A&W Fries Review: Magical Butter Crunch

A&W is well known for its root beer. Started in 1919 by Allen as a simple root beer stand selling his home made root beer, A&W is one of the oldest fast-food chains. It has a nostalgic vibe with quality food made with great ingredients, and of course, centered around their signature root beer served in the iconic mug. With over 900 locations across the world, and about 430 locations in America, they are not your largest chain but still maintains a loyal following. And yes, they have fries. So we absolutely had to check it out.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, A&W branches are typically merged with KFC and they share the same kitchen resulting in the same fries (just put in different packaging). So to ensure that we review authentic A&W fries, we traveled far to San Rafael where they indeed have a standalone A&W.

A stand alone A&W branch is difficult to come by. This is in San Rafael, CA.

Texture (8/10)

The fries were very crunchy, almost to a degree that we initially thought they were battered. We had to check the surface multiple times and scratched our heads on how A&W was able to make the potato burst with a crackle. We suspect this could due to the type of oil they use. The fries were stuffed pretty well, so they held up against the heavy dipping of ketchup. The crisp was also present, which added a nice texture. Overall, we believe these fries had really good texture. One call out is that the innards was a bit pasty in certain pockets, again pointing towards high temperature, short time frying.

The texture was excellent. The crunch was unbelievable.

Flavor (9/10)

The fries were very well salted, with enough saltiness to be flavorful, but not so much that your throat gets really dry. But what made these fries special was this movie-theater butter flavor that was prominent with every bite. We think that butter was added to the oil, or they were coated before they were served. Given butter also can fry at higher temperatures, it corroborates with our high temperature frying theory. There was no seasoning, but we think that the flavor was pronounced and sufficient to be very tasty. You really can't go wrong with salt, butter, and potatoes!

Shape (6/10)

The fries were not very long, and the length was not always consistent, but at least the width was quite consistent. Their slender shaper does give an illusion that they are longer than their actual length. Even though the fries weren’t very thick, the exterior crisp and prominent flavor make it feel thicker in your mouth. Perhaps if these fries were cut thicker, they may have overwhelmed the palate with each bite so we think these thinner fries are an intentional decision.

These fries look longer than their actual length due to the slender thickness.

Presentation (5/10)

The fries are served in a wax paper bag that is like the McDonald's large fry bag. It is brown, and there is a swirly '&' on the front. It holds about as many fries as the McDonald's large fries. Although the golden fries were well packed into the bag, this was not as impressive. We think that more thought and effort could have been put into the presentation. This is the bare minimum. The score could have been lower if the fries were packed messily.

We appreciate the intentional insertion of the sticks in the paper bag.

Experience (7/10)

The fries came out pretty slow, but the actual texture, taste, and components of the fries well made it worth the wait. The fact that we were scratching our heads on where the crunch came from, and the subtle yet bold butter taste put a smile on our faces with each bite. The fries are priced at $4.30, which is a good deal for the quality and quantity, and they well balanced out the sweetness of the root beer which we washed it down with. All of use really enjoyed eating A&W fries.

Texture	8
Flavor	9
Shape	6
Presentation	5
Experience	7
Overall	7.0 / 10

Conclusion

A&W’s fries are great, being super tasty, crunchy, and enjoyable. These are one of the best fries we have reviewed. They appear basic but we can absolutely sense the thoughtfulness in the recipe. The butter truly adds a flair and taste that we hadn’t experienced before. Even though areas like presentation and shape may need some more work, these are truly great fries. Thank you A&W for putting such an effort in creating a masterpiece.

A&W's mascot seems to be a bear with a root beer. This statue in the store added to the nostalgic decor.