Whataburger

RESTAURANT: Whataburger
LOCATION: El Paso, TX
SIZE: Medium
NUMBER AND SIZE OF RINGS: Various sizes, some very small and puffy
COST:$1.69
I was prompted to photograph and try these again after getting the following comment from Meeky: Alright Becky, I checked out the Onion Ring Documentary, and I have to say, I'm still disappointed that you have yet to mention one of the greatest fast food onion ring providers of them all. We're talking thickly sliced, sweet, juicy onions surrounded by a marvelously thin, crispy/crusty shell. This is the kind of onion ring you would expect to find in a bar...where can you find these amazing delectibles? WHATABURGER . . . If you haven't tried them, you won't be dissappointed. If you need to try them again, you'll enjoy them, but most importantly, if others truly share your keen awareness of all things fried and delicious, they might like to hear your take on what I consider a fast food delight.
Okay, mister Meeky. I ate them on my recent road trip through El Paso, and I don't think they really hit the spot. I agree that they are very sweet, without a hint of the bitterness that similar beer-batter-type onion rings have. They were also very crispy and delicate. But the insides were super slimey. My three year-old, Paul, is a pro at eating onion rings and he just could not bite these big honking slippery onions as much as he tried. I would say that they are fine specimens, regardless, but not exactly in the cravable category for me. I do think they photograph quite well- look at that indescribable golden hue!

Outback Steakhouse Bloomin' Onion

RESTAURANT: Outback Steakhouse
LOCATION: Tucson, AZ
SIZE: One size
NUMBER AND SIZE OF RINGS: One big blossom
COST:$5.95
The Bloomin' onion is nothing new in the onion ring world and many restaurants call them by their own different names. I do think Outback has been rather cocky with theirs. I mean, look at this ugly thing. It's overdone, almost too peppery; it has many petals uncoated, and the coating is uneven and floury. But boy is it yummy with their spicy sauce, regardless. One thing about blooming onions is that you pull the petals off and are essentially eating half of the onion petal without breading every time. Then you are so tempted to eat the greasy floury mess left at the bottom. I suggest eating one of these with four people- that way you all get your fill without eating yourselves sick. I also think they cost less if you go eat one before 6PM on their early menu, which is weird because they are only open for dinner, so you only have a small window of opportunity.

Burger King

RESTAURANT: Burger King
LOCATION: Casa Grande, AZ
SIZE: Value menu
NUMBER AND SIZE OF RINGS: 10 - one inch and a half- all the same size
COST:$1.00
The lowest end of the low end fast food onion rings. These are made with diced onions and have very little taste. I would like to call them "placebo onion rings." This is probably why they give out the ZESTY sauce- filled with horseradish and high fructose corn syrup to dip them in- so they have some flavor. But for a buck, who cares! They have also started putting tiny canned-type onion rings on some of their steakhouse burgers, but, although they are salty and crispy, they use so few that it doesn't make a difference in how the burger tastes at all. These onion ring laden burgers are not worth what they cost, for sure.

Carls Jr

RESTAURANT: Carls Jr
LOCATION: Blythe, CA
SIZE: Small
NUMBER AND SIZE OF RINGS: 9 rings, 2-3 inches
COST:$2.30
Carls Jr is famous for sticking a big onion ring on some of their burgers, so they must be pretty awesome. They have a slightly different texture than other fast food onion rings- it's a smooth sort of bumpy- more like a paved and sealed road than a gravel one. Kind of like a pebbled stream bed, but an onion ring coating instead of rocks.

Dairy Queen

RESTAURANT: Dairy Queen
LOCATION: Gila Bend, AZ
SIZE: One size
NUMBER AND SIZE OF RINGS: 8 rings, 2-3 inches
COST:$1.89
These are just what you want out in the middle of nowhere on your road trip! They have that taste of grease that has had a thousand things fried in it. They are sweet with a breadcrumb coating. But, click on the image and check out the grease! These were just floating in a pool of grease. But they tasted mighty fine regardless.

Jenks Restaurant

RESTAURANT: Jenks Restaurant and Amazing Clocks
LOCATION: Main Street, Jenks, OK
SIZE: Appetizer order
NUMBER AND SIZE OF RINGS: plateful
COST:around $3?
These are what I call the typical "beer battered" onion rings. I've had the same ones at many places. They are sweet, crunchy. . . normal. This restaurant is fun because our three year old likes looking at the moving faces of the clocks. They play songs and go off at intervals throughout. Also, antique shoppers sometimes browse through the store.

Oklahoma Hamburger Company/ Reggies Grill, Jenks, OK

RESTAURANT: Oklahoma Hamburger Company/ Reggie's Grill (not sure what the real name is)
LOCATION: Main Street, Jenks, OK
SIZE: Full order
NUMBER AND SIZE OF RINGS: enough to fill an entire plate heaping tall
COST:$2.70 after tax
These babies are something special. Very thin cut, they have a good amount of black pepper in them. As peppery as they can be without being too peppery. The onions they use are really sweet, so with the peppery floury coating, they have a nice full flavor. Really worth trying in the onion ring world! And what a total steal for the price- I would have expected to pay at least 4 bucks for these elsewhere. Maybe we shouldn't tell anyone and keep this to ourselves!