Best fast food in the US in 2024: A definitive ranking Dive in to a definitive ranking of the best fast food in America in 2024 and see if your favorite makes the top spot. Japan has sushi, Spain has tapas, and the US has fast food. As the staple food of the star-spangled banner, there are lots of fast food joints to choose from, but who comes out on top? Although there are many fast food chains that are state-specific, these won\u2019t be included in the list unless they are well-known, like In-N-Out (sorry Biscuitville.) Best fast food, ranked As always, we\u2019ll be ranking these from worst to best. Food quality, public opinion of the brand, and value for money are the perameters here, so let\u2019s see how the big names rank. 50. Wienerschnitzel Wienerschnitzel gets a bad rep for it\u2019s menu that centers around frankfurters, but you have to applaud them for their unique concept. That being said, their food is not for everyone. It is reasonably priced and the perfect fast food joint for an adventurous food. Must try: Junkyard Dog 49. Del Taco Del Taco also gives fast food fans bad vibes, but they have an extensive menu. With lots of choice, a value menu that is actually good value, and decently tasty tacos, we can confirm that Del Taco is not as bad as everyone says. Must try: Grilled chicken taco salad with fresh guac 48. Papa John\u2019s Papa John\u2019s has it\u2019s place in this world. The pizza is great for a big eat, their sides are delicious and everything is reasonably priced. That being said, there are definitely better pizza chains out there. Must try: Jalape\u00f1o poppers 47. Moe\u2019s Southwest Grill Moe\u2019s does Tex Mex food that is healthy, and they use higher quality ingredients than most. But, for some reason, they fade into the crowd. With them being somewhere between a fast food joint and a chain restaurant, the price point is a little higher, but their menu is extensive and great for vegetarians. Must try: The Homewrecker burrito 46. Long John Silver\u2019s Long John Silver\u2019s is definitely your grandparents favorite fast food joint. With a seafood-focused menu, Long John Silver\u2019s isn\u2019t for everyone and their whole vibe is a little dated. That being said, if you\u2019re a fan of seafood, the fish here is great quality, always crispy fried, and always delicious. Must try: Wild Alaskan pollock sandwich 45. Church\u2019s Chicken It\u2019s tough out there for chicken chains, and unfortunately, Church\u2019s is kind of \u2018mid\u2019. Their meat is juicy and tender, but the seasoning on their batter leaves something to be desired. Must try: Original chicken sandwich 44. Quizno\u2019s Due to the fully customizable aspect of most sub shop menus, everyone\u2019s experience of them varies greatly. That being said, the whole vibe of a Quizno\u2019s is kind of off \u2013 it could be the dated decor or the fact that everyone says their food isn\u2019t good. However, their ingredients are still fresh(ish) and it\u2019s not the most unhealthy fast food chain. Must try: Peppercorn steak sandwich 43. Subway Subway is marginally better than Quizno\u2019s, not because of their subs, but because of their sides. Their cookies are awesome (and come in a footlong) and their nachos are pretty good, too. Subway also has great deals meaning you can get big sandwiches whilst on a tight budget. Must try: Footlong cookie 42. Domino\u2019s Domino\u2019s is greasy, filling, and full of calories \u2013 exactly what you want when you need a fast food binge. Their pizza would probably make an Italian faint, but it\u2019s all-American and all-delicious. The only downside is the price point as it is kind of expensive. However, there is a hack for never paying full price for a pizza again. Must try: Buffalo chicken pizza 41. White Castle A white castle slider is a generally underwhelming experience when you consider the size of other fast food burgers. However, if you can get past the fact that they are tiny, their beef is good quality and the bread has a pillowy sweetness that is dreamy. Oh, and you can eat multiple sliders. Must try: Gooey butter cake-on-a-stick 40. Checkers\/Rally\u2019s Checkers\/Rally\u2019s, depending on where you are from, has the best fries in the biz. Okay, their burgers are nice, but the fries are what really stand out. They\u2019re crispy, perfectly salted, and always hot. A frequently overrated snack. Must try: The fries 39. Sbarro Sbarro looks like it is going to become a fast food chain of the past with a lot of its branches closing, that being said, they are a true homage to New York pizza culture. When you don\u2019t feel like a whole pie, you