Where To Find The Best Potato Dishes In The US
Hello, potato. When we think of the greatest dishes in America, potatoes may not immediately pop into our minds. When spuds are done right, however, they shine brighter than their own Michelin stars (which some of them actually have). But you need to know where to go, in order to find the best potato dish on the menu. Lucky for you, we know our tasty taters like the backs of our finger-lickin' hands.
We love a reason to celebrate an often underrated starch. What once was a modest dirt-covered tuber, has risen like a phoenix to become something much greater (and butterier) than its former self. A crispy-cut waffle. A French fry. A pommes purée — or even a jojo. IYKYJ (If You Know, You Jojo.)
We did a deep dive into the potato universe to uncover the most popular potato dishes in the 50 states, and then hit up real life reviews, Instagram comments, and blurry photos on TripAdvisor to find out which potatoes should be kicked to the curb like cold fries, and which earn top honors as the best potato dishes in the United States. Hold on to your earth apples. We're going full comfort food — and you won't want to miss a single bite.
Best loaded fries: Dirty Dirty Fries at Pickled Fish Restaurant
French fry purists, cover your eyes. This one's for the maximalists. If you're searching for the most divine French fries a person could ever handle, stop what you're doing right now and order the Dirty Dirty Fries at Pickled Fish Restaurant in Long Beach, Washington. (Ridiculously serene Pacific ocean views on the house.)
"Pickled Fish serves up an appetizer called dirty dirty fries, because one 'dirty' just wasn't enough," Cheapism noted. Atop those perfect potatoes, you'll find pork belly, pickled peppers, and garlic, served with a side of soft, crumbled goat cheese, and savory truffled ketchup. Please give us all the dirt.
"While most ingredients were locally sourced, the lardon stood out as the exception. The pickled peppers added a flavorful kick, while the lardon imparted a smoky essence to the fries," wrote one Yelper. For further praise, if needed, please reference the myriad drooly-face emojis on the official Pickled Fish Instagram.
(360) 642-2344
409 Sid Snyder Dr., Long Beach, Washington 98631
Best sweet potato dessert: Sweet Potato Cheesecake at Sweet Auburn Bread Company
You can't beat a really good sweet potato pie. Except when it's a pie dressed up as a cheesecake. Sink your teeth into the Sweet Potato Cheesecake at Sweet Auburn Bread Company in Atlanta, Georgia (where else!). Rachel Ray once called it "Unbelievable," and then-President Bill Clinton put the shop on the map when he popped in for their traditional sweet potato pie, back in 1999. FYI, that's kind of how people went viral in the '90s.
We don't know where to start with this unique beauty. From the top, the mini, single-serve version almost looks like a golden Dutch baby, slightly sunken in the middle, with a toasty, golden rim. And for both the mini and full-size versions, velvety cheesecake gets blended with real sweet potatoes, and then piled high on a flaky crust with the perfect amount of butter. We're not drooling, you are.
"From your perfectly luscious cheesecakiness upper layer to the lower cinnamony sweet potato extremity you make me want to gobble up a whole $39 cake," read one love letter to the cheesecake, on Yelp. (Get a room.) Another fan wrote, "The cheesecake was dense, not overly sweet, with a nice crust. Reminded me of my grandma's baking."
404) 221-1157
234 Auburn Ave. NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Best latkes: Potato pancakes at Russ & Daughters Cafe
This self-effacing latke comes from the kitchen of the multi-time Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded Russ & Daughters Cafe in New York City. It's a classic Jewish latke, but pinkies all the way out.
"Holy moly these had impeccable flavor," noted a Yelp reviewer from the Holy Moly Church of Potato Pancakes. The Russ & Daughters double-fried latke dish features either an accompaniment of wild salmon roe and crème fraiche, or applesauce and sour cream. Both iterations have earned loads of praise, so you're guaranteed a geshmack time! (Yiddish for "tasty.")
An Instagram fan asked, "Can you deliver to Tel Aviv please?" And another Instagrammer noted that she had already shipped a load of latkes to herself in Los Angeles. Over on TripAdvisor, a diner wrote, "The potato latkes are seriously good. I had mine with salmon and eggs sunny side up, plus oceans of coffee ... All in all it felt like proper New York."
