The Best Applebee's Appetisers, Ranked: What to Order and Why

Seven appetisers make up the core of the Applebee's starter menu, plus two big sharing formats. They range from a 590-calorie plate of wonton tacos to a 2,200-calorie platter that could feed a table on its own. Rankings like this are partly a matter of taste — but price, portion and calorie count are facts, and when you line the facts up, a clear order emerges.

The Lineup at a Glance

Chicken Wonton Tacos — $11.49 — 590 cal

Mozzarella Sticks — $9.99 — 860 cal

Spinach & Artichoke Dip — $10.49 — 990 cal

Boneless Wings — $12.99 — 1,080 cal

Brew Pub Pretzels & Beer Cheese Dip — $10.99 — 1,160 cal

Chicken Quesadilla — $11.99 — 1,170 cal

Ultimate Trio — $16.99 — 1,850 cal

The Classic Combo — $18.99 — 2,200 cal

The Ranking

1. Chicken Quesadilla — $11.99, 1,170 calories. The complete package: chipotle-lime chicken, two melted cheeses, bacon and pico de gallo in a grilled tortilla, with sour cream and salsa alongside. It eats like a light meal rather than a starter, it splits cleanly into wedges for sharing, and nothing else on the list balances flavour, portion and price as well.

2. Mozzarella Sticks — $9.99, 860 calories. The cheapest appetiser on the menu and the one nobody at the table argues with. Eight thick-cut sticks, Italian breadcrumbs, proper marinara. They rank second on reliability alone: this is the order that has never disappointed anyone.

3. Boneless Wings — $12.99, 1,080 calories. The priciest of the individual starters, justified by the format: breaded all-white-meat chicken with a genuine choice of four sauces, from Classic Hot Buffalo to Garlic Parmesan. Best when the table cannot agree on anything else — everyone picks a sauce lane.

4. Chicken Wonton Tacos — $11.49, 590 calories. The lightest starter by a wide margin, and the most distinctive: sweet Asian chile chicken in crisp wonton shells with crunchy slaw and coriander. Ranked fourth only because the portion is modest next to the quesadilla; on flavour per calorie, it wins the whole list.

5. Spinach & Artichoke Dip — $10.49, 990 calories. Creamy, warm, baked with Parmesan and mozzarella, served with chips and chipotle lime salsa. A dependable graze, but it is the starter most likely to be left half-finished once entrées arrive.

6. Brew Pub Pretzels & Beer Cheese Dip — $10.99, 1,160 calories. Soft Bavarian-style pretzel sticks with Blue Moon white Cheddar beer cheese and honey Dijon. Enjoyable, but 1,160 calories for bread and cheese dip is the worst calorie-to-substance ratio here — order it as the point of the visit, not as a warm-up.

7. The big formats — Ultimate Trio ($16.99) and The Classic Combo ($18.99). Ranked last as individual orders and first as group strategy, which is exactly what they are for. The Classic Combo puts boneless wings, spinach and artichoke dip, quesadilla and mozzarella sticks on one platter; those four dishes cost $45.46 bought separately, so the $18.99 platter is the single biggest saving on the appetiser menu. The Ultimate Trio lets you pick any three appetisers with three sauces for $16.99.

Best for Sharing

The Classic Combo, and it is not close. Four different dishes, 2,200 calories, one platter, $18.99 — a table of four can graze properly for under five dollars a head. If your group has strong opinions, the Ultimate Trio's pick-any-three format is the flexible alternative.

Best Solo

The Chicken Quesadilla. It is portioned like a meal, holds together as finger food, and at $11.99 costs less than most of the sandwich menu. The runner-up is the Mozzarella Sticks for anyone who wants a starter that stays a starter.

Best Low-Calorie

The Chicken Wonton Tacos at 590 calories — the only appetiser under 850. For context, the gap between the lightest and heaviest individual starter is nearly 600 calories, roughly the size of a second small meal. If you are watching the total, the order is: wonton tacos first, mozzarella sticks a distant second, and the pretzels not at all.

The Short Version

Quesadilla if you only order one. Mozzarella sticks if you order for a crowd that plays it safe. Classic Combo if the crowd is hungry. Wonton tacos if you are counting. The appetiser menu is one of the few places in casual dining where the cheapest item and the best item are both worth ordering — which one depends on the table, not the kitchen.