TGI Fridays Side Dishes, Ranked From Worst To Best

I'll admit that TGI Fridays isn't a restaurant I frequent often, so I was excited to be able to try and rank its side dishes. Once I sat down, the menu looked great and the side dish options seemed impressive. With selections like 4-cheddar macaroni and cheese, jasmine rice, onion rings, and even fried shrimp available, I was eager to see how the restaurant's offerings stacked up against the scores of other sides I have already tried at other restaurant chains.

As always, every side dish mentioned here is subject to availability and price changes by geographical location. Bear in mind that this is simply my opinion. My hope is that, with the help of my experience here, you will glean information as to which side dishes are worth your time and which you should skip. I took a look at portion size, pricing, and overall flavor. Join me as I rank TGI Fridays side dishes from worst to best.

I'm one of those weird people who loves eating vegetables, but even then I have to admit that this side dish wasn't any good. I understand that the TGI Fridays Plain Broccoli is, well, plain. But when I see black specks laced through the stem and outer pieces, I get turned off (and, no, it definitely wasn't a light sprinkling of black pepper). If TGI Fridays is going to sell plain broccoli, I think it should at least be fresh. Furthermore, the restaurant should offer its customers more than a few florets in a portion — especially if the chain charges over three dollars for the side.

For reference, Texas Roadhouse offers its flavorful steamed broccoli side dish for only $2.99 in our area at the time of publication. TGI Fridays sells its steamed broccoli side dish for $3.59, which is far too much, in my opinion. For this tiny portion of seemingly unfresh broccoli, the purchase simply wasn't worth it. On the plus side, I did enjoy the texture. The pieces weren't too firm or too soft. Still, this was easily my least favorite side dish from TGI Fridays.

Full disclaimer: I'm not a big Caesar salad fan. I didn't grow up eating it and it's not on regular rotation in my everyday meals, so I'm willing to admit that I might not be the best judge in this category. Even so, I've had my fair share of delicious versions of this dish, including the Caesar salad that was a part of Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen's side dish lineup when I tried it. So, I was disappointed when I tasted the TGI Fridays Caesar Salad and got a mouthful of unappetizingly pungent flavor.

Maybe this is what Caesar salad is supposed to taste like, but based on my dining experiences elsewhere, I doubt it. The dressing had an acidic taste to it that was akin to sour milk. Ladling this dressing over the rest of the salad made each bite unpleasant, to the point where, after just a couple of forkfuls, I decided I'd had enough. Maybe an upgrade to the dressing would help save this salad, though I'm generally unimpressed with the entire thing since even the toppings seemed sparse. It may be for some people, but the Caesar salad at TGI Fridays definitely isn't for me.

The TGI Fridays breadsticks aren't disgusting –- just boring. There's nothing about them that stands out, whether we're talking flavor or texture. When it comes to taste, I found the breadsticks to flavorless compared to other breadsticks I've had. They weren't gleaming with butter or graced with garlic (which is why Olive Garden's bread sticks are so darn delicious, by the way). Instead, they tasted like plain pieces of bread.

To be fair, I wouldn't say that these breadsticks are bad. I like having a bit of bread to gnaw on while munching on a side salad, and these certainly do the trick. Would I look forward to having them again? No, I wouldn't, nor would I recommend paying $3.69 for an order. Maybe adding a side of marinara sauce or ranch would help amp up the flavor a bit, but that's hardly a good review for the breadsticks themselves.

I was frankly excited to taste TGI Fridays Jasmine Rice. I don't normally order rice when I go out to eat, though I consume a lot of it at home. Still, with just one whiff of this rice, and I was salivating. There were flecks of parsley strewn throughout, along with small chunks of sautéed red pepper, and the aroma was both bright and savory. I took my spoon and dug in ... but was left disappointed. The best thing about this side dish is how it smells. Unfortunately, its smell doesn't quite match the flavor.

The taste of TGI Fridays Jasmine Rice was virtually neutral. It had more flavor than plain white rice, but nowhere near the amount of taste that I thought it would have. I could tell there was butter somewhere in the dish, but the other flavors weren't quite so distinguishable. According to the TGI Fridays website, the rice also contains garlic and onion, which really surprised me as I couldn't have guessed that from tasting alone. All in all, I'd pass on this one. If you're looking for a great-tasting rice side dish, try Texas Roadhouse's rice pilaf, as it is easily one of the best-tasting Texas Roadhouse side dishes I've ever sampled.

