13 Chain Restaurants With The Best Loaded Baked Potatoes

What's your go-to side dish when you're dining out? For many people, potatoes are the natural choice because they're neutral enough that they won't overpower the main course, but also tasty in their own right. Plus, they come in so many forms. French fries may be crispy, and mashed potatoes might be creamy, but an argument could be made that a loaded baked potato trumps them all. You get the crispy skin, the fluffy interior, and an array of ingredients that take the baked potato to the next level. Plus, loaded baked potatoes are pretty decadent, which is why so many chain restaurants offer them on their menus.

Considering that it's pretty easy to make a loaded baked potato at home, you're within your rights to expect a pretty solid version when you're dining out. The truth is, not every chain restaurant gets it right. Those that do, though, manage to achieve the perfect balance of crispiness, tender insides, and indulgent toppings. Some keep it simple with butter, sour cream, and cheddar, while others go all out with smoky bacon, meaty chili, or even unique regional twists. To determine which chains do it best, we drew on our own experiences and rave customer reviews. These are the restaurants serving up the most irresistible loaded baked potatoes around.

Established in 1976 in Beaumont, Texas, Jason's Deli is a pretty popular spot with over 240 locations across the United States. It's renowned for its excellent sandwiches and for having one of the best chain restaurant salad bars, with each location offering an enticing spread of veggies, fruits, cheeses, and dips. Peruse the menu and you might think that the baked potatoes are just an add-on to a meal, but these are no ordinary spuds. Each potato is massive enough to be a meal in itself and piled high with delectable toppings. 

There are several loaded baked potatoes to choose from at Jason's Deli. The Plain Jane is a bit of a misnomer because it comes loaded with cheddar, sour cream, butter, bacon, and green onions. The Texas Style Spud is smothered in smoky chopped barbecue beef and cheddar, and the CB Ranch Potato is just as hearty with grilled chicken breast, cheddar, sour cream, butter, bacon, green onions, and ranch dressing. If you want something internationally inspired, try the Pollo Mexicano Potato with grilled chicken breast, cheddar, sour cream, pico de gallo, and Southwest spices.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar placed pretty high in our ranking of U.S. steakhouse chains thanks to its quality food, elegant settings, and a great selection of wines. The chain only sources USDA prime beef and offers an array of seafood and sides to pair with your steak. The side dishes are meant to be shared at the table, so they come in hefty portions. There are some pretty exciting options, like the chipotle mac and cheese and flash-fried Brussels sprouts, but many say the loaded baked potato is an absolute winner.

The loaded baked potato at Fleming's has many things going for it. First off, it's seriously substantial. It features a huge baked potato stuffed to the brim with butter, bacon, cheese, and sour cream. By most accounts, Fleming's gets the baking just right with skin that crackles and perfect fork-tender insides. Many people love that there's just enough butter and sour cream to flavor the potato without making it soggy and that the cheese melts right into the mix. Plus, the crunchy bacon pieces add nice textural contrast and extra flavor.

Dining out at a steakhouse can be a major splurge, as many are pretty swanky spots with prices to match the high-end food and decor. Thankfully, there are spots like LongHorn Steakhouse that offer decent steak dinners that won't break the bank. In fact, LongHorn is one of the U.S. steakhouse chains with the lowest overall prices. That doesn't mean that you get sub-par fare. The chain serves only fresh steaks that are never frozen and many of the sides are also prepared fresh. Of those sides, the loaded baked potato gets some pretty stellar reviews.

LongHorn's loaded baked potato comes with aged cheddar, applewood smoked bacon, butter, sour cream, and a sprinkling of green onions. The crispy skin has a smattering of sea salt on the outside, which adds to the savory flavors. Many customers comment on how generous the size is and how the potato is cooked well with velvety, creamy insides. If you're looking for even more creaminess, LongHorn also offers a loaded potato soup with the same flavors as the baked potato. And if you prefer your sides slightly sweet, there's also a baked sweet potato that's stuffed with butter and cinnamon sugar.

McAlister's Deli is all about sandwiches, salads, and spuds. The chain began as a homey restaurant that opened in an abandoned movie set diner in Oxford, Mississippi in 1989. Today, there are over 500 locations in the United States, which is a testament to just how good the food is. While the classic sandwiches have their fair share of fans, many people go to McAlister's just for the giant spuds loaded with fun toppings. And when we say giant, we mean truly gargantuan.

