My friend recently asked me what I would choose if I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, and I immediately knew my answer — mozzarella sticks. While not as versatile as dishes such as sushi or hamburgers, I am an avid believer that mozzarella sticks are one of humanity’s greatest creations. They are the perfect blend of deep fried breading and gooey cheese.
With more and more restaurants adding mozzarella sticks to their menus, the quality highly varies between spots. Perfect mozzarella sticks, at least in my opinion, have crispy fried coating, flavorful seasoning and cheese that oozes out when you bite into them. I tried mozzarella sticks from eight different chain restaurants to determine which places truly master this great appetizer.
Sheetz
While it might not be a traditional restaurant, Sheetz continues to expand its made-to-order food menu, featuring everything from quesadillas and hot dogs to mozzarella sticks. Sheetz is open for 24 hours every day, stretching into the late night hours when most restaurants are no longer open — the only time someone should resort to trying Sheetz’ mozzarella sticks. Sheetz turns what is meant to be a crispy, cheesy appetizer into an undercooked snack with minimal cheese. The mozzarella sticks were light brown and had a soggy interior when I bit into them. When I attempted a cheese pull, the chewy cheese broke apart before I could even call it a true pull.
Sonic
Sonic’s mozzarella sticks were fried to a medium brown and had just the right amount of crispiness. I could tell by the herbs scattered in the coating that these would have a distinct flavor, and thankfully they did not disappoint with a herb seasoning that boosted the flavor without overwhelming the taste profile. However, the mozzarella sticks’ cheese did not live up to their exterior. It had the taste and texture of a frozen cheese stick, and again could not withstand the cheese pull test. Each bite of the savory fried coating was unfortunately dampened by the chewy cheese.
Applebee’s
When Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill + Bar’s mozzarella sticks were brought to my table, I was disappointed to see an uneven fried coating. They had numerous pale brown patches from being underfried, an unfortunate reminder that these mozzarella sticks had sat in a freezer for way too long before they were served to me. The cheese was stringy with a decent cheese pull, but lacked any flavor and instead tasted purely like heated up cheese. With the breading also lacking a strong flavor, only having a hint of seasoning, Applebee’s mozzarella sticks were lacking across the board.
Checkers & Rally’s
Checkers & Rally’s has named their mozzarella sticks “monsterella stix,” but they do not live up to the fierce name. These were the longest and thinnest mozzarella sticks I tried, and unfortunately, this thinness meant that there was minimal cheese that lacked any cheese pull capability. The focus of this appetizer is undoubtedly the Checkers & Rally’s fry seasoning they are coated in, which almost compensates for the lack of a gooey cheese. While the seasoning was slightly too salty, the hints of black pepper and garlic were a delicious, distinct taste in this lineup.
Arby’s
On the outside, Arby’s mozzarella sticks are fried to crispy, golden brown perfection. They’re shorter and thicker than most mozzarella sticks I tried — a shape that allows for a tasty balance between the fried exterior and thick cheese on the interior. When you break into them, there is a nice crunch of the crust and mozzarella cheese fills the inside. There is not much flavor to Arby’s mozzarella sticks — they simply taste like fried cheese — but the texture of them easily makes up for it, and I would definitely go back and eat these again.
TGI Friday’s
A pioneer in chain restaurants with mozzarella sticks, TGI Friday’s has served mozzarella sticks in their restaurants and in the frozen aisles of grocery stores for decades, and for good reason. These mozzarella sticks are definitely thicker and larger than a standard mozzarella stick, which makes them a bit hard to bite into but also allows for them to be absolutely stuffed with cheese.
The cheese pull on each mozzarella stick seemed like it could go on forever. TGI Friday’s blends asiago with mozzarella for these cheese sticks, giving the cheese a nice, slightly sharp taste. Despite the flavorful cheese, the fried coating was a bit bland, and I was left wishing for more spicy or herbal seasoning.
Chili’s
When you think of incredible cheese pulls, you probably think of Chili’s fried mozzarella, which went viral in 2024 when diners seemed to endlessly stretch the cheese. These are not traditional mozzarella sticks, but instead rectangular slabs of delicious fried goodness.
The cheese pull is certainly attractive, but the gooey texture and flavorful taste of the cheese is just as enticing. The breading is fried to be crispy to the touch, albeit a bit crumbly, while still allowing it to break apart for the perfect cheese pull.
The Cheesecake Factory
While the cheese in The Cheesecake Factory’s name refers to its staple cheesecakes, this national restaurant chain has clearly mastered all things cheese, including mozzarella sticks. Listed on the menu as crispy fried cheese, this appetizer blends mozzarella and fontina cheeses and fries them into crispy wedges topped with a herb seasoning.
Similarly to Chili’s, this fried mozzarella dish is fried to have a perfect balance of crispiness and breakability for when you inevitably tear the wedges apart for a cheese pull. The cheese oozes out when you cut into these, and the milky flavor immediately rushes through your mouth. The herbal seasoning, crispy coating and flavorful cheese all blend together to make every bite a master class in mozzarella sticks.