The Popular Tortilla Chip Brand That Tastes Bland On Every Level

Have you ever passed over fan favorites like Lay's potato chips at a party so you could get your hands on those sweet, sweet tortilla triangles instead? If so, you know that tortilla chips are the perfect vehicle for getting all kinds of delicious dips from the bowl to your mouth. While they may not be the star of every show, they definitely play lead support, but when they're bad, your whole dining experience can suffer. 

To help you escape the pit of bad tortilla chips, we tasted 10 different brands of tortilla chips and ranked them from worst to best. While there are plenty of winners on here, our least favorite was a potentially surprising pick. Tostitos Restaurant Style chips, while having the name brand fame, just didn't live up to the hype.

With so many products on the shelf, Tostitos may offer your favorite shape of tortilla chip, but that's irrelevant if the taste just isn't good. With the restaurant style variety we sampled, you're left with a crunchy little triangle that might be satisfying in texture, but that's about it. True, the crisp factor with Tostitos is off the charts, and the company has making tortilla chips down to a fine art. You won't find a burnt or unevenly cooked chip in the mix. But the flavor? It's giving cardboard. It feels like there isn't any fat or salt, and not even any corn, really. This chip is clearly meant as a glorified spoon for dips, and while that might be up some people's alley, it's not up ours.

Our answer: maybe. Some Amazon reviews complain that these chips are too salty, but we'd have to disagree. Our bag, at least, was criminally undersalted to the point that it was almost tempting to add more salt to it. If you also find yourself with a bag of Tostitos Restaurant Style chips that is lacking in flavor, pizzazz, and salt, there are a few things you can do to jazz it up a bit. 

First, adding finely ground popcorn salt is a good move — the small granules help it stick to the chips. Bonus points if it's a flavored product since these chips need all the help they can get. You can also sprinkle it in there with a few squirts of lemon juice or a little drizzle of oil, fold the bag up, and give it a good shake.

Alternatively, pair these chips with a super salty, savory, or flavorful dip. Three-ingredient onion dip is a good one, and it's easy to make, to boot. You can't go wrong with a good pico de gallo or salsa, either, whether it's your favorite store-bought salsa verde or something you make from scratch. Just make sure whatever you choose isn't too thick so it doesn't put too much pressure on these crispy but fragile chips — you'll end up fishing little shards out of your dip and wishing you'd just gone with a different bag entirely.