12 Cracker Barrel Menu Items First-Time Customers Have To Try

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Having a meal at a restaurant is both convenient and a fun outing. It doesn't have to be a Michelin-starred place, either. A casual meal can hit the spot, too. Of course, there are the standard burger, pizza, chicken, and taco chains. But what if you are looking for classic comfort food, especially Southern style? Look no further than your nearest Cracker Barrel. Just be sure not to make the dining mistake that could cost you money.

The chain has restaurants in 43 states, and they tend to be close to major highways, making it a good place to stop when you are traveling. The chain didn't make our list of restaurants to avoid in 2026. So if you haven't been there yet, you owe it to yourself to give Cracker Barrel a try. The menu is filled with hearty, comforting breakfasts, lunch, dinners, and beverages in traditional Southern style. The restaurant also serves beer and wine if you'd like an adult beverage. With so much on offer, the question may be what to order. To guide you in your selection, we put together this list of 12 dishes that first-timers should consider trying at Cracker Barrel.

When it comes to a filling and comforting meal, it doesn't get much better than meatloaf. It may not be as good as your mother's, and although we rated a different chain's meatloaf as the best, Cracker Barrel's take on the American classic is delicious. It ranks third on the chain's list of the top 10 most popular menu items. You'll find onions, tomatoes, and bell peppers combined and cooked with ground beef for great flavor and texture. You can get it with two of the chain's country sides, or three for a small upcharge. The meatloaf is pretty filling on its own, so keep that in mind when choosing sides.

Mashed potatoes are the classic pairing, but you can also choose mac and cheese and several tasty vegetable sides. When discussing chain restaurant meatloaf, one Redditor declared, "Sorry, but Cracker Barrel is by far the best!!!" Another responded, "That's what I came here to say. I just went to a Cracker Barrel for the first time in my life and ... their meatloaf was like what my grandma used to make. Gets my vote." It is the menu item I order the most regularly when I eat dinner there, and occasionally I get it for lunch. Try it.

For a meat lover, you just can't beat a nice steak. There are many cuts available and many ways to cook them. Cracker Barrel does it in a classic country-style that is as hearty as it is delicious. As one of the chain's top 10 most popular items, the Country-Fried Steak is fortunately not one of Cracker Barrel's discontinued menu items. The steak is a piece of USDA Choice beef that's breaded and pan-fried. It's served with pork-flavored sawmill gravy and well-seasoned with salt and pepper. You can choose two or three country sides to fill out the plate. Like the meatloaf, the steak pairs very well with mashed potatoes. Add a couple of veggies, and you've got a meal that will satisfy most appetites. 

The steak also goes nicely with over-easy eggs, as demonstrated by a couple on YouTube. The two clearly enjoy the combination of beef and yolk, despite the mess. The husband tells his wife that she's probably glad they took his car, and she agrees with a smile. If you are a steak fan and a Cracker Barrel newbie, give this dish serious consideration. It is one of my absolute favorite meals on the chain's menu. 

Cracker Barrel may have axed the Southern New Year's tradition of black-eyed peas, but the chain still has some classic dishes your grandmother probably made. The Chicken 'n Dumplins is Southern fare and one of those meals many people grew up with. It's a comforting dish that will fill you up and please your palate. Talk about cozy. It's kind of hard to top this one.

The dumplings are handmade and slowly simmered for a perfect, pillowy texture. They are cooked and served in a creamy chicken broth with strips of tender breast meat. Seasoned nicely, the entire dish packs plenty of flavor. Pair the dish with a couple of country sides and some biscuits or corn bread, and you've got an old-school Southern meal. The Chicken 'n Dumplins is also one of the chain's top 10 most popular dishes, coming in at number two.

A Cracker Barrel employee on Reddit said simply, "Chicken dumplings is our most popular dish." A solid endorsement. I can personally vouch for how good it is, especially on a cold day. As dinner or a big lunch, this meal will make a good impression on a first-time diner.

