4 Restaurant Chains With the Best Corn Bread, According to Chefs
Cornbread can elevate any meal. From eggs and bacon to soups or a main course, corn bread can make or break whatever you’re eating. The best versions strike the right balance between a crisp, golden crust and a tender crumb, while complementing your dish. To find out which chain restaurants get it right, Eat This, Not That! asked Steve Ingber, Executive Chef & Owner of MileHighCook, to weigh in on the chains serving cornbread that’s actually worth ordering.
Boston Market
Whether you’re pairing it with rotisserie chicken or mashed potatoes and gravy, Boston Market’s cornbread has long been a staple of the chain’s comfort-food lineup. Ingber says its sweeter style works especially well alongside savory dishes. “It leans sweet and cakey, which purists will fight about, but it is engineered to sit next to gravy and not disappear,” says Chef Steve. “The crumb stays tight when it gets wet.”
Famous Dave’s
Barbecue and cornbread are a classic combination, and Famous Dave’s leans into that tradition with its signature cornbread muffins. According to Chef Steve, the restaurant’s baking method helps maximize flavor in every bite. “Serving it as a muffin is smart,” he says. “More surface area means more browned crust per bite, and browning is where cornbread flavor actually lives.”
Mission BBQ
Mission BBQ is known for smoked meats, but its cornbread also earns high marks from Ingber for staying true to what the dish should taste and feel like. Instead of resembling cake, it delivers a more traditional texture. “Theirs has real corn texture instead of being sanded down to pure flour,” says Chef Steve. “That slight grit is what separates cornbread from yellow cake.”
Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel has built its reputation on hearty Southern comfort food, and its corn muffins are designed to accompany the restaurant’s country-style entrées. Chef Steve says they’re at their best when enjoyed alongside the rest of the meal.
“The corn muffins have a dry, sandy crumb on purpose, built to soak up gravy,” he explains. “Judge it with the meal, not on its own.”