can grab a slice of NY-style pizza that is actually really good. Must try: Roman cheese slice 38. IHOP IHOP is an American institution, and it should be appreciated for what it is. It\u2019s popular with tourists, and their outrageous pancake stacks would make a 10-year-old\u2019s eyes pop out of their heads. On top of that, they do great family meals that can feed five people for under $40. Must try: Breakfast sampler 37. Smashburger Smashburger has a fully customizable menu, including daily burger deals for $4.50 \u2013 which is kind of a steal. Their food is great quality, with the beef being slightly bland. What does make up for it though is the fries, which are topped with rosemary, garlic, and salt. Must try: Smashfries 36. Panera Panera gets ridiculed a lot online, but no one can deny that the broccoli cheddar soup in a bread bowl is absolutely delicious. The other menu items can hit or miss, but their soup bowls are a staple food item. Must try: Broccoli cheddar soup bowl 35. Bojangles Bojangles comes highly recommended by popular YouTubers Rhett and Link. Since they hyped it up, lots of people have been flocking to the chicken joint for some classic fried chicken and accompanying sides. The sides are the real star here, particularly the biscuits. Must try: Mac & cheese or the biscuits. 34. Tim Horton\u2019s This Canadian fast food chain is making it\u2019s way around the US, and for good reason too. Not only do they do great donuts, but their lunch and breakfast options are also extensive. And if that wasn\u2019t enough, they do great coffee, too. The prices are also very reasonable. Must try: Apple fritter donut 33. Little Caesars Little Caesars is the third-largest pizza chain in the world, and they do great deals on slices for pizza on a budget. That being said, this pizza is kind of in the same vein as Domino\u2019s in that it\u2019s definitely a \u2018fast food\u2019 pizza. That being said, it has its place. Must try: Meat treat pizza 32. Fuddruckers Fuddruckers burgers are good, but they are certainly don\u2019t make the list of best burgers in the US. That being said, their topping bars are a pretty cool concept. You can put whatever you want on your burger, and they even have a nacho cheese dispenser. Must try: Burger with all the toppings 33. Culver\u2019s This place is very popular with Wisconsinites, but it should be a favorite of every fast food fan once they\u2019ve tried their burgers. Why? Because they butter the buns before they put the beef patties on, and the beef patties are farm-fresh. Must try: Original butterBurger 32. Hardee\u2019s\/Carl\u2019s Jr. A lot of people on Reddit swear by this chain and say that it is better than McDonald\u2019s. We don\u2019t know about that, but their burgers are definitely bigger. Hardee\u2019s\/Carl\u2019s Jr. has a classic feel that a lot of fast food chains don\u2019t have nowadays, and is definitely a thing of nostalgia for a lot of people. Must try: Western bacon cheeseburger 31. Jimmy John\u2019s If you want a quick, quality sandwich with basic ingredients, JJ\u2019s is great. Nothing really special going on besides that, but the fast service is something we can all appreciate in the busy world. A completely unoffensive chain. Must try: The Beach Club 30. Cinnabon Cinnabon makes treats that would literally make your teeth hurt, and we love them for that. The cinnamon buns and shakes are a little expensive, but they retain the wholesomeness of a freshly baked treat. They know what they are all about and they do it well. Must try: Classic roll 29. A&W A&W have been serving root beer floats since the early 1900s, and we have to respect our elders. They make decent, classic American food at a reasonable price, and they should be commended for always remaining consistent. Must try: Root beer float 28. Whataburger Whataburger makes a great, basic burger. Their ingredients are always fresh, never frozen, and this is a wholly underrated chain. That being said, their menu is kind of all over the place with its theme, and some of the items are a miss. Must try: Honey butter chicken biscuit 27. Panda Express Panda Express is know for huge portions, and of course, the orange chicken. Although some of their menu items can be a bit of a miss, and their food isn\u2019t always the freshest, it\u2019s tasty Asian food that\u2019s not your typical fast food joint. Must try: Hot orange chicken 26. Jersey Mike\u2019s Another sub shop, but Jersey Mike\u2019s is clearly the best. They have a real authentic deli vibe that the likes of Subway and Jersey John\u2019s just don\u2019t have. On top of that, they slice the meat and cheese in front