9 Chain Restaurant Coleslaws Ranked Worst To Best

Often served accompanying a rack of ribs, fish and chips, or a fried chicken sandwich, coleslaw is one of the best cold and crunchy side dishes. When made well, it’s a tried-and-true recipe that transforms humble, cost-effective cabbage into a bold superstar, one that delivers a crisp, refreshing bite to an otherwise heavy meal. If you’re not serving it homemade for a fun barbecue or cookout, there are plenty of options to turn to when you’re dining out for a relaxing sit-down meal.

I’ll be reviewing coleslaws that are currently available to order in a range of chain restaurants and will rate them from the very worst to the very best. Whether you’re grabbing a casual brunch at Bob Evans or enjoying a romantic dinner date at Bonefish Grill, there’s a coleslaw out there waiting to be nestled alongside some of your favorite restaurant dishes — as long as you know the best places to find it. While there were some disappointing losers with horrible preparations of coleslaw – sad and soggy in their tiny bowls of flavorless misery — many others impressed me with their fresh preparations and bold tastes. Read on for my carefully tested selections.

Everything that could go wrong with a coleslaw recipe went wrong with BJ’s poor interpretation of this beloved side dish. My personal disappointment felt even worse than normal, because the pretty appearance of the coleslaw didn’t match the taste; after inspecting the finely chopped pieces of coleslaw and carrots thoroughly mixed together in a mayonnaise-based dressing speckled with celery seeds, I set a lofty expectation for how it would taste and was very enthusiastic to have my first bite.

Sadly, my high hopes were shattered right away … it was a squelchy, flavorless mess of limp veggies. The dressing was so excessively diluted that no other flavors came through except dirty cabbage water. With all my top coleslaw candidates being able to successfully pack a ton of flavor into their mixes without any issues of the vegetables in the coleslaw going soggy, I absolutely had to mark BJ’s as the unfortunate loser representing the very bottom spot.

Applebee’s has a few restaurant secrets we’ve uncovered, but it’s no secret that the restaurant’s coleslaw isn’t that tasty. In fact, it’s dry as a bone. The coleslaw at Applebee’s was basically plain cut-up veggies in a bowl. And not very good veggies. The oddly long, matchstick carrots were dried and dehydrated, and the shredded cabbage pieces were not in their best shape, either. I noticed there was at least the tiniest attempt to utilize fresh herbs with a scattering of poorly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, but I could hardly taste that. Any of the fresher flavors were dulled down and muted.

There was another small attempt at splashing in a spoonful or two of a mayonnaise dressing, but it obviously wasn’t enough. Whatever minuscule amount of dressing that was mixed in ended up forming a sad, shallow little puddle at the bottom of the bowl. There could have been some potential with this coleslaw, because from what I was able to taste, the dressing did have a sweeter, subtly vinegary personality. But even if there was more, I still doubt it would have been much help to let Applebee’s climb any higher than its current standing.

Here’s another one that didn’t make too much of a memorable impact on the side dish game, but at least it was better than the last two. But only slightly better. The mix of chopped green cabbage and carrot was overwhelmed by the heavy-handed addition of raw onion. You know it when you taste it: strong, spicy, severe. Because the colors of both the onion and cabbage blend so well together, it was hard to pick out the pieces from the monochromatic crowd.

The other big problem was the dressing. While there was enough of it, it was definitely too loose and liquid-y, resembling milky water. I did my best to evenly mix and distribute it with a spoon without splattering it everywhere. There was still some decent sweet/salty/tangy flavor to the coleslaw, which was its saving grace from securing an even lower spot in the ranking. Try better next time, Bobby.

While it initially ranked high, the more I tasted and tested this slaw next to all the others, the more it fell out of favor in the final lineup. The coleslaw at Smokey Bones seemed like a very strong and semi-standard recipe: shredded green cabbage, thinly sliced scallions, and matchstick carrots tossed in a mayo dressing. The ratio of dressing to veggies was spot-on; no complaints there.

But there was something a little “off” with its flavor, which became increasingly more apparent with repeat tastings following the better-ranked coleslaws. Even though the texture of the coleslaw was enjoyable and it looked fresh and appetizing, the heavy use of stronger, tangier ingredients like vinegar and celery seeds aggressively altered the balance of flavors and ultimately led to its disappointing downfall. After directly comparing this one to the more well-balanced options, the tang was noticeably stronger. And while it wasn’t revolting or completely inedible, it still wasn’t as pleasant as it could have been if there had been a disciplined use of the more abrasive ingredients.

Red Robin’s coleslaw was an adequate dish, and it was exactly what you would expect from a classic mayonnaise-based coleslaw recipe. But I wasn’t starstruck by anything special, nor was I aghast by anything unappetizing. Smack-dab in the middle standing, this is where Red Robin’s coleslaw absolutely belongs. It simply lacked the zing its higher-ranking competitors possessed to earn a top spot. But it wasn’t an inedible disaster to push it down any lower than the other poorly ranked opponents.

You’ll recognize every single component in the mix: a combo of shredded green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots all mixed together in a creamy yet slightly loose mayo dressing with the faintest touch of mustard. There was just enough seasoning to keep the dish from tasting too bland, and all the vegetables maintained a crisp texture. Again, it was totally fine. Would I eat it again? If I were munching on a fried chicken sandwich at Red Robin, in need of a cool and creamy counterpart, I definitely would. It’s nothing to boast about to your friends and family, but it’s still a satisfactory side dish I wouldn’t avoid ordering.

