This Chain Makes The Best Store-Bought Tortilla Chips

Without a good tortilla chip, that dip you just served is all but useless. During our search for the best store-bought tortilla chip, we looked for chips that were salty and rich enough to enjoy on their own, had a corn flavor that wasn't bland, and featured a Goldilocks texture that balances the tricky line between light, crisp, and sturdy. Fortunately, we found exactly what we were looking for in one chip, and it's from a restaurant-branded version of a Tex-Mex chain.

We were huge fans of On The Border Café Style tortilla chips, because they not only hit upon a good corn flavor, but they also sold us on one key point: texture. Our taste tester noted, "My goodness, are these tortilla chips crispy and craggy, filled with bubbles from being dropped in hot oil. Because of the bubbles, there's an airiness to these chips, too — they're light, crunchy, and can be easily inhaled. Take your time with them, though, because they're absolute stunners."

Another detail mentioned by our taster is that these chips also are generously appointed in fat and sodium. While those of you that are watching certain aspects of your diet might not be terribly pleased about that, fat and salt translate into flavor, which just adds to their appeal. But we've found an ideal pairing for them, too.

Surprisingly, On The Border also makes our favorite jarred red salsa, which makes the brand more than a one-trick pony. It beat out 12 other contenders during our taste test, but part of this might be controversial, depending on how you like one flavor. Those of you who don't like cumin might not be fond of On The Border Salsa, but if you do, you might just have found the perfect pairing for its tortilla chips.

What's also interesting about this brand is that while it does have the name of a restaurant chain attached to it (On The Border, naturally), it's one which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2025. So although the restaurant has been nearly forgotten to the sands of time, we assure you that the retail-branded goods associated with it are still perfectly worthy of your time and money. It's not often in our taste tests that one brand lines up as the best-of for two separate products, but in this case, pairing a grab of On The Border Café Style tortilla chips along with its red salsa is a move we endorse.