of you and bake their bread fresh in-store every day, so everything feels fresher. Must try: The Club Sub 25. Steak N\u2019 Shake Steak N\u2019 Shake is the perfect place to go if you have a hankering for a high-end burger, but the budget of a value menu. Their burgers are made with pure steak and are perfectly seasoned and well priced. A truly underrated choice. Must try: White truffle prime steakburger 24. Waffle House Waffle House is always there when you need it. They open 24 hours a day and have the vibe of a local, cozy diner. The prices are great and their scrambled eggs are really tasty. They are exactly what you want a 2am. Must try: All-Star Special 23. Denny\u2019s Another good breakfast joint that always seems to be open. Denny\u2019s has been around for a long time and they get a rep for being a kind of depressing place to go for a meal. They do make good food, especially their pancakes, and their prices are great. Thei sandwiches are also awesome. Must try: The Grand Slamwich 22. Arby\u2019s Speaking of sandwiches, Arby\u2019s does a good old country-style meat sandwich, and they do it well. Their roast beef is always fresh, and you get a hefty amount. They also do awesome deals. They also just recently dropped a burger made with wagyu beef that is really top-notch. Must try: Arby\u2019s classic beef \u2018n\u2019 cheddar 21. Krispy Kreme Krispy Kreme has been killing it with its promotions, and they are always releasing creative donuts to keep customers interested. Although they don\u2019t serve much else than coffee and donuts, they do great coffee and you can see them making donuts fresh. Also, you can nearly see your reflection in those original glazed donuts. Must try: Original glazed donut 20. Sonic Drive-In Sonic has their staff on roller skates, which must be terrible for them but is a lot of dun for customers. Their food is good, but their shakes are better. On top of that, they just launched all-new groovy fries that come with a secret groovy sauce. America\u2019s Drive-In is classic and authentic, but it\u2019s not amazing when compared to other chains. Must try: Oreo cheesecake shake 19. Crumbl Crumbl only began in 2017, but since then has opened 918 stores across the US. They really are one of the most talked about food places at the minute, and for good reason. They are always releasing creative cookies delivered fresh to your door or picked up in-store, and they come in a cute pink box. What\u2019s not to love? Must try: Snickerdoodle cupcake cookie 18. Buffalo Wild Wings Buffalo Wild Wings is known to be for sports fans, but B-Dubs is much more than that. With all-you-can-eat wings for $19.99, and a range of rubs and sauces for the chicken itself, this chain is really good. Must try: Original buffalo boneless wings 17. Wingstop Wingstop is a relatively new fast-food chain that has been making waves with foodies across the US and has recently branched out with worldwide stores. They have 14 sauces and rubs, and their chicken is great quality. The fries are also excellent. Must try: Hote honey rub 15. Jack in the Box Jack in the Box is a popular fast food spot for stoners, but their food does more than just satisfy the munchies. They have a great value menu for under $4 that was recently dropped, and they do everything from burgers to tiny tacos. They aren\u2019t excellent at any one thing, but they\u2019re pretty good at everything. Must try: Curly fries 16. KFC You can\u2019t beat a bucket of fried chicken, and KFC knows how that\u2019s done. Not only that, but they are constantly trying to rival other chains and recently dropped saucy nuggets, as well as quesadillas. Always bettering themselves, and always delicious. Must try: Popcorn chicken 15. Chick-fil-A Chick-fil-A is the modern foodie\u2019s favorite fast food restaurant, and their classic menu items are pretty fire. That being said, their newest releases have kind of been missing the mark recently, and they recently changed the quality of their chicken. Let\u2019s just hope that this OG doesn\u2019t let their standards slip. 14. Shake Shack Shake Shack is kind of pricey, but their burgers are always restaurant quality, On top of that, their shakes that are made with frozen custard are next-level and the flavors are always inventive. A cool, modern approach to fast food. Must try: Shack stack burger 13. Starbucks Starbucks started off as a simple coffee chain, but with their ever-expanding food menu and drive-thrus popping up everywhere, they are in fast food territory. Their menu is a lot of fun and their salads and sandwiches are good, the only downside to this place is the price point, which can be