Ranking the Top 11 Jack In The Box Menu Items

Jack in the Box often gets categorized into the “foods you only eat when you’re drunk” genre of fast food chains, and for good reason: It’s truly the greasiest fast food around and, at most locations, it’s open 24 hours. Plus, there’s pretty much everything on the menu, whether you’re hankering for a burger, tacos, or even a teriyaki bowl. 

Beyond that, however, Jack in the Box is a nostalgic choice for those of us who grew up on the West Coast (where most of the locations are). When I was little and my dad brought home Jack in the Box tacos for dinner for the first time, I remember taking a bite of it and thinking, “What is this?” because, although it didn’t necessarily taste like a taco, it was maybe the most delicious thing I’d ever tasted at the time. 

So, while Jack in the Box is great for children and late nights, what about daytime eats? I aimed to find out, and brought along a few friends, all of whom have never been to the chain before, to keep me honest and not too swayed by my own nostalgia. I chose some of the most popular menu items and took into consideration taste, texture, and overall quality. Here’s how these 11 popular Jack in the Box menu items ranked.

People seem to be very divided on this sandwich. Many say it’s no good, and others say that’s too harsh and it’s a fine chicken sandwich. I was determined to find out the real answer once and for all … and I certainly did. It’s understandable that so many would be underwhelmed by this sandwich. It’s very simple and there’s not a lot going on at all. It’s got mayonnaise, a bit of floppy lettuce, and some tomato. It’s … fine.

The biggest issue with it is that, for a spicy chicken sandwich, it’s not that spicy. In fact, the spiciness is just part of the aftertaste. My co-tasters and I agreed that we wouldn’t pay money for this, but if it was presented in front of us for free, we wouldn’t turn it down — because it’s (say it with me) fine. There’s just not anything special about it, especially for fans of spicy chicken sandwiches. You can definitely find better elsewhere, but if you’re stuck in the middle of the desert with just a Jack in the Box nearby, you’ll probably sort of enjoy Jack’s Spicy Chicken.

The Buttery Smashed Jack is Jack in the Box’s version of a Culver’s ButterBurger. And, according to the internet, it’s apparently a pretty good knock-off version of it. Unfortunately, I (nor anyone eating with me) had ever eaten at Culver’s, so none of us were able to confirm or deny this. However, for a burger, it was pretty tasty, so I’m guessing the reviews are correct.

While this burger is full of flavor and very good overall, it’s a little … much, for my liking. The brioche bun makes the whole experience so incredibly sweet that I couldn’t get over it. The sweetness was good, sure, but there’s no way I would ever be able to eat this entire burger with everything it had going on. I was alone in my review, however, as everybody else thought it was pretty good — nothing overly special, but tasty enough for a knockoff of another chain’s burger.

More recently, Jack in the Box has dipped its toes into the Nashville hot chicken genre of menu items, and as a fan of the hot chicken world, I was intrigued. Unfortunately, the drive-through did not hold up its end of the bargain of my order being accurate, so I was given the regular popcorn chicken. It wasn’t my choice to review this item, but since it was thrust into my world, here we go.

It’s okay. For a small order, you get a good amount of popcorn chicken, which I appreciated. It mostly tastes like every other kind of popcorn chicken around, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing — popcorn chicken is great, especially when you have lots of condiments to dip it in (which we did). The pieces have a lot of breading, though, which often comes at the expense of the chicken. This item is just about as good as any popcorn chicken from the freezer aisle at the grocery store. 

The Jumbo Jack is your standard burger without any gimmicks. And although this means it often gets overlooked, it’s honestly a pretty solid burger for a cheap price. The ingredients are ordinary: a big beef patty topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, and ketchup nestled between a buttery bakery bun. When you take a bite it tastes like it could be from any restaurant, which isn’t a complaint, though. If you’re in the mood for a tried and true, all American burger, this is your Jack in the Box item.

What stood out specifically was the crispness of the vegetables. The veggies were piled on and everything tasted really fresh. Biting into it was pleasant because of that crunch. Sometimes the vegetables get really soggy really quick on fast food burgers, but that wasn’t the case here. This was a good looking burger and it tasted just as good as it looked. Overall, it’s a great choice if you find yourself at Jack in the Box in the mood for a good old fashioned burger that’s super fresh without any frills.

The chicken nuggets from Jack in the Box don’t look like very much at all, especially when you order a four-piece. They’re just tiny little pieces that tumble out of their package and look like they’re part of a kid’s meal, so I wasn’t expecting to be blown away. Perhaps it’s because they look so underwhelming, but upon biting into one, I was pleasantly surprised. 

The white meat of the chicken was very flavorful and soft. There wasn’t much breading on the nuggets, which was nice because it made for a more balanced chicken to bread ratio. There was pretty much zero crunch, but the chicken was tasty and tender enough that it didn’t matter. They’re a simple nugget and aren’t seasoned too heavily. Everyone around me let out a little “Mm!” sound upon taking a bite of one. These nuggets are just a nice little chicken snack, emphasis on the “little.”

The regular fries at Jack in the Box leave something to be desired and often get a lot of complaints for being boring. However, Jack in the Box has always had some of the best curly fries around. Pair these bad boys with a couple of tacos and you’ve got yourself quite the meal (this is both my adult opinion and my eight year old self’s opinion).