(212) 475-4880
127 Orchard Street, New York, New York 10002
Best potato skins: Korean BBQ stuffed potato skins at Primrose Table
Don't call it a comeback. While you might remember the potato skin craze of the '80s, or its slow, beleaguered death in the booths of T.G.I. Friday's somewhere during the '90s, potato skins are back, baby. And, if you're sitting down to a starter plate at Primrose Table, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, they've got a whole bunch of good stuff piled on top of them.
The gluten-free Korean BBQ stuffed potato skins at Primrose Table are loaded with kimchi queso, slow roasted pork, Korean bbq sauce, sweet pepper aioli, chimichurri slaw, Cotija cheese, green onion, and Fresno chile — all stacked up on the crispiest potato skins you could ever bite into. Got cold feet about it? This Yelper makes the decision a little easier: "Get the Korean BBQ potato skins!" Done.
An Instagram fanatic commented, "Best thing on the menu." And a Yelp reviewer noted, "We devoured the special Korean BBQ potato skins—really packed with flavor." One TripAdvisor fan confessed to life-changing moments like, "The Korean BBQ [potato] skins are one of the best things I've ever eaten."
(615) 900-5790
1650 Memorial Boulevard, Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37129
Best cheesy potatoes: Funeral potatoes at Hoof & Vine
If you're from the American Midwest, or anywhere near the Rocky Mountains, your physical body may actually be made of 75% funeral potatoes. If you grew up in the Mormon faith, it was almost an unspoken rule that these potatoes must appear at every single gathering of any kind, forever and always. But you'll only taste the best funeral potatoes at Hoof & Vine in Midvale, Utah, USA.
Often credited with popularizing the dish, a charitable outreach arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may have invented what NPR once called, "Essential fast food for hard times." The recipe usually involves diced potatoes, sour cream, cream of chicken, butter, seasoning, shredded cheddar, and a crowd-pleasing buttery, crispy corn flake topping. At Hoof & Vine, funeral potatoes are offered as a side for any main dish.
"The funeral potatoes [are] to die for," posted one Yelper, with another calling the outpost, "The only place in Utah with real funeral potatoes." For anyone wondering why you would ever shell out your hard-earned cash for a budget dish you could easily make at home, this reviewer shared, "These funeral potatoes are not the typical sloppy soppy you put in your casserole dish at home ... They [are] fancy and delicious!!" Leave "sloppy soppy" behind and get hip to the good stuff.
(801) 569-4645
7680 S. Union Park Avenue, Midvale, Utah 84047
Best jojo potatoes: Jojo wedgies at Jojo (The restaurant)
Whatever you do, don't confuse jojos with potato wedges. They look alike, but jojos are next level, Northwestern USA delici-shiz. Instead of just a quick deep fry with a sprinkle of salt, a real deal jojo is seasoned, breaded, and pressure fried. And at Jojo in southeast Portland, Oregon, the jojos are served plain, or as loaded as your uncle on New Year's Eve.
Super thick-cut wedgie jojos are served up golden and crispy — and coated in the outpost's special seasoning blend. It's that magic recipe that catapulted the brand from food truck to brick and mortar. On the menu, you'll find plain jojos that you can top with bacon or cheese, and dunk into a variety of sauces. (We have our eyes on some of that house Jojo sauce, Alabama white mustard, or the shallot vinaigrette with honey.) Don't want to DIY? The Classic Loaded option comes with caramelized onions and American cheese; Cheddar Loaded features coleslaw, Tillamook cheddar, and chives; and Spicy Loaded goes all out with Nashville hot dust, cheddar and American cheese, Crystal honey, spicy mayo, pepper relish, fried shallots, and chives. Y'all, that one is hot.
"The jojos are so good — lots of spice and just the right amount of crispness ... If anything, we regretted not ordering the large," read one Yelp review.
(971) 331-4284
902 NW 13th Ave., Portland, Oregon 97209
Best baked potatoes: The Baked Potato jazz club
You can't make a list of the best potato dishes and not include the one potato that's a meal in itself: the baked potato. It also happens to be the name of the iconic Los Angeles jazz club where we'll be dining this evening. And guess what they serve at The Baked Potato while you're skiddily-bop-it-ing to acts like Billy Childs tickling the ivories. That's right. Baked potatoes, baby.
