7 Breakfast Foods You Should Never Order From Fast Food Chains & What To Order Instead

I usually try to cook breakfast at home, but if I'm on the road and hunger strikes, there have been plenty of times that I end up picking up breakfast from a fast food chain. While there's no doubt that fast food chains can make breakfast easy and convenient, the actual quality of the meal itself can be a roll of the dice. Some chains might totally nail one menu item, but then really drop the ball with another. So how do you know which one to order for your morning meal?

This article contains recommendations based on my experiences with fast food menu items that I've personally ordered and tried. After sampling my fair share of various items on the breakfast menu at a handful of popular chains, I've come to some conclusions that are worth sharing. Portion size, the quality of the ingredients, texture, and depth of flavor were some of the variables at play. Hopefully, reading this article will not only spare you some disappointing dining experiences, but also give you your best shot at a solid meal when you find yourself at one of the restaurants featured here. Here are seven breakfast foods you should never order from fast food chains and what to order instead.

Taco Bell may not be the first place that comes to mind when you're considering ordering some fast food for breakfast. I'll be the first to admit that for a long time, I tended to land on the chain's doorstep in those deeply darkened hours somewhere around midnight. It also took Taco Bell a long time to capitalize on breakfast, finally rolling out its initial breakfast menu in 2014. I'm here to tell you that if you dig Taco Bell's regular menu, then you definitely shouldn't be snoozing on some of its breakfast options.

Before I get to that, though, a fair warning about its Breakfast Quesadilla. Similar to Taco Bell's traditional quesadillas, the problem here is that the tortilla is almost always a bit soggy — which isn't exactly an appetizing prospect when scrambled eggs enter the mix. But the good news is that the chain's Breakfast Crunchwrap is a much better option. Because the Breakfast Crunchwrap contains a full crispy hash brown, it provides some nice crunch that the Breakfast Quesadilla just can't deliver. Stuffed with eggs, meat, cheese, and a drizzle of creamy jalapeno sauce, Taco Bell's Breakfast Crunchwrap is one of the best morning offerings on its menu. You might be wondering what time Taco Bell stops serving breakfast, and there's more good news: The company serves it a little bit later than most of the other chains — until 11 a.m. — so you can sleep in and still get a great morning meal.

McDonald's has been cashing in on the most important meal of the day for generations. In 1970, the company kickstarted its breakfast menu with doughnuts and other sweets. Then just a few years later, McDonald's released its iconic Egg McMuffin nationwide and gradually expanded its breakfast menu with time. Today, countless Americans rely on this popular fast food chain for a fast breakfast thanks to the company's relatively quick service.

Concerning the breakfast menu, there are definitely some disappointing duds — namely, the Sausage Burrito, which comes with scrambled eggs, melted cheese, pork sausage, green chilis, and onions wrapped in a soft flour tortilla. The main problem here is the size, which is very small. This burrito feels more like a snack than a proper breakfast, and if you have a bigger appetite in the morning, eating this might end up leaving you feeling hungry.

Instead of the sausage burrito, I'd recommend ordering the Big Breakfast with Hotcakes. This sweet and savory meal deal offers a stack of warm hotcakes with butter and syrup, sausage, scrambled eggs, crispy hash browns, and a biscuit. This breakfast always leaves me feeling full and fueled up for the day, which makes it feel like a good value — unlike the Sausage Burrito.

Mostly known for its variety of donuts and coffee, Dunkin' has long established itself as a haven for breakfast that's open at the break of dawn. Whether you're swinging by on national donut day to scope out a special or just making a routine pop in, there's no doubt that Dunkin' is popular among Americans. You'd be hard-pressed to find another widespread fast food chain that serves breakfast earlier than Dunkin' — it starts serving at 5 a.m. — which is a major part of its appeal for early birds. At the same time — like every other restaurant — the restaurant's breakfast menu has its strengths and weaknesses. 

Dunkin' has never really had good bagels, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why. The chain has tons of resources and a loyal base of eager customers; you'd think that a company that's famous for breakfast would have figured out how to deliver a decent bagel to its clientele. Yet the bagels at Dunkin' barely taste a step up from the frozen variety that you get at the grocery store and pop in the toaster at home.

Instead of ordering bagels at Dunkin', try the Sourdough Breakfast Sandwich. The quality and flavor of the sourdough tastes better than the bagels, and it'll definitely scratch your itch for starch much more deliciously. It also comes with a generous amount of bacon, along with two eggs and white cheddar.