The secret to McAlister's massive loaded potatoes is that they're actually two potatoes in one. Each potato has one end cut off, then the cut ends are pushed together, and the potatoes are cut, stuffed, and baked as a whole. In addition, McAlister's isn't stingy with the toppings. Carnivores can opt for baked potatoes with meaty toppings like the Black Angus Roast Beef Spud with roast beef, cheddar Jack, red onions, and au jus or the Corned Beef Spud with corned beef, Swiss cheese, and thousand island dressing. There's also a Veggie Spud, Chipotle Chicken and Bacon Spud, and a Spud Max packed with a variety of deli meats and cheese.

Established in 1978, Morton's The Steakhouse is a well-known steakhouse chain that has over 65 restaurants worldwide. Funny enough, it owes its start to a hamburger. According to the company website, co-founders Arnie Morton and Laus Fritsch worked at a club together and bonded over a burger that Fritsch cooked for Morton to try. The pair would go on to create the chain that is now famous for its succulent USDA prime steaks and seafood. And like any steakhouse chain worth its salt, it also offers an array of enticing sides.

If you like your loaded baked potatoes large and sporting classic toppings, the one at Morton's will be right up your alley. It's made with a giant Idaho potato that's baked until crispy on the outside. The potato is cut open to reveal the fluffy insides and served with butter, sour cream, bacon, and chives. Customers appreciate that the baked potato is well seasoned and has just the right amount of toppings to make it tasty without being overloaded. In addition, it's big enough for two to share.

From its beginnings in 1969, Cracker Barrel has always focused on country-style comfort food. The chain now has over 660 locations in 45 states, which might lead you to believe that it cuts corners to save on costs and boost efficiency, but that's not actually the case. Most of the ingredients are grown domestically and many of the dishes are cooked from scratch. That may be why so many people have great things to say about many of Cracker Barrel's tasty dishes, including the loaded baked potato.

Cracker Barrel's version of the stuffed spud has everything you would expect in a classic loaded baked potato. It features a thick-skinned baked potato with melted whipped butter and shredded Colby cheese. It also gets a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of crispy bacon pieces and sliced green onions. In classic Cracker Barrel fashion, you can modify the dish to leave out any of the toppings you're not a fan of. If you want to switch up the base, you can also try the loaded mashed potatoes or the loaded hash brown casserole.

Looking for an elegant spot to indulge in some surf and turf? You can't go wrong with Ocean Prime. The first restaurant opened in Troy, Michigan, in 2008, and now there are numerous locations across the country from Beverly Hills to Boston and points in between. It consistently makes lists of chain restaurants that serve the highest quality seafood, and the steaks are top-notch aged USDA prime cuts. To accompany your steak and seafood, there's a great selection of steakhouse-style sides, including a stand-out loaded baked potato.

As you would expect from a high-end spot like Ocean Prime, the loaded baked potato impresses on many points. Reviewers say it's big enough to have its own gravitational field and that it's filled with ample amounts of butter, sour cream, and bacon pieces. The chain doesn't skimp on the bacon either, which is a refreshing change considering that so many spots only use a smattering, or even worse — store-bought bacon bits. It's a side dish that's been described as phenomenal, and some have even said it was the best loaded baked potato they'd ever had.

BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse started as a pizza joint in Orange County, California, back in 1978. The concept was originally deep-dish pizzas with California flavors. Over the years, new menu items were added, and now you can grab everything from bar bites to burgers, sandwiches, steaks, and side dishes. In 1996, the chain introduced craft beers and has gone on to win numerous awards for its brews. We can't think of a better dish to pair with one of its craft beers than the hearty loaded baked potato.

If you've noticed a theme here so far, it's that the best baked potatoes are ample in size, and BJ's doesn't disappoint in that respect. This beast of a potato features beautiful crispy skin and pillowy insides that are topped with gooey Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese and crunchy shards of bacon. It also comes with butter, sour cream, and green onions for those who want to give it the full dressing. You'll probably be pretty full after chowing down on one of these babies, but if you can, try to leave room for one of BJ's famous warm Pizookie cookies.

