Cracker Barrel Has a New Spring Menu—Here’s a Food Editor’s Ranking (and Photos) of 8 Items

• What Is It: tender shrimp and andouille sausage, sautéed with onions, celery and red peppers in a zesty Creole sauce; served over creamy grits, green onions and grilled Parmesan bread
• Price: $15

The sausage offered nice heat and contrast to the sweet, bell peppery sauce. But the grits were the low point here. I found them to be pretty bland in flavor, and the texture was lumpy in spots but generally loose and a bit runny. That said, the shrimp was juicy and perfectly cooked, although it’s not the best shrimp option on the menu (more on that later).

• What Is It: ten-ounce New York strip steak topped with grilled shrimp in a zesty Creole sauce, served with two country sides and your choice of buttermilk biscuits or corn muffins
• Price: $24

I asked for the steak medium rare. It arrived medium, which was honestly better than I expected, given how thin it was. The cook and seasoning (which seems like a garlic herb butter of some sort) were on point, but the texture was mealy and a bit chewy, despite the steak managing to stay pretty moist. The shrimp, however, were beautifully cooked—juicy and buttery.

• What Is It: classic lemonade mixed with seasonal strawberry and peach purée
• Price: $4

I took the drink’s opaqueness as a good sign, assuming the lemonade was mixed with real fruit. After tasting, I was confident that it was. However, I didn’t get any peach notes—just strawberry. Overall, the bev leaned sweet, despite pulpy bits of lemon giving it extra acidity and an authentic mouthfeel.

• What Is It: sweet Southern onion petals, lightly battered and fried, seasoned with garlic salt and served with Country Comeback dipping sauce
• Price: $2

Think of this side as a deconstructed Bloomin’ Onion. The breading was pretty flawless—crisp, sturdy and well-seasoned. But a few of the onion pieces were tough and hard to bite through. The breading would slide off, leaving me with a plasticky slice of what I imagine is an outer layer of onion. They still did their thing though, especially with the horseradish-kissed dip.

• What Is It: six hand-breaded chicken tenders with two country sides, your choice of buttermilk biscuits or corn muffins and three dipping sauces
• Price: $13.50

The name didn’t lie—the breading on these was very crispy. The tenders were visibly hand-breaded (there were a few bald spots without any breading, but overall, it was craggy and generous) and, at points, a touch too salty. But the chicken was still juicy, despite the seemingly hard fry. Fries and coleslaw were no-brainer pairings here, but I’d love to have these with mac and cheese next.

• What Is It: tart lemon and sweet strawberry filling in graham cracker crust, topped with strawberries
• Price: $6

The lemony filling was sour, luscious and creamy (honestly a bit looser than your average key lime pie, which seems to be the inspiration here). I didn’t love the macerated fruit on top, although I understand the utility of enhancing the strawberries’ sweetness for contrast. But the crust totally stole the show, IMO. It was gritty, buttery and intensely graham-y, offering the optimal dose of crunch and salt.

• What Is It: hand-breaded chicken breast with your choice of signature sauce on a toasted buttermilk bun with pickles and mayo, served with one country side
• Price: $12.50

Usually, I’m a spicy chicken sandwich girl. Here, I opted for the Carolina gold BBQ sauce and wasn’t disappointed. The chicken was juicy and substantial, tender and moist on the inside and impeccably breaded. The sauce was sweet but balanced, and the steak fries (which I’d imagine are arguably everyone’s least favorite type of fry) were golden brown, rustic and a touch soggy, just how I like them. The one con for me was that the pickles were sweet, but that’s just a personal preference.

• What Is It: grilled shrimp in a zesty Creole sauce, served with two country sides and grilled Parmesan bread
• Price: $15

This was like Spanish gambas al ajillo with a Southern twist. I literally couldn’t stop eating the sauce (it seemed like a butter base spiked with paprika, dried herbs, garlic and black pepper), sopping it up with hunk after hunk of the cheese bread (which was literally incredible, smashed flat and encrusted in dry, caramelized bits of Parm). The shrimp was the definition of succulent. Paired with cheesy hashbrown casserole, this Cracker Barrel spring menu item delivered risotto energy for less.