very pricey. Must try: Caramel coffee frappuccino 12. Zaxby\u2019s After recently dropping a meal box with Mr. Beast, Zaxby\u2019s looks to be making big moves to become one of the nation\u2019s most popular chicken restaurants. Their menu is pretty standard for a fried chicken place, but they are kind of overrated because the quality of their food is just so good for the price. Must try: Spicy signature sandwich 11. Taco Bell Taco Bell\u2019s menu is always changing, and nobody can fault the Baja Blast. That being said, the reason they have just missed one of our top ten spots is due to the quality of their food. A lot of the menu items use the same four ingredients, and they always skimp on lettuce and cheese. Still, The Bell is an undisputed classic. Must try: Cantina chicken taco 10. Dairy Queen Dairy Queen is a totally underrated spot. Their Blizzards are amazing, the creations are endless, and they do a pretty great burger, too. Do not disrespect the Queen of fast food. Must try: Any Blizzard 9. Burger King The Whopper is one of the greatest fast food burgers of all time, and we recently crowned it the best fast food burger. That being said, the rest of the Burger King menu is only okay and the other burgers can be kind of hit or miss. We forgive them though, those flame-grilled patties are a thing of beauty. 8. Popeye\u2019s Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s favorite fast food chain is also highly commended in our books. Popeye\u2019s chicken is coated with pure magic (and mystery spices), and is always juicy and crispy. They recently dropped a value meal too that can get you some fried chicken for a great price. Must try: Spicy chicken tenders 7. Dunkin\u2019 Dunkin\u2019 have been killing it recently with their menu drops, and this summer, they are set to release some s\u2019mores items that will satisfy any sweet tooth. On top of that, Dunkin\u2019 does some great coffee, and of course, great donuts. Must try: The hashbrowns 6. Chipotle Chipotle got into a little beef recently with food blogger Keith Lee, which led to people \u2018exposing\u2019 them for skimping on portion sizes. All of that aside though, Chipotle always uses fresh ingredients and is much higher quality than anything else out there. Must try: Chicken quesadilla 5. Wendy\u2019s Wendy\u2019s never misses the mark with that homestyle chili. And on top of that, they have great burgers, chicken, and pretty much anything else you could ask for. On top of that, they are giving away free fries every Friday for the rest of the year. Oh, and don\u2019t even get us started on those delicious Frosties. 4. Raising Cane\u2019s Raising Cane\u2019s is the new kid on the block that is taking TikTok by storm, and for good reason too. Their chicken is crispy, their Texas toast is crispier, and you can get a large drinks cup of their addictive Cane\u2019s sauce. Literally anything from this place is high-key amazing. Must try: A bucket of Cane\u2019s sauce 3 McDonald\u2019s The Golden Arches is the OG fast food chain, and for that, we commend them. They invented the Big Mac and fast food culture, and they are still one of the best. However, there are other chains doing more interesting things and serving up better quality burgers. That being said, McDonald\u2019s is something everyone craves, and for good reason. Must try: Big Mac 2. Five Guys Five Guys makes those burgers right in front of you, and they\u2019ll put any of their 8 toppings on top, completely for free. Yes okay, the burgers are a little pricey, but you get huge portions of authentic skin-on fries, and hearty, high quality burgers. Must try: Fries 1. In-N-Out Sorry to anyone not on the west coast, but In-N-Out is the best fast food chain out there. Everything is cooked fresh, nothing stays on a warmer and the fries are made fresh too right in the restaurant and are never frozen. Order your burger animal-style for a taste sensation. They also won the top spot on our best burger list. Must try: Double-Double animal-style If you\u2019re still looking for more definitive rankings, check out our list of the best chicken nuggets and best burgers out there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Best fast food in the US in 2024: A definitive ranking Dive in to a definitive ranking of the best fast food in America in 2024 and see if your favorite makes the top spot. Japan has sushi, Spain has tapas, and the US has fast food. As the staple food of the star-spangled banner, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70099"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70099\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}