If it's sophisticated steakhouse vibes you're after, Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse is just the spot. This isn't the kind of place where you grab a quick bite in casual clothes. Del Frisco's has a dress code, and the upscale ambiance makes it the perfect setting for a special night out. With dim lighting, an extensive wine list, and impeccable service, it's a place where you can sip a bold red, savor a perfectly cooked steak, and indulge in elevated sides.

Although the menus at Del Frisco's locations vary slightly, the loaded baked potato is a mainstay on most menus, which is a sign of how much people love it. The hefty potato is flaky on the outside and split in the middle to reveal the soft potato topped with gooey cheese, sour cream, bacon, and chives. If the location you visit has the truffle twice-baked potato, we highly recommend shelling out for that. For just a few dollars more, you get a beautiful baked potato topped with freshly shaved black truffle, Parmesan, and black pepper.

In the mood for a baked potato but don't want to spend a fortune at a fancy restaurant? Texas Roadhouse has a huge following thanks to its affordable steaks and sides. The first location opened in Clarksville, Indiana, in 1993, and it quickly earned fans for its easy-going vibes and high-quality food. All of the USDA Choice steaks are cut in-house and the sides are made from scratch. One of those hand-made sides is the loaded baked potato, which many say is one of the best Texas Roadhouse menu items.

What sets Texas Roadhouse's baked potato apart from its competition is how customizable it is. You can have it scaled back with just butter to really let the salt-crusted potato shine or you can go all out and top it with butter, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and bacon. You can also make it messy-delicious by adding the chain's famous Texas red chili. If you prefer sweet over savory, there's also a baked sweet potato that you can get loaded with toasted marshmallows and honey cinnamon caramel sauce. Even when you pile all the toppings on, both potatoes still come out cheaper than many other chain restaurant versions.

Given that baked potatoes are pretty simple to make and a classic comfort food, it's surprising that more fast food chains don't serve them. Wendy's is one of the only spots where you can add this baked treat to your drive-thru order. The chain added the baked potato to the menu in 1983 and it was such a hit that it's still on the menu today and very much a fan favorite. In fact, when Wendy's sent out a survey asking how people would feel if the chain took the baked potatoes off the menu, people took to Reddit to express their concern.

Wendy's has experimented with a variety of loaded baked potato styles over the years, including a broccoli cheddar version and a Mexican-inspired potato with spicy meat, cheese, and sour cream. Today, there are five options available: plain, sour cream and chives, cheese, bacon and cheese, and chili and cheese. People love that the potatoes are served piping hot and sufficiently stuffed with tasty toppings. Many say they're better than the fries because they're more filling and can contain less calories depending on what you dress them with. 

There's a reason why restaurant baked potatoes often outshine homemade versions, and Ruth's Chris Steak House is a perfect example of why. From the time Ruth Fertel bought a small steakhouse in New Orleans in 1965, she was committed to serving high-quality, delicious food in a warm and welcoming environment. She was constantly experimenting with ways to improve the food, and that's how she discovered the technique of serving steak on a 500-degree plate with a pat of butter to keep the steak hot and flavorful. That attention to detail still exists today for all the dishes, including sides like the loaded baked potato.

At Ruth's Chris, you can have your baked potato fully loaded with the works or choose the toppings you like best. Options include butter, cheese, sour cream, bacon, and chives. Each potato weighs a pound, so it makes for a pretty substantial side even if you just get it plain. Some patrons comment that it's big enough to share between three people. Overall, the loaded baked potato gets great reviews with people gushing about how it's cooked to perfection and hits all the right flavor notes.

There's something both cringy and compelling about Outback Steakhouse. It was founded in Tampa, Florida, in 1988, right around the time that Americans were becoming obsessed with Australian culture thanks in part to the recent hit movie "Crocodile Dundee." Today, there are nearly 680 locations across the United States and more abroad. Each restaurant features Australia-inspired decor and dishes with quirky names like the Bloomin' Onion and Kookaburra Wings. While some Outback Steakhouse dishes get flak for being lackluster, the dressed baked potato is not one of those.

Outback's version of the loaded baked potato comes salted and crispy on the outside and topped with your choice of butter, sour cream, bacon, and chives. You can opt to leave out any of those toppings and have it without salt, which is great for anyone watching their sodium intake. By most accounts, it's a respectable loaded potato that's cooked well and downright delicious. Outback also offers loaded mashed potatoes with the same toppings, as well as a baked potato soup that you can get in a cup or a bowl.