The 12 Best Fall Foods & Drinks on Chain Restaurant Menus Nationwide, Reviewed by a Food Editor

• What It Is: a quarter-pound flame-grilled beef patty topped with American cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce, onions, pickles, ketchup and mayo, on a naturally colored orange bun with black sesame seeds

BK has a very festive Monster Menu with a Halloween-inspired lineup that ranges from a Franken Candy Sundae, crowned with green and purple popping candies, to bat-shaped chicken nuggets. My favorite item was the Whopper, which came on a vibrant, pumpkin-colored bun with black sesame seeds.

The flame-broiled taste of Burger King’s meat is super nostalgic for me. I also love that it had twice the tang from both ketchup and mayo. I could have nixed the tomato (it was sliced very thick) and the bacon (nothing wrong with it, but it’s rare that I feel it makes a burger better). Overall, it was freshly made and well-assembled. Oh, and those pickles? Delightfully sour.

• What It Is: made-to-order quarter-pound Angus beef patty topped with Gruyère cheese, caramelized onions, crispy sweet onions and roasted garlic Parmesan aioli on a toasted potato bun

Shake Shack released an entire lineup of sides and sammies inspired by French onion soup. It’s unreal how well-balanced this burger was. The beef was savory, succulent and simple. The cheese was mild in flavor and rich in texture, while the double-dose of caramelized and crispy onions (the latter really made this one, IMO) offered jammy sweetness and zesty crunch. The aioli brought it home with rich, just-salty-enough garlicky notes and mayo-ey tang.

• What Is It: crisp, oven-roasted half chicken in citrus herb sauce with your choice of two classic sides and biscuits or corn muffins

I tasted and ranked every item on Cracker Barrel’s fall menu in 2024 and again this year, and I will never run out of good things to say about this chain's seasonal items. My favorite recent addition was the herb-roasted chicken. The skin wasn't greasy or rubbery, but rather flat, thin and evenly browned without being burned, which to me signals that they meticulously rendered out the fat and turned the bird multiple times while it cooked. It was basic and expertly executed; I'm guessing the sauce wasn't much more than butter, thyme, salt, garlic and lemon.

That said, the returning Hashbrown Casserole Shepherd’s Pie is not to be missed (and it's hands-down my favorite Cracker Barrel dish of all time). Think beyond-tender pot roast in savory, herbaceous, silky gravy, finished with a cheesy hash brown casserole topping that's baked to crispy perfection. It had a staggering mix of textures (juicy meat! crisp veggies! crunchy spuds!), and I thought the sour cream offered stellar tangy contrast.

• What It Is: crispy empanada filled with tender apple pieces and creamy caramel

Taco Bell released a *super* fun Y2K menu this fall, which included resurrected items that had been discontinued for years. This sweet treat was one of them. It had a craggy, crackly crust that I loved. The apples were sweet-tart, albeit lacking in quantity. The caramel tasted notably artificial, like a butterscotch candy, but it delivered big fall energy nonetheless.

• What It Is: soft serve blended with Maple Cookie Crumble base and milk, topped with whipped topping

There are three seasonal treats on the DQ menu for a limited time, and this one was hands-down the most delicious. You may not be able to see the cookies at first glance, since they’re blended into the ice cream, but you’ll taste them in full force. This bev tasted like liquid butterscotch pancakes, slathered in a generous amount of salted butter and a shimmery layer of maple syrup. Blizzard stans may prefer the Caramel Toffee Cookie number, studded with brittle, crackly toffee bits and thick, chewy cookie bites.

• What It Is: Captain Morgan spiced rum, cranberry, lemon and apple juice, topped with an apple slice and cinnamon stick

On the heels of its Ultimate SpendLESS Shrimp deal, Red Lobster also introduced three new fall cocktails for the season. They were all solid, but this one took the crown. It reminded me of spiced apple baked goods, like bread or muffins. The acidity of the lemon and cranberry played off the mild tartness of the apple juice, while the latter’s sweetness balanced the overall flavor with a fruity flourish. The rum’s intensity was curbed well by the other ingredients, but its warm spices still delivered plenty of autumnal splendor.

• What It Is: graham cracker crust, pecan pie filling and pumpkin cheesecake, topped with caramel, chopped pecans and whipped cream

As a food editor who’s tasted all of Cheesecake Factory’s cheesecakes, I can say with confidence that the pumpkin pecan cheesecake is among the most delicious. I loved the decadent, gooey texture of the pie-inspired pecan filling, studded with tender-crunchy nuts.

There’s also a plain pumpkin cheesecake, if that’s more your speed. I found it to be very balanced and creamy. The spices were apparent yet forgiving, and the graham base brought a touch of salt to round everything out.

• What Is It: Bundt cake finished with rum, butter, vanilla glaze and a hint of lemon

The fall chapter in a series of menu collaborations between NYC cafe chain maman and Martha Stewart did not disappoint, and this dessert was the crowning glory. The vanilla was incredibly powerful in every gritty crumb of glaze. The cake itself was dense in the center, but very tender and saturated in sweet, syrupy glaze on the top and bottom. The rum flavor was prominent, but it was by no means as dominant as the vanilla.

If this sounds too Christmas-y to you to qualify as a fall food, consider the Harvest Tart (topped with butternut squash, carrots, comté cheese, red onion, roasted garlic and fresh sage), the undeniably ginger-y spiced apple cider or the caramel cream sugar bun instead.

• What It Is: blonde espresso, oat milk and pecan crunch topping; iced orders also come with nondairy vanilla sweet cream cold foam

As a former Starbucks barista, it's not often that I'm wowed by a new drink. But this one was irresistible. It had buttery, nutty notes, as well as a light caramel flavor. It's more coffee-forward than some of the other sweeter seasonal drinks (looking at you, PSL). I preferred the hot version because the sweet cream on the iced iteration made it too sweet for my taste, but I adored the salty crunch of the pecan topping on both. If you prefer more espresso and less milk, go for the Pecan Oatmilk Cortado instead.

• What It Is: pumpkin cake doughnut holes with glaze

Munchkins are just as dangerously poppable as ever. I hadn’t had one in years, and never the pumpkin variety, but I fell for these (hard) at first bite. They were impossibly tender and moist on the inside and tasted like they could possibly contain real pumpkin. Dunkin's simple glaze offered some semi-crumbly, flaky texture, as well as the optimal dose of sweetness to every morsel.

As far as drinks go, I'd suggest skipping the PSL in favor of the Cereal 'n' Milk Latte, complete with bready, cereal-inspired notes and hints of marshmallow and vanilla.

I love when NYC’s favorite bakery gives its signature chocolate chunk cookies an autumnal makeover; it impresses year after year. While I didn't get to try 2025's iteration, I had it in 2024. The limited-time confection from Levain is spiked with molasses, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon to create a decidedly seasonal flavor profile. The cookies are easy to reheat to their former gooey glory, too. The best part is the decadent layers of Valrhona chocolate in every bite, IMO.

• What It Is: pie crust cookie topped with spiced pumpkin pie filling, whipped cream and cinnamon, served cold

After tasting six of the TikTok-famous brand's oversized cookies, I look back on this festive cookie with appreciation. It really looked like a teeny-tiny Thanksgiving pie! The bready, buttery base tasted like store-bought crust. The comparatively more fragile, crumbly texture gave me pause, but it was a nod to the dessert it was trying to emulate. The topping tasted like it was made with real pumpkin, but beware the notable bitterness of the warm spices sprinkled on top.