Badmaash/Yelp
French fries are the perfect food in so many ways: deep-fried, salty, and full of carbs. They're great on their own, but just like burgers, they also serve as a blank canvas for creative toppings. Here are outrageous french fries — including the Guinness World Record holder for priciest — we found by scouring reviews and rankings by expert food writers and countless hungry customers. The toppings go way beyond a squirt of ketchup.
New York
Wondering what makes a plate of fries worth $200, earning the Guinness World Record for priciest fries? The Creme de la Creme fries at the New York restaurant Serendipity 3 (which is best known for its frozen hot chocolate) are made from Chipperbeck potatoes blanched in Dom Pérignon Champagne and J. LeBlanc French Champagne Ardenne Vinegar, then cooked three times with pure goose fat from cage-free geese raised in Southwest France. The fries are then seasoned with Guerande Truffle Salt, tossed in Urbani Summer Truffle Oil, and topped with shaved Crete Senesi Pecorino Tartufello made of milk from sheep that are grazed on the clay-rich hills of Crete Senesi. Finally, black truffles foraged from valleys and forests in Volterra and Miniato, Italy, and shaved Black Summer Truffles from Umbria, Italy, top off the plate. We aren't expecting this one to be added to McDonald's menu.
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Los Angeles
Fat Sal's, a deli known for its giant sandwiches and over-the-top milkshakes, also offers some crazy french fry creations. Bacon cheeseburger fries are topped with chopped bacon and hamburger patties, two kinds of cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, and creamy fat sauce.
Houston
The Vietnamese fries at Boheme come with hoisin, sriracha, garlic mayo, cilantro, and peanuts on top. For a few bucks more, you can upgrade them to Bangkok style, which adds smoked pork shoulder, yellow curry mayo, and crushed sesame sticks.
Long Beach, Washington
Pickled Fish serves up an appetizer called dirty dirty fries, because one "dirty" just wasn't enough. Fried pork belly lies atop these fries, along with garlic, pepperoncini peppers, goat cheese, and truffled ketchup.
Milwaukee
A bar and restaurant that specializes in homemade sausages of all kinds loads fries with an equally ambitious list of ingredients. At Vanguard, you can get poutine with sauced chicken bits (or tofu), red hot gravy, bleu cheese dressing, and house pickled celery.
New Orleans
You may have heard of debris fries, which come with the roast beef and gravy used in po' boy sandwiches. Bruno's Tavern has a version that's Creole-seasoned waffle fries topped with roast beef and broiled jack and cheddar cheese, and drizzled with a horseradish cream sauce.
Related: 40 Mouthwatering Roast Beef Sandwiches Across America
New York
The guys at 375 Chicken 'n Fries cook their spuds three times to get them fluffy on the inside and extra crispy. There are three types of loaded fries on the menu, including a Ludlow version. It's cheddar sauce, bacon, Sriracha mayo, chipotle mayo, jalapeños, and fried onions.
Chicago
Au Cheval has become famous for its burgers (it has also opened a restaurant in New York City), but it has other classics on its menu, such as a prime rib sandwich and fried chicken. Its crispy fries with mornay sauce, garlic aioli, and a fried farm egg are a reason to stop in, too.
San Diego
Carne asada fries are a delicious West Coast specialty, but La Puerta in San Diego goes one step further and adds seafood to the mix. Surf 'n turf fries come with the standard carne asada fries toppings of steak, cheese, grilled onions and peppers, guacamole, and pico de gallo, plus the additions of shrimp and spicy chipotle crema.
Philadelphia
Seafood fans will love the Olde Bar fries at their namesake oyster bar. A plate of fries is topped with lump crab meat, decadent lobster butter, and a cheddar fondue made with stout.
Chicago
Korean restaurant Del Seoul has a fusion menu of Korean barbecue tacos, sandwiches, and bento boxes, so french fries fit right in. Big enough for sharing, the kimchi fries come with sauteed onions, pork belly, and kimchi, along with melted cheddar and jack cheese, scallions, and sour cream.
Upland, California
There's a '50s diner-style joint in Southern California serving up french fries by the plateful. Legends Burgers takes classic chili cheese fries and goes one step further: They add handfuls of thinly sliced pastrami. (Don't be confused when you don't see it on the menu. The pastrami comes as part of Legends' "Classic Chili Cheese Fries.") Order the large and it's enough for four people to share.
New York
If you're one of the very few people in the world who has wondered what s'mores and french fries taste like together, then head to Sticky's Finger Joint in the Big Apple. They're made exactly how you'd expect: topped with chocolate sauce, marshmallow sauce, and graham cracker crumbs. They're just as sticky as you can imagine.
Chicago
Chicago Italian beef sandwiches are a Midwest classic dripping with beef au jus. At local chain Al's, there's also something called gypsy fries. Order it and you'll get all the components of an Italian beef, just on fries instead of bread, as the potatoes really soak up that beef gravy.
Related: You Have to Try These Famous Sandwiches in Every State
Anaheim, California
Get a little taste of Hawaii on french fries at The Kroft. The traditional Hawaiian plate of loco moco is transported on top of fries, including a beef and pork blend meatloaf, fried egg, brown gravy, fried onions, cheese curds, and a ketchup glaze.
Charleston, South Carolina
The Darling Oyster Bar is combining two American favorites into one big plate of creamy goodness. Stop in for brunch and you can order french fries that come swimming in a pool of clam chowder. There's also crispy bacon, because it makes everything better.
Related: Best Brunch in Every State
Portland, Oregon
French fry spot Potato Champion serves up a number of unique fry creations. The PB&J variety comes covered with peanut-based satay sauce and chipotle raspberry jam for a sweet, salty, and spicy combination. They serve until early in the morning, when this dish is probably pretty popular.
San Francisco
Pan-Asian restaurant Namu Stonepot offers a version of loaded fries with bulgogi beef, mayo, Bulldog sauce, bonito, and green onion. Don't try to get an order to go, because it's available dine-in only.
Santa Ana, California
A Latin Asian fusion restaurant called Dos Chinos has a massive dish of fries that's custom-made for filling up anyone who's super hungry. The Lifted Fries are garlic shoestring fries covered with asada, bolsa-roasted pork, chorizo-fried rice, fried egg, cheddar cheese, avo cream, southeast Asian salsa verde, onions, and cilantro.
Los Angeles
An Indian-inspired poutine has been gaining attention in L.A. At Badmaash, grab a chicken tikka poutine made with masala-spiced fries topped with cheese curds, beef gravy, tandoori chicken tikka, and cilantro. It's the Indian french fry mashup you never knew you needed.