, cilantro, green onions, soy ginger sauce, white truffle sauce, and sriracha aioli. All of the ingredients combine to make this an entire meal, and these were the winner according to TastingTable.

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Russ "Whip" Rose