Steak is not the only protein that tastes good chicken-fried. You can also prepare ... chicken that way. Cracker Barrel has Chicken-Fried Chicken, which is a great way to enjoy this popular protein. It has the crispy texture and juicy flavor of fried chicken, without the bones. If you're at all like me and don't like getting your hands greasy, being able to eat this with a knife and fork is a big plus. Beneath the breading is a homestyle chicken breast, which is covered with Cracker Barrel's sawmill gravy after frying.

Given the gravy, it pairs well with mashed potatoes, and you can order a couple of veggie sides and some biscuits for dipping. Like the others on our list, the Chicken-Fried Chicken is a top 10 most popular Cracker Barrel dish. A YouTube video shows a diner enjoying a huge piece of chicken and stating, "That's really good. And the outside is really tender. 10 out of 10 on the tenderness." It is filling enough that sometimes I go with lighter sides like coleslaw. However you order it, the Chicken-Fried Chicken is a good way for a newbie to break in.

If you're an early riser, your first trip to Cracker Barrel might be for breakfast, or perhaps you're a brunch person. Either way, the menu has you covered with several good options. At number 10 on the list of popular options is the Old Timer's Breakfast. It's a good-sized meal without being overwhelming. Not everyone can eat a heavy first meal of the day.

The Old Timer's starts with two eggs, cooked anyway you like, and grits. For sides, you can choose the hash brown casserole or fried apples, and you have a choice of turkey sausage, thick slices of bacon, or smoked sausage. To top it off, you get two biscuits with sawmill gravy. Biscuits and gravy on their own is an iconic country dish and one of my favorites.

This is a classic Southern breakfast that will satisfy your appetite. In a YouTube video, a couple orders the Old Timer's Breakfast and eats every bit of it, stating, "It was that good everybody. Clean plate." It's a good meal to introduce first-timers to Cracker Barrel and the breakfast menu, which is available all day for those who like brunch or breakfast for dinner. 

Ninth on the top 10 list is another breakfast option, this one loaded with protein and a favorite breakfast food of many a hungry diner. Grandma's Sampler Pancake Breakfast comes with two golden pancakes fresh off the griddle, with two eggs cooked as you like, and either hash browns or fried apples. You get butter with your pancakes and your own little bottle of Cracker Barrel syrup. Full disclosure, it's only 55% maple; the rest is sugar syrup. Still tasty though.

Grandma must be a meat lover because the sampler includes thick-sliced bacon, smoked sausage, and either sugar-cured or country ham. Hearty? We'd say so. For newbies with big morning appetites, this may be your dream breakfast. A video on TikTok shows a diner ordering Grandma's Sampler Pancake Breakfast without saying much. He simply chows down happily, clearly enjoying every bite. The customer must have especially enjoyed the syrup because he contemplated taking the little bottle home. (You can actually buy it on Amazon). If you're popping in for your first Cracker Barrel experience and craving a big breakfast, you know what to order.

Momma likes pancakes too, but she's not quite as hungry as grandma. Nevertheless, Momma's Pancake Breakfast is the number one most popular item on the Cracker Barrel menu. You get three beautifully browned pancakes without a ton of meat. Perfect if you're hungry, but not ravenous. 

Along with your pancakes, you get two eggs cooked as you wish, and a choice of thick-sliced bacon or smoked sausage. It's a more reasonable amount of food, but equally delicious. Momma's Pancake Breakfast can please many a first-time Cracker Barrel diner.

A Redditor called it their favorite breakfast, saying, "Their pancakes give me a sense of sentimental nostalgia about my grandmother and it's the best comfort food when I don't want a lot to eat." Another responded, "Best looking pancakes I've ever seen." So, if you are looking for a filling breakfast that won't leave you unable to stand up and walk out the door, give Momma's Pancake Breakfast a try.

As a first-timer, you may want a chicken dish but not something heavy and fried. The Grilled Chicken Tenders made it to fourth on the top 10 list and are a good choice. The dish consists of delicious strips of white meat chicken marinated and grilled to perfection, with a crispy exterior and nice caramelization. You get your choice of two or three classic sides and biscuits or corn bread. The meal is tasty, and if you go with a veggie side and some fruit, it has fewer than 400 calories — not counting the biscuits or corn bread. But you do have the option of a reasonably low calorie meal if you are looking for something lighter.