I placed Red Lobster’s coleslaw in a high position, closely tailing Buffalo Wild Wings. This is another recipe that pays tribute to the classic interpretation, but with a noticeably impressive culinary trick in the mix that earned it a spot in the top half of the ranking. With a thicker dressing, Red Lobster’s coleslaw was the richest one among the entire lineup. Without being too overwhelming or weighed down, the mix managed to be super creamy, yet equally as crisp and refreshing. The shredded green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots stayed crunchy, a brilliant contrast to the more indulgent dressing base. I suspect the recipe includes a thick dairy ingredient — either sour cream or yogurt.

Overall, it was a milder mix and wasn’t too abrasively tangy or spicy. But here is where it showcases the main weakness in its recipe. The slightly underwhelming seasoning brought out a stronger and off-balance sense of sweetness. It was ultimately the reason why this particular coleslaw didn’t take the bronze, silver, or gold. If there had been a touch more salt, it might have captured a higher place. But it just didn’t have the chops to stand up to the far stronger competitor of Buffalo Wild Wings.

If your taste buds crave playing with fire, the chile-lime slaw at Buffalo Wild Wings is definitely for them. Out of all the slaws, this was the only one that boldly slapped me in the face — hard. It wanted to start a fight, and since I was getting a little bored by the other, blander coleslaw options, I was actually ecstatic to strap on some boxing gloves and enter the ring. The very first smell/bite hit me right away with big flavors and unapologetic spiciness, an eye-opening and mouth-watering rebellion from the subdued, sweeter flavors of a classic slaw. I enjoyed the creamy texture of the slaw combined with all the buffalo-wing-sauce-esque seasonings and acidic lime — it was a mischievous mix that relentlessly flirted with my high heat tolerance. What a fun way to upgrade a classic coleslaw recipe.

The one major downside? A single side of this coleslaw was the most expensive option, and I was given the least amount of it. There could be a variety of factors if this were a one-time error, from a rushed or poorly trained staff to rising food costs or limited supplies. And I would need to return and order the same thing a variety of times to make a final determination. But at least for this first visit, the tiny portion was a severe strike that left it in third place.

Bonefish Grill offers a couple of styles of coleslaw that vary by location. Where I am based in Pittsburgh, my local Bonefish Grill restaurant serves its Asian-style coleslaw, while other locations may serve the more classic creamy recipe. Upon first glance, I was a little wary to eat the lighter version of a slaw; the vinegary dressing seemed nonexistent, and the cabbage and carrots were roughly chopped into long and shoddy pieces that seemed like they were nervously prepped by a cook on their first day of the garde manger station with a blunt knife borrowed from an off-duty buddy. But then I tasted it, and my judgmental attitude immediately transformed into surprised pleasure.

With very little mayonnaise, perhaps none at all, the veggie base is tossed with a savory dressing made from what I concluded to be made with ingredients like soy sauce, vinegar (most likely rice wine), oil (probably sesame oil), maybe a tiny hint of fish sauce, some kind of sweetener, and a decent amount of fresh ginger. And the larger pieces of freshly chopped vegetables, rather than an obviously pre-cut bagged mix, actually worked to their own advantage, creating more of a rustic salad than a shredded slaw; everything was artfully dressed and tasted bright and fresh with the ideal level of umami richness. It was a distinctively unique standout from all the others, and brought a fine dining — yet approachable — perspective to a casual side dish.

An old saying rings true here: you can’t beat a classic! With major respect to all the components in a standard classic coleslaw, Cracker Barrel conquered all the others with humble finesse and a keen focus on the delicious simplicities of no-frills, honest-to-goodness comfort food. The veggies were masterfully shredded and crunchy, the dressing was creamy with well-balanced seasonings and a subtle tang, and the combination of the two together was in perfect harmony. This was as close to perfect as coleslaw could get. A perfect side for some other heavy-hitting Cracker Barrel favorites, like the cherished Friday Fish Fry or the Saucy Chicken Sandwich.

The base was a mix of shredded green cabbage with just a little red cabbage and carrots. Different from most of the others, the cabbage was more finely shredded, nearly feathery. The cutting style of the cabbage, when mixed with the dressing, created a more compact and uniform salad, since the dressing was able to coat more surface. But even with the cabbage’s more delicate texture, I was pleasantly surprised by how it still maintained a crisp and crunchy texture that all of us (rightfully so) demand from coleslaw, even after sitting in a creamier dressing for an extended period of time.

For the best taste test possible, I gathered and tasted all of my selections on the same day, ensuring that each one would be eaten at the peak of freshness directly from its restaurant. I ordered each coleslaw separately from any other food, and tested them all cold. I went through three rounds of taste-testing, drank water in between each coleslaw, and waited about 30 minutes between each round.

When it comes to characterizing the best aspects of a coleslaw, I was looking for a few key factors: fresh, professionally prepped vegetables that are crisp and crunchy (not soft and flabby), a well-seasoned dressing that evenly coats the vegetables, and the overall appearance of the coleslaw. I also enlisted the help and expertise of my husband, a fellow food professional with a couple of decades of culinary experience under his belt. Both of us ate more cabbage than we ever anticipated in a single day, and are currently paying the gastrointestinal price. But I think we can both agree that the flatulence was worth it for our thorough review.