7 Fast Food Chains With The Best Tater Tots, According To Customers

No matter whether you call them tater tots, potato tots, or even spud puppies, these crispy bites of shredded potato are an immensely popular item on dinner tables and fast food menus across the country. According to YouGov, 77% of people have a favorable view of tater tots. Their popularity has only grown since they were first introduced by Ore-Ida in 1953. The tots were a way for the potato company to repurpose scraps from fries and other products, and customers were skeptical that they costed so little. But a slight cost adjustment made them seem more desirable, and the tot craze took off. 

Now, restaurants serve crunchy potatoes plain, with cheese or chili, and even wrapped in bacon. In fact, the bite-size spuds can be used in a variety of ways, from topping a casserole to a nacho base to an unexpected dessert. But most fast food chains just fry them until golden and offer the option to top them as the customer likes. And tater tot fans, literally, eat them up. 

We made a list of the chains serving the best tater tots based on customer reviews. From one side of the country to the other, fans say these are the tastiest, crispiest, and best-seasoned tots you can buy. And for an insider tip, look for special deals on tots around February 2 each year. That's National Tater Tot Day, and you just might find one or more of these restaurants offering promotions.

Sonic Drive-In is one of the most popular and well known spots for getting tots. The chain started in the early 1950s and now has over 3,600 locations across the nation. The restaurant's tater tots can be ordered plain, with cheese, or in chili cheese versions, and some fans get them "loaded" with chili, cheese, onions, and jalapeños.

The crunchy potatoes come highly recommended by customers, many of whom prefer them over Sonic's fries. Some even proclaim the tots are their favorite thing on the menu. The chili cheese version is particularly beloved, and those who get the loaded tots appreciate the spiciness and variety of textures the extra ingredients add. One Facebook user reported the tots they ordered were "crispy, hot, fresh, and delicious...as usual!" 

The tots are so popular that Sonic began selling frozen bags of them in grocery stores. Reviewers say the frozen version is a very close duplicate of what's sold in the restaurant but note the salt content doesn't compare.

Burger Street is a small chain with 16 locations spread over Texas and Oklahoma. The restaurant, started in 1985, has a limited but inventive menu, with items like the Olive Burger, a corn chip-topped Chili Cheeseburger, a Giant Turkey sandwich, chicken burgers, hot dogs, and sides like onion rings and sweet potato fries. There are also Tator Tots, which are spelled differently but are the same tasty spuds you'd expect. 

While not listed on the official menu, customers say you can get cheese, chili, or chili cheese tots, and people love how crispy the tots are. One person said they were perfectly prepared, and others call them yummy and delicious. Some even say the tots are the side they enjoy the most. If you visit Burger Street, try using the spuds as a topper for your burger to give it a texture and flavor boost, just like those corn chips do on the Chili Cheeseburger. 

When you mention the Taco Time fast-food chain, you could be talking about one of two companies. One is a national franchise called TacoTime, which has around 300 locations. The other is Taco Time, also called Taco Time NW. This smaller chain has nearly 80 locations and is primarily found in the Seattle, Washington area. Fans say Taco Time NW has better quality food, although both brands sell very similar tater tots, either called Tater Fries or Mexi-Fries, depending on which you're at. 

We're talking about Taco Time NW's Tater Fries here because customers love these well-seasoned, crispy potato bites. One Reddit user even called them the "greatest tots in the universe." And diners agree a lot of what makes the Tater Fries special is their seasoned salt coating. Seasoned salt can take frozen potato tots from bland to gourmet, so it's easy to see how it can do the same for fast food tots. Taco Time NW's seasoning certainly hits the perfect flavor notes, with one Redditor calling them "the only tots in the universe worth eating."

Taco John's first opened in the late 1960s in Wyoming. While you might not expect such a northern state to be home to such a popular Mexican-inspired restaurant, the "West-Mex" chain now has over 300 restaurants in 21 states. Along with breakfast burritos, quesadillas, and an assortment of tacos, the brand also sells its hugely popular Potato Olés, which are small potato crowns that are fried until golden and tossed with the chain's own seasoning blend. The spuds come as a side, as Super Potato Olés with a variety of nacho toppings, and as part of the Potato Olés Scrambler with cheese, bacon or sausage, pico de gallo, and scrambled eggs. 

Diners highly recommend the potatoes, calling them delicious, amazing, and better than many competitors' versions of tater tots. One Reddit user even said the Potato Olés and cheese were the "best fast food item I've ever had." Many suggest getting a side of nacho cheese to go with the spuds, which fans say are consistently crispy and flavorful. Some people will make it a point to stop and get the tots whenever they're close to a Taco John's. Those who prefer the Super Potato Olés call them wonderfully tasty, although messy.

Smashburger skews more fast-casual than fast food, but that works for us — in part because it has the distinction of being the fast-casual chain that reached more than 200 locations faster than any other. The chain, which first opened in 2007, helped popularize thin burgers that get a distinct crust from the grill. In addition to those burgers, the restaurant sells hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, salads, and a variety of tater tots. There are regular Tots, a spicy Scorchin' Hot option, and Smash Tots, which are coated in olive oil, garlic, and rosemary. 

Customers say the classic plain spuds have a crunchy exterior with a soft inside and aren't greasy. The Smash Tots are tasty, and many customers enjoy the garlic in particular. Even batches that are oily are still enjoyable, with some calling them awesome. Customers also appreciate the generous portions and that they are well cooked, making them crispy but never too hard. Customers say the tots are worth buying on repeat and that they've never been disappointed by them. 

Krystal might not be the most well-known chain on this list, but it does have the distinction of being loved by rock-and-roll royalty. Elvis Presley reportedly loved Krystal's burgers enough to order them for everyone at Graceland. The restaurant has earned its lasting reputation in other ways, too. Similar to White Castle, Krystal also offers two-bite burgers cooked with onions on a steamed bun. Over the years, Krystal has added sides like tater tots, which you can order plain, with chili and cheese, or in the Junkyard option, which includes bacon, ranch, chili, cheese, and jalapeños. 

Fans say the tots are superior to the fries and appreciate being able to add a variety of toppings to the potatoes. The spuds are reportedly very crispy. Reviewers tend to like them more than other chains, noting that the spuds are freshly cooked and served hot. The Junkyard version gets a lot of attention from fans specifically, and many customers say they'll be back for more tots after trying them. 

Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers is known for meaty sandwiches and custard made from scratch. The company opened in 2002 and evokes memories of diners in the '40s and '50s. There are more than 500 locations across the U.S. and Canada, and the chain is always adding new items and custard combinations to its menu. One item that's earned a permanent spot is the tater tots. You can ask to have cheese and chili added to your tots, according to customers, or just get them plain. 

Fans say the spuds are some of the best fast food items they've ever tried, and note how crispy and well-seasoned they are. Diners also say the potatoes evoke strong nostalgia and remind them of childhood lunchrooms. They say the tots are wonderfully tender inside and are served very hot and fresh from the fryer. 

Diners say they get the tots often, reporting they're a solid option with great texture. The chili cheese tots get lots of love too, even when they're particularly messy. Some people even suggest dipping the tots into some custard for an unexpected mix of texture and flavor. 

Deciding which tater tots should be on this list involved narrowing down dozens of fast food chains across the country. I had to examine multiple factors, such as the overall customer experience, the value and taste of the potatoes, and whether they were regularly available rather than short-term promotions.

I then searched through social media posts, comment threads, professional reviews, and user review sites to see what people had to say about this side. Only the tots with the most positive customer reviews across several platforms were chosen for the final list.