A diner posted a TikTok video to see what all the hype is about. She enjoyed the tenders, describing, "The flavor on the outside is a little bit sweet ... They are tender and they're not dry. They are pretty tasty." So, if you're looking for lunch or a light dinner and stopping by Cracker Barrel for the first time, consider giving the Grilled Chicken Tenders a try.

You can get hash browns with any breakfast meal on the Cracker Barrel menu, but if you've never been there, you probably don't know that you can also order hash browns as a meal. That's right, the Hash Brown Casserole has golden, crispy, tasty potatoes and cheese with a twist. It is one dish that a newbie definitely should try.

The casserole serves the potatoes over scrambled eggs with sawmill gravy, crispy fried onions, green onions, and tomatoes. But wait, there's more. You can order your casserole with crumbled smoked sausage, thick strips of bacon, or steak tips. It's a great way to start your day.

A reviewer on Business Insider praised the loaded casserole, noting the delicious contrast of crunchy, tender grilled hash browns with cheese and bacon. With three different meats available, the Loaded Hashbrown Casserole may become your go-to Cracker Barrel breakfast. 

Now, for a true classic with kids and adults everywhere, macaroni and cheese, which naturally made it on our list of best comfort foods from around the world. Cracker Barrel has a mac and cheese that you definitely need to try on your first visit. Specifically, the Bacon Mac and Cheese is a filling, delicious dish that may remind you of childhood and some favorite eating experiences. 

The dish consists of elbow macaroni cooked to a perfect al dente and coated in a delightful cheese sauce with plenty of flavor that will make your taste buds smile. But it doesn't stop there. On top, there's a generous helping of grated Parmesan cheese, green onions, and crumbled bacon bits. There aren't many dishes that don't taste better with bacon, and the crisp, salty meatiness takes this over the top. 

If that's not enough to convince you, here is what a Redditor had to say about the Bacon Mac and Cheese: "It is SO GOOD! Pro tip: Add a little hot sauce on top. The whole thing is super rich but the spice and tang from hot sauce makes it perfect." With or without the hot sauce, this is a dish every first-timer should consider trying. It's filling and satisfying, and you will probably want to come back soon for more.

It is certainly true that Southern country comfort cooking generally involves a fair amount of meat. But Cracker Barrel shows some love for the vegetarians out there with its Country Vegetable Plate. It wasn't ranked, but it did receive an honorable mention on Cracker Barrel's top 10 list. That's pretty impressive for a meal with minimal protein.

The Country Vegetable Plate is essentially a sampler. You choose four different sides, and they come nicely arranged on one plate. In addition to several kinds of potatoes, there are a number of vegetables, fried apples, coleslaw, and other tasty options. The beans and greens are very good.

There is enough on the plate to fill the hungriest vegetarian. And, if you're a famished meat-eater, you can order a Country Vegetable Plate as a side to another meal. A fan on Facebook put it succinctly, "I love the country vegetable plate at Cracker Barrel!" So, if you are a newbie and a veggie lover, there is a dish on the menu with your name on it.

And now for something completely different. Our list ends with a shared dessert, although it could work as a breakfast as well. The Cinnamon Roll Pie is a unique menu item that you probably haven't seen anywhere else. 

It consists of about a dozen cinnamon rolls baked in a buttery, flaky pie crust. The pie is then drizzled generously with a cream cheese icing. It's spicy, it's sweet, it's crunchy, and it's doughy — a true sensation of flavor and mouthfeel. Now, bear in mind, the entire pie has 3,570 calories. This is a shared dish, we're talking family style.

A woman on Instagram tried a piece of the Cinnamon Roll Pie and said, "I gotta hand it to Cracker Barrel ... They're soft, they're nice and doughy ... I think this is a nice twist on cinnamon rolls." A commenter responded, "It was SO freaking good!!!" That's a solid endorsement. This may well be the best dish for a newbie to try. Just remember to bring a few people along, or you'll be asking for a doggie bag.