Tell the truth. Regular fries are wonderful, but sweet potato fries stand alone. Sweet potato fries are sweet and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and usually come served with some other wacky dip such as chipotle mayo or honey mustard. Sweet potato fries have been popping up on restaurant menus the past several years because everyone just can’t get enough.
They’ll be available at some locations as an add-on to the standard fries, or at others as a treat side which will add to your meal. Wherever you’re getting something at a fast food location, casual dining restaurant, or white tablecloth place, there are fairly good chances that you’re going to be able to get sweet potato fries. So if you’re game and in the mood for that incredible salty-sweet heaven. Then the below is the inside scoop on the restaurants that do it right and why folks can’t get enough.
A side of orange-gold sweet potato fries. It comes with a plate of chipotle mayo dipping sauce on the side.
Why Sweet Potato Fries Are Hot Stuff
Sweet potato fries are here to stay. They’re hot stuff. Because they taste great. They are good for you, and convenient.
- Taste: They’re sweet and salty. They are soft inside but crunchy outside. That’s something more convenient to consume than a regular fry.
- Health: Even though they’re fried, sweet potatoes contain more vitamin A and C, and fiber compared to regular potatoes.
- Variety: Sweet potato fries offer you something new to consume when famished with regular fries.
I didn’t expect much when I first placed my orders. But the crunch of the hot dip just made me understand why customers just have to order them from fast food establishments.
Sweet Potato Fries at Fast Food Restaurants
Not all fast food establishments include sweet potato fries, but some do, and they are hugely popular.
- Burger King: They re-share them as a regular offer. People serve them with company-branded burgers.
- Sonic Drive In: As large of a side menu as they have, Sonic introduced sweet potato fries as an optional add-on with sweet sides like marshmallow cream.
- A&W Restaurants: Sweet potato fries are an optional side with their burgers at several of the A&W restaurant chains.
- Shake Shack: Sweet potato fries have been a summer seasonal side on some of them in place of crinkle cut fries.
- Culver’s: They are best known for the cheese curds, but a few of them offer sweet potato fries as a side dish too.
They do exist at some fast food places as a gourmet side dish, so they are a little more expensive than “regular” fries.
Visual: Sweet potato fries tray, cheeseburger, soda, and bucket.
Casual and Diner Restaurants That Serve Sweet Potato Fries
If you must go one step up from fast food, casual restaurant restaurants are where you’re most likely to be able to order sweet potato fries.
- Red Robin: Because they offer bottomless fries, they offer seasoned and sauced sweet potato fries as well.
- Applebee’s: You can have it special as an appetizer or side.
- Chili’s: Will place it on the appetizers or sides menu most of the time.
- Smashburger: Sprinkling rosemary over their sweet potato fries.
- Five Guys: Messing with them in some but never the standard.
- Local Diners: All the mom and pops and diners carry them because they are so easy to serve and so popular.
They season them more than fast places, and typically with cinnamon, sugar, or smoky spices.
Sit Down and Upscale Restaurants
Sweet potato fries have reached sit down restaurants, even fine dining restaurants.
- Steakhouses: They have them as a side with baked potatoes or mashed potatoes as a choice.
- Gastro Pubs: They have sweet potato fries topped with such things as garlic aioli or truffle mayonnaise on them.
- Farm to Table Restaurants: Sweet potatoes grown locally are used, so they have them as fries in almost all farm fresh restaurants.
- Vegan and Healthy Restaurants: Sweet potato fries are this popular because they’re a healthier option for comfort food aficionados who keep themselves in check.
They would generally be baked, not fried, so less yummy but still sweet.
Visual: Sprinkle sea salt sweet potato fries on a wood board served with garlic aioli in a bowl to dip.
Why Restaurants are Going Wild for Serving Sweet Potato Fries
Restaurants carry sweet potato fries because:
- They provide a healthier option compared to regular fries
- They are a visually appealing option and provide an excellent social media selfie opportunity
- They attract younger customers who are willing to consume the latest food trend
- They are so fast and convenient to produce because the kitchen is already accustomed to frying regular fries
Sweet potato fries are worth it to business and worth it on the menu.
Sweet Potato Fries: Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Delicious and distinctive sweet and salty taste
- Is paired well with other dipping sauces
- Is suitable for high-end and casual restaurants
Cons:
- Despite being fried so not even that nutritional
- Will be soggy if not prepared well
- Is usually more costly than regular fries
- Not everywhere are they found
Visual: Green check marks in pros column and orange warning signs in cons column diagram.
Tips to Enjoy Sweet Potato Fries
- Make them crunchier if you like them that way
- Top them spicy or zesty dips such as chipotle mayo or honey mustard
- Top them with light fare such as chicken sandwiches or wraps
- Top them baked if you so happen to dine at a health-conscious restaurant
- Split them up among your crew so that you get to have plain fries too and compare
Pro tip: Deep fry them at home and a paprika dust on top for added taste
Sweet Potato Fry Fun Facts
- Sweet potatoes were grown in South and Central America and eaten hundreds of years ago.
- Sweet potatoes were the American fad as a health food during the early 2000s.
- Sweet potato fries are cinnamony sweet sprinkled in Southern American states.
- They even show up on restaurant menus as “yam fries” if sweet potatoes and yams are two distinct vegetables.
- Celebrities upload images of sweet potato fries on Instagram as their “healthy diet.”
Image: A funny photo of a basket of sweet potato fries with smiley face-shaped dips.
Real Talk: What People Really Say
The good
- “I order sweet potato fries whenever they have them.”
- “More tasty with spicy dips than plain fries.”
- “Kids like them because they’re sweet.”
The not so good:
- “Typically soggy instead of crunchy.”
- “They always cost more than normal fries.”
- “They are not on the menu of every restaurant, and that annoys me.”
The humourous:
- “My friend thinks sweet potato fries are a dessert because they’re sweet with cinnamon sugar taste.”
Frequently Asked Questions About Sweet Potato Fries
What restaurants offer sweet potato fries?
Many fast food chains like Burger King and Sonic, casual restaurants like Red Robin and Chili’s, and higher end spots like steakhouses and pubs.
Is sweet potato fries a healthier option than regular fries?
They do have more vitamins and fiber, but since they’re still fried, they’re not quite diet food.
What is the most popular dip for sweet potato fries?
Mayo, honey mustard, ranch, and garlic aioli are all on the list at the top.
Will sweet potato fries be on every menu?
Not anywhere but more and more everywhere.
Can sweet potato fries be made at home?
Yes, they can be fried or baked. Baking is healthy and just as delicious.
Yes, get the sweet potato fries if you see them on the menu, as they are worth it. They’re delicious-deliciously tasty and so full of color and so beautiful emerging. They pair with so many dinner dinners. It is a blessing to have straight fries replaced, and it is pure bliss to wolf down.
Are they perfect? No, they get soggy and are more expensive. But taste, texture, and nutrition dominate most minds.
The next time you go out to eat and glance down the menu where sweet potato fries are something of yours, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. You could be a slave to your new comfort food.
Sweet potato fries lover? Where do you get them or what dip do you go to add to them? I would just love to hear how you like them.
Last shot of friends at diner booth with ginormous basket of sweet potato fries and lots of dips in middle.