"You get the largest baked potato in the history of [the] baked potato and you basically can get anything beyond your wildest baked potato dreams on it," reported one Yelp fan. Can we tempt your taste buds? Out of the whopping 24 baked potatoes on the menu (there's also salad, but it's not called the Salad Jazz Club), the broccoli and cheese potato made its triumphant return to the lineup, thanks to customer demand. Other standouts include the Hot Dog and Sauerkraut potato, the Philly Cheese Steak potato, and the Chef's Nightly Special. Did we mention that these things are almost the size of a human head?
One fan shared, "This is the best baked potato I have ever had!!! ... Not only did the chef cook a delicious meal, he blessed us with his talent on the harmonica!!!"
(818) 980-1615
3787 Cahuenga Blvd, Studio City, California 91604
Best potato pierogi: Pierozek
If we're doing pierogi, they've gotta be the ones from the only Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded Polish restaurant in the United States. The thoughtfully-appointed Pierozek restaurant in Brooklyn, New York, dishes out handmade pierogi in classic flavors, seasonal spins, and weekend specials. But we're here for the traditional-gone-modern Murray's Cheese pierogi.
Just as a refresher, pierogi are dumplings, wrapped in an unleavened dough, and filled with whatever your heart desires. And while the menu boasts a variety of drool-worthy flavor combos, the Murray's Cheese pierogi is stuffed with Murray's savory Irish cheddar, bacon, and creamy potato — and topped with crispy bacon, and fresh chives. Murray's Cheese is a New York institution in itself. And now we can taste its beautiful cheddar, pierogified.
"I would order a thousand Murray's cheese pierogis if I could," admitted one Yelper. "Each pillow of pierogi cloud oozed with a burst of flavors," shared another. But the most telling part? The Polish contingent likes them too.
(718) 576-3866
592 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn, New York 11222
Best hash browns: The Publican
In the market for a big a** hash brown? Look no further than the humble hash brown on the menu at The Publican restaurant in Chicago, Illinois. You'll find it on the weekend brunch menu, under the list of side dishes. Don't get distracted by the crispy potatoes with spicy aioli, which might sound more brunch-worthy. Trust us. These hash browns are legendary.
Not only are the potatoes finely shredded, and fried to golden, crispy perfection, they're also pressed into the diameter of an entire plate. Maybe it should be called a "hash brown pancake" and bumped to the main entrees list. It's enough to share, if you're into that kind of thing.
"The hash brown is one big plate of deliciousness," raved one fan. A TripAdvisor reviewer noted, "Hash browns were perfectly prepared, crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside."
(312) 733-9555
837 W Fulton St., Chicago, Illinois 60607
Best waffle fries: The Tavern Grill restaurant and bar
Perhaps second only to the most tightly-wound curly fries, is the deeply satisfying hashtag-patterned potato: the waffle fry. And we tapped The Tavern Grill restaurant and bar in Minnetonka, Minnesota for their rendition of this sports bar favorite — because Minnesotans said so.
On Reddit, we uncovered, "The waffle fries aren't floppy," which, of course, is clutch. The Tavern Grill seasoned waffle fries get a deep fry and a dusting of their secret parmesan spice mix, with a side of seasoned sour cream. Not to fix it when it ain't broke, but you can also get the waffle fries done up as Gyro Nachos, topped with beef gyro meat, cucumber, tomatoes, diced red onion, feta, and Kalamata olives, with a drizzle of tzatziki.
"Waffle fries with sour cream was awesome," wrote one reviewer, with another posting, "The waffle fries with seasoned sour cream are delicious." (Ok, guys, we get it.) Man, it's like these people are obsessed with the waffle fries or something.
(612) 406-8755
12653 Wayzata Blvd, Minnetonka, Minnesota 55305
Best mashed potatoes: Joël Robuchon's Pommes Purée at L'ATELIER de Joël Robuchon
Stick a fork in the food of the gods; chef Joël Robuchon's Pommes Purée at L'ATELIER de Joël Robuchon, inside the MGM Grand, Las Vegas. They're not just velvety, buttery mashed potatoes, they are, in fact, life itself.
