8 Restaurant Chains That Serve the Best Tater Tots

Having long played second fiddle to French fries, the humble tater tot has come a long way in the past few years. The poppable spud snacks, which you may have been introduced to as an after-school snack or a fast-food side, have experienced a recent glow-up.

No longer a quick snack, tater tots now show up as hearty starters on many restaurant menus, topped with cheese, bacon—and even corned beef. The tiny tots have grown bigger when served as a side, often accompanied by grated parmesan, pepper, and dipping sauces galore.

Tater tots are available at sit-down restaurants across America, from steakhouses to sports bars. Whether you want a munchable side with your wings and burger while you're watching a big game or a fresh accompaniment with your steak dinner, you've got options. Ahead, find the best tater tots you can get at top chain restaurants.

Buffalo Wild Wings

Buffalo Wild Wings—or, as many people fondly call the restaurant, B-Dubs—is the spot for wings and crave-worthy appetizers. Head to one of the chain's over 1,200 locations for its over-the-top Buffalo chicken tots. The tater tots come covered in Buffalo-style pulled chicken, blue cheese, hot peppers, and ranch for a delightfully satisfying starter.

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Lazy Dog

This fun, family-friendly restaurant first opened in California in 2003. In deference to its name, its walls are covered in photos and drawings of cute pooches. If a dog theme isn't enough to entice you, the chain's take on tots just might. Lazy Dog makes its tater tots with sweet potato. These sweet tots are served with skewers to make it easier to dip them into the house-made roasted jalapeño-lime aioli.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Hooters

A sports bar with quite the list of appetizers on its menu, Hooters and its 400 worldwide locations deliver unique bar bites. Its take on tater tots, Lots of Tots, is just that—a massive pile of fried potato bites covered in cheese and topped with sour cream, bacon, and fried onion. You'll probably want to share this powerful potato pile, but no judgment if you eat them all yourself.

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Golden Corral

Of course, the country's favorite buffet chain has salty, crunchy tater tots. This is your chance to eat platefuls of the addictive snack at one of the chain's 400 locations across the U.S. You can also order them for pick-up as a side to one of the restaurant's hearty mains.

Duffy's Sports Grill

Founded as Duffy's Drafthouse in Lake Park, Fla., in 1985, Duffy's has changed names and grown to 32 locations on both sides of the Florida coast. The sports bar and grill offers tater tots as a simple side with no toppings. The poppable bites are crisp, hot, and a perfect side to Duffy's award-winning burgers.

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Ocean Prime

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This celebrity favorite, with locations across the country from Boston to Beverly Hills, offers a bevy of luxurious seafood and steak dinners and an excellent raw bar. To complement these tasty bites, it offers a selection of elevated steakhouse sides, including umami-rich smoked Gouda tater tots—the smokiness of the cheese pairs perfectly with the crunch of the tot's crust.

STK Steak

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This growing restaurant chain, with 21 locations from New York City to Salt Lake City, is a sleek, modern steakhouse that brings in younger diners and has some fun dishes, like jalapeño shrimp cocktail, that you might not find in a more old-school spot. The restaurant offers a side of tater tots with around 10 giant tots stacked high on a serving dish, each with a crispy outside and a smooth, creamy center. The chain also offers the tater bites during happy hour.

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Tilted Kilt

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This sports bar chain not only delivers sultry Scottish vibes but also has one of the most over-the-top versions of tots on this list. An appetizer called Mary, Queen of Tots sees the restaurant's crispy tots topped with savory corned beef, sauerkraut, beer cheese sauce, Thousand Island dressing, and green onions. Are the tots a lot? Yes. Are they amazing? Also, yes.