Chick-fil-A makes one of the best fast food fried chicken sandwiches in the game, but it also has some decent breakfast options. The Egg White Grill may seem like a tempting option, since it comes with grilled chicken and egg whites, which are often touted as healthy proteins. Truth be told, after trying this I found the combination of grilled chicken and egg whites to be a strange combination. As it turns out, something about a mouthful mixed with grilled chicken and soft, flavorless egg just doesn't sit well with me.

Instead, I often find myself gravitating towards Chick-fil-A's biscuits, which are nice and fluffy. Breakfast biscuits come with eggs and cheese along with your choice of fried chicken, sausage, or bacon. As much as I love fried chicken, I usually can't bring myself to eat it for breakfast, so I always opt for bacon or sausage. There's nothing to complain about here — the biscuit is buttery, the bacon and sausage are consistently cooked properly, and the eggs and cheese get the job done. The biscuits are definitely a solid option for breakfast at Chick-fil-A.

The first Del Taco opened in California, and to this day, most of its stores are located on the West Coast. Luckily, I've been fortunate enough to have a few Del Tacos in my home state of Florida. I've always been impressed with the little things at this chain: the creaminess of the slow-cooked beans, the freshness of the cheese (which is grated on location at its stores), and the tasty tang of its sauces. Compared to a lot of other fast food chains, Del Taco seems to hold itself to a higher standard. The same can be said of its breakfast menu, which is typically offered until 10:45 a.m.

That is, except for its Breakfast Rollers. Del Taco's Breakfast Rollers are like mini breakfast burritos filled with scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, and red sauce. They can also come with bacon, if preferred. The problem here has less to do with taste or quality and more to do with size and texture. Similar to the Sausage Breakfast Burrito at McDonald's, the Breakfast Rollers at Del Taco suffer from being a bit too small.

Instead of going for the Breakfast Roller, I'd suggest opting for Del Taco's Breakfast Toasted Wrap. Taco Bell's Breakfast Crunchwrap seems a little bigger, but Del Taco definitely beats out the Bell when it comes to quality. The Breakfast Crunch wrap is stuffed with hash browns (which are nice and crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside), cheddar, eggs, salsa, and your choice of bacon or carne asada in a tortilla.

Although Sonic is mostly known for its burgers, milkshakes, and tater tots, the company also has a breakfast menu. While the breakfast menu may be a little more limited compared to some of the other chains on this list, it still has some items worth exploring. In fact, in my experience, the truth is that most of Sonic's breakfast menu is surprisingly good.

The only menu item that I've felt underwhelmed by is the company's Breakfast Toaster sandwich. It's not that there is necessarily anything horribly wrong with it — it's just not good enough to induce cravings or warrant a return. On the other hand, Sonic's French Toast Sticks are a unique offering that delivers serious deliciousness. This breakfast item is nice and thick, and the texture is a little crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. French toast is one of my all-time favorite breakfast foods, and even though I have an easy French toast recipe up my sleeve, I don't always have the time to whip it up from scratch at home. It's nice to enjoy the basic flavors of French toast without having to put any of the work in. Since most fast food restaurants steer clear of serving this item, Sonic does a respectable job of filling that void.

Wendy's was a latecomer to the breakfast game. Rolling out its first breakfast menu in 2019, the company started off with a few sandwiches and new coffee drinks. The chains' breakfast menu doesn't seem to have evolved much since then, but considering that Wendy's is still new to this area of the market, its reluctance to change it up much at this point is understandable. The breakfast sandwiches at Wendy's are served on croissants, biscuits, and buns.

It's impossible not to think of a McDonald's Egg McMuffin when you see The Classic Egg and Cheese sandwich at Wendy's. The circular cracked egg, the English muffin, the slice of melted cheese — it's all there. The problem is that despite its resemblance and similarities, Wendy's Classic Egg and Cheese just somehow doesn't hold a candle to the Egg McMuffin. The biggest issue is that the egg is too thin, which makes the whole sandwich feel lacking.

The Breakfast Baconator is where it's at. It has everything you could possibly want in a breakfast sandwich: eggs, tons of bacon, cheese slices, grilled sausage, and a drizzle of cheese sauce. The Breakfast Baconator is not only properly filling — it's also a remarkably tasty way to kick off the day.

The breakfast menu items in this article are based on my personal dining experiences at these fast food restaurants. Recommendations were based on flavor, portion size, texture. Many of the menu items in this article have been sampled multiple times.