Simply put, the TGI Fridays Garlic-Butter Broccoli & Cheese tastes okay. It's a different spin on the Garlic-Butter Broccoli that's also currently found on the menu, namely that it includes cheese. But, while this may sound weird, I feel like the cheese in this side detracts from the flavor of the broccoli. Having tried the Garlic-Butter Broccoli without the cheese, I can confidently say that the seasoning here is pretty good. But because cheese is mellow and milky, it knocks the harmony of the spices off-balance. But perhaps that's just me. If you routinely enjoy cheesy broccoli, I think you'll enjoy this rendition. But when pitting TGI Fridays Garlic-Butter Broccoli & Cheese against the more streamlined Garlic-Butter Broccoli, the latter easily wins for me.

One more thing I'd like to note is that the portion size for Garlic-Butter Broccoli & Cheese is once again minuscule. Given its price point of $4.99, I definitely don't think the side dish is worth the price.

I'm a sucker for house salads and I've even had some good ones at chain restaurants, so I was eager to give the TGI Fridays House Side Salad a try. Yet, at first glance, I was underwhelmed by what I saw in front of me. The portion size was huge, which is a plus compared to less satisfying sides, but it seemed to be mostly lettuce with cheese piled on top. As I mixed the salad, I found a few chopped cucumbers and a smattering of tomatoes hiding beneath the dairy, but nothing to write home about. I poured my honey mustard dressing on and took a reluctant bite.

Honestly, the salad tasted as expected –- pretty boring compared to others that I've sampled. Yet I will admit that the dressing that saved the day. TGI Fridays honey mustard dressing is thick, mellow, and slightly tangy and coated each leaf well to make the salad more flavorful.

The hearty portion size and more elevated flavor of the dressing are what earned this salad a higher ranking than what it would have received otherwise. You may also want to know that TGI Fridays offers a multitude of protein options to top your salad. I opted for no meat, so the salad was $6.79. Additions like salmon, steak, or a vegan Beyond Meat patty can cost an additional $5.00 or more (at the time of publication).

TGI Fridays Mashed Potatoes looked promising from the beginning. For reference, I love thick and creamy mashed potatoes with a lot of butter, herb, and garlic flavor. While these potatoes were missing the garlic and herbs, I did find these spuds to still be a high-quality and flavorful side dish. The restaurant website states that TGI Fridays mashed potatoes are made with sour cream, real butter, and cheddar, though my taste buds could not discern any such cheddar notes. They were very rich with chunks of soft potato strewn throughout, which I found to be very reminiscent of traditional mashed potatoes that I've made at home. 

I also loved the addition of black pepper here, as its zesty flavor contrasted nicely against the rich and buttery carbohydrates. Add to that the fact that the portion size is relatively large (two good-sized scoops) and the price is only $2.99, and I would totally order these spuds again. Though they don't look like much and aren't quite as flavorful as other mashed potatoes I've tried, TGI Fridays Mashed Potatoes still managed to impress me. 

TGI Fridays 4-Cheddar Mac & Cheese had me scratching my head a bit. Honestly, the presentation was terrible, which was extra sad given that this was the side dish I was looking forward to sampling most. It looked to be a soupy mess with shreds of unmelted cheese scattered on top. I stirred it up to help the aesthetics a bit, which is when I discovered that the liquid cheese was oddly white -– something I don't associate with classic mac and cheese.

So, despite these stumbles in appearance, why is the TGI Fridays 4-Cheddar Mac & Cheese still ranked fairly high on this list? That's because, despite its odd color and goopy texture, I quite liked the taste of this four-cheddar side dish. The flavor was comforting and cheesy, just as it should be. Overall, I think this side dish would be excellent for people who love their noodles swimming (and I mean, swimming) in cheese sauce. However, if you're more like me and like a thicker texture that's akin to baked macaroni and cheese, this might not be the right grab for you.

As mentioned earlier, I didn't love the Garlic Butter Broccoli with Cheese from TGI Fridays, but that's only because it masked the flavor of the original. Yes, I recommend the simpler version of this dish, as the TGI Fridays Garlic-Butter Broccoli is actually delicious, with a wonderfully bright flavor I've never quite experienced at any other dine-in restaurant.

