The Cheesecake Factory Just Launched 6 New Bowls—Here’s a Food Editor’s Honest Ranking

• What It Is: crispy fried cauliflower in sweet-and-spicy orange sauce atop white rice, served with snow peas, carrots and mushrooms
• Price: $13

The batter on the cauli was crisp and light, but the inside was a bit mealy and kind of fell apart as I chewed. The sauce was bright and sticky with very mild heat (think a slightly upgraded version of Panda Express’s orange chicken sauce). While this bowl was at the bottom of my list, I liked the rice of this one best for its simplicity and minimal stickiness.

• What It Is: charbroiled salmon atop white rice, served with pineapple, sautéed vegetables and sesame seeds
• Price: $19

The pineapple salsa was my favorite part, thanks to its bright, acidic freshness. That said, the salmon also had a nice crisp, broiled feel at the edges and was flaky, moist and tender inside. The mushrooms were deeply savory and meaty, but a bit chewy. The red onion had great color and sweetness, while the edamame was toothsome, vegetal and simple, offering respite for the palate. However, I must admit this bowl had a massive amount of rice for a comparatively small piece of fish.

• What It Is: crispy chicken with teriyaki glazed, served with white rice, edamame, mushrooms, cucumbers and sesame seeds
• Price: $15

The cucumber salad was vinegary, mildly sweet, crunchy and incredibly refreshing. I also liked the slaw’s gentle bitterness. The chicken was very soft with a light, crisp exterior that honored its namesake. The savory, nutty sauces tied the entire bowl together; the katsu sauce on the bottom distributed some sweetness to the entire dish. While the components are good on their own, I suggest taking care to consciously diversify your bites for optimal balance.

• What It Is: fried chicken atop mashed potatoes and gravy, served with fresh buttered corn, green beans and a buttermilk biscuit
• Price: $18

Think of this as a KFC Famous Bowl, only miles better in quality than fast food. The mashed potatoes were ridiculously creamy and rustic, dappled with bits of red skin. They were simple but still spectacularly comforting and indulgent. The chicken was very succulent and crunchy but a touch too salty for me. That said, combined with the other components, its intensity was tamed just right.

• What It Is: tender pork served with rice, beans, poblano chiles, roasted corn salsa, sour cream, guacamole and tortillas
• Price: $16

I’ve been a fan of Cheesecake Factory’s roast pork since trying it on chilaquiles. As expected, it was fall-apart moist and succulent. The corn salsa was fresh and sweet (not to mention pretty). The chiles’ heat was a steady, tingly medium, and the sour cream and guacamole brought tang and additional richness to curb it. The rice was a bit too soft for my taste, but my main bone to pick here was with the beans. My Cuban roots make me a bit of a snob about black beans specifically, and these were overwhelmingly smoky and excessively seasoned IMO, especially paired with everything else on the plate.

• What It Is: charbroiled chicken atop white rice, served with black beans, plantains and salsa
• Price: $17

This was straight-up scrumptious. The chicken was unbelievably juicy, lined with earthy, smoky char and doused in a vibrant, herbaceous sauce (which I imagine is or is meant to taste like aji verde) that imparted approachable yet robust spice to the meal. The rice was still a bit soft and wet for my preference. The beans were just as smoky as with the carnitas, but they had a nice, toothsome texture and just the right amount of sauciness. The maduros gilded the lily with their gorgeous caramelization. The tender-crisp veggies were also a welcome addition, alongside the bowl’s more indulgent components.