These fries taste exactly the same as they have for 30+ years — and hey, that’s a good thing, because they’ve always been quality curly fries. While some people dislike the more muted seasoning of Jack in the Box’s curly fries compared to those offered elsewhere, I appreciated the subtlety, especially since the rest of the menu has so much going on flavorwise. Their crispy yet somewhat floppy texture and breading are the perfect addition to a Jack in the Box meal, which is almost guaranteed to be all over the place by design.

While the rest of the burger options at Jack in the Box could easily be mistaken for a burger from literally any other fast food restaurant, the Sourdough Jack stands out as its own entity. You bite into this sandwich and you know you are eating at Jack in the Box. This burger, according to the internet, is the best sandwich at Jack in the Box, and what the chain is most known for (other than the tacos and maybe the egg rolls).

I found this assessment to be very accurate. This is a good sandwich, and there isn’t anything quite like it on the fast food market. The flavors complement each other perfectly, without being overwhelming — the beef patty, crispy bacon strips, tomato, mayo, and ketchup, piled on top of one another in between that lovely sourdough bread is a singular Jack in the Box staple. I loved it and would order it again. This is definitely the best sandwich option at Jack in the Box. 

Sides are king at Jack in the Box, and people love these stuffed jalapeños. When you first look at them, it’s sort of confusing that they’re so popular because they don’t exactly come off as appetizing. They basically look like little blobs covered in sand. I had absolutely zero faith in them, and was also sort of annoyed because they’re not exactly a deal at $3.99 for a measly three tiny blobs.

I am happy to report that I was wrong about these little guys — they’re good. And that’s coming from someone who doesn’t even like jalapeño poppers. I can’t really explain it but the first thing that came to mind when I took a bite was that they tasted like Christmas. I don’t really have any more context about that but I thought it was worth a mention. My only complaint is that in one bite, the whole jalapeño came out and all that was left in the breading was sort-of-fried cheese. To be honest, that’s not exactly a problem because even those remains were tasty.

The existence of the Jack in the Box egg rolls has always been an anomaly, and eating them with a group of people who had never dined at the chain highlighted this in a big way. Everyone was blown away by how good these egg rolls were, while also being completely confused by their presence. I was surrounded by a bunch of Jack in the Box first-timers who just couldn’t comprehend how an egg roll found its way onto a fast food menu. The only solace I could offer them was that this was simply the magic of Jack in the Box.

These egg rolls have a specific taste, and that taste is “Jack in the Box egg rolls,” which isn’t all that different from egg rolls at any restaurant. When you take a bite of this incredible egg roll, it’s hard to tell what you’re looking at inside — diced pork, cabbage, celery, carrots, and onions appear to have assimilated into each other to become one substance. And although this could be viewed as slightly disconcerting, it actually doesn’t matter when you’re eating something that tastes this good. Dip this baby into some sweet and sour sauce and you have yourself a good time, guaranteed, no matter your age.

The mini tacos are little versions of the regular taco, and since we were also sampling that, we opted to try the new birria flavor to change it up. The birria option was really tasty and had a bit of sweetness to it, with notes of cumin, cinnamon, and clove. 

Unlike the regular taco, where all the ingredients have a tendency to flop out, these shells were more sealed, creating a little pouch of meat. Also unlike the regular taco, there weren’t any additional ingredients inside. However, you do get a packet of creamy avocado lime sauce to go with it, and it is maybe the best dipping sauce I’ve had at a fast food restaurant. 

My one complaint is that some of the tiny tacos were mostly shell and lacked a substantial amount of the smooth taco meat inside. Overall, the consensus was that these were very fun and good, and a great way to switch it up if you were (for some reason) sick of the regular tacos.

The star of the Jack in the Box menu, the taco, has always been a polarizing mystery. The smooth lump of meat filling has a singular taste unlike any other item on the planet. Technically, it’s mashed up beef, dark chicken, and textured vegetable protein, but it has also been described as “a wet envelope of cat food,” in a Wall Street Journal review, amongst other less-than-kind descriptors. Generally, people either love this taco or hate it as it’s both disgusting and incredible simultaneously.

I have always been in the “love it” category, and being a grown adult eating this taco midday does not affect how much I care about it, apparently. When it comes to Jack in the Box menu items, the number one spot will always belong to the taco. It’s best not to think about what you’re eating, sure, or maybe not even look at it too closely (it’s not pretty). And if you’re wondering how something called “disgusting” could land the number one spot on a ranked list, well, that’s just the Jack in the Box taco for you. “Disgusting,” in this instance, is a neutral term. Yes, it’s disgusting. And yes, it’s amazing. Two things can be true.

After doing some research on what the most popular menu items at Jack in the Box currently were (Reddit, TikTok, etc.), I noticed that they mostly aligned with the items I used to enjoy when I was younger (but haven’t had in 15+ years). So in choosing what items to rank, I went with both current online popularity and my own personal experience. 

As far as the actual rankings go, they are based on how well the items hold up to expectations of these types of fast foods, as well as how good each one tasted in the moment. This included flavor, texture, and ingredients ratios. I took into consideration the opinions of my co-tasters, however, we were all pretty much on the same page anyway.