According to the restaurant itself, the chain's Garlic-Butter Broccoli is seasoned with garlic and parmesan butter. But, for some reason, that wasn't quite the vibe I got. I detected a hint of garlic, sure, but it didn't taste anything like parmesan cheese -– at least not as far as my taste buds were concerned. I honestly can't describe what it tastes like, but what I can say is that it was flavorful. The only real qualm I have with this broccoli is the relatively small portion compared to the price ($4.19 in my area). Still, the flavor is there, I definitely recommend this side dish if you're looking for something a bit lighter than your typical french fry and mac and cheese fare.

I love french fries when they're done to my standards, though of course I know that everyone's standard is different. For me, how the fries are cut make a difference, as some fry cuts are simply better (or worse) than others. At TGI Fridays, the fries are cut medium width –- not too thin and not too thick –- which is just how I like them. The ones I received were perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside –- truly a fry lover's dream. I could tell by one look I was going to dig the taste of these, and I wasn't disappointed. Not only were they delightfully salty, but they also had black pepper sprinkled on top, which isn't the norm at other places I eat at. The black pepper added a complexity that I enjoyed. Dunking them in ketchup made the whole experience even better.

That said, they were a tad on the salty side, which is why they didn't quite make it into the top three of this ranking. Still, these fries paired beautifully with the classic cheeseburger that's also sold at TGI Fridays and I can't wait to sample them again.

TGI Fridays Loaded Mashed Potatoes are the real deal. As you know, I was already impressed with the chain's take on relatively plain mashed potatoes, despite the fact that the flavor was a little boring. Here, the neutral taste of the potatoes works to highlight the rich deliciousness of the bacon and cheddar. The bacon is the star of the show — the smoky flavor is incredible and makes me wonder where it's sourced from. In case you're curious about the green onions shown topping the potatoes on the website, my location forgot to give them to me. I'm sure that if your local spot includes them, the onions will elevate the flavor of the potatoes even more.

For the TGI Fridays Loaded Mashed Potatoes, you'll get a hefty two-scoop portion for about $4.79 at the time of publication. While this is expensive when you compare it to similar offerings from other restaurants such as Texas Roadhouse (which tends to sell most side dishes for no more than $3.99 in my area), I still believe the flavor and portion size make it worth the extra expense.

When it comes to TGI Fridays Giant Onion Rings, I have only one word: yum. These fried rings come stuffed with thick slices of onion and are coated with a likewise thick yet satisfyingly crunchy coating. The flavor is awesome and isn't the least bit over-seasoned, allowing the sweet taste of the onion to shine through. I'd order these again in a heartbeat ... but only as a part of a meal. For the amount of onion rings that I got –- which were not very much –- I probably wouldn't want to pay $4.99 to eat them a là carte.

What's more, the BBQ Ranch isn't a necessary addition here. This condiment did next to nothing to complement the onion rings' flavor and may have even overwhelmed it. Call me basic, but I much preferred eating the onion rings plain or dunked in ketchup.

Claiming the top spot is the TGI Fridays Fried Shrimp. Being able to choose a side dish this good ought to be illegal, but here we are. I'm not even a huge shrimp fan, but this particular grab stole the show. Each shrimp piece was truly jumbo-sized and was deep-fried to golden perfection. Every bite was crunchy and flavorful, so much so that the cocktail sauce it came with seemed like a nuisance. I loved how each shrimp piece contained tons of meat, which proved to be firm yet tender. The best part is that though you might expect a side dish of this caliber to be expensive, I was able to sample it for only $5.79, which is even cheaper than the side salad I ordered!

Will the portion size fill you up? Well, no. But given its price point, I'm not complaining. TGI Fridays Fried Shrimp would pair amazingly with one of the chain's entrée salads or its pasta dishes. Though we could argue as to whether or not it's a traditional side dish, I couldn't help but rank this meaty and flavorful little number as the top contender.

The TGI Fridays side dishes featured in this post were pulled from my local TGI Fridays online menu and were picked up as a carry-out order that I took home. This means that the orders spent time in a carryout container, which may have affected the taste, texture, or overall presentation compared to how they would be presented in-house. As with any other restaurant, item availability and pricing are subject to change. And, as with anything food-related, my perception of how each TGI Fridays side dish tastes is highly subjective.

I sampled all side dishes that are currently featured on my local TGI Fridays menu, including non-traditional options like fried shrimp. I ordered all items as-is, without modifications or upgrades. Lastly, I only mentioned the price of dishes when it proved relevant, such as when I discussed portion size or compared menu items to similar ones from different restaurants.