The late Chef Robuchon possessed exquisite taste, and his signature pomme purée was simply his favorite recipe for mashed potatoes. But, y'know, these are Michelin starred mashed potatoes. The entire method involves just yellow potatoes, milk, kosher salt, and butter. The silky spuds are then decorated with a fan-like pattern, and placed on the table to subsequently blow your mind.
"I would steal for this," one Yelper posted with a photo of the dish. (Hello, potato police? We'd like to report a tuber caper.) Yet another fan described the texture saying, "They simply melt in your mouth." This diner noted, "The pomme purée was silky smooth ... My mouth waters just thinking about it." But one reviewer threw out an insider tip that we're definitely into, writing, "I always ask for more pomme purée, and they are always generous with a ramekin full of the buttery goodness." We inch ever closer to bottomless pomme purée.
(702) 891-7358
3799 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
Best potato salad: Snow's BBQ
If you're looking for really good potato salad, you go to one of the best barbecue joints in Texas. And for many, that's Snow's BBQ in Lexington — just a hop skip and a jump away from Austin, Texas. There, you'll find 88-year-old pitmaster Tootsie "The Queen of BBQ" Tomanetz stoking the wood fire, and a chilled potato salad that hits just right.
While barbecue purists may shun side dishes in favor of maximum stomach space, this one's worth the extra real estate. The recipe's a secret, first made by Mrs. Patschke (who was still whipping it up for the restaurant, even in her nineties). But classic Texas-style potato salad usually incorporates russet potatoes, hard boiled eggs, mayo, mustard, and dill pickle relish. The one hitch is that Snow's is only open on Saturdays for five hours, and they often sell out long before closing time. Count on a long line before doors open at 8 a.m.
"The potato salad is like nothing you've ever tasted ... it's homemade and WONDERFUL! Even people who don't like potato salad love this stuff," gushed one side dish lover. "The potato salad is a creamy mayo variety and itself was delicious ... I think it's the best mayo potato salad I've tried anywhere," noted another fan.
(979) 542-8189
516 Main St., Lexington, Texas 78947
Best shepherd's pie: Meehan's Public House
Eat your share of the luck of the Irish starting with the shepherd's pie at Meehan's Public House in Atlanta, Georgia. It's a rich, meaty stew basically wearing a mashed potato hat. They call it a jacket, but it's obviously a hat, Meehan's.
The outpost's shepherd's pie serves up a plate full of Guinness braised leg of lamb, sautéed veggies, garlic mashed potatoes, and a luscious red wine demi-glace. It's baked until that mashed potato jacket looks like a golden, toasted marshmallow. One Yelper shared, "The lamb was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The peas and carrots and the mashed potatoes helped balance out the richness of the lamb."
Now, with more exclamation marks, this reviewer posted, "Wow! Best shepherd's pie I've ever had. Hands down! I recommend you grab a table, a beer and an order of the Shepherd's Pie. Worth it! It is so flavorful, beautiful, and plentiful." Several reviews noted that Meehan's can sell out of this hearty comfort food, so snatch it up while you can.
(404) 214-9821
200 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Best French fries: Cosmik fries at HopCat
They used to be called crack fries, if that tells you anything. These days, the HopCat beer bar in Grand Rapids, Michigan has rebranded their fan-favorite dish as Cosmik fries. And they're delicious-er than ever.
The OG Cosmik fries are beer battered, fried, seasoned with HopCat's signature cracked pepper blend, and served with a warm, gooey cheese sauce for dipping. But you could also step it up with the truffle parm version, which tosses the fries in parmesan, parsley, red pepper, and truffle oil — with truffle aioli on the side. Hey, you can also get them loaded, topped with applewood smoked bacon, red onions, pickled jalapeños, and cheese sauce (plus smoked brisket if you're feeling it). You can even throw the brakes out the window with HopCat's Cosmik poutine, served with stout beef gravy, white cheddar cheese curds, a sunny egg, and scallions. Some say the fries taste even better with a cold one on draft.
This Yelp fan wrote, "Must try the cosmik fries ... they are to die for." Another highlighted the cracked pepper flavor, writing, "Whatever seasoning they use for [the fries] goes on a few other dishes and it's the bomb!!" But one true loyalist entered the chat, posting, "The 'cosmik' fries will always be crack fries in my book."
(616) 451-4677
25 Ionia Ave SW, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503