I ordered the same meal from Cracker Barrel and Denny's, and the cheaper chain served the best cheesecake I ever had

Pascale MondesirJul 20, 2023, 20:46 IST

I compared several comfort-food classics from Denny's (pictured) and Cracker Barrel.Pascale Mondesir

I compared four dishes from Denny's and Cracker Barrel to see which chain had the tastiest food.
Denny's New York-style strawberry cheesecake was the best thing I had out of the whole taste test.

Breakfast foods and diner dinners can be delicious, especially when they come from a reliable chain at an affordable price.

As someone who loves good food and a great deal, I went to Cracker Barrel and Denny's in the Houston, Texas, area to see which chain had the tastiest meal. I'm a pretty big fan of Cracker Barrel and go there regularly but I hadn't been to Denny's in years.

To put the two restaurants head to head, I tried some staples including country-fried steak, fried chicken, pancakes, and cheesecake.

Here's how they stacked up.

Denny's had a diner-style set up inside.

Denny's looked inviting when I came to pick up my food.Pascale Mondesir

Cracker Barrel's store emulated Southern hospitality.

I went into Cracker Barrel's store to pick up my food.Pascale Mondesir

I ordered four tasty-looking dishes from Denny's.

A lot of Denny's food was smothered in gravy.Pascale Mondesir

Cracker Barrel's items were slightly pricier.

The food from Cracker Barrel looked promising.Pascale Mondesir

I started the taste test with Denny's country-fried steak.

The country-fried steak came with eggs, hash browns, and white toast.Pascale Mondesir

I was surprised I liked the hash browns from Denny's.

Denny's hash browns had a good potato flavor.Pascale Mondesir

Cracker Barrel's country-fried steak held a lot of flavor.

Cracker Barrel's country-fried steak came covered in gravy.Pascale Mondesir

Cracker Barrel served a hash-brown casserole in place of regular hash browns.

The hash-brown casserole was loaded with cheese and bacon.Pascale Mondesir

Denny's chicken-fried chicken made me a fan of one of my least favorite dishes.

Denny's fried chicken was tasty and juicy.Pascale Mondesir

Cracker Barrel's chicken dish kept its flavor and moisture.

Cracker Barrel's chicken was also juicy.Pascale Mondesir

Denny's Everyday Value Slam seemed like it would satisfy any customer.

Denny's pancakes were yummy but the bacon was just OK.Pascale Mondesir

Cracker Barrel's pancakes were hard to beat.

Though Cracker Barrel's bacon was OK, the pancakes were delicious.Pascale Mondesir

Denny's cheesecake was one of the best slices I've ever had.

Denny's cheesecake was my favorite part of either meal.Pascale Mondesir

I thought Cracker Barrel's cheesecake was good but overly sweet.

I wasn't a fan of the strawberry cheesecake from Cracker Barrel.Pascale Mondesir

Denny's meals were good, but I preferred the overall taste of Cracker Barrel's dishes.

Cracker Barrel's food beat out most of my meals from Denny's.Pascale Mondesir

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