Check out the Applebee’s menu, and you’ll find a lot of appetizer options to pick from. The last time we checked, we counted up to 38 appetizer choices to choose from.
Some of these starters are just classics. You have the famous boneless wings and the “double crunch” wings with the bone still in. The chicken wonton tacos offer a delightful combo of salty and spicy flavors, while the Brew Pub Pretzels are crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and just terrific with the house-made Blue Moon-beer pub cheese and honey Dijon.
Of course, you can always just order any of your favorites. But if you’re trying out something new (or you’re a newbie to Applebee’s), you may want to avoid the following appetizer options:
Applebee’s House Salad
This is a rather simple salad, starting with the bed of romaine lettuce then topped with cucumbers, diced tomatoes, and croutons. Then you get to pick the dressing, between the honey mustard, ranch, Tex-Mex ranch, blue cheese, or oriental vinaigrette.
Sadly, there aren’t really all that many vinaigrette options, which isn’t good if you’re usually going with Italian or balsamic. The ranch is nice enough, however, with the expected tangy and herbal flavors.
This is actually not a bad choice if you’re on a low-calorie diet, especially if you share this with a buddy. Also, it looks nice enough, especially with the diced (rather than sliced) ingredients.
But there’s really nothing special about it. Set it up beside the other house salads from other restaurants, and it won’t stand out at all. You might not even tell them apart.
Chips and Chipotle-Lime Salsa
Okay, to start with, this offers a nice mix of cilantro, tomatoes, peppers, and onions. But it’s disappointingly lacking in spiciness. True, most chain restaurants do opt for the mild side of spicy to accommodate most of their guests. But this particular dip is the tamest of them all.
The white-corn chips aren’t all that bad, though. In fact, they’re quite light and perfectly salted. The chips are airy enough so you get the right amount of crunch, but they’re also tough enough to bear the weight of the chunky tomato salsa without breaking.
It’s really boring, to be honest. And you’re just paying too much for something that’s just plain blah.
Chicken-Tortilla Soup
Quite a few people might disagree with us on this one. It’s very filling, and it actually offers nice flavors. You have a combination of chicken with corn, green peppers, and softened tortilla chips, and it works nicely enough on a cold afternoon.
It’s just that it could have been a lot better, if they only added a bit more spices and salt. It just doesn’t have the kick that you might be looking for.
Even the portion size is good. It’s large enough that you can share it with a friend, but you can finish it all by yourself if you’re particularly hungry.
There’s nothing wrong with the dressing flavors as well. Each bite gives you that hint of garlic, herbs, and lemon.
So, what’s wrong with it? Nothing, to be absolutely honest. It’s just that it’s not really all that special as well—you can go to another restaurant, order the Caesar salad, and get the exact same salad there.
Final Words
Nothing on this list is actually bad, let us be clear. But the truth is that they’re on the bottom of the list of good appetizers simply because all the other options are just better. Go with the appetizers that aren’t on this list